We’ve got some rather exciting news to share with you fine folks today. It’s something that we have been working on behind the scenes for a while now, so it’s a real treat to finally be able to share it with you all…
Over the course of the next year, we will be replacing all our 100% Merino with a scrumptious blend of 50% Merino / 50% Bluefaced Leicester. We are passionate about trying to use as much UK grown fibre as possible (both to lower transport emissions and support our local wool growing industry) and this change is certainly going to help us achieve that, which is brilliant.
We love the softness of Merino – who doesn’t? Which is why we’ve chosen to add the softest of British breeds, Bluefaced Leicester. This sheep is renowned for its lustrous locks, which have a delicate sheen to them. So the new base has a little more lustre and drape than our current 100% Merino offering, but still packed with crisp stitch definition and soft enough to wear next to the skin (even in the most delicate areas).
And if we’ve got you thinking to yourself that you’d like to sample this new blend, then you’re in luck. As we have the undyed shade (KBN55) available in both 4ply & DK, in biggies and minis – hurrah! There are rather a lot of KBN shades – 121 to be precise! – so it is going to take us a fair bit of time to complete this transition. We hope to have some dyed shades for you to enjoy by the spring, so do keep an eye out.
DK – 250m per 100g / Mini skeins 62m per 25g
4ply – 400m per 100g / Mini skeins 100m per 25g
Hand wash at low temperature with mild detergent
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Like a few other popular breeds, BFLs were originally bred by Robert Bakewell in the eighteenth century. They are one of the UK’s tallest breeds with a broad ‘Roman’ nose and, of course, that divine lustrous fibre!
They can have rather a delicate constitution, but are popular with farmers for breeding purposes. The most common mule (cross breed sheep) in the UK is a hardy hill sheep mother crossed with a BFL male. Apparently this tends to bring out the best qualities of both breeds… On a side note, our Exmoor Blueface, is the fibre from those BFL and hill sheep crosses. Its a perfect all rounder, which is why we use it in so many of our bases!
