Wonderwool photos

Just in case you didn't make it to the show, here are a few photos of our stand, including some of Ystrad Organics' beautiful wensleydale yarn, carded bundles and sweetie bags of glossy curls...

Natural and Organic Awards

We were delighted to have had our knitwear chosen as one of the three finalists for the Soil Association/Natural and Organic Awards Best Organic Textile. The winner was Organics for Kids who make a very lovely range of babywear.

Wonderwool Wales

A quick posting just to say a big thankyou to the organisers of Wonderwool and all those who made it such a great weekend! We really enjoyed it, the sun made everyone happy and now we're ready for a day off (we wish!). A big thankyou too, to all those who visited our stand and left us feeling very much encouraged and inspired!
Having decided last Autumn to concentrate on clothing (our first love), and not continue with selling yarns etc., we weren't sure about exhibiting at Wonderwool - but you all proved us wrong in our doubting.

See you next year when, hopefully, we'll have a bigger stand.......and a proper mirror! In the meantime, don't forget our Open Studio event over the late May Bank Holiday weekend.

Old and new: life in the garden

This time of year is always so exciting; seeing the world come back to life!
I wander around my little garden, musing over developments with my morning cup of tea. I love the anticipation; looking for much loved plants beginning to emerge after their sleepy winter, and equally the surprise of seeing something for the first time, especially having completely forgotten that I had planted it in the first place!
I had picked up this simple little primrose for 50p from the charity stall in the market last autumn, having no idea of the colour at all...!


My garden is now three years old, and I feel an enormous satisfaction seeing autumn plans come to life over the course of the following year.
However, one of my favourite happenings in the garden at the moment is a quite serendipitous combination of the bright new pulmonaria flowers and spotted leaves seen through the burnt, rusty coloured sedum heads, left from last year.


We are always inclined at the start of the new year in January to sign off on the last and start a fresh. And yet here in my garden is a beautiful demonstration of how the remnants of past seasons go on to inform the developing masterpiece; nothing is ever really over, or ever really forgotten.
As I sit and ponder this with my morning tea I feel happily comforted. Life is a collection of experiences, one informing the next, and still the most beautiful moments are always the ones that happen by accident.

Show dates 2011

Spring:

9th - 10th April
Wonderwool Wales, Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells, Powys

We'll be sharing a stand with Ystrad Traditional Organics under the heading 'Organic Textiles Wales'. Llynfi clothes will be available, as well as a selection of horn and bone buttons, and some baskets of 'ends of runs' of naturally dyed organic wool yarns. Ystrad will have available natural and naturally dyed organic Wensleydale from the farm's flock - fleece, curls, carded and yarn. Also some rather lovely certified organic woven throws.

28th - 30th May
Studio Open Weekend, Talgarth, Brecon, Powys

We'll be holding open days as part of the Crickhowell Arts Trail around the Black Mountains. This is also the first weekend of Hay Literary Festival, so if you're going to the Festival come and visit Talgarth too - we're only 6 or so miles down the road.
The restored Talgarth Mill should be open by then too. This has been a major community undertaking, winning funding from the Lottery Save our Villages project. For more info see the Mill's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FelinTalgarthMill

The Yarn I've Been Dreaming of Has Arrived!

Have just got my hands on some beee-a-uuu-tiful worsted Wensleydale in Chocolate (of the darkest bitterest sort), Grey (dark and silver at the same time) and white (soft and shimmery). Fully certified organic of course, and grown here in Wales. Cannot Wait to get making with it! It will be expensive I'm afraid - naturally coloured Wenselydale like this is quite rare, and worsted spinning in itself is a costly process. And add to that the fact that you don't get many metres to the kilo, so a small jacket will be quite heavy. But fabulous! Will ad some pics later.

Spring Developments

...longer days and fewer layers; spring must be on its way!

Through the cold and dreary winter months we have been working on our staple collection.
We have tweaked some designs here and there as well as added some brand new ones!

At long last the collection is finalised and patterns almost all drafted.

So now, on to making and then photography!