A throw of impeccable provenance
Over the years Sarah Hobhouse from Colonsay Wool Growers, Balnahard Farm, has bred her wool sheep according to the highest welfare standards, refining her approach over the years to achieve the best fleece quality and produce yarns of excellence with superb provenance. Sarah explains, “Sheep are predominantly Blue face Leicester crosses—crossed with Hebrideans for the brown and grey shades. For the cream yarn the sheep are about two thirds Blue Face Leicester, leaving the last third either Blackface or Lleyn for the hardiness that they need to live outside on Colonsay.”
Sarah adds that some are also Teeswater crosses, but she is phasing those out, as their long fleeces are not adapted to life on the Scottish hills, where bracken, heather, and sand accumulate in the fleeces and makes it impossible to keep them in the condition required for producing wool.
The Isle of Colonsay - Photo by Sarah Hobhouse
For the making of this piece I asked Sarah to send me as many different shades of greens and greys as she could produce, as I wanted to create amazing gradients. A wide range of shades within one colour scheme can be fascinating, giving a natural and organic effect.
This improvised piece was made with over 1400 g of yarn in aran and chunky weights. The wool is incredibly soft and a pleasure to work with, resulting in a really warm and weighty throw that I can’t stop cuddling! It feels friendly, is completely natural, smells beautiful and immediately transports me to Colonsay.
I wanted “Colonsay Song” to be a loving tribute to the island that grew the yarn and the plants used for the piece. The botanicals Sarah uses to dye the yarn are all gathered on the very land where her sheep produce the wool. The wool and dye plants were respectfully harvested and expertly dyed, allowing me to make a piece with impeccable provenance: a true little piece of Colonsay.
For this piece, the greens were obtained with common reeds, bog myrtle, nettles and rushes. The greens are luminous, rich and vibrant, evoking moss, lichens, lush grasses and wild plants.
The greys range from sandy grey, like the Hebridean beaches, to stone grey and slate grey, like the stone walls that surround the farms, the slates on its roof, and the rocky cliffs that define the island.
Colonsay is a beautiful green jewel surrounded by the dynamic ocean. In my improvised design I wanted to replicate the green rolling hills, the beach, the cliffs and the ocean, as well as represent the small world of the farm with its stone walls, which provide a protective home for many varieties of sheep, mosses and lichens. The throw aims to pay tribute to the small worlds within the island as well as the wider land and the surrounding ocean.
I
really enjoyed working with the ultra soft yarn, which made it a very soothing project. The colours were a delight to put together and to admire as I was crocheting, evoking the atmosphere of the island and the natural world we cherish. When resting with the “Colonsay Song” Throw, I can hear the waves and see the hills of Colonsay, think about the lovely beings that contributed to producing the wool and the colours, and enjoy the natural textures and colours of nature with my very own little piece of Scotland.
Scroll down for photos of the yarn and island, all taken by Sarah.
