Lock

LOCK Sock Yarn
From our own flock of rare breed Lonk sheep

75% pure Lonk shearling* wool / 25% nylon
(*this means it is the first time the sheep has been sheared)
378m / 414yds per 100g skein

GROWN, SHEARED, SPUN AND DYED IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND

When Susan and Gavin first moved to their small holding in the Lancashire hills in 2014, their goal was to have their own flock of the native Lancashire sheep, the Lonk. A hardy, hill breed with a naturally white, dense fleece, the Lonk has lived on the Lancashire-Yorkshire Pennine hills for hundreds of years. It is a tough, resilient sheep, able to withstand life all year round on the inhospitable open moorland and hills of the Pennines. Sadly, this breed has fallen out of popularity and in 2021 it was added to the 'at risk' list of the Rare Breed Survival Trust.

Within a year of moving to their small holding Susan and Gavin met, completely by chance, a local sheep farmer, now in his seventies, who had been keeping and breeding Lonks since he was a child. It further transpired he lived less than a mile from them, and within a few months Susan and Gavin had purchased their own small flock of Lonk sheep.

The twists and turns of life has meant it has taken several years for Susan to get together enough of her own sheep fleeces to have an entire batch of Lonk yarn spun for her. To enable her to do this more economically she has also included the best fleeces from her Lonk mentor, Jeffrey.

After several years of planning, this wonderful yarn has now been spun for us by a near-by mill in West Yorkshire - the sheep, the fleece and the fibre travelling less than 200 miles from farm gate and back! Yet another reason why we could not be more proud of this very special yarn!

Until the 1930s and the outbreak of WWII, Lonk wool was used primarily for hosiery - socks, stockings and under-garments, and for this first very special batch from our own flock we wanted to continue this tradition, and have had a beautiful, hard wearing yet soft, fingering weight, Sock yarn spun for us. The perfect blend of shearling Lonk fibre and eco-nylon has been worsted spun to produce a smooth, slightly crisp yet soft yarn, that is perfect not just for sock knitting but for many other projects too!

We have created an incredible varied and unique palette of solid and semi-solid hand-dyed shades on this incredibly special yarn inspired by the Bloomsbury era. The LOCK yarn takes colour in a unique way, slightly subdued - almost like painting with pastels or water colours - but also responds fabulously when dyed with bright tones.

LOCK is available in full size 100g skeins as well as 25g mini-skeins.