The Jacob Sheep

As November's Yarn of the Month is West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob, I thought it would be really interesting to find out a bit more about the sheep itself.  I am no expert so I have consulted two excellent books that I own, 'The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook' by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius and Sue Blacker's 'Pure Wool'.  I have also looked at several websites and I will pop links to these at the bottom of this post.

The Jacob originated in the Middle East and is said to be the oldest breed of sheep in the world.  They were introduced to Great Britain during the 17th Century where they were kept to decorate the parklands of country estates due to their 'decorative' appearance.  

I presume this 'decorative' use was one of the reasons why numbers of Jacob sheep declined, as country houses and land were later sold off.  When the Rare Breed Survival Trust (RBST) was created in 1974 the Jacob was placed on their watch list as a minority breed.  

Image Details: Jacob's Ram by Dave Merrett via Flickr

Thanks to the work of The Jacob Sheep Society and the RBST the Jacob sheep is no longer on the watch list.  There are 8000 breeding sheep registered and around 3000 lambs registered annually.  Jacob can be found living all over Great Britain.  It is worth noting that in the U.S the Jacob is still classed as a rare breed.  It is also worth mentioning that due to different breeding programs in the two countries the British Jacob is much larger than its American relation.

Jacob are one of the most instantly recognisable sheep breeds.  They have a white fleece with, what the breed standard describes as, 'well defined' coloured patches.  For this reason alone the Wool Marketing Board classes them as 'coloured' sheep.  Both male and female sheep have between two and four horns.

So some Jacob fleece facts.......  
Handle: Medium with a good degree of springiness
Staple Length: 7.5cm - 18cm
Micron Count: 25 - 27.5 (Bluefaced Leicester is 26 - 26.5)
The breed standard advises that there should no little or no kemp in the fleece. 

West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob Aran

The different colours on the fleece can vary in texture and staple length and this is worth keeping in mind if you are purchasing fleece or wool from smaller flocks.  

The rise in Jacob sheep has allowed fleeces to be spun on a greater commercial basis such as the West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob that we stock. As a result of the blending larger numbers of fleeces the shades produced have more uniformity to them. 

Your can read more about the yarn in November's Yarn of the Month post. 

Jacob Sheep Society

Rare breeds Survival Trust 

I wrote about the Corriedale sheep here several month ago 

West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob Yarn of the Month November 2015

As November is the month of Wovember, a celebration of all things 100% wool our Yarn of the Month is West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob.

Despite Jacob sheep moving off the Rare Breeds Survival Trust watch list, it is still a yarn that you don't hear many people talking about.  Which is why I am delighted to invite three friends of BritYarn to share their thoughts and experience of knitting with this yarn along with my own.

West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob Aran

West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob is a pure breed yarn.  It is worsted spun and available in DK and Aran weights.   This yarn is quite lofty so looks thicker than other yarns of the same weight.  Both the DK and Aran are available in four undyed shades ranging from Ecru, to a deep rich brown.  As the natural shades get darker you can see more of a heathered effect.  

In the skein the yarn feels soft to the touch and to knit with it feels really pleasing and substantial.  I could wear it next to my skin but I know some people might need a layer underneath.  It is slightly loosely spun so I did have a few problems with cabling without a cable needle (it was also my first time which perhaps didn't help!) as I could not aways see my loose stitches clearly.  

I recently knitted Woolly Wormed's Lexie hat in Jacob Aran weight. The Lexie hat was the perfect project for seeing how the yarn behaved due to the different sections of the design.  
In the skein you can see some longer fibres which gave my finished Lexie hat a slight halo.  
The textured moss stitch and cable areas have amazing definition and if I turn the hat inside out the stocking stitch has me itching to cast on a winter jumper with this yarn!  It is also a very warm yarn and I know this hat will be used a lot this winter. 

I will now hand you over to three friends of BritYarn who have very kindly shared their thoughts on the West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob DK.  By coincidence they have all made cardigans!  

Neuroticbunnylady on Ravelry was the first person to buy Jacob yarn from BritYarn.  I followed with great excitement the progress of her Owls cardigan.

