What happens when you cross a Finn ram with a Bluefaced Leicester x longwool ewe? We affectionately call the resulting lambs BFFs. They retain their mothers’ lustrous fleece type but also get softness from their father’s side—and many of them show the friendly Finn character. About half of the lambs are white and half are black, so we spun up subtle marls and heathers at the mill. The fleece colors—and the lambs’ antics—suggested the name Spyhop, a nod to our iconic orca whales.

This soft but sturdy 3-ply yarn is great for garments with a bit of drape and surface halo. Think simple stockinette-based sweaters.

The dark marl has silver strands threaded through one of the plies, but not quite evenly, so the flecks will gently swarm to create visual interest in the fabric. The grey heather has both warm and cool tones. Driftwood heather is similar in value to grey heather but warmer—a silvery beige. Sailcloth is a shaded white with 10% black and grey fibers that peep through here and there to give a shifting depth to the fabric.

The dark marl skeins are slightly thicker and about 10 yards shorter than the grey heather skeins, but they can certainly be used together for colorwork designs. I recommend a US #5 needle for Spyhop.

250 yards (grey heather); 238 yards (driftwood); 251 yards (sailcloth) / 100 grams

DK weight / 3-ply

5-6 stitches per inch

$30

Knitters are saying:

“This yarn is magic. It’s somehow both super warm, and not too hot, meaning I can wear it outside in 32 degrees, and then not have to rip it off when I come back inside. And it’s wooly wooly wool, and yet no itch at all. My first wear I had it over a tank top all day and was so comfy!”