You thought Wensleydale was a cheese - well it is, and it is also a name of a Dale in Yorkshire where these sheep come from.
The Wensleydale Longwool is the rastafarian of all sheep breeds, and they also come in black. Their long curls give a soft, silky yarn which is great for socks, security blankets and other special things.
Not many people know that the Wensleydale can be traced back to one stud of a ram called "Blue Cap."
In 1838, a dishy Leicester ram mated with a pretty Teeswater ewe, and Blue Cap was born. He grew up to be very handsome with blue pigmentation on his head and ears, which his breed still has today. Under his curls, he was big and tough, with little fat, and he started to climb fells to mate with Swaledale, Blackface, Rough Fell, Cheviot and Dalesbreed ewes, providing them with ewe lambs that would grow into heavy milkers, with little blue ears.....
Wensleydale yarn is £8 for 100g, and we have it in pink, blue and red.
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4 comments:
Wensleydale is awesome. I am un the process of getting some to knit some socks with...
...have you been in touch with Julia Desch of www.woolcraftwithwensleydale.com
??
She sells quite pricey but extremely, EXTREMELY lovely Wensleydale which I would love to see stocked in PYF!
I went and stayed on the farm where the sheep live last summer when I was writing up my Missability essay and I was really impressed by how the sheep are raised and looked after. I love all the effort and wholesomeness that resides in the beautiful, chocolate-covered yarn.
She also has a very rare, silver-grey Wensleydale sheep whose yarn looks like magical spiderwebs.
It is perfect for heirloom knits and has a gorgeous drape for things like shawls and stoles...
Wensleydale is one of my very favourite yarns.
*that was meant to be chocolate-coloured yarn.
I imagine chocolate-cpvered yarn would be quite icky to knit with and the stickiness would never come off your needles!
I was thinking of chocolate though, because the yarn was all gorgeously laid out in boxes and the dark brown stuff reminded me of luxurious dark chocolate.
The silver stuff... well that's just magical.
I know the scene...you were right there, on that farm, procrastinating from your writing and surrounded by blue headed, sturdy muscular rams, with long flowing silky locks, blowing in the fresh breeze as he tossed his head and occasionally there there was one that came up closer, dripping in chocolate and bleeting at you like he wanted you to follow him into a knitting and chocolate heaven. Yes not many knitters get to that place.....
well really!! but i do know two knitters who go to that place rather than finish boring deadlines!!!!
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