"I found Jacob DK a real pleasure to knit with, it is a little rustic feeling, but is also fairly soft. I found it knitted up into a lovely fabric, plus was extremely glad that if I dropped a stitch, it was extremely easy to pick that stitch up again, which has made me think I should try colourwork and maybe steeking with this yarn. The Jacob DK has amazing stitch definition, I am amazed at how well the lace pattern on the back of my cardigan shows up. 
As far as the finished cardigan goes, I find this yarn makes a very warm and snuggly garment, it is lovely to wear. I would have to say its become one of my favourite knits, and I would put a lot of that down to how the Jacob DK has knitted up into a really nice looking and feeling fabric."

Doksi used the yarn to knit her Scollay Along KAL cardigan.....

"The West Yorkshire Spinners Jacob DK is not the softest yarn you could image. So if you are very sensitive I wouldn't recommend this yarn.

But if you like a little course and woolly feeling in a yarn this will give you fine texture and durable clothes. I have no problems to wear it next to skin. And after I got my cardigan ready, I have worn it almost every day - no pills at all.

I found it much thicker than what I would call DK".

Last but no means least is MmedeBeavoir, who is on the final stretch of knitting a Portage cardigan.

"The Portage pattern had been calling to me for ages; but, as with all such projects, which yarn to use? I dithered and pondered and swatched with what I had in my (admittedly considerable) stash, but didn’t find the perfect yarn. I wanted something warm and soft and squishy, but I also had it in my head that I wanted to knit a natural, undyed British wool that was traceable and sustainably produced. 

There’s so much to love about Jacobs wool. It’s sturdy without being coarse, soft without being slippery, and it knits up beautifully: the stitch definition is gorgeous and the honeycomb stitch that makes up the back panel of the Portage cardigan is gloriously squishy. The result is both understated and striking. Looking closely at the knit, you notice the natural heathered look to the wool, the beautiful twist in the yarn… Plus it smells slightly sheepy, which is how wool should smell! For sweaters and cardigans, it’s the perfect choice."

I hope you have found this post interesting.  If you fancy learning more about breed specific yarns Louise at KnitBritish is currently holding a Breed Swatch Along in her Ravelry Group.

Britsock by The Knitting Goddess Yarn of the Month October 2015

One of my favourite hand dyed sock yarns is Britsock by The Knitting Goddess.  

Britsock Multi Colours

Britsock is not your run of the mill (no pun intended!) British sock yarn..... it is custom spun in Devon for The Knitting Goddess and is a wonderful blend of 40% Bluefaced Leicester, 20% Wensleydale, 20% Alpaca and 20% British Nylon.    

Joy, the the super talented lady behind The Knitting Goddess, really has an eye for putting different colours together.  You can tell I am a bit in love can't you.......  Britsock comes in semi solid, multi colours (variegated) and self striping options.  

Britsock is a smooth yarn to work with, making your knitting or crochet just speed by.  I loved knitting my Planum socks, a pattern in Sock Anatomy by Clare Devine, and seeing how the different shades appear. 

The yarn produces a really soft but strong fabric, with a slight halo.  However, while the name suggests its a sock yarn it also makes stunning shawls or light garments.  Once my crochet skills have improved I would love to have a go at one of the designs in the Shawl Project with one of the semi solid shades. 

Planum Sock

To celebrate all things British and Socktober The Knitting Goddess and BritYarn are delighted to announce the 'The Absolutely British Britsock' competition.  To enter all you have to do is think of a colourway name and suggest 3 - 4 colours which relate to that name.  The names need to be something typically British.  It might be a traditionally British food, a catchphrase, place or event. All entries need to be made over in the competition Ravelry thread in the BritYarn Ravelry group.  The competition will close at Midnight GMT on 31st October 2015.

Joy and myself will have the hard job of picking a winner.  Joy will then turn the winning entry into a one off colourway.  The winner will receive a skein of Britsock dyed up in their winning name and colours and the remaining skeins will be popped into the BritYarn shop.   

  

Indian Summer Self Stripe

UPDATE: 12th October 2015.  The Britsock base is changing and Joy has wrote about it here. I can honestly say that I cannot feel or see any difference between the old and the new base. 

