Scrumptious Yarn from Mighty Sheep
Today we have a story for you that travels the world! From the highlands of Peru and Argentina to Oregon to England and back to My Sister Knits. Enter Walcot Yarns Origin, a squishable, bouncy, worsted weight yarn.
Origin is a blend of 50% Merino from Argentina and 50% Peruvian Highland Wool.
This is one hardy Merino sheep! ©gatewaytosouthamerica-newsblog.com
Argentinian Merino sheep are mainly found in Patagonia. Merino is the most numerous breed in the world, sought after for its softness and high quality. Thankfully, the Merinos from Patagonia thrive in harsh conditions. It’s amazing that sheep who thrive in high altitude, harsh weather, and scarce vegetation give us such soft, fine yarn.
Here are some Peruvian Highland sheep ©rowsandroses.com
Peruvian Highland sheep are a crossbreed of Corriedale and Merino. Another hardy breed, they live and flourish at 6500 feet above sea level. They give us wool that has exceptional softness from the Merino. The Corriedale gives their wool strength and resilience, which allows it to spring back into shape. Corriedale also has a longer staple length, which seriously lessens any ‘itch factor,’ making this wool lovely to wear against your skin.
We’ll leave the sheep happily growing their fleece while we travel to Oregon. Carmen Schmidt, owner of both A Yarn Story, a yarn shop in Bath, England, and Walcot Yarns, grew up there. This is where she learned to knit and the place she always returns to.
Come into the shop to find the two mystery colors not shown here!
From Oregon, we travel on to England where Carmen eventually found her way to Bath via a quick stop in Ireland. She wanted a unique yarn to sell in her shop; one that was luxurious, yet cozy and wearable. It also had to have bounce and great stitch definition!
Pathway Scarf, designed by TOFT, knit with Origin
The result is Origin! When you give it a squeeze, you just know you have to make something with it! This yarn would be wonderful in a pattern with plain stockinette or garter stitch, textured stitches, or cables. Colorwork also works well! It would be sumptuous in the Pressed Flowers Shawl. We have one on display in the shop, not knit with Origin but you can get an idea of what it would look like. If you want to knit cables, we have some hats and a gorgeous cabled sweater on display!
And now our travel story ends at My Sister Knits, one of only six shops in the US that carry Carmen’s yummy yarn and the only one in Colorado! Julie loves to find yarn that is both special and unique and she excelled with this one! We encourage you to come in and play with it!
Do you know that we have……
Community knitting on Tuesday evenings from about 4 until 8?
A monthly Knitting Day when you can come and knit on a project all day long?
A sock of the month with a cast on party the first Wednesday of every month?
Oodles of classes for every level?
The easiest ways to find out about these knitting occasions are to check our monthly cards or the website.
Walk back through our beautiful garden and hang out and knit with us!
Happy knitting,
