JaggerSpun, whose history in Maine goes way back, decided to do something new. Their new Woolful line is breed specific yarns. We are happy to announce that we are diving in with their first breed: Bluefaced Leicester wool from the UK, but worsted spun in Maine by Jagger Spun.
The Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) breed originated in the early 1900’s in Northumberland County, England. One of the finest of the English longwool breeds, BFL fiber is soft and has a long staple length. When worsted spun, it creates a soft yarn with wonderful stitch definition that is resistant to pilling. BFL sheep are most commonly white, with the occasional black (medium grayish brown), and have dark facial skin under white hair, producing a “blue faced” appearance.
There is only one color at this point. This Oatmeal BFL is a blend of white and colored wool for a soft, earthy, more taupe-like shade. It is 100% undyed wool. It comes in two weights:
- 2/6 (sport) with 370 yards/100 gram skein.
- 4/6 (heavy worsted/aran) with 185 yards/100 gram skein.
(In the photo of the skeins, the sport skeins are on top and the heavy worsted on the bottom.)
The 2/6 (sport) is a similar weight and combines well with their Heather 3/8 sport, and the 4/6 (heavy worsted/aran) pairs well with their Heather 6/8 worsted.
Machine wash, lay flat to dry.
Also note: We swatched the 2/6 (sport) weight to see how far we could "push" the gauge to get a lightweight fabric that would hold its shape. The larger swatch was knit on a US 7 (4.5mm) and we got a gauge of 5.25 sts. per inch; in the smaller photo we got a gauge of 5.5 sts. per inch on a US 6 (4mm). Of course, this yarn would also work well in a tighter gauge.
We knit Jason's Cashmere Hat using one skein of the heavy worsted weight. Needless to say, we love the results!