In praise of Choffer

We have added a beautiful new dark brown shade to our Ooskit palette – and its name is choffer

In Scots, a choffer is a small (chuffing) kiln or stove. The word suggests the warmth, smoke, and grounded-ness of hearth or fireside – all of which resonate with this new shade.

Choffer is a very rich, very deep brown. Like its three companions in the Ooskit palette, the blending of natural fleece shades produces a complex colour with its own subtle, slightly heathered, variegation.

Browns can tend towards different areas on the chromatic spectrum – some have a blue-ish tone, others are gold or russet in hue. In chromatic theories, dark brown often appears as a shade which all others tend towards. It’s a colour that often causes dispute, because the way that we “see” brown (especially in relation to greens or greys) can vary so much from person to person.

Deep brown can certainly be a bit mercurial and surprisingly versatile: providing an interesting tonal complement to a wide variety of shades from pale dusky pinks to bright, bold oranges. I love deep brown, and think of it as a dark place from which many glorious palettes might spring.

Choffer certainly has a satisfying grounding effect on the other shades in our Ooskit palette – like the bass note in a four-part harmony. I just love them together.

But, you ask, what’s this yarn like to knit with? Blended from quality British BFL and Masham fleeces, Ooskit is smooth in the hand yet really retains its woolly sheepiness. The yarn is worsted spun for us in 100g skeins, and if you’d like to try it, we’ve put together a new sampler pack . . .

. . .or you might like to knit one of the patterns I’ve designed for our new club, Making Light, in which Choffer features centrally.

I’ve really enjoyed working with Choffer over the past few months – an experience which has really renewed my appreciation for shades of deep, dark, absorbing brown.

I hope you like choffer too!