Local sheep help Lancaster wool shop owner create first sock yarn
Kate Makin, owner of Northern Yarn wool shop, has created her first sock yarn – Lune.
It’s named after the River Lune that winds its way through Lancaster out into Morecambe Bay and the Irish Sea.
The word ‘Lune’ comes from the Brittonic word for ‘healthy and pure’ – and it’s a quiet wish for our polluted rivers to run clean and full of life again.
Lune is a blend of shearling Aberfield (BFL/Texel Cross), Lonk (a hardy native Lancastrian sheep) and a pinch of black Shetland for a lovely natural grey base.
Twenty per cent eco nylon helps this sock yarn last the miles you’ll walk in them.
Dusty, his wife Fiona, son Michael and family farm on the edge of the Forest of Bowland near Jubilee Tower where they have Aberfield sheep and Stabilser cattle.
They farm in a nature friendly and regenerative way to produce food as well as providing great habitat for wading birds such as Curlew and Lapwing, with pairs of both species successfully breeding most years, and work
with the Wyre Rivers Trust on natural flood management measures such as installing leaky woody dams in streams on the farm and planting a kested hedge to slow the flow of water to reduce the risk of flooding downstream.
Their sheep produce the most magnificent fleeces which Kate pays more for to support this amazing work.
Kate finds joy in slowly hand sorting through the fleeces on the farm, and while the swallows dive in and out, friends and family helped.
"I love sharing the process and extra hands are always welcome!” she said.
The yarn has been dyed using only natural plant dyes (except for Great Burnet which uses cochineal).
"This is something I’m really excited about and have been trying to do, on a bigger scale, for years,” Kate said.
The shades are beautiful, and are named after native wild flowers and plants that grow near our rivers and streams in the north west of England (not the plants used to dye them!)
Kate hopes you enjoy Lune – a fabulous way to celebrate 10 years in business, here’s to many more!
Northern Yarn is at 9 Kings Arcade in Lancaster.