Folks We Spin For - Beth from Telling Yarns

Did you know that we not only make our own fibre and yarn ranges in our Mill, but that we develop and custom-spin bases for other folks, too? We love doing that kind of work – it means we get to sit together with like-minded fibre people, dive deep into the different properties of sheep breeds, and come up with a yarn blend that's just right for what they're going to use it for.

We'd love to showcase our custom spins a little more and to do so, we're starting a new blog series called "Folks We Spin For"! Every other month, we'll feature someone we developed a custom yarn with and ask them about why they decided to go the custom route and what they're doing with those yarns and fibre.

Today's spotlight is on the delightful Beth of Telling Yarns! Beth has been working with us for years, slowly expanding her assortment of custom-spun 100% British bases. You might know her for her impeccable, dreamy dye work, but rest assured, what's underneath those gorgeous colours is pretty special too!

We not only adore your gorgeous, nuanced colourways, we also really love the ethos behind your company. At Telling Yarns, you only work with non-superwash British wool - and we’re lucky enough to get to custom-spin your gorgeous bases! Can you tell us a little why you decided to focus on non-superwash British yarns and how you came to get them custom spun?

Telling Yarns was founded by me on our fourth-generation family farm, so a strong ethos of supporting British farming and industry is baked right into it. The decision to use non-superwash British wool stems from a desire to create yarns that are soft yet durable, with grip and a gentle halo; environmentally conscious and retaining all the amazing natural properties of wool; plus essentially, locally sourced British wool.

The custom spinning process allows me to craft bases that feel like home, replacing the need for imported Merino blends and mass-produced yarns, with a tactile, heritage-rich alternative.

Over the years, you’ve expanded your bases from two - Resolute and Steadfast - to now six custom yarns; three fibre blends available in 4ply and DK. Could you share a little about each of these fibre blends and how they differ?

Left to right: Resolute & Steadfast, Dark Friends & Heart of the Dark, Night Gathers & Take the Black, all undyed

Resolute & Steadfast - Bluefaced Leicester, Romney and Zwartbles

I set out to create a yarn that combined drape, memory, luster, and bounce. By blending in dark Zwartbles fibres for heathered depth and rich colour, then finishing with a gentle halo, I achieved this

Dark Friends & Heart of the Dark - Grey Exmoor Blueface, Romney, Bluefaced Leicester

Grey Exmoor Blueface offers notable softness combined with subtle mid-grey and brown tones that complement the ecru Romney and BFL fibres. The Dark Friends and Heart of the Dark bases are particularly well-suited to deliver both clarity and depth to the mid-tones, effectively bridging the gap between the lighter shades of Resolute/Steadfast and the deeper hues of Night Gathers/Take the Black.

Night Gathers & Take the Black - Grey Exmoor Blueface, Bluefaced Leicester, Romney, Zwartbles

The blend comprises 20% white/ecru wool, 40% mid-grey/brown, and 20% dark black/brown fibres. This combination enhances the saturated tones within the Telling Yarns collection while maintaining a flecked, tweed-like appearance that complements the hand-dyed tonal variations. The fibres are deliberately not excessively blended during gilling to preserve the distinctiveness of the light yarn base amidst streaks of darker shades.

I’m curious to hear how the custom spinning experience was from your side! What were the steps you went through to arrive at these bases, and which challenges did you face on the way?

Helena and the team sent me samples of the various tops that John Arbon regularly spin. I played around hand spinning combinations until I found just what I was looking for.  With Resolute and Steadfast I wanted something to replace all the non-custom bases I’d been dyeing before, so getting something just right took a fair amount of work and time. 

However, the darker shades of base were slightly easier to design, but did involve dyeing tonnes of minis from the Devon Naturals collection to understand how much of the ecru yarn I needed to still retain the essence of a Telling Yarns dye.

Last, but certainly not least, I’m always interested in what comes next. Do you have any plans for new bases (love a look behind the scenes!) or colourway experiments you’re really excited about?

I’ve spent the last few years working towards a complete colour wheel of Telling Yarns shades. I have this unavoidable desire to fill every gap in a full wheel that allows someone to glide from blues, to greens, to gold, to browns without a single hiccup.  At the same time, we always need those pops of colour that sing from within the collection.  There’s a lot of time spent shuffling skeins of yarn about in a huge wheel, until every gap is bridged and each main colour has its pop, its light note; and its depth.

Thank you so much, Beth, for taking the time to chat with us! You can find Beth over on her website and Instagram, and every once in a while also over here when she dyes up a special colourway for us. Check out our interview with her about "Pocket Full of Dye" for more insights into how she comes up with her colours!