Thursday 4 March 2010

Knitting with a rare yarn

A dear friend who lives on the Isle of Man has bought me some Manx Loaghtan aran yarn for my next Maya shawl. She'll bring it to the UK when we meet up in August for WriterConUK's annual meeting.

The Manx Loaghtan is descended from the primitive sheep once found throughout Scotland and the Hebrides and the Shetland Islands. The word Loaghtan comes from the Manx words 'lugh dhoan' which means mouse-brown and describes the colour of the sheep. The breed is rare. It is small, with no wool on the face or legs. The wool is prized by craft weavers as it is soft and has a rich brown colour.