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A closer look at Close, our new all-natural sock yarn!
Hi lovelies,
I'm back today with one of my favorite things: The story behind yarn! There's a reason we're called "Making Stories" - I love telling how and why the amazing yarns, notions and patterns we're lucky enough to carry are created. The makers behind them are all, without exception, dedicated, wonderful, thoughtful people, and so talking with them about their products is such a joy.
Today, we're taking a closer look at Close, the all-natural sock yarn by Ovis et cetera we just started carrying. The minute I spotted it on Saskia's Instagram, I knew that I wanted it for the shop. It's custom-spun by the folx at John Arbon Textiles who really, really know their stuff when it comes to creating yarn.
Left to right: Clay, Plum, Toffee, Olive, Sea, Sage
The blend of Devon Closewool, Exmoor Blueface and Zwartbles comes from just around the corner of the mill, which means it hasn't travelled very far - just from the mill in the UK to the Ovis et cetera dye studio in Germany. It's spun with a high twist, something that's really important for an all-natural sock yarn as it adds durability, and has a beautiful halo to it.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Saskia about Close, and am so delighted to share its story with you today!
What made you want to get a sock yarn custom spun?
From the very beginning a big focus of Ovis et cetera was non-superwash sock yarns. Although I have many other natural yarns in the collection, collecting and curating natural sock yarns really has my heart. I wanted a 100% wool, relatively local, natural sock yarn as this brings together everything that Ovis et cetera stands for in one yarn.
How did you go about developing the yarn?
I did some research and love that both Devon Closewool and Exmoor Blueface are true local sheep to the mill. They are also both crossbred from the Exmoor Horn, which you have to do an image search for, I promise you, its the coolest sheep you've ever seen! An ancient breed, indigenous to Exmoor. So technically you could say there is quite a bit of Exmoor Horn in Close.
I also liked the idea of a natural coloured yarn, as colours look extra special dyed on a coloured background. Zwartbles originally is a Dutch sheep breed, the Zwartbles in Close however lives just like its British family members close by the mill. It was therefore obvious that I had to add a dash of both colour and my own heritage with Zwartbles.
Why did you decide to get it spun by John Arbon? How was the process of working with them?
I really like what John Arbon Textiles does with their own yarns. It gave me confidence that they would make me a lovely yarn, which they absolutely did! It was a delight working with them, everybody is so very helpful and friendly.
What are some of your favorite properties of Close?
Just everything together really. I think it's soft, but with character. I love the colour, it has so much depth, which really enhances the dye colours. And it has the cutest little bit of halo.
I adore how deep the colors are on the heathered grey. Do you have a particular favorite color of Close?
It's impossible to pick a favourite, I love how the grey shines through the lighter colours like Sage & Clay while I also equally love how it adds a bit of extra oomph to the more saturated colours like Sea or Olive.
Looking for pattern inspiration for Close?
I got you covered! I love looking through Ravelry, searching for patterns that really bring out the best in a yarn, and then putting them together on a Pinterest board.
I'm always trying to find designs that are not everywhere yet and that are size inclusive. If you have a favorite sock pattern that you'd like me to add to our Pinterest board for all-natural sock yarns, let me know in the comments below!
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