Skipper

Skipper from Baa Ram Ewe is a sport-weight 100% British wool yarn, with 240 yards (219 meters) in each 100-gram skein. It's a 5-ply, guernsey-style yarn designed for hard-wearing sweaters that last a lifetime.

Plying several strands together gives a round, firm yarn with crisp stitch definition. Knit-purl patterns, cables and colorwork all look sharp, and the fabric has the sturdiness you want in a sweater you'll actually wear every day. The colors carry names like Portland Navy, Rockall Grey, Malin Bronze and Dover Cream.

It suits knitters who want durable garments, whether that's a traditional gansey with textured panels or a modern sweater with a colorwork yoke.

Best for

• Guernsey and gansey-style sweaters
• Colorwork yokes
• Textured hats and mittens
• Durable everyday cardigans

Working with it

Use US 3–5 needles for 6 stitches per inch. The plied construction keeps stitches crisp, so subtle textures like seed-stitch diamonds and purl ridges read clearly. A guernsey-style yarn is meant to make a firm, hard-wearing fabric, so don't be surprised if it feels dense at first; wool like this usually relaxes with washing and wear. Swatch and wash before measuring, and see our knitting gauge guide for how to measure accurately.

Care

The catalog doesn't give care instructions. For untreated wool, hand wash in cool water with a wool wash, avoid agitation, press out the water in a towel and dry flat. Hot water and rubbing can felt it.