Our Yarn

At Salty Sheep we care about quality.  Our yarn is one of the highest grades in the country.  The sheep are a breed called Dorset Down and are a rare breed native to the United Kingdom.  According to the British Wool Marketing Board, the wool that comes from these sheep is of the highest quality.  We are told it’s the best wool to use for everyday garments such as jumpers, socks, hats and scarves.  Not only is the wool soft,  it is also durable making it both comfortable and lasting.  

Occasionally, a small twig or leaf may be found in the wool whilst working with it.  This is quite normal.  Lanolin is also released as the yarn is handled which may result in your hands feeling softer than usual.  This is perfectly natural so there’s no need to panic.  

The colours in the yarns are not solid and when knitting, you’ll see slight variances where the wool has picked up the dye.  This occurs with natural fibres and the finished product will have a wonderful depth of colour only achieved by using natural dyes and yarns.  At the moment we have 6 colours to choose from: Pebble, Deep Blue, Sea Holly, Bracken, Urchin and Oyster.  New colours are on the way.  We are happy to send out sample cards on request.  

The yarn is a Double Knit and comes in 100 gram balls.  It has also been Worsted.  This means that the wool has been put through an extra process which other wool providers don’t often do.  Having the wool worsted means that the overall feel is much softer because the short fibres have been stripped away.  You may have heard of the term ‘Worsted suit’ – it means that the cloth is very soft.

There is plain undyed yarn available should you wish to experiment with your own colours.  Either give us a ring for advice or check out the large quantity of YouTube videos on the subject.

Take a look below if you want to find out more about our yarn!