A Yarn is Born – Introducing New Baskerville – Dusk to Dawn – limited edition indigo-dyed yarn!
For the last year I’ve been working on a secret dream project that I’ve been dying to share – creating my own blend of British yarn. In my mind I could see a sheep-y blend that knit up like good old-fashioned, rustic yarns BUT soft enough for my wimpy skin. I wanted a yarn that looked like handspun and had enough tooth to hold its shape, without the scritchy qualities I normally associate with these types of traditional yarns. All in all a pretty big wishlist!
Many months later and with much fondling, testing, swatching, and playing with different fleeces, I am thrilled to say I finally have my dream yarn.
I’d like to introduce new Kettle Yarn Co. exclusive:
Baskerville – Exmoor Blueface / British Gotland / Silk
fingering weight yarn 100g = 437 yards (400 meters)
Baskerville combines two incredibly unique fibres Exmoor Blueface and grey Gotland with just a hint of luminous silk to play up the Gotland’s natural shimmer.
I took weeks trying to get the wording on the description just right so you could get a ‘feel’ for the yarn from afar. Not an easy task…
Here goes:
Hailing from the mysterious West Country moors Baskerville is lovingly spun in small batches exclusively for Kettle Yarn Co. This new British blend is like no other, melding the lustrous, velvety crimp of fine British Gotland and the frothy loft of Exmoor Blueface. With a hint of luminous silk adding a gentle shimmer, this unique blend is a subtly modern take on traditional rustic yarns.
A gentle 2-ply yarn, Baskerville is spun worsted, twisted lightly, to create the airy thick-and-thin character of traditional handspun with combed fibres for strength and softness. This unique blend blooms fully on blocking with separate stitches hugging together to create a light warm fabric with subtle drape that wears beautifully.
A truly exceptional heirloom quality yarn, it is simple to keep your Baskerville items looking new for many years to come as any tiny pills can easily be removed without damage to other fibres.
What do you think? Can you feel it? It is toothy, but soft. Has a gentle handle and halo without too much drape. It also smells fantastically sheepy as the yarn is gently processed and blooms like a dream when you block in warm water! See some swatching samples and tests below:
In a fit of madness, shortly after getting the first shipment of the yarn from the mill I decided I would learn how to indigo dye so that I could make Baskerville as special as it can possibly get. I’d been wanting to try this process for ages, but as it takes quite a bit of time to set up I just never found the right moment. Boy was I missing out…but more on that next week. 
I decided on 3 indigo dyed shades and the natural heathered light grey as the colourways for this exclusive blend. Click on the thumbnails below for larger images:
indigo dyed shades from left: Dusk, Eventide, Umbra, Dawn
As the yarn is dyed in small batches I won’t always have this in stock as it will depend on the spinning schedule at the busy British mill where I am getting this spun, but will let you know when I get a batch in and it is ready to go on the shop.
What a stunning process and what an amazing learning curve it has all been. I’ll be writing more on the journey over the new few weeks so you can get a behind the scenes look at the special things that make up this yarn.
The first batch of Baskerville is now available in shop while stocks last! There are only 3 of the darkest Dusk colour in at the moment but I will set up a pre-order once they go for the next batch in early Feb.
Hope you all love it as much as I do! xo
