Morning everyone, I’m very excited to launch our brand new yarn today – Ooskit!

Ooskit is a Scots neologism meaning “woolly” – and it’s a name which definitely suits this yarn.

This is a DK weight yarn, and it is entirely sourced, grown and processed here in the UK. We began to develop it out of necessity, when it became apparent we weren’t going to be able to continue making our very first KDD yarn, Buachaille. The natural shades of Buachaille were among my all-time favourites, so we began looking for other UK woolly folk to work with to develop something similar: that is, a really sheepy, natural yarn that foregrounded the beautiful range of greys in British wool. I’m thrilled with what we’ve ended up with.

Ooskit’s lovely fleeces have been very carefully sorted, combed and worsted spun to create a yarn with a round, smooth, and surprisingly soft hand. Each shade has been carefully blended into a different complex, tonal grey – a grey that’s the opposite of flat or solid.

“Domra” means fog or haze in Scots, and it’s been designed as a close tonal match for the Haar shade from our previous Buachaille range (which featured in designs like Ardmore or Stronachlachar. )

“Horkel” is a Scots word used in reference to rough or stormy weather, and this dark shade of Ooskit replaces Squall from the Buachaille range.

If you ever knit with Squall, you’ll remember it was a grey underwritten with brown tones. With Horkel, we wanted a shade whose overall tone was much cooler and less brown: it’s a proper dark, charcoal grey.

The final shade in the palette is “Riach“, a Scots word for greyish-white. This light, silvery neutral is something I’ve often yearned to develop and design with – Riach is the very palest of pale greys.

All three shades make a very pleasing set!

And if you’d like to try them, we’ve of course put together a nice sampler.

I have to quickly sing the praises of our Ooskit tote, which is another new development. This innovative fabric is produced entirely from waste, combining cotton offcuts from the textile industry with PET from recycled plastic bottles. No bleaching or dyes are used in creating this sturdy fabric, which, much like our Ooskit yarn, resolves itself into its own natural grey.

It might seem odd to rave enthusiastically about a tote, but this one really IS great: it’s robust, it’s roomy and it’s totally recycled! And you get one free with each 3-skein Ooskit sampler!

Tom designed the Ooskit logo and branding (which I love) and worked hard with our suppliers in the production of both yarn and tote. It’s worth saying that for everything we make, from our books or yarns to this tote bag, we reflect on many issues, from the environmental impact of our products to the employment practices of the companies we work with. Accountable local suppliers, responsible manufacturing, and short supply chains are key. But I don’t think you need me to tell you about the sustainable qualities of wonderful, natural wool!

But what’s Ooskit like to actually knit with? Well, since commissioning the yarn, I’ve of course been enjoying an awful lot of that . .

. . . as has the rest of the KDD team.

I’ll be back tomorrow to say a bit more about what we’ve all been knitting!
I received an Ooskit as a gift. Can you point me to some patterns that would make good use of this present?
LikeLike
absolutely – I’ve designed several accessory patterns which you can knit with a single skein of ooskit -for example, Easwas (https://www.shopkdd.com/easwas-kit-or-download), Esk (https://www.shopkdd.com/esk-kit-or-download), Gruggle (https://www.shopkdd.com/accessories-1/gruggle-kit-or-download) and Jinkies (https://www.shopkdd.com/jinkies-kit-or-download)
LikeLike
I may have missed it, but can you share the yardage of the skeins included in the sampler? Many thanks for your help. It is lovely.
LikeLiked by 1 person
apologies – each skein is 240 yards
LikeLiked by 1 person
The yarn looks beautiful! Can you tell us a bit more about the provenance of the yarn? The breed of sheep, the blend, where it’s from, the mill? We love to know these things! Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
very ‘cool’ and well thought out. congratulations!!
LikeLike
It looks gorgeous! I am hoping it isn’t superwash?
Bastienne
LikeLike
no – no superwash treatments here!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank the goodness!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Can’t wait to get my fingers entwined with Ooskit!
LikeLike
Would you please tell us (Americans) how to pronounce these beautiful Scots words or, better yet, offer us clickable sound recordings? These look like very lovely yarns.
LikeLike
There’s no just plain “United States” in the ordering location dropdown – only “United States Minor Outlying Islands”. Not sure whether to choose this if I’m mainland USA. Help! I do want to order!
LikeLike
I’m happy to see these cool greys, as sheeps-wool browns don’t suit me at all. Riach especially is just the natural shade I love most. The Ooskit yarns and tote are well thought out – thanks again to all at KDD!
LikeLike
Beautiful new yarn, Kate! Such gorgeous, harmonious greys. And I can’t wait for the new circular yoke pattern … so pretty.
LikeLike
Ooskit looks lovely. It even looks soft and squishy in the photos. That it is a British wool is great. And what’s good is that you, Kate, are happy with it. Thank you for your hard work in putting together beautiful wools for us to knit with. I am looking forward to seeing the jumper in some of the pictures.
LikeLike
Ooskit is beautiful, as is the Ooskit tote! Thank you for your thoughtful, very intentional way of producing these new additions to the other lovely products you sell. I look forward to seeing the projects your team has made with your new wool.
LikeLike
I definitely want to echo the comment above and am keen to know more. The response given so far is just a bit vague… Proportions don’t matter but knowing what they’re made with is important to me, and, I suspect many other knitters who are interested in provenance and encouraging the appreciation of lesser known breeds. So – what longwools are involved please? BFL and??? Gotland for the dark grey perhaps? It would be lovely to see the yarn advertised as “a blend of x,y,z yarns in variable proportions” for example!
LikeLike
Which sheep breeds are used in the yarn pls?
LikeLike
because of the way the fleeces are blended in this yarn, it is difficult to be specific about proportions – which vary from shade to shade (though the yarn retains an overall consistent quality). Obviously the natural greys are derived from coloured fleeces, such as Shetland, and there are also some long-staple, lustrous fleeces blended in (such as BFL, which give the yarn it’s smooth handle)
LikeLike
Thankyou.
LikeLike