As a small yarn producer, I am often asked whether I sell shade cards, but I’ve never been quite sure how to present them. When my dear pal Felix got married recently, some fabulous wool-wrapped sheep featured among her many woolly wedding favours. Those wee sheep rather took hold of my imagination and I just couldn’t stop thinking about how well they’d work as shade cards.
I recently acquired some wee laser-cut sheep from a UK supplier and my mum and I spent a pleasant few hours yesterday afternoon wrapping strands of yarn around sheep. I am really quite pleased with the result!
All eleven shades of Buachaille are represented and to make the shade card, we cut the yarn into generous foot-long lengths, and secured them around each sheep with a simple slip knot. Unlike other shade cards, this means that you can then use and re-use your sheep as a template to test out different palettes, shade juxtapositions and colourways.
For example, here’s the original Moder Dy palette:
And here’s the Carraig Fhada palette:
Carraig Fhada features s a neutral palette with a single accent colour, and with the help of the sheep it is really easy to swap out the accent to test another shade choice. I am particularly fond of this alternative grellow palette . . .
We also had fun experimenting with blues
and fiery shades
and found that creating these sheepy palettes can become a bit addictive . . . I rapidly ended up with a whole flock.
Anyway, if you are one of those folk who like to have a shade card, I’ve now put a few sheepy shade cards on sale in the shop (try saying that at speed). If you like them, we’ll make up some more.
Baa.
Today i tried again to get a shade sheep after friend messaged they in stock, but once again a mysterious sheepdog has herded them all out the shop to quickly :(:(
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! Especially the idea of using for color work choices – Brilliant!
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Love the sheep! We just got back last night from a holiday in Scotland. It was amazing! I’m hoping to order a sheep shade card once they’re back in stock. I thought of you, Tom, and Bruce while driving about the countryside in the wild weather during the week! The photos we took turned out great and I have lots of color inspiration from them.
All the best,
Deborah
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Wonderul idea! That shawl is gorgeous!
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How be-ewe-tiful – and a very clever idea, too!
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Many thanks – I love your blog. !
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Oh please do make more!
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Oh please do make more!
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What a great idea! Especially the idea of using for color work choices – Brilliant!!!! Would have loved to had one when I ordered my Braid Hills kit, but then again it would have really made my color decision even harder :)
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fabulous wool-wrapped sheep featured among her many woolly wedding favours.I love it
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Love these! What a great idea :) I’ll be adding one to my next order, when that happens (must finish Oa first!).
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❤️ SO cute. I ordered similar wee wooden creatures, sheep and alpaca, and had a lovely time with my 4 yr old grandson wrapping their little bodies in scrap yarn for Christmas decorations. (I live in the States.)
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Hi Kate
Could you advise me on the best blocking mat/ squares to buy – similar to the mat Mel was using in her blocking tutorial. U.K. Stockist please. Also the markers used.
Many thanks – I love your blog.
Marjorie
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Please, please, make more, I´m sure it´s a must-have for me… Absolutely fabulous!
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Purrrrfect
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Oh please make more! Love this idea!
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I love the little sheepy tool. It is certainly more fun to use than just a square of cardboard for testing out a pallette. However, as a shade card, there is no way to know the names of the colors without referring to your website store.
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Unique, very practical and too adorable… Wish shipping these to the USA was not so expensive. Your sheep would be a hit here too.
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Genius idea, please make more soon.
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Little Bo Peep never thought to look for her sheep across the pond. Simply brilliant! Let me know if any more are born in the spring.
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I love the new banner at the bottom of the page as well, what a lovely rainbow!
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Adorable!
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Back to work, Mom!
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What a fabulous idea that you could also use at home, to put colours together for multicoloured items you are intending to make.
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What ingenuity!! Please put me on the wait list!!
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Cute and clever and useful! Three of my favorites!
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Yes please if you can make more. I have made shade cards to send to friends who haven’t seen all the colours of Buachaille but these are much nicer.
I love the idea to see how colour combinations look. I would love one too as everything looks better on a sheep.
I read Twitter and my blogs too late to buy one or two
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Golly they’re darling (and useful)!
Next KDD merch item? A sheep-shaped cookie cutter (maybe in copper? and the same shape as the shade card sheep) along with a rolled-and-cut biscuit recipe from Tom.
xx ST
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Gorgeous but absolutely no chance of getting one here in the Antipodes. Email came through at 2:30am and just reading it now over breakfast. All the little sheepies are long gone :(
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Would love to have one when back in stock! Love the grellow one!
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WHAT a cool idea!!!!
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Got in from work, checked emails, checked shop: already sold out!
I think that might mean a few more sheep-dressing sessions are in store for you and your mum!
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Lovely idea and the colours are very clear.
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Definitely something I would like to have and use a great deal!
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Just looked and all sold out, please make some more. Fantastic idea to put the wool on so we can use them to test colour combinations – unique among shade cards.
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Add I’m
Adding my voice too. Brilliant idea. You might need a bigger crew to keep up :)
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Oh they’re excellent! They’re such a great idea just as palette-testers – very tempted to buy some die-cut sheep myself!
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I think it is a great idea – more please!!
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Brilliant! Everything you do, you do with style!! Love these!
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Sigh. All gone. You need an online order form. Unless you’re counting all the “I want one” posts here :-).
I’d like two …
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Oh please! Do make more sheep! This is such a clever idea for a shade card and for trying out color combinations! I’d like 3 or 4, myself.
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What a great idea! I really love these – and it’s reusable, which is the cherry on top. :)
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I hope you make more since when I went to the shop they were already gone!
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Sold out double quick! I think there is a demand……
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Hoping you will have more cos by the time I looked GONE!!!!!
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They look like gingerbread sheep…
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Just got my email and they are all sold out! Hoping a new batch will arrive soon.
As always you are so clever Kate!
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These are adorable. I want to knit something in every combo…..
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Forgot to say…
Love the idea and a great,fun tool for grouping colours ☺
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Let me add my voice to the requests for more, too, please!
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Make more please! They went too fast–so cute, an practical!
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You. Are. Brilliant. (As if we didn’t already know that!)
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Great idea! All snatched up in a flash though :-(
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Those are so adorable! You will have to have a waiting list for all of us who would like one or a whole flock! I will try to patiently wait for them to come in from the fields.
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Just looked at the times and they sold out in less than 10 minutes!
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more, please:)
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Please make some more Kate, I couldn’t get to Edinburgh to see your wool so a shade card would be great. I am sure lots of other wool producers will pinch your idea!
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Oh noooooo – the have all gone! I went to the shop as soon as the email notification arrived😞
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FAR TOO CUTE! Such a great idea!
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Dang, they ARE sold out! Between the time I put them in my basket and the time I spent searching for my account, it was gone. :( I hope you’ll be making some more up soon!
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What a fine idea! I want a set, but they are out of stock already :(
Please make more!
Sally
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Love them! You are going to need to increase your flock for sure! This is the new must have knitting accessory!
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B-ewe-tiful!
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Absolutely b-ewe-tifull.
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awe I love them….definitely need one! :)
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Adorable–and truly helpful! I’ve been trying to figure out the color palette for my Carraigh Fhada, and the sheep would definitely help. I’m going to go order one now.
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Baa! These are just perfect. I’ll bet the first batch are sold out before I can even place my order!
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Ewenique, ewesful and addictive I think.
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