Blacker Yarns launched Blacker Swan in 2012. Andrez and Ali Short who farm at Swan Inlet Farm on the Falkland Islands provide the single source merino from their dual purpose sheep. They sort and grade the fleeces and send them by ship to the UK, where The Natural Fibre Company turns the fine white fleeces into luxurious worsted spun single flock yarns.

Andrez and Ali have one of the smallest farms in the Falkland Islands, close to the main town of Stanley. They herd the sheep on horseback across the tree-less Falkland landscape. The Shorts have bred from imported Dohne Merino genetics in order to improve fleece quality of Falkland Island sheep, which are largely Polworth and traditional Merino crosses. The Shorts work in partnership with a ram recording group to maintain quality and are generally unhappy if they produce fleeces over 20 microns! So this is lovely wool to work with. The Swan Inlet sheep are high welfare, larger than the average on the Falklands, producing more wool each year and all without foot-rot, fly-strike or mulsing!

In this batch of Falkland Islands Merino, Blacker Yarns has blended some of Sue Blacker's Shetland moorit from Somerset to create this lovely natural shade of soft gray.

The handle is very smooth, soft and luxurious: possibly the best knitting yarn in the world! Being worsted spun Merino, the yarn has a bulky, drapey quality, which will work well for structured and flowing garments and also for textures.

Made in UK. 100% Pure New Wool.

Name: Blacker Swam Falkland Islands Merino with Shetland
Breed: Falkland Island Merino
Package: Approx 50g/119 yards
Weight: DK
Gauge: approx 20-21 sts/25 rounds to a 4" square on 4mm/US 6 (check out our range of Hiya Hiya sharps!)
Woollen or Worsted Spun: Worsted
Handle: Fine

Please remember that every effort is taken to represent the true colors of the yarn and that monitor settings will vary.