New Base: Dorset 4ply Limited Edition | Sourced in Northern Ireland

It is my pleasure to introduce one of my new limited edition bases to you. This one has been in the shop once or twice before now I think. It’s a gorgeous creamy white base sourced from a single flock right beside where I grew up, outside Ballymena (Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland). The Dorset flock is literally within walking distance of half my families houses (less than a mile!), and they are poll Dorset (no horns).

Graham’s sheep are top quality pedigree Dorsets and they are shorn by a shearer whose main job is as a dentist (quite the sideline shearing sheep but admittedly probably some transferable hand eye skills?) who has some Dorset sheep of his own, so he has great experience shearing these large sheep. They are quite quiet sheep, not wild- more tame and happy to be around humans.

Photo by Graham (the farmer), also a keen photographer.

The yarn itself is quite a ‘clean’ looking base- here are no hints of any grey bits, but is almost completely white- and I say white because it is definitely more a cool toned white rather than a warm white/ cream. This makes for a lovely base colour for dyeing on. It is a robust, firmer yarn but with a bit of lustre lurking in there. Perfect for colourwork garments and sweaters, and it will work well with the Zwartbles yarn.

Yarn Description

Approx 4ply/ 370m/ 100g

Woollen Spun

100% Dorset fibre from Kildowney, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland (single flock)

Spun in Wales

This base will be launching on 16th June, 7:00pm GMT+1, here on my website. There will be a very limited amount of Dorset to compliment the Zwartbles, but there will be more available next month! Don’t worry if you miss out this time.

Here are the colours that will be available: