Yarn and patterns

All the fleece we use for our yarns, and all that used in Blacker Designs' products, is British and processed at our mill at Launceston on the Devon-Cornwall border.

Before processing, the fleece is hand sorted and we then choose how to use it in such a way as to make the most of the natural colours and unique qualities.

Different yarns suit different patterns and knitting styles. We are producing a chart to guide customers on what wool is most suitable for babies, soft garments for all ages and for huskier products for outdoor use or for furnishing fabrics or felting.

To specify the amount of yarn needed, yardage is used in many patterns rather than weight. Using pure-bred fibres means that all our ball yardages vary more than those using artificial fibre. For an information sheet on yardages, click on the download link either here or at the bottom of this page.

Patterns

Some of our patterns can be bought on-line for £5 each, others are free if you buy our yarn. These will soon be available for downloading straight from the web site, but until then please telephone us. To buy some of our yarn, visit the shop.

If you've devised some patterns of your own, send them to us, we've got some great plans for the future.

Knitting and crochet

Both knitting and crochet are relatively easy to learn, but it helps to have someone teach you. The next best thing are video demonstrations and there are some useful ones on Youtube. Start by clicking here. For those that prefer books, there are plenty of excellent titles available from publishers like Search Press or David & Charles.

Knitting is becoming hugely popular, partly because wool is such a wonderful natural fibre and keeps the warmth in and much of the water out. There are knitting groups all over the country and these may help. Many of these are listed in magazines like Yarn Forward, Simply Knitting or Knitting, but if all else fails, e-mail us at this address and we will try and put you in touch with someone.

If you cannot understand a pattern, don't worry, just do it. You may be surprised to find what won't work in your head does work with needles! Every pattern should have been tested so have a go. It's not the end of the world if you have to rip out a few stiches after making a mistake.

Related downloads

Attachment	Size
Ball-lengths.pdf	189.08 KB