The Story of Whistlebare: Natural Yarns From Northumberland

Daisy Snood image courtesy of Whistlebare

My first encounter with Whistlebare, a family farm in Northumberland that produces yarn from their flock of sheep, was early last year when I bought a skein of their 4ply Yeavering Bell in light grey to knit the Daisy Snood.

I've had lots of wear out of the snood and have found it's perfect for in-between seasons when I need a bit of neck warmth but not a full-on thick scarf.

The latest Whistlebare product on my 'to knit' list, particularly after seeing and feeling a knitted-up sample at Edinburgh Yarn Festival in March, is their Bubble Jersey. It was originally knitted using the fluffy Yeavering Bell 4 ply but has since received a new lease of life as part of their Canny Lass Collection, knitted with the less-sheddy Cheviot Marsh 4ply.

Alice from Whistlebare kindly agreed to be interviewed to give me an exclusive interview about her farm, yarn and colour inspiration.


The Farm

"Whistlebare is a small (about 60 acres), very beautiful farm in North Northumberland.and, a stone's throw from the beach in one direction and the fabulous Cheviot Hills in the other. We moved here in 2004 bringing our small herds of Aberdeen Angus Cattle and Large Black Pigs with us. These we farmed to organic standards until 2012 when a variety of factors converged to mean we needed to a find a new direction. In that time I had learnt to crotchet and was picking up knitting needles again after a 25 year break. I was loving the creativity and the peace induced by an evening's crafting. It was when I started to visit some of the fantastic Yarn Festivals around, notably the very first EYF, that the idea of producing our own, British, local, ethical yarn began to take root.

Image courtesy of Whistlebare

As at teenager I had spent my holidays helping my Aunt on her goat farm in Cornwall. She had a few Angora Goats and I had always loved them and the amazing lustrous mohair they produce. After a lot of investigation and seal searching I was delighted when Angora Goats appeared to be the way forward. Our first nine Angoara Goats arrived in 2013 to great excitement. I wasn't the only one who was excited: our four songs, then ages 6 to 11 years-old, were very keen to get involved. My husband and I decided that this was an opportunity for the boys to begin their own flock of sheep. Again, much research ensued. Wensleydales with their beautiful long locks of high lustre wool, as well as being a rare breed from my husband's native Yorkshire, seemed to be the perfect compliment to our goats. The boys' first three ewes arrived, in lamb, at the beginning of 2014. It has been a very steep learning curve as goats and sheep require very different care but now, four years later, we have a herd of 150 goats and a flock of 50 sheet and are loving every minute of it!

Since then the boys had shown themselves to be interested and capable shepherd. They undertake all of their sheep's care and soon will be shearing too as the oldest boy is attending a shearing course this year. Rather than pay 'rent' for the sheep's grazing our boys work in lieu so the weekends see all six of us working together trimming goats' feet, worming and vaccinating or bringing in bales of hay etc. Or course at the end of all this the boys will sell their fibre to mum and dad at an exorbitant price!"


Yeavering Bell Yarn

Bubble Jersey image courtesy of Whistlebare

"We were clear about our aims from the outset. Our yarn would be British, from animals kept to the highest welfare standards and have the smallest carbon footprint we could manage. Mohair and Wensleydale have a number of special features not least that they are both high lustre. In order to make the most of the shine we decided that our yarn should be worsted spun and were delighted to discover that scouring, combing and spinning could all happen in Yorkshire We have the yarn plied into three different weights, 4ply, double knit and aran, which is returned to use for dyeing. Mohair has long, smooth fibres that are not able to absorb dye particularly well, Then, because they reflect light very well, the result is real clarity of colour and shine. it is hard not to enjoy doing something when the result is so stunning. Wensleydale shares many of the characteristics of mohair, dyeing beautifully as well, so our yarn Yeavering Bell positively glows with rich colour. I only dye Yeavering Bell into solid or semi-sold colours as I feel that multi-coloured dyeing would detract from the yarn's own simplicity and beauty. That said I produce over 30 colours and am adding to our palette all the time!

Yeavering Bell is a unique yarn spun from 80% mohair and 20% Wensleydale. It is soft and sleek with rich colour and very high lustre. Mohair is a hollow fibre so is very insulative whilst being very light weight. The addition of Wensleydale, which is a much heavier robust fibre, gives the mohair enough weight to drape beautifully. Another of mohair's characteristics is that it has the highest rub test of all natural fibres so, when knitting with Yeavering Bell,  you can be sure that your project will last for years. Whistlebare's patterns are comtemporary classics all designed to make the most of mohair and Wensleydale's special features.

Our other mohair and Wensleydale yarn is Cuthbert's Sock. It is entirely natural fibre: 80% kid mohair and 20% Wensleydale wool spun tightly to be robust. Mohair is the perfect sock fibre. It has the highest rub test of any natural fibre and so won't wear out. The fibres themselves have very few scales and what scales there are lie smoothly - as a result bacteria has nowhere to cling on and so mohair socks don't smell! As the mother of four boys, two of whom are teenagers, I can tell you that works for me."


Colour Inspiration

Image courtesy of Whistlebare

"Northumberland must be one of the most beautiful and varied counties in Britain.

Within a very few miles of Whistlebare we have dunes, beaches, the sea, castles, moorland and forestry. The inspiration for colour is all around and endless.

When planning a new palette I have to focus on a theme or particular location as the possibilities can be overwhelming otherwise. I try very hard to produce groups of colours that work well together and are truly wearable as well as being eye catching in your stash!"



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A big thank you to Alice for answering A Woolly Yarn's questions and giving us an insight into small-scale all-British yarn production.

Yarn can be bought directly from Whistlebare, with a 350m 4ply skein of Yeavering Bell costing £24.50 plus P&P. The Bubble Jersey kit I have my eye on retails between £33 and £49.50 plus P&P depending on the size you require. There are lots of other patterns to choose from too including hats, scarves and the Canny Lass Shawl designed by Karie Westermann.