An introduction to From This Land: A Westcountry Collection, my now published collection of unisex knitting patterns made using local British wool.
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An introduction to my Westcountry collection of knitting patterns: From This Land.
From This Land: A Westcountry Collection has been a labour of love over the past year and I am delighted to finally announce its official release! This collection of designs, all created using locally sources, British wool was partially funded by the South West England Fibreshed, an organisation I’m proud to be part of. They work to encourage and strengthen regional textile systems, creating a community that prioritises locally sourced natural fibres, environmental regeneration, and ethical practices. Their mission – to promote sustainable and thoughtful textile systems that benefit both people and the planet – perfectly aligns with my own values. If this resonates with you, too, I highly recommend giving them a look.
This collection of knitting patterns is as much about place as it is about craft.
The idea behind From This Land: A Westcountry Collection was to put British wool yarn in the spotlight. Each pattern places a focus on the yarn in such a way that traditional knitting patterns do not. See, while many yarns used in such patterns are made from natural fibres, their supply chains are often complex, with the wool travelling across multiple countries for processing. I wanted to take a different approach. From This Land: A Westcountry Collection focuses on yarns with simple, localised supply chains and minimal yarn miles which is why I specifically chose to work with local farms in the South-West of England.
Inspired by the sheep-dotted landscapes of the region, this cosy capsule collection features five unisex knitting patterns crafted from undyed, British wool. Each yarn comes from lovely farms and wool producers that prioritise animal welfare and land regeneration. Over the course of the past year, I have visited these farms, walked their fields, and met the sheep whose fleece I used to create this collection. Each knit design is a reflection of those visits, a tribute to the landscapes, the people and the wool itself.
The knitting patterns
As I mentioned, From This Land: A Westcountry Collection is made up of five unisex knitting patterns; all practical, comfortable knits perfect for outdoor adventures. The designs consist of: a cabled cardigan, a colourwork tank top/ vest, a textured scarf, a felted hat and a pair of fingerless mitts.
Throughout the downloadable book, I take you on my journey to each destination, sharing a little about each farm, each design and the inspiration behind the knitting pattern.
Currently, the collection is available to purchase as a single PDF via my website or on Ravelry with individual patterns to follow in 2025.
Now, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at each one:
The Flock Flight Mitts - Honeywood’s Flock, Somerset
On her sustainable smallholding, Honeywood’s Flock, Bec Briar keeps a small flock of Portland, Shetland, and Icelandic sheep. The yarn for the Flock Flight Mitts is a creamy Portland wool from Bec’s own flock, paired with a beautiful Jacob yarn, spun by Bec using fleeces from a neighbouring flock on Exmoor.
The design
The Flock Flight Mitts have a double cuff combining plain ribbing inside and corrugated ribbing on the outside. The front and back of the hand are decorated with stranded colourwork, with a v-shaped motif on the back and a simple 1x1 colourwork on the palm. The mitts are finished with ribbing at the fingertips that can be left to cover most of your fingers for extra warmth or folded back to allow you full use of your hands.
The inspiration
The inspiration for this knit design came from the swallows we watched as we sat chatting on a hillside, surrounded by Bec's sheep. The birds in flight seemed to mirror the sheep in the fields below, a perfect harmony between sky and land. Watching the swallows’ outstretched wings and the v-shapes on their undersides, I envisioned the stranded colourwork motif which features on the back of the mitts and the rest of the design unfolded from there.
Find the Woven Briar Portland Wool here
Find the Woven Briar Jacob Wool here
Hedge and Wall Hat - Lower Hampen Farm, Gloucestershire
Lydia keeps a flock of rare breed Devon Closewool sheep on Lower Hampen Farm in the Cotswolds. The yarn for the Hedge and Wall Hat is a lovely, creamy white DK that was a wonderful surprise to work with. I’ll admit, I was expecting the yarn to feel rather coarse - it’s one of those yarns often described as ‘good for outerwear’, but the moment I felt it, I instantly fell in love.
The design
The Hedge and Wall hat has a herringbone brim which looks very different on both sides, giving you the option to wear it long or with the brim folded back for a closer fit. I designed this hat to be felted so the knitting pattern comes with two sets of measurements and two sets of gauges. You can knit it at a larger size and felt it down for warmth and structure, or knit it at the final size using a lighter 4ply yarn and smaller needles to match the ‘after-felting’ gauge.
The inspiration
The day of my visit to Lower Hampen was a rather damp one so the inspiration for this knit design was partly from a desire to create a hat that would protect against the elements. A warm, cosy hat that would block out the wind and protect from the rain - hence the felting to result in a denser fabric what would keep the outdoors out. The herringbone stitch around the brim of the hat recalls the Cotswold drystone walls and thick hedges which divide the fields on Lydia’s farm.
