Annfield Farm
Balmerino™
Balmerino sheep are bred on a nature friendly, organic farm in Scotland. The sheep (rare to the British Isles) have fine, luxurious wool, so soft it can be worn next to the skin. Balmerino™ yarn is entirely traceable; it is grown and shorn in Scotland then spun and dyed by experts in Yorkshire. Currently there are 7 different colours in DK available in 50g doughnut balls.
Beautiful Fleece
Our high welfare fibre flock grazes in the remote hills of Aberdeenshire, and originated over 40 years ago with just two Shetland ewes. Nowadays we have at least 17 different native, traditional and rare breeds which produce the most beautiful fleece possible. All of our yarn is available in different weights and each one can be traced back to a named sheep born and raised on our farm, with a full provenance available to complete your journey from sheep to shawl.
The Birlinn Yarn Company
The Birlinn Yarn Company produce island sourced, organically dyed, limited edition yarn from the Isle of Berneray in the Outer Hebrides, in a range of natural blends and Hebridean colours. While our flock of pedigree Hebridean sheep are the corner stone of our yarn production, we also source Hebridean and Cheviot fleece from neighbouring island crofts.
Our knitting patterns are bespoke to Birlinn Yarn and are both my own designs and those of other international knitwear designers across sweaters, accessories and home wares.
Bow Fiddle Yarns
Now a veteran of our events, Louise has carried her love of colour forward on her journey to explore a range of British yarn bases including a custom Corriedale Rose Fibre blend. A stockist of HiyaHiya and KnitPro needles, you will be able to replace those sizes you suddenly can’t find – or need more of – here.
Brawliemuir Farm
Burnfoot Wool
Burnfoot Wool care for a flock of 1500 South Country Cheviot x New Zealand Romney sheep on their family hill farm near Langholm in Dumfries & Galloway. In 2022 they decided to try and add value to a great natural resource that’s market return was below the cost of production, and are now producing 4ply, Double Knit and Aran weight yarn as well as their beautiful lambswool blankets. Living so close to a mill town it is important to them to use local businesses wherever possible, and they are fortunate to have FTS Dyers and Drove Weavers in Langholm. Burnfoot Wool are proud to produce natural, sustainable products from the rolling hills of the Scottish Borders.
Caithness Yarns
Caithness Yarns offer high quality, often unique yarns from High welfare flocks up in the “True” North of Scotland (including shepherd Graeme’s own.) Their range has a series of yarns from the old fashioned style of hill sheep here in Caithness and Sutherland, these demonstrate the greatness of the wool you can get if you breed for it and focus relentlessly on sheep health and welfare. The other strand to Caithness Yarns are their “Rare Breed” yarns.
Starting with their own flock of Castlemilk Moorit sheepies, they offer one-off, unique small batch yarns mostly undyed and unbleached. As a matter of good ethical business practice Caithness Yarns use a concept for sourcing the fleece that makes their yarns what they call “Living Value.” This means they set a respectful value for fleece when they buy it that better reflects the hard work and care that good farmers and crofters lavish on their stock.
Culross Yarn
Culross Yarn has evolved as a small family venture because of our love for wool, colour, growing and making. Through spinning, knitting, and dyeing the fleece from our small flock of sheep we have created a start to finish cottage industry producing plant dyed yarn from our own sheep.
Rachel is a designer who machine knits the yarn into beautiful items for wearing and for the home. Veronica grows the dye plants, dyes the yarn, and makes up the knitting kits using Rachel’s patterns.
This is our way of promoting and sharing the wonderful qualities of wool and by using the remarkable colours of plant dyes we play a part in perpetuating heritage skills and the use of natural dye materials.
Dystopic Fibre
Jon is the dyer behind Dystopic Fibre, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Dystopic Fibre references a wide range of mushroom species in it’s colourways, paired often with apocalyptic-themed narratives from pop culture. Jon has been working on diversifying his offering of yarn bases this past year and it’s his selection of British yarn bases that he will be bringing to the Showcase.
Guardswell Farm
Guardswell Farm is located on the Braes of the Carse, overlooking the beautiful Carse of Gowrie, North Fife, and Dundee. Rolling species rich grassland, diverse ancient woodland, and home to Angora Goats, Hebridean Sheep, Castlemilk Moorit Sheep, Shetland Cattle, and a few other interesting things.
We farm as closely with nature as we can – and all of our farming practices actively look to increase biodiversity, sequester carbon, and maintain the highest level of welfare in our livestock.
We have a small collection of British spun DK from our Hebridean Sheep and Angora Goats – 100% pure Mohair, 100% pure Hebridean – and our absolute favourite, the Guardswell Blend, 50% Mohair and 50% Hebridean. This is the start of our fibre journey and we are thrilled to be attending the Scottish Wool Producers Showcase.