Happy 10th Birthday Blacker Yarns

Blacker Yarns is 10 years old on Friday 18th September, so it is only fitting that September's Yarn of the Month should be their new celebratory birthday yarn, Cornish Tin.  Not only that, read on for details of a giveaway!

Cornish Tin, launched on the 18th September will be a limited edition yarn celebrating all things Blacker Yarns and British wool.  It will be available in 100g skeins in both 4 ply and DK weights.  Cornish Tin will only yarn be made once so when it has gone there will (sadly) be no more. 

Cornish Tin
Photo used with kind permission from Blacker Yarns

The yarn is woollen spun and is a blend of ten of the highest quality fibres Blacker Yarns knows and loves.  These are Alpaca, Mohair, Gotland, Jacob, Shetland, Black Welsh Mountain, Texel, English Merino, Falklands Merino and Gotland / Romney Cross.

Cornish Tin comes in one natural shade (a gorgeous silver) and four stunning toning, dyed shades all named after Cornish minerals.  I was very honoured to be one of the first people to see this yarn outside of Blacker Yarns and yes I fell in love with it at first sight.   It was not long before I cast on my first swatch! 

Unblocked stocking stitch swatch

Textured unblocked swatch

The yarn was nice and smooth to knit with and feels nice and springy in the skein.  I particularly liked the darker fibres still being visible.

The two swatches were knit in DK in the Dolcoath Turquoise shade.  They were a pleasure to knit and I was busy planning projects in my head as I was knitting them! The stocking stitch swatch has produced a really even square with great definition and it has some drape.  I really love how the textured swatch has turned out.  Not only does the pattern really stand out it feels really bouncy.

I didn't notice a massive difference after blocking. There is a slight halo on both swatches and both have formed a really nice looking and feeling knitted fabric.  The swatches have a medium softness to them.  I think if you are a sensitive to woolly yarns then this might not be suitable for next to the skin wearing.  However, worn with layers it will make a brilliant winter garment or accessory.

After blocking

Negatives? I wish, as it is coming up to winter, that there was an Aran weight version and that this yarn would be around forever!   

To celebrate Blacker Yarns 10th Birthday, BritYarn will have a little giveaway during September.  From the 1st September to midnight on 30th September (GMT) any order which contains two or more balls of any Blacker Yarns wool (not including Cornish Tin) will be automatically popped into a prize draw. The winner will be selected at random and will receive 1 skein of Cornish Tin 4 ply and a BritYarn canvas shopping bag.  I will announce the winning order number here on the blog and over in our Ravelry Group.

Image used with kind permission from Blacker Yarns

Cornish Tin will be available to buy from Friday 18th September. 

Eden Cottage Yarns Milburn 4ply Yarn of the Month August 15

Milburn is a 4 ply yarn which is mill dyed especially for Eden Cottage Yarns.  It is available in seven complimentary shades.  Each skein weighs 50g and there are 200 metres / 218 yards to a skein.

Fibre: 85% Bluefaced Leicester 15% Silk
Grown: The Bluefaced Leicester is grown in Great Britain.  
Spun: Italy
Dyed: Italy

As you can imagine, a yarn which contains Bluefaced Leicester and silk has the most amazing lustre. While working with this yarn it glides easily through your fingers.  The silk contents makes Milburn 4 ply a bit slippy on metal needles.  Extra care might be needed to ensure you don't drop any stitches!   

The yarn is spun with a high twist making it suitable for projects which need to withstand  some tougher situations.  There are quite a few sock patters which use Milburn 4 ply including Eden Cottage Yarns very own Daydreamer socks.  The added silk provides additional strength in a similar way to how nylon does.

Close up of the yarn

It is also the perfect yarn for lace and textured projects as the high twist allows the design to really stand out.  If you need any more reason to love this yarn it is also machine washable! 

This swatch was knit on 3.25 mm needles in the Misty Woods colourway. The stitches are really well defined.  

Swatch unblocked in the Misty Woods shade

Blocked Swatch

After blocking the yarn transforms, both the swatch and my Colossus top softened to a silky soft finish. The swatch has a nice drape while retaining some substance and as you can see it holds it shape brilliantly.  

In the cable work of the Colossus the pattern really stands out while being amazingly comfortable to wear against the skin.  

