And it's Snowing....Again!

Here we are all in the grip of the white stuff again. In Mydroilyn it was only possible to get out of the village in a 4-wheel drive - so glad I have a pick-up, even if it is a bit of a jalopy! The snow plough came through last night, so the road is usable with care, but there are steep hills out of the village on every route. And it's a very long walk to a shop!

Getting parcels out has been made more difficult by these problems, combined with the PO shut at unpredictable times - burst pipes, staff shortages, bocked roads - it's all been happening.

But the compensation is all the prettiness. And it is very pretty:

Left: This is the mill pond in it's winter outfit
Below: last summer's sedums disguised as giant mushrooms...

 And snow clouds heading towards the village....

 

Drop-stitch-gorgeous!

Our new mitts are proving very popular this Autumn. While the Hopscotch mitts go on and on, with their warm and practical double layer cuff and two tone colours, the 'DSGs' are perhaps a little more dressy. The scrunchy cuffs are warm and cosy and they still have the same thumb shaping which makes our mittens fit so well. A hit! I'll have to come up with a hat to go with them for next winter....maybe something a bit retro, bit 50's, rummage through my vintage books and patterns. Hmm. Paper and pencil time. Although.....maybe after Christmas!

http://www.llynfitextiles.co.uk/dsgmitts.html

Forms in Ice

 The continual dampness of a watermill comes into it's own when the temperatures plunge. It's been jolly cold indoors - we have yet to turn our attention to the kitchen here and its been 5c in there lately! But there's been enough of interest outside to keep my mind off it.

 The water leaks out from the pond and goes through a pipe over the top of the waterwheel. It splashes down into an old barrel and overflows into the tail race - with freezing temperatures the water is transformed into magical forms.

At the end of the leat (where the water comes down to the mill) there is a water pipe that drains the surface water from the road and the field across the lane. With a drop of about 3 feet, splashing onto rocks and stones, the water again freezes into the most intriguing forms and coats everything around with a layer of ice.

 

 

Fairs and Exhibitions, Design and Development

We have just got back from a lovely two days exhibiting at the Compton Marbling Autumn Fair, in Wiltshire. It was extremely cold, in a barn by an open door! But such a great atmosphere - created by both fellow stallholders and the visitors, who braved snow and ice to get there down country lanes. Many thanks to all! Driving home to West Wales, the temperature dropped to -13 C. Glad to have had a modern vehicle with a good heater.

One of the best things about such events is the feedback on our clothes and seeing them on a range of different people. Standard sizes are just an average and, of course, no-one is an average. When designing a piece we have to decide on the ease, line, style and figure type of the possible wearer. And the more people who try on a finished item, the clearer some decisions and directions become. Making an item in every variation to suit everyone is impossible unless we went down the made to measure route, but constructive comments and detailing issues are noted and taken into account for future developments and evolvement of a design.

We now have one more event in 2010 - at Penpont House , and then we'll be planning for 2011. Already in the pipeline is Wonderwool at Builth Wells in April, and we are considering the International Horse Trials at Glanusk at the end of June. If anyone has any ideas of a good event that they would like to see us at, let us know!

Computer age Dressing up Dolls

Remember those paper dolls that you played with as a little girl? The ones that had cut out clothes so you could mix and match outfits. On the 'Vogue' website I found this link http://gb.looklet.com/create It's the new age version!

How Green is my Valley

It's hard work walking here - whatever direction you take from the village the first thing you have to do is go up a steep hill, but the reward is fantastic views, and on a clear day these stretch as far as the Cambrian Mountains and on into the start of Snowdonia.

I think - I'm lucky to live in a place like this. But then, actually, it's the result of years of hard work and no holidays. But then - living here, why would you want to go away?

Country Living magazine

November's issue of Country Living magazine has a feature on wool to coincide with the Campaign for Wool. Turning the pages I was surprised to see a photo of the tea- and egg-cosies I make for Damson and Slate in Narberth! Damson and Slate is a small shop selling a range of knitted and woven and felted woolly lovelies, several of which are in the feature. Do look out for it.

http://www.campaignforwool.org/

http://www.damsonandslate.co.uk/