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  • Wool Week – A Celebration of British Wool

    October 06, 2015 4 min read 0 Comments

    This week is UK Wool Week and what better way to celebrate than with a skein of homegrown and homespun British wool.

     

    What is Wool Week UK?


    Wool Week is an annual event by The Campaign for Wool. The Campaign for Wool was started in 2010 and works in 14 different countries. It aims to draw attention to the excellent properties of wool, encouraging businesses and consumers to celebrate all that is great about this natural fibre. As knitters most of us already celebrate wool on a regular basis but I am all for extra woolly celebrations!


    Wool Week UK 2015 takes place between 5th and 11th of October. 

     

    Why Wool?

     

    If you do not usually knit with wool, I really encourage you to give it a try. Wool is marvellous to wear – it is warm, breathable and long lasting when well cared for. It is a fantastic fibre to create with too and there are so many brilliant wools on the market these days, meaning there is something for everyone and every project. I know some people worry about wool being ‘itchy’ but there really are lots of fantastic options, at reasonable prices that are great for wearing next to the skin. 

     

    Why British Wool?

     

    I am a firm believer in using what is available locally where possible. This is not to say that imported yarns do not have their place, they certainly do and I have worked with many wonderful yarns from all over the world. However the farming and textile industries in the UK need, and deserve our support as knitters. The UK has a vast array of sheep breeds available and many yarns are now wholly grown and spun in the UK. Supporting British farmers and industry in the process.

    If you are interested in learning more about Knitting British you may enjoy the Knit British podcast and blog, where Louise Scollay – champion of knitting British shares her wisdom, and fascinating knitting journey with us.

    Join us in Celebrating British Wool during Wool Week.



    To celebrate Wool Week UK here at Tangled Yarn we have a round up of our favourite British wool in the shop and a special mitten pattern free for a limited time to Tangled Yarn blog readers.

    Erika Knight is a well-known British designer with a fantastic range of British home grown and spun yarns. She is passionate about British wool and supporting British industry.

    My ethos is simple: to keep sheep grazing our beautiful landscape, to promote our distinctive British sheep breeds and to make it all here in Britain, supporting British manufacturing.

    Erika Knight

     

    Here at Tangled Yarn we have three beautiful British Yarns from Erika Knight.

     


    British Blue (DK weight, 25g / 55m, 17 colours) 100% Bluefaced Leicester


    This yarn is soft and luxurious - the wide range of colours and small ball size makes it perfect for smaller projects and colourwork.

    Clayoquot Toque by Tin Can Knits would be an ideal project to showcase this wool, it comes in a wide range of sizes and would make a great gift knit.

    Shown here in knitted in Pretty, Ice Gem and French. 

    Clayoquot Toque can be downloaded free on Ravelry, it also part of Tin Can Knits book Road Trip.  




    Vintage Wool (Aran weight, 50g / 87m, 15 colours) 100% British Wool

    This yarn has a lovely lofty feel to it and is a joy to work with. It creates a beautiful stitch definition and is fantastic for accessories.

    Clare Devine has created an aran weight version of her Crumpet mittens specifically for Tangled Yarn and this yarn. The pattern is available in five sizes and uses 100g of Vintage Wool. The mittens are easy to knit and feature a clever afterthought thumb construction.

    Click here to download the pattern for Crumpet free until October 31st.

    This yarn would also make great long lasting garments. Why not try the Antler cardigan from Tin Can Knits – available in their signature range of sizes from baby to adult, the cabled yoke would be fantastic in this yarn. 

     

     

     

     

    Erika Knight Maxi Wool
    Maxi Wool (Super Chunky, 100g / 80m, 14 colours)

    Need something super warm in record time? Look no further than Maxi Wool. This superb super chunky is available in a great range of fun colours and makes great accessories. 

     

     

     

     

    We also have some other lovely British Wool to consider.

    West Yorkshire Spinners produce a wonderful range of yarns suitable for knits for the whole family.


    Bluefaced Leicester DK (DK weight, 50g / 112m, 13 colours)

     

    The Bluefaced Leicester DK would be perfect for the Saaral pattern and would also make great knits for kids and adults. It is a very versatile weight and the colour range is brilliant.

     

    West Yorkshire Spinners, Bluefaced Leicester Natural Aran
    Bluefaced Leicester Natural Aran (Aran weight, 100g / 166m)

     

    The Bluefaced Leicester Natural Aran would be a fabulous option for the Crumpets mitts if you wanted something a little different. The beautiful natural shades of this yarn also work really well for cables and textured knits. 

    I hope you have enjoyed this blog post on British Wool and we look forward to seeing what you create with these wonderful yarns.

     

    Happy knitting,

    Clare

     

    About the Author 

    Clare Devine is a writer and designer. Originally from South Africa she has nomadic tendencies and is currently knitting her way around the UK. She is passionate about all things fibre related (especially if it’s grey), knitting, travel and sunshine in equal measures.

    She regularly blogs at www.yarnandpointysticks.com. You can find her on Ravelry as Knitsforklipskaap, Twitter as @_ClareDevine and Instagram as @Clare.Devine.