Breed: Black Leicester Longwool
Category: Lustre
Brand: Sheepfold, the wool is sourced from British Black Leicester Longwool sheep in the Ty Carreg flock in Wales
Form: 100g ball, Aran weight
Preparation: Not sure

Skein Squish: Firm, soft, slightly textured

What It Is Like to Knit With: This is gorgeous wool to knit with. The fibres are soft but firm so the wool flows very consistently through the fingers. There are very subtle changes in the hues so that when knitted up, you have lovely depth of colour. There’s also a slight sheen to the wool and the very faintest of soft, really thin fibres escaping to form a barely noticeable halo.

Breakability: Fairly strong but able to break with a tug.

The Unwashed Swatch: I cast on 52 stitches on 4mm needles and knit a square called Hourglass from the book Knitting Block by Block by Nicky Epstein, with a garter border. I thought this was the perfect square pattern to represent all the time and care that it takes to produce wool and indeed to knit it and think thoughtfully about it. It has lovely stitch definition for the twisted cables and the stockinette stitches are even and defined, but with these subtle blend of slightly darker fibres with the lighter, there’s a really beautiful mottled effect that I can’t quite capture with my camera, but certainly is there when you look closely at the fabric.

After the First Wash and Block: Keeps its shape and stitch definition. The wool blooms slightly making it oh, so soft and filling out the stitches beautifully. Absolutely no problems wearing it against the skin all day - completely forgot it was there.

After the Second Wash and Block: Final swatch measures 10.75 inches by 10.5. It feels softer and fluffier though the stitch definition is still strong. There’s no sign of pilling after vigorous rubbing, but the halo of fibres does intensify, so it forms more of a level haze than specific pills.

Final Notes: I love this yarn - it is so, so soft and very close to BFL in terms of softness and the knitted fabric. Like BFL, I feel this is another good all-rounder yarn that can definitely be worn against the skin. I would use it for jumpers, cardigans, shawls, mittens, hats, just about anything really. Stitch definition is good and the depth of colour is really lovely.