It’s always exciting introducing a new brand and especially a whole new yarn. It’s even nicer when you know the people behind it. Hannah and Lydia the creators of Weku Yarn dye beautiful colourways and since their first yarn show in 2021 have developed their range as well as exploring different yarn bases and publishing patterns. All while embracing the beautiful and bright traditional outfits and patterns of their Ghanaian heritage. Weku means family in their Dad’s native language – Ga. Being sisters who describe themselves as ‘polar opposites’, family and the mix this brings works perfectly. More recently you may even recognise Lydia from her appearance on channel 4’s ‘The Game of Wool’ where she became a finalist. The next development in Weku Yarn is their own custom blend Bukom DK which launched in March this year and now we are pleased to say it has landed on the shelves of Knit With Attitude. So let’s find out more about it.

Bukom DK was developed with a mill in Yorkshire spinning a 50/50 blend of Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) and Corriedale. Spun to a smoothly twisted classic DK weight. The yarn is durable and soft but retains a slightly toothy wool quality. BFL is one of the softest of the British breed sheep and adds a sheen and drape to the yarn. Corriedale is a cross between Merino and Lincoln Longwool so has the softness but also adds a plump bounciness to the blend that will bloom with blocking. There are eleven colours in the range combining rich dark and bright shades. The colour range was developed by Hannah who hand dyed a palette before sending it off to production. This makes the colour range feel very in tune with what makes Weku Yarn unique.

They are sold in 50g balls at 112m per 50g. This is ideal for colourwork if you are looking to combine lots of different colours in one project. This yarn would look great in all sorts of projects, it is grippy enough for colourwork but also has the bouncy roundness that will make textured stitches like cables really stand out. For me it is soft enough to wear next to the skin, so I’m also thinking warm hats and scarves.

If you are wondering what to knit then look below. I have picked some designs from Lydia’s back catalogue that I think would look amazing in Bukom DK. Also if the Weku Yarn instagram account is anything to go by there will be some designs popping up soon that are specifically knit in Bukom DK. So watch this space.

Interwoven Sweater (link to designers website) – This top down yoked jumper is worked seamlessly. Choose between a long sleeve or short sleeve version like above. You can have so much fun with this colourwork design. Keep it simple with just two colours or go wild and make each band a different colour.

Interwoven Cowl (link to designers website) – This cowl takes the motif from the Interwoven Sweater. A great warm up project if you are thinking of doing the jumper. Knit as a continues tube starting with a provisional cast on and then grafted together at the end. Only two colours are used per row and the floats are no longer than three stitches making this a simple project with no long floats to deal with. To knit this in Bukom DK you will need two of each colour.

Nkyinkyim Sweater (link to designers website) – Nkyinkyim (N-chim-chim) means Zigzag and in traditional Kente designs it is a symbol of life not being a straight path. Starting at the neck edge this jumper is knit downwards with raglan shaping. I like the bold colour block that highlights the raglan seam, the 2×2 rib also visually ties in to that raglan seam.

Homegoing Beret (link to designers website) – This slouchy beret starts with a folded brim then moves into a lace pattern. The top of the beret is divided into six sections and there are two motifs to choose from. Knit both in the same beret or chose just one on its own. To knit this in Bukom DK you will two of the main colour and one of your contrast.