Bluefaced Leicester: Lord of the Sheep
Use QED to make the lace in Ysolda Teague's Vine Yoke Cardigan pop. Photo © Caroline Bergeron.
Fibre Space has two gorgeous new sources of Bluefaced Leicester wool in — Sanguine Gryphon’s QED and Natural Dye Studio’s Dazzle. What does that mean? That means it’s time for another in our series of posts on what makes certain breeds so special. [Check our our screed on Australian Merino from a few weeks back.]
We’ve heard a lot about Blue Faced Leicester in the past few years, particularly since the Knitty patterns Tempest and Aeolian reminded us the yarn isn’t just for socks. The long staple length that makes BFL a durable sock yarn also means it’s drapey and fairly pill-resistant, which leads to elegant sweaters and shawls. Its fine grade means it can be worn next to the skin.
Sanguine Gryphon’s QED is what SG herself calls an “ideal workhorse sweater yarn.” We can imagine it worked up beautifully into Ysolda Teague’s Vine Yoke Cardigan or Melissa LeBarre’s Tea Leaves Cardigan (available at the shop – if you haven’t made one yet, why not?).
Wendy Johnson's Ribbed Ribbon Socks will show off Natural Due Studio's Dazzle.
Natural Dye Studio’s Dazzle is incredibly soft, with the lustre that makes BFL the best of the best. Natural Dye studio uses plants for its dyes, which makes their colors more complex. It’ll be lovely in classics like Cookie A’s Monkey socks or Susan Lawrence’s Branching Out. But we bet it’ll really blossom in Wendy Johnson’s Ribbed Ribbon Socks, from her Socks from the Toe Up (also available at the shop!).
Feed Your Sheep Obsession
- You can get more information on Bluefaced Leicester Sheep from the Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders Association and the Bluefaced Leicester Breeders Association.
- According to a website called Sheep 101, President Woodrow Wilson kept sheep during his time in the White House, and allowed them to graze on the South Lawn. Their wool was sold to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I.
- Hoping for more photos of sheep? Check out the Obsessive Sheep Photographers Flickr group. There really is something for everyone on the internet.
- Finally: we can neither confirm nor deny that Shaun the Sheep is a Bluefaced Leicester, but he sure is a good dancer.
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