It's no secret that I have an obsession/adoration for super bulky and chunky yarn. But sometimes I get the itch to knit with something a little bit different. And I've found a super bulky that is a little bit different (and looks amazing.) It's called Briggs & Little Country Roving, and it's made of 5 strands of 100% wool that are held together as a single strand.
Briggs & Little is Canada's oldest woolen mill and has a really interesting history that you can read about here and here. (Seriously, you should check it out because I just learned a lot about how yarn is spun at a mill.) They use 100% Canadian wool and environmentally friendly dyes, which are very wash & light fast. As you can see here, Country Roving is spun from single strand roving into 5-ply rolls. It's wound to stay together (while remaining separate!) The end result is definitely that wonderful super bulky, woolen fabric that we all love but it's also light and airy. It knits up lightning fast. Country Roving comes in 15 shades, and the one I'm using here is called Sheep's Grey. Each lovely 8 oz roll has 155 yards.
This month Briggs & Little are celebrating their 100th anniversary of the Briggs & Little Name, though the mill itself has actually been around for over 150 years! If you'd like to try the yarn, you can contact them by emailing yarninfo@briggsandlittle.com to find your nearest Briggs & Little retailer. They can also ship directly to customers if you don't happen to have a LYS that carries the yarn. You can check out their yarns on their website ... and be sure to follow them on Facebook!
I'm actually playing around with designs for my next book with Briggs & Little Country Roving because I am really enjoying the way it looks as I knit! I've been on the hunt for a woolen super bulky like this for awhile and I think I've found 'the one!' (What would you make with this super cool 5-strand wonder?)