I’ve mentioned before that one of my favorite Instagrammers is Benjamin Hole, a phenomenal photographer who works and records daily life on his family’s farm on the Isle of Purbeck. The farm itself is beyond scenic; the bulls are handsome, the sheep adorable. Hole himself seems to be a lovely human being, and does such a beautiful job of telling the daily story of the farm that I confess I cried when one of his dogs, Hamish, died last year. Some days I wonder if I’ve seen it all enough times to move on, but I can never quite bring myself to stop following, and I’m glad — because last week brought the announcement of big news from the farm. After selling their wool to mills for years, to be used in bedding or blended with other wools, etc., they’ve decided to begin spinning their Poll Dorset wool into their own small-batch yarn, working with a local old mill. The brand is Hole & Sons, and you can follow them on their new website and blog as well as on Instagram.
Of course, there are new yarns born all the time, but this is one perfect example (among many) of a trend I hope continues to grow and grow into normalcy: knowing where your yarn comes from. Appreciating that it once was the fleece of a living, breathing sheep, and understanding the value of maintaining that awareness and connection as yarn addicts, but also valuing traditional, minimally processed yarn that retains its own sense of those sheep.
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All photos Benjamin Hole / Hole & Sons