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'Happy sheep' make the best wool, say yarn experts

CHARLOTTE VOWDEN/BBC Becci and Markus Pamely-Bast are wearing clothes they have crocheted knitted using yarn they have dyed in their Weedon Bec workshopCHARLOTTE VOWDEN/BBC
Becci and Markus Pamely-Bast crochet and knit their own clothes, including colourful jumpers and cardigans

Well-cared for and "happy" sheep make the best wool, yarn experts who use rare-breeds have said.

Becci and Markus Pamely-Bast founded a wool and hand-dyed yarn business seven years ago on a narrowboat.

They have subsequently moved to a workshop in Weedon Bec in Northamptonshire and source their wool from nearby farms, which they visit themselves.

Mr Pamely-Bast said when sheep were well-cared for "you can feel it in the quality of the yarn".

CHARLOTTE VOWDEN/BBC Colourful bundles of yarn, including purple, fiery orange and blue, that has been hand dyed in Becci and Marcus's workshopCHARLOTTE VOWDEN/BBC
Much of the wool the couple dye is sourced from sheep in Northamptonshire

Mr Pamely-Bast said a good quality of life enhances the characteristics of sheep’s wool, including fiber strength, appearance and durability.

"The feel of Northamptonshire wool is really unique, [it's] from happy sheep," he said.

Mrs Pamely-Bast said the "wool is highly prized because of the pride people we work with take in caring for their animals".

The colours they dye their yarns are inspired by nature and their life on the River Nene.

The process, which takes up to two days to complete, involves soaking the yarn in preparation before submerging it in dye and fixing it to the yarn using heat.

"It's quite a magical process," said Mrs Pamely-Bast.

CHARLOTTE VOWDEN/BBC Becci and Markus using a winding machine to spin yarns uniformly into loopsCHARLOTTE VOWDEN/BBC
The couple use mechanical winding machine to spin the yarns they have died into loops

Their yarns are sold at their Weedon Bec studio, as well as online and in shops around the world, including America, Iceland and Canada.

"People understand how rare it is to have such lovely yarns," said Mr Pamely-Bast.

"The wool is prized because they [the farmers] take so much pride in breeding for really fine wool," added Mrs Pamely-Bast.

"Making with your hands and creating something is an amazing feeling, but when you’ve met the sheep that grew the fiber that was then spun into yarn that we are dying is another level of satisfaction on that creative journey."

Sustainability and supporting other local artisans is important to the couple, who are hosting a festive makers market at their studio on 17 November.

An opportunity for knitters, crafters and crocheters to stock up on supplies, the event will be attended by a button maker as well as designers and other yarn dyers.

"Collaboration is one of the big joys in what we do. It’s kind of like a German Christmas market but with lots of wool."

The event, called Stollen & Wolle, starts at 10:00 GMT.

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