Border Leicester

Border Leicester

This limited-edition yarn is spun from the long and silky locks of the venerable Border Leicester. We made a loosely-spun 2-ply to encourage airy loft. The yarn blooms nicely after knitting—expect a soft, halo.

Border Leicester were developed as a formal breed in the UK in 1767 by George and Matther Cully, two forward-thinking brothers interested in improving the wool of local sheep. The animal has a curly fleece and is well-known for its arched Roman nose. The sheep is a longwool, with locks that grow to 6” when unshorn. Long fiber length makes for a sturdy yarn with soft luster, great for socks and other projects that call for a durable yarn. In North America, you find colored sheep as well as white, so we’ve blended fiber from both for a silvery oatmeal shade, then we slightly over-dyed a few skeins in a soft, misty green. We also over-dyed a few skeins in a deep summery blue, and we named it Gentian, after the wildflower.

Specifications

Sport weight
Yardage: Approx 328 yds [300 m] /100g skein
Gauge: 6 sts per inch on size US 4 needle / 5.5 sts per inch on size US 6 needle 
Spin: 2-ply

Provenance

Fiber: Upstate New York
Spun: Upstate New York

Free Download of Alice by Pam Allen
This yarn includes an automatic free download of Alice, knit with three skeins of Scour. A link to download the digital pattern will be emailed when your order is fulfilled!

Learn more about Border Leicester, the sheep and fleece, on our blog!