About Home Flock 4 ply

Stella Ackroyd is a local knitwear designer and pattern writer whose work has been published internationally for more than 25 years. Based near Fine Fettle Fibres, Stella lives and works on her own small holding where, with her husband, she breeds and tends to a small flock of black Shetland sheep. 

Having reared many of the lambs by hand, Stella decided this year to have their lovely fleeces spun at The Border Mill in Duns and she is proud to present this beautiful soft yet sturdy 4 ply yarn.

Realising that not everybody wants to knit the natural brown/black shade of the Shetland fleeces, Stella has had her own yarn blended in small batches with a second ply of dyed 100% Shetland wool to create a stunning colour palette of the finest 4 ply yarn which maintains the flock identity and all of its inherent characteristics. Paired with a bespoke portfolio of Stella's knitwear designs, this is a unique culmination of farm-to-needles local craftsmanship.

Shade details

Thunder Storm: Blended with one strand of 100% Shetland wool in charcoal grey, this deep grey shade has an iron-like depth to it.

Black Sheep: Taking the darkest fleeces blended with a pure black Shetland top to create a deep shade of classic black.

Sea Fret: Here we have put one strand of natural Shetland with a strand of classic flannel grey to produce a lovely steel-like shade.

Night Sky: midnight blue blended with undyed brown/black Shetland creates a stunning shade which Stella has named after the dark, dark Northumbrian skies which she remembers so well from her evening checks on the lambing shed.

Purple Spray: Stella's favourite of all! A lovely heather shade is created by blending natural Shetland black with a deep purple strand to produce an interesting purple/grey/brown shade.

Shepherd's Delight: Dark Shetland brown/black blended with classic burgundy to produce a shade which any shepherd would be proud to wear!

Mallard: Named after the family who took up residence in Stella's orchard one year, this lovely green shade combines the flock's natural brown/black with dark green to create a very wearable shade with integrity.