Cable detail of Colossus.
The design in one of six patterns in the Bletchley Collection  

We will take a closer look at the designs in the Bletchley Collection next week.

West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley DK Yarn of the Month July 15

Hello, how are you all?  This month's yarn is West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley DK.

Fibre: 75% mixed British wool 25% Nylon
Grown: Great Britain
Spun: Keighley, West Yorkshire GB
Dyed: Keighley, West Yorkshire GB

The yarn comes in 100g balls and there is 230 metres / 252 yards to a ball.  As you can see there is a great selection of colours available.  

Below are two swatches I knit using this yarn, a stocking stitch swatch and a basket weave swatch. If you want a closer look at how the Aire Valley DK looks in a lacy pattern I wrote about my Tin Can Knits Vivid squares here.  These two swatches were both knit using 4mm needles. 

WYS Aire Valley DK Unblocked

WYS Aire Valley DK Unblocked

The yarn is smooth and easy to work with and the added nylon makes this a hard wearing yarn.  Below are the after blocking photographs (I didn't pin these out to block but I did pin my Vivid Squares).  The stocking stitch swatch has evened out and lays much better and the swatches feel soft enough to wear next to the skin.

WYS Aire Valley DK Blocked

WYS Aire Valley DK Blocked

My blocked Vivid Squares

The WYS Aire Valley range has the added bonus of being machine washable. It is perfect for children's and adult's garments alike (including the Scollay cardigan) and for knitting and crochet projects around the home.  It also works brilliantly for socks!  

Joeli from Joeli's Kitchen recently published a new design Toasty Explorer Socks which are made using a DK yarn.  The pattern comes in five sizes ranging from toddler to large adult.  Joeli is currently knitting herself a pair using West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley in the Rainbow shade and using white for the cuff, heel and toe.

Toasty Explorer Socks by Joeli's Kitchen.
Image used with kind permission from Joeli's Kitchen.

West Yorkshire Spinners have a pattern book Quintessential DK to compliment the yarn. The book contains twelve patterns including designs for men, women and children.  Each design has several options included.  I really want to make this jumper from the book.......

Quintessential DK Image courtesy of WYS 

Quintessential DK Image courtesy of WYS

 ..... and I think this is really cute hat and top in the Rainbow shade! 

If you are looking for a multi purpose British yarn which is great value for money (£4.75 a ball for the solid shades and £4.95 for the multi coloured shades) then you can't beat WYS Aire Valley DK. 

Have you made anything with this wool?  I would love to hear from you if you have!  

p.s. we are due to receive more Aire Valley in the next few days so if we are out of stock in a shade you want keep checking back.

Corriedale sheep

The concluding post for Yarn of the Month is all about the sheep.  As you will already know, Lyonesse is a blend of 50% Corriedale / 50% Linen and the Corriedale wool comes from the Falkland Islands.  

Falkland Corriedale sheep

The Corriedale sheep originated in Australia and New Zealand in the 1870s due to a need for a dual purpose sheep, well suited for meat and wool production.  By crossing the Merino with the Lincoln Longwool they were able to achieve this aim.  By the 1890s the Corriedale had become the first native sheep of New Zealand.   

The Corriedale's popularity soon spread around the world.  Now the Corriedale is the second most popular sheep breed in the world and is said to make up 70% of the sheep population in South America.  

They are a large heavy sheep, mature rams can weigh between 79 -125 kg while ewes range from 59 - 81 kg.  The sheep are described as being large framed and both rams and ewes are hornless (polled).  Their fleeces are thick and heavy with an average staple length between 7.5 - 12.5cm.  It is usually white in colour although other colours can be found in smaller flocks.

Technical Information 

Corriedale fleece

Bradford count 50-58  
The Bradford Count is the traditional way of defining the thickness of a fibre. The higher the number, the finer the wool.  As a comparison the Bradford count for Bluefaced Leicester is 56 - 60

Micron measurement 25-31 

The micron measurement (a micron is a thousandth of a millimetre) is the modern day measurement. The lower the value, the finer the fibres are.  The micron count for Bluefaced Leicester sheep is 22 - 25 microns while the human hair is on average 11 microns.

Corriedale wool is soft to handle and can easily be worn against the skin.  If you are spinning with Corriedale it is said to be easier to work with than other wools with a similar fineness. 

