Bramble & Fleece Yarn

Wooltrace 4 Ply and the Sheepsoft yarns are the softest in the range. Wooltrace 4 Ply is 100% British Bluefaced Leicester, the breed prized for its long, lustrous, silky staple, and it is worsted spun for a smooth round yarn that is comfortable worn against the neck. Sheepsoft blends Bluefaced Leicester with Masham, so it stays soft but gains body and durability. Wooltrace DK is the outlier: it is 100% British Romney, which is crisp, springy and hard-wearing rather than next-to-skin soft. That makes it excellent for cables, textured stitch patterns and outerwear, but it is not the one to choose for a cowl worn on bare skin.

Sheepsoft 4 Ply and Wooltrace 4 Ply both work at 28 stitches to 10cm on 3.25mm needles. Sheepsoft DK is 22 stitches on 4mm, and Wooltrace DK is also worked on 4mm. Sheepsoft Aran is 18 stitches on 5mm. Fibreknit, being a chainette construction, is 12 stitches on 8mm. The Origin bases run from a 30-stitch sock weight through to an 18-stitch Aran. Full tension, needle, yardage and substitution figures for every base are set out in our Bramble & Fleece pattern information guide.

For an adult jumper allow roughly 5 to 8 hanks of Sheepsoft DK at 100g, 5 to 7 hanks of Sheepsoft Aran, or 7 to 9 balls of a 4 Ply at 50g, depending on style, length and size. A slipover takes around 4 x 100g in DK and a tank around 5 x 100g. Smaller projects go a long way: a scarf is typically 2 x 50g in 4 Ply, and a hat and cowl set 2 to 3 hanks of Aran. Every yarn page carries its own quantity guide, and each of the 24 Bramble & Fleece patterns states exactly what it needs.

No — the dyed Sheepsoft and Wooltrace yarns are untreated British wool and should be hand washed and dried flat. Do not bleach or tumble dry; they may be dry cleaned. That is a deliberate choice rather than an oversight: superwash treatment involves a chemical process that strips the scales from the fibre, and leaving the wool untreated keeps its natural loft, elasticity and water resistance. The one exception in the range is Origin 001, a machine-washable 100% Bluefaced Leicester sock base, which is superwash treated so socks can go in the machine.