Find the Lower Hampen Devon Closewool Yarn here
Lichen Stone - Raw Wool Company, Cornwall
Anton, who runs Raw Wool Company, creates a carefully curated collection of British wool using fleece from his own rare breed of coloured Wensleydale sheep, as well as wool from nearby shepherds. The Lichen Stone Scarf is knit using Rum & Raisin, a gloriously rich, dark brown yarn which combines Anton’s British Wensleydale long wool with Zwartbles fleece sourced from Sarah’s flock in West Cornwall.
The design
The Lichen Stone Scarf is a simple yet elegant design featuring broken rib, with short rows at either end that form subtle points to add character. A tubular cast-on and cast-off ensure the edges are nice and neat.
The inspiration
The exceptionally rich, dark hue of the Rum & Raisin yarn inspired me to focus on texture rather than intricate details, as any finer elements would easily be lost in the deep brown. The design itself draws inspiration from my visit to Sarah’s Zwartbles sheep. In the middle of the field where her flock was grazing stood a small, lichen-covered stone, with the sheep naturally gathering around it. The short-row slants at either end of the scarf echo the shape of the weathered stone, while the broken rib stitch mimics the texture of the lichen that clung to its surface.
Find the Rum & Raisin yarn here
Valley Rooves Cardigan - Gullet Farm, Devon
Gullet Farm, owned by Carolyn, is nestled in South Devon and home to a diverse flock of Shetland, Black Welsh Mountain, and Romney sheep. Carolyn then blends the fleeces from these breeds to create a unique and interesting collection of British wool yarns. Shetland sheep are known for their variety of natural colours and the Shetland x Romney blend I chose for the Valley Rooves cardigan takes one of those individual colours of Shetland fleece and blends it with a larger quantity of the white wool of the Romney, resulting in a subtle, beautifully heathered yarn.
The design
The Valley Rooves Cardigan is a top-down cardigan featuring cables on the shoulders, sleeves and pockets, with a contrast edging on the pockets, cuffs, hem, button band and collar. The cardigan’s saddle shoulder construction incorporates a detailed cable pattern, while optional gentle tapering at the sides provides a more tailored fit—particularly helpful for those with broad shoulders or a larger chest and proportionally smaller waist and hips.
The inspiration
The idea for this cosy cardigan came from the steep hill that leads down to the house at Gullet Farm. The hill’s incline means that your first glimpse of the property is its stone rooftops, clustered together at striking angles. These shapes became the foundation for the cardigan’s design: the deep V-shaped cable motif, with a smaller upside-down V nestled inside, mirrors the rooftops and runs down the sleeves and across the front of the pockets.
Find the Shetland x Romney yarn here
Tree Hay Tank - Gutchpool Farm, Dorset
Gutchpool Farm, owned by Rachel Hall, is just a few miles from my own home. Rachel’s fields are home to Dorset Down and Shetland sheep, and the Tree Hay design brings together the soft, creamy Dorset Down fleece with two striking shades from the Shetland sheep: a warm cinnamony hue and a rich, heathery charcoal. These yarns, produced by The Natural Fibre Mill in Cornwall, are ideal for the stranded colorwork that features prominently in the design.
The design
The Tree Hay Tank is a v-neck, bottom-up knitted tank featuring branch-like stranded colourwork across the body. Steeks are used for the neck and arm holes and a contrasting ribbing finishes the edges. This knit design also includes an optional split hem and short-row shaping at the neckband and armholes.
The inspiration
Tree Hay draws its inspiration from the brushwood and pruned branches collected on Gutchpool Farm - these branches serve as winter fodder for the sheep and also help in creating a wetland corridor on the farm. The colourwork motifs in the design echo the delicate twigs and branches that have shed their leaves, reflecting the quiet beauty of winter on the farm.
Find the Dorset Down yarn here
What's next?
And that’s all the knitting patterns! I’ve been working on this collection for so long - what started as an idea back in August 2023 is now, in December 2024, almost complete. 16 months of designing, refining, and a whole lot of knitting - it feels a bit incredible to finally be at this point.
Looking ahead, into 2025, I would love to continue collaborating with each of the farms featured in this collection. My hope is that these unisex knitting patterns can become a tool to help promote their beautiful British wool yarns. These small farms within South West England are doing such valuable work caring for the animals and the land, but they often don’t have the time or resources to showcase what can be created with their yarn, especially if they’re not knitters themselves.
My aim with From This Land: A Westcountry Collection has been to highlight just how lovely yarns from smaller farms can be, particularly when limited to the natural shades of the sheep. A lot of care went into balancing the colour choices so that the collection works beautifully as a whole. Each piece is designed to be worn on its own or layered together in one cosy, knitted ensemble. It’s coordinated but not too matchy-matchy. I wanted each piece to have its own personality while still working in harmony, and I like to think I’ve succeeded in that.
I hope you enjoy this collection of knitting patterns as much as I enjoyed creating it. As mentioned above, it’s available now as a single PDF, with individual patterns coming in 2025.
Happy knitting!
Find From This Land: A Westcountry Collection on my website
Find From This Land: A Westcountry Collection on Ravelry
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Intro and outro music is Dead from the Beginning, Alive to the End by Doctor Turtle.