Due to the climate on the Falklands, there are no flystrike problems, which means no external pesticides are applied nor does mulseing take place which is all good in my book). 

All images used in the post were taken by Andrez Short of Swan Inlet Farm and used with kind permission.

Grazing

Yarn of the Month June Part 2 - A chat with Sonja from Blacker

Following on from our Yarn of the Month, featuring Lyonesse DK, I was super lucky to be able to ask Sonja Bargielowska from Blacker Yarns a few questions about herself, Blacker, the new Lyonesse range.  Sonja also revealed some exciting news from Blacker! 

Hello Sonja 

Many thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for BritYarn.  If you are sitting comfortably with a beverage to hand lets begin!

Could you introduce Blacker Yarns to those who may not know the company. 

So Blacker Yarns is quite a special yarn company because it is one of the only British yarn companies to come with its very own mill attached - The Natural Yarn Company. Because of this we are able to experiment with blends and rare breed specific yarns. It also means we have the added bonus of being able to buy fibre from farmers and then see every aspect of yarn production, from washing the fibre to dyeing and finishing, through in one location. 

Describe your typical day at Blacker Yarns?

I’ve been working at Blacker for about a year and have already learned so much. Although my job title is officially centred around brand and marketing, in practice I do a little bit of everything from customer queries to attending shows and stock control. So there is never a dull moment! Every day tends to be completely different from the last, which is ideal as it allows me to be constantly working on something new. This is probably quite similar to a lot of people working in the fibre industry as it tends to be made up of small companies. 

By far my favourite task is planning and launching new products. It is so rewarding being able to follow a yarn range through from the initial inspiration to balls of yarn. By far the best bit is watching people using that yarn to create something special to them. Ravelry is truly amazing! 

Lyonesse is a new addition to Blacker Yarns range.  How did it come about?

I love working with linen yarns. To my mind linen provides a set of characteristics as unique as those of wool but perfectly suited to summer garments. But pure linen is not always the most forgiving yarn to work with, so for a long time I have been curious about how a blend of wool and linen might behave.  

Then Sue and I had a chat about introducing a summer yarn to our selection at Blacker, after all no one wants to spend hours knitting massive woolly jumpers on the beach! I started thinking more practically about what kind of blend might work and which thicknesses would be best. Initially I was imagining a lace and 4-ply, but Sue was so right to also suggest a DK. This weight is ideal for summer garments, plus DK has the advantage of being a speedier knit. 

I think we are at quite an interesting time in the knitting industry. There are so many crafters who have been knitting with superwash Merino yarns for a few years now and I think as a community, we are starting to want something a little different. Not that there is anything wrong with superwash Merino, but a little variety is always great! So to my mind Lyonesse is the ideal stepping stone for someone maybe thinking of trying a linen yarn, but not quite sure how a pure linen fibre might behave. 

If someone has never knitted with a yarn that contains linen before how would you best describe it?

Linen is wonderful - it is durable, softens after every wash and most importantly from a knitter’s perspective retains its block wonderfully, making it ideal for lace projects. Anything knitted using a linen yarn will bounce straight back into shape after being crumpled in your bag or on the back of a seat. This structure is probably the main reason I fell in love with linen. 

It is also wonderfully suited to a warmer climate. The plant fibre has wicking qualities which means it can easily absorb moisture and help keep your body cool on a sunny day. Believe it or not, but these are also two of the properties in wool. So our Lyonesse blend is ideal for a British climate where the summers don’t always turn out to be quite as warm as we’d like. 

Where did the colour inspiration come from?  How did you decide on the six colours?

Our colour choices came about in quite an organic way. After trialing a few shades, I was really drawn to the way the subtle fleck of the linen fibers showed through on each colour. I particularly love the way these fibres work with the darker colours. Then it was about selecting a capsule collection of shades which harmonise well and evoke a light summery feel. 

   

Are there any patterns available to support Lyonesse?

There will be two patterns, a shawl and a cowl, both designed by me. But, hopefully we will have some more yarn support on its way next summer. In the meantime, Lyonesse will work well with most light summer tops, shawls and more. I can’t wait to see what everyone creates!

Image used with permission from Blacker Yarns

What are your favourite woolly / fibre crafts?  

