I have been trying to spin yarn fine enough to go through my antique/vintage sock machines, and thought I’d try with wool from this young man above.

This is Dexter who lives at The Same Star Sheep Sanctuary. The picture is from their Facebook page; if you are on Facebook, check them out and see the amazing work they do. They are a sanctuary in Norfolk and, as they say, providing a safe home for animals in need. Specialising in end of life and neonatal care of sheep. I think you’ll agree Dexter is a lovely boy.

So, the wool was spun, I am trying 2 and 3 ply to see which stands up to socks best. Here are some of the results dyed up. I use procion mx dyes or natural botanical dyes- less damage to the environment.

And I plan to spin up Dexter’s special wool on my Legare 400, an early 20th century domestic sock knitting machine. Sorry about the cardboard box in the picture, I use it as a lazy kate, but that’s another story.