Bramble & Fleece Origin

Origin is the undyed side of Bramble & Fleece: twelve natural bases, gently spun to preserve the purity and softness of the fibre, made for hand-dyeing or for knitting exactly as they come. Six fibres run through the range — Bluefaced Leicester, Masham, Wensleydale, Gotland, Corriedale and mohair — in weights from a 30-stitch sock yarn to an 18-stitch Aran, with generous metreage of 350m to 400m per hank on the finer bases. This is the collection for dyers, and for anyone who would rather knit a breed than a colour. All twelve are spun in Yorkshire from sustainably sourced natural fibre, and because they are undyed and unbleached, slight variation in shade between hanks is part of the character.

Showing 1 - 12 of 12 products

Bramble & Fleece Origin 012, naturally grey Bluefaced Leicester and Gotland Aran yarn

Bramble & Fleece Origin 012 - Bluefaced Leicester / Gotland Aran

£22.00 GBP

Bramble & Fleece Origin 011, naturally grey Bluefaced Leicester and Gotland DK yarn

Bramble & Fleece Origin 011 - Bluefaced Leicester / Gotland DK

£22.00 GBP

Bramble & Fleece Origin 010, undyed fine Corriedale and mohair blend yarn

Bramble & Fleece Origin 010 - Corriedale / Mohair Fine

£24.00 GBP

Bramble & Fleece Origin 009, undyed Corriedale Aran yarn

Bramble & Fleece Origin 009 - Corriedale Aran

£17.00 GBP

Bramble & Fleece Origin 008, undyed fine Corriedale non-superwash sock yarn

Bramble & Fleece Origin 008 - Corriedale Fine

£17.00 GBP

Bramble & Fleece Origin 007, naturally grey Bluefaced Leicester and Gotland 4 ply yarn

Bramble & Fleece Origin 007 - Bluefaced Leicester / Gotland 4 Ply

£22.00 GBP

Bramble & Fleece Origin 006, undyed Wensleydale DK yarn with natural lustre

Bramble & Fleece Origin 006 - Wensleydale

£22.00 GBP

Bramble & Fleece Origin 005, undyed fine Wensleydale yarn with natural lustre

Bramble & Fleece Origin 005 - Wensleydale Fine

£22.00 GBP

Bramble & Fleece Origin 004, undyed Bluefaced Leicester and Masham 4 ply yarn

Bramble & Fleece Origin 004 - Bluefaced Leicester / Masham 4 Ply

£22.00 GBP

Bramble & Fleece Origin 003, undyed Bluefaced Leicester and Masham Aran yarn

Bramble & Fleece Origin 003 - Bluefaced Leicester / Masham Aran

£20.00 GBP

Bramble & Fleece Origin 002, undyed Bluefaced Leicester and Masham DK yarn

Bramble & Fleece Origin 002 - Bluefaced Leicester / Masham DK

£20.00 GBP

Bramble & Fleece Origin 001, undyed British Bluefaced Leicester sock yarn

Bramble & Fleece Origin 001 - Bluefaced Leicester Sock

£22.50 GBP

Origin is the undyed side of Bramble & Fleece: twelve natural bases, gently spun to preserve the purity and softness of the fibre, made for hand-dyeing or to be knitted exactly as they come.

This is the collection for dyers, and for anyone who wants to knit a breed rather than a colour. Six fibres run through it. Bluefaced Leicester for softness and a silky staple, on its own as a machine-washable sock base or blended for depth. Masham twisted alongside it so the natural brown stays visible against the white. Wensleydale, one of the great lustre longwools, long-stapled, curly and remarkably glossy — the one dyers seek out for the way it takes colour. Naturally silver-grey Gotland, which shifts a dye towards something smoky rather than clean. Springy, resilient Corriedale, including a non-superwash sock base, which is increasingly what experienced sock knitters ask for. And mohair, blended half-and-half with Corriedale and spun very fine for a glassy halo.

Weights run from a 30-stitch sock yarn through to an 18-stitch Aran, and metreage is generous throughout — 350m to 400m per hank on the finer bases. No Bramble & Fleece patterns are written for Origin, but any of their designs can be worked in an Origin base of matching tension if you would rather knit undyed or dye your own. The pattern information guide lists the tension for every base.

All twelve are spun in Yorkshire from sustainably sourced natural fibre. Note that these are undyed and unbleached, so slight variation in the natural shade between hanks is part of the character rather than a fault.

Origin undyed yarn: your questions answered

What is Bramble & Fleece Origin yarn for?

Two things. First, hand-dyeing: these are clean, undyed, unbleached bases spun specifically so that dyers can work with a known breed and a known spin rather than a generic mill end. Second, knitting undyed. Natural fleece colour ranges across the twelve bases from cream and white through silver-grey Gotland to the natural brown of Masham, and a garment knitted in undyed wool has a depth that dyed yarn does not. The range is not superwash treated apart from one sock base, so the wool keeps its natural loft and elasticity.

Which Origin base takes dye best?

Wensleydale is the one most dyers seek out. It is one of the great lustre longwools — long-stapled, curly and remarkably glossy — and that lustre makes dye read as though it is lit from within. Bluefaced Leicester is the reliable all-rounder: a silky staple that takes colour cleanly and evenly, so shades come out close to what you mixed. Gotland behaves differently on purpose: its natural silver-grey shifts any dye towards something smoky and muted rather than clean, which is either exactly what you want or not at all. Corriedale is springy and resilient and takes colour well without much lustre.

Can I knit a Bramble & Fleece pattern in an Origin yarn?

Yes, provided you match the tension. None of the 24 Bramble & Fleece patterns is written for Origin — they are all written for Sheepsoft or Wooltrace — but any Origin base that meets the pattern's stitches and rows to 10cm on a swatch will work. The weights line up well: there are 4 Ply, DK and Aran bases in the Origin range covering the same gauges as the dyed yarns. Expect a different handle even at identical tension, since these are single-breed or two-breed blends spun softly rather than worsted. Our pattern information guide lists the tension for every base in both ranges.

Are Origin yarns machine washable?

Only one. Origin 001 is a machine-washable 100% Bluefaced Leicester sock base at 350m per 100g, superwash treated so finished socks can go in the machine. Every other base in the range is untreated and should be hand washed and dried flat. There is also a non-superwash Corriedale sock base in the range, which is increasingly what experienced sock knitters ask for — it wears harder and holds its shape better than superwash, at the cost of hand washing.