Three Rare British Yarns To Try While Stocks Last

The very welcome boom in the production of small-scale British born and bred yarns continues apace. Here are three of A Woolly Yarn's latest finds but remember, because they are produced by sole traders or small businesses with wool from a specific flock, there's only a finite amount of stock available. Once they've sold, they've gone forever! Well, until next year's clip anyway ...

Langsoond

Langsoond is a yarn spun from the fleece of Shetland designer Donna Smith's own sheep and that of her neighbours. The name, she explains comes from Langsound, which is a stretch of water that runs along the East coast of Burra Isle. She says, "In Shetland dialect we pronounce the 'ou' in sound as 'oo' so I have gone for the phonetic spelling".

Langsoond image courtesy of Donna Smith

The yarn will go on sale on Saturday 30th September at the Shetland Wool Week Maker's Market and will then be added to Smith's online shop. The 100g DK-weight skeins will be available in four natural colours. Smith is busy working on three designs to support the yarn.

Garthenor

Ysolda Teague features this certified organic British yarn in her latest pattern release Caru.

Caru image courtesy of Ysolda Teague

She used Garthenor No.2 Manx Loaghtan & Wensleydale Blend to create these cabled, fingerless gloves and sells it in her online store. The weight is described as between 4ply and DK and a 50g ball costs £8 plus P&P. As the yarn is breed-specific it's available whilst stocks last.

Image courtesy of Kettle Yarn Co.

Ramble

Kettle Yarn Co. has launched Ramble, a seven-colour wool range sourced from local British farms. The blend, says the company, is only available in small batches due to it being spun from the finest-graded fibres of Shetland and Romney.

Ramble is described as lightly-processed and woollen-spun into a heather, sheep cloud that's perfect for colour work, twisted stitches, cables and rustic lace shawls.

It's a 2ply yarn and can also be used holding two strands together to create a traditional marled effect.

The seven colours are striking, with the greeny/blue hue of Burdock standing out amongst the bunch. The palette offers a good choice for both those who prefer understated colours and knitters who like their knits to be vibrant.

A 100g skein costs £18 plus P&P directly from Kettle Yarn Co.'s online store.

A Woolly Yarn hasn't yet seen any of these three yarns in person and therefore can't comment on their squishiness or review their knitability at present.