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 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.