Our Hero

The story of Scottish Blackface sheep is at the heart of our knitwear; hardy, warm, and built to protect.

Blackface flocks thrive on upland pasture; they graze our hills all year round, through heat, through rain, through snow. The sheep are instantly recognisable: black faces, sometimes peppered with white; the thick, curling horns of the rams – known in Scotland as ‘tups’ – and the shorter, more slender horns of the ewes ‘yowes’. 

Sheep farming in Scotland goes back to before written records began. The first mentions of Blackface sheep are made in monastery records of the 12^th century, and we know the breed was kept by Scottish kings. It has always been admired for what it gives: thick, beautiful fleece, so versatile it can be crafted into socks, blankets, rugs…anything with a knit or a weave.

Fashions come and fashions go, of course. Merrick Knitwear represents taking a new look at wool that has not been used in clothing for more than a generation. Merrick uses the finest fleece, grade 725, from Scottish Blackface sheep. We also pay above market value so that local farmers see better returns. All wool used to create our yarn has traceable provenance: it is sourced from farms within the Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, where the Scottish Blackface has been an emblem of rural life and industry for countless centuries.