Review of Baa Ram Ewe Dovestone DK Latest Shades

Leeds-based yarn store baa ram ewe has launched two new shades for Spring/Summer 2016 in its Titus 4ply and Dovestone DK wool brands. Both are British yarns sold in 100g skeins.

Image courtesy of baa ram ewe

The two latest shades added to the colour palette are rhubarb - a beautifully-rich merlot purple - and lotherton, a deep blue. Due to the nature of the yarn base the colours look slightly different on Titus and Dovestone. I was fortunate to receive a skein of Dovestone DK rhubarb to review. Each skein retails at £14.00.

Dovestone DK rhubarb feels soft to the touch and against the skin. It knits up well giving good stitch definition, with a slight halo. It's very suitable, in my opinion, for warm jumpers, cardigans and hats.  

To accompany the yarn, baa ram ewe has brought out a range of patterns aimed at tempting knitters to snap up the skeins. 

Image courtesy of baa ram ewe

For those who prefer to knit toys there's Dovestone Smallholding by Ella Austin, a £15 pattern book containing seven designs: a doll, duck, hen, pig, pony, lamb and cat. A play mat finishes off the collection. 

All are brightly-coloured and fun, but my favourite has to be the pink moggy, with its cute cables on the body and limbs. My skein of Dovestone DK will look wonderful knitted up in this pattern.

Bingley image courtesy of baa ram ewe

The Landmark Collection is a group of garment and accessory patterns released this month to also support the Dovestone DK yarn range. All are inspired by places or views in Yorkshire. 

At first look none particularly catch my eye like the Dovestone Smallholding patterns. Two are shawls: these accessories seem to be popular in knitting magazines but, apart from occasionally at a wedding, I've never seen anyone actually wear one. Perhaps I'm the only knitter who think shawls are best left in the pages of history books. 

The other five patterns are more promising, being a cushion, blanket, man's jumper, woman's cardigan and a cowl. The yarn shades used in the patterns are rather muted - using the brighter shades of Dovestone DK will transform the designs for people who prefer a more vibrant hue. Bingley is the name of the man's sweater knitted in the round. In the pattern it's knitted in grey. I've certainly got my eye on knitting this for my husband in the blue lotherton shade. 

When Dovestone DK first launched in 2015 it was accompanied by seven designs by Carol Feller. I look forward to seeing more patterns published to support the yarn, which will surely become a British classic.