Gunpowder Flock (from Mothy and the Squid)
Hebridean wool from a small flock on Argyll’s Secret Coast where the sheep enjoy fine views across Kilbride bay to Arran. The name – Gunpowder Flock – derives from the Victorian era gunpowder works. These sheep were hand sheared in the field for this batch of wool and carefully selected fleeces were carded and spun on restored vintage machinery at the Halifax Spinning Mill in Yorkshire.
Ka Lok Shek Ellen
Skilled sewist Ka Lok Shek Ellen takes inspiration from her home town of Aberdeen, as well as her Chinese heritage, to produce beautiful and functional project bags for all fibre crafters.
Lammermuir Wool
Low Auldgirth
Over the hills but not too far away sits a small organic farm that works in harmony with nature. Using traditional methods and heritage breeds we farm the land in a way that enriches the environment, allowing us to produce quality farm products that capture the passion and heritage of the place it was grown. It’s a slow grown quality that you won’t find anywhere else.
Our wool is produced purely from our own flock of Ryeland and Gotland sheep who spend their days grazing on rich Scottish meadows in the heart of Dumfries and Galloway, this regenerative way of working creates high quality fibre that’s truly sustainable, raised the good old way, the slow way, the way nature intended.
The Scottish Yarn Festival
Our own custom yarn will be available at the Scottish Wool Producers Showcase. We’ll be launching a new ‘clan’ to the existing range of 9 colours and 2 natural blends; all of which are available in 4-ply and DK. Slow grown from Scottish provenance Shetland and Cheviot fleece before being worsted spun in Yorkshire, our yarn yields outstanding stitch definition to cables, colour-work, and lace.
Sealy MacWheely
Kirkintilloch based Sealy MacWheely specialise in high quality fibre for spinners and felters, bright and colourful hand dyed yarns on bases with a British provenance, and a variety of crafting equipment including Ashford and Kromski spinning wheels, ChiaGoo and KnitPro needles, and accessories. Sealy MacWheely will be hosting spinning wheel and weaving loom demonstrations during the Scottish Wool Producers Showcase.
Shearing Crafts
I am a shearer based in Aberdeenshire, specialising in pets and small flocks. These fleeces are the raw materials for my wet felted rugs. They look like traditional sheepskins but are 100% wool, made by hand using soap and water. They are sustainable, eco-friendly and washable. I will also have local raw fleece and carded batts.
Uist Wool
Uist Wool runs a spinning mill and wool centre on the island of Grimsay, North Uist, in the Southern part of the Outer Hebrides. We buy fleece and fibre directly from crofters and farmers and specialise in spinning natural tonal blends of yarn for knitting and weaving. Provenance is a key part of our story. All the production processes are done at the mill on Grimsay by our small team of dedicated staff who care about creating yarns that are true to origin and showcase the exceptional qualities of Scottish wool and fibre.
Although sadly unable to join us in-person at the Showcase we will have a curated selection of products from Uist Wool available to purchase at our event.
Unaroo Designs
During lockdown Alex found herself increasingly asking not only “who made my clothes?” but also where does my yarn come from? She noticed that the majority of wool that she personally consumed was merino, and usually a merino / nylon blend. The more she paid attention, the more she noticed that a lot of the yarn she loved could be kinder to the planet so, in January 2021, Alex bought herself a yarn dyeing kit and fell in love again; culminating in launching Unaroo Designs in December of the same year. Unaroo only use 100% British wool – bought from British Wool, spun in Yorkshire and dyed in the Scottish Highlands – and is currently on a journey to offer Scottish yarn bases. All of their packing is recycled and / or recyclable, and they use as little water as possible in my work.
Wee County Yarns
Westfield Croft
Life’s journey brought Frank and Marguerite to rural Aberdeenshire in 2015. They have a small breeding flock of rare breed sheep, and wool has become a cornerstone of their sustainable craft business. On seeing their first sheep being shorn, Marguerite wanted to use the beautiful material of raw fleece to produce yarns that would be true to their flock and their landscape. Westfield Croft yarns are spun from carefully selected fleeces, from their own flock and from neighbouring farms and smallholders. All their raw fleece materials have clear Scottish provenance; spinning is outsourced to hand spinners or mills to produce their 100% wool and alpaca yarns.
Frank and Marguerite have rejuvenated willow and hazel coppices on their land and annually harvest rods for making baskets and willow structures. Their goal is to be as sustainable as possible in terms of food, fuel, and enhancing the raw materials of wool and willow that they harvest on Westfield Croft. Frank will be bringing a small selection of his baskets to our Showcase.