Knitting of course! Followed quite closely by listening to knitting related blogs - ha! In the last year I have started spinning intermittently on a drop spindle, which is great fun but I have yet to make any yarn with which I enjoy knitting. I made my dad a rather ‘eccentric’ hat for Christmas which he wears occasionally, bless him! I have also tried hand dyeing with Lara, one of my lovely co-workers at the mill. Dyeing was tremendously fun (and more successful than the spinning as yet) so I am keen to do more of it. 

If you were only allowed to knit / design with one British grown base what would it be and why? (a blend or 100% pure)  

This question is tremendously difficult. At the moment as seems to be the only thing I’m working with I’d like to say Lyonesse.  I am a huge fan of lustre breeds such as Teeswater, Cotswold and Wensleydale so I would probably choose one of these. They offer the perfect combination of drape and shine, with a wonderful textured halo. 

Are there any future Blacker adventures you can share with BritYarn?

We have a few exciting new ranges planned for next year, but unfortunately those are all still top secret! I can however reveal that we are going to be launching a one off limited edition yarn to celebrate our 10^th birthday this September. It will be a gorgeous rustic blend of farm assured British fibre spun as a DK in 9 different colours and one natural. The yarn is just going through the mill now, so I’ll be able to get some on my needles and have a play soon – one of the many perks of the job. ☺ 

Thank you Sonja for taking time out of your busy day.

Lyonesse DK Yarn of the Month June 15

Hello everyone how are you all?  Welcome to BritYarn's first Yarn of the Month.  This will be a regular feature where we will explore a yarn in more detail. 

June's Yarn of the Month is Lyonesse DK, a new yarn from Blacker Yarns.  

Fibre: 50% Corriedale / Merino (This first spin contains 100% Corriedale.  Future versions may contain a percentage of Merino from the Falklands depending on the availability of the Corriedale fleece) and 50% Linen. 
Grown:  Corriedale and Merino is collected from farms across the Falkland Islands. The linen is currently from Eastern Europe.

Spun:  Cornwall GB.

Dyed:  Cornwall GB.

The yarn comes in 50g balls and there is 110 metres (119 yards) on a ball.  It is £5.75 a ball. 

The Corriedale / Merino is sourced from different farms on the Falkland Islands and collected by Andrez Short from Swan Inlet Farm.  Andrez then send the fleeces to Blacker Yarns in Cornwall where it is blended with the linen fibres and made into this great new yarn.

The yarn comes in six shades including natural. I think they look great together but they also compliment each other.  I am secretly plotting something for me in the Rose Quartz shade.

I was lucky to receive a ball of Lyonesse DK to try before it launched in the Ruby colourway. Having never used a yarn which contains linen before I was unsure what to expect.  To the touch the yarn in the ball feels soft with an element of crispness.   The dyed yarn has a slight heathery appearance due to how the dye reacts with the wool and linen.  My first impressions were all good!

I decided to knit three different swatches so I could see how the yarn behaved and equally important how it blocked (all were knit on 4mm needles).  The yarn felt smooth passing through my fingers while working with the yarn. 

Here are the swatches unblocked 

Lyonesse DK Stocking Stitch Swatch Unblocked

Lyonesse DK Lace Swatch Unblocked

Lyonesse DK Cable Swatch Unblocked

The stitches are really well defined (the garter stitch ridges really stood up in the cable swatch).  I really love the feel of the stocking stitch swatch - soft but some some presence.  I can imagine a classic cardigan made in this yarn, which you could wear over everything in the summer and it would always look great. After finishing the lace swatch I thought it would look amazing in a crochet shrug or shawl.

These are the photos after blocking.

You can see that they have held their shape brilliantly.  I just used pins and gave the lace and cable one a stretch. The swatches all feel really soft against the skin. 

BritYarn stocks all six shades of Lyonesse DK and don't forget delivery is free for UK orders over £30 (postage rates vary for overseas destinations).  

Look out for our next blogs, the first will feature Sonja Bargielowska from Blacker Yarns.  Sonja kindly answered some questions for the blog about how Lyonesse came about and life at Blacker Yarns.  Our second will be all about the Corriedale sheep.

Until then next time 

Isla