Winterburn Aran
What do you get when you combine the fleece of Bluefaced Leicester and Masham sheep? A soft yarn with bounce and gorgeous luster, straight from Yorkshire. The blend of ecru and dark brown wool gives all nine colors a rich depth. Breed specific, all British!
We’re loving this for the Hadley Pullover, Véronik Avery’s snuggler from MDK Field Guide No. 2: Fair Isle. To get started on your own Hadley, here’s how much Winterburn Aran you’ll need:
To fit bust size:
33-35″ (84-89 cm): Main color: 6 skeins. Yoke: 1 skein.
35½-37½” (90-95.5 cm): Main color: 7 skeins. Yoke: 1 skein.
38-40″ (96.5-101.5 cm): Main color: 7 skeins. Yoke: 1 skein.
40¾-42¾” (103.5-108.5 cm): Main color: 7 skeins. Yoke: 1 skein.
43¼-45¼″ (110-115 cm): Main color: 8 skeins. Yoke: 1 skein.
45¾-47¾″ (116-121.5 cm): Main color: 9 skeins. Yoke: 1 skein.
48¼-50¼” (122.5-127.5 cm): Main color: 9 skeins. Yoke: 1 skein.
And take a look at Ann’s MDK post for more Winterburn-perfect designs.
Specs & Details
170 m
What Is Winterburn Aran?
In this golden age of yarn, we’re more curious than ever to explore breeds of sheep and their distinctive qualities. That’s why we’re so keen on Winterburn Aran: it’s breed specific, and it’s one of a kind.
Winterburn Aran is a blend of 50% Bluefaced Leicester, 25% ecru Masham, and 25% dark brown Masham.
Hello, Bluefaced Leicester friends!
© British Wool Marketing Board
And hello, Mashams!
What’s a Masham? you may be asking.
It’s the sort of question that the founder of Baa Ram Ewe, Verity Britton, loves to answer.
Verity is a woman on a mission to celebrate breed-specific, all-British yarns, and she takes a lot of pride in what she’s doing.
She explains:
“Our Winterburn Aran throws the spotlight on one of our wonderful Yorkshire sheep breeds, the Masham. The Masham has smaller ringlets of fleece than the Wensleydale but with added bounce and loft that it gets from its hill-loving male ancestry, the Dalesbred. In fact, female ‘gimmer’—or lambs—were considered so pretty that farmers would tie ribbons in their fleece before taking them to market and Sheep Fairs which continue to this day in the North Yorkshire town of Masham, from which this sheep breed gets its name.”
