All the fibre in our new Appledore range is sourced from within 20 miles of our North Devon Mill, and, with a palette of unusual heathered shades, perfectly encapsulates our ethos. Like all our yarns, Appledore is steeped in our fibre heritage (all hail those vintage machines of ours). We have blended together Devon Closewool, a moorland breed with rustic and grippy fibre, with lustrous and characterful Romney and our old favourite, the gloriously bouncy Exmoor Blueface. The resulting blend is packed full of woolly bounce and a smattering of lustre, the perfect canvas for Appledore’s range of playful modern shades.

When creating Appledore’s palette we were drawn to the depth of tone found in traditional tweed textiles. Many of the shades in Appledore’s orchard of delights have been blended using four or five different base shades, creating a sublime richness to the colours. The shades are all named after different varieties (or cultivars, if you want to get all fancy) of apples that we have here in the West Country. Some of them are rather puntastic as we love a good chuckle round here…

This yarn is a loosely spun DK, with a distinctive rustic halo (the handle is a little reminiscent of a Shetland yarn). The resulting fabric has wonderfully warm woolly halo and a full-boddied texture. Because of this halo and it’s two ply nature, the resulting Yarn can be worked at both a tight and looser gauge, as the halo of fibres will simply expand to fill in any gaps around the stitches. With Appledore we have created a durable workhorse yarn which is pill resistant and ideally suited for everyday wear – be that in garments or accessories.

Although all worsted spun yarns have a lot of drape, this blend has slightly less than the majority of our yarns, giving it a cosy heirloom feel. For spinners (or new cable and knitters) this composition also has the added bonus of increased grip and texture from the more rustic breeds, making it one of our grippiest bases. It is a perfect Tops blend to try, if you’re still gaining in confidence and refining your craft.

Whether you’re after the Yarn or Tops, our Appledore is a lively blend with an unpretentious air. It’s the ideal fibre to wear whilst rambling out and about scrumping apples. With twenty unusual heathered shades to choose from, you’re sure to find a colour combination which makes your heart glad.

Meterage - 250 metres per 100g / 62 metres per 25g
Composition - 40% Devon Closewool / 40% Romney / 20% Exmoor Blueface
Gauge - 24 - 18 sts
Needle - 3.75 - 5.5 mm