Skip to main content

Woolfest 2015- A Feast For The Eyes


Hi guys! What a day we had yesterday at the famous Woolfest!
Oh my goodness, it was fantastic!

It was a pretty rubbish journey on the way.
Don't get me wrong, the views were absolutely stunning! But i'm not the worlds best traveler and spent most of the ride on the mini bus feeling very queasy. 
Up and down miles of hills and valleys is not the easiest way to travel when you've only eaten half a ham sandwich for breakfast (my own fault, i admit, i should have had something more substantial)

Anyway, where was i?
Oh yes. 
The yarn. 
Look at this.
Have you ever seen anything so stunning? 
This is the Technicolour Dreamcoat.
It was woven by community groups and young people in and around Sedburgh. 

So many amazing creations by talented artists



Beautiful creations 
And of course the sheep that make this happen!
                                  
Have you ever seen such a fluffy sheep?
These are called Valais Blacknosed Sheep and originally hail all the way from Switzerland!
So many colours! I admit i wanted to dive straight in the middle!
 Beautiful handmade tools, spindles, wheels, looms, the list was endless 
I managed to snap this before mum came and herded him away 

A true feast for the eyes. There were so many talented people, it was nice to be with my own kind!

A stunning baby cardigan made from alpaca fibre


Angora rabbits. Soooo fluffy! 
Recycled and upcycled blankets and clothes by The Woolly Pedlar, i love the way the colours complement each other 
Looking rather bored bless them! 
And of course Alpacas!
Bless them they look so scrawny without their coat!
If you look closely, the way they have been sheared makes them look like they have also been knitted! (In my mind anyway haha) 
Sadly, that is all the photos i got, as about an hour before we went back to mini bus i was jostled and i managed to lose my camera batteries :( 
I did, however, come home with a few bargains.
A drop spindle and carded and washed batting, ready to be spun
I couldn't wait to get going!
And some rather lovely bamboo circular needles from Skybluepink-Designs 


And perhaps my greatest bargain ever!
A full bag (0.4kg) of raw shetland fleece for £1!! 
It came from a Shetland sheep (not my picture) 
Source

It was being sold by a young lad, of around 12-13, and i was wandering around one of the many fleece stalls, minding my own business, happily enjoying the atmosphere when i heard him say to his mum "I think i'm just going to reduce this to £1" my ears pricked up and i think he got quite a shock when my head popped around the corner "did i hear you say £1?"
I'll give him credit, he tried to sell me another bag and would have sold both for £5, but sadly that was all i had left and i wanted to keep my options open in case i saw something else. I felt quite mean, as if i had a little more i would have gladly taken both bags, but alas, i couldn't.
 All it needs now is to be washed and carded then it is ready to spin.
I must find a pair of carders. Anyone want to lend me some to test? I'll send you some of the wool i eventually spin! haha (I can try, right?)
The only thing i'm not sure on is to dye, or not to dye? The actual natural colours are stunning, but i think i would like a nice variegated blue too. On the other hand, i could do both?1 ball natural and one dyed?
I'll ponder on it.


Of course, none of this could have happened if not for the amazing organizers from The Wool Clip.
 It is a Cumbrian co-operative, producing original and creative craftwork using wool and promoting British wool and traditional skills.
I think i can speak for all wool lovers, artists, knitters, crocheters, felters, spinners, dyers, weavers and everyone else when i say thank you! You have made so many people very happy
 (and so many husbands/wives/life partners broke! haha totally worth it!)

Don't forget, i shall be hosting the Whats Cooking? Blog Hop tomorrow, though it may be a little late as we have to go out. If i can figure out how to work it, i'll schedule it tonight :) 





Comments

  1. It looks a fantastic day out. I hope the queasiness didn't last too long. There looks to be some fantastic creations. I'm gutted I missed it. I only read about it on your previous post today. My own fault. Never mind, I guess there's always next year. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Once i'd eaten a bit more it wasn't too bad thankfully! haha :) If you want to go to a wool based event i know there is Yarndale in Yorkshire in September? I'm hoping to persuade everyone to go there too!
      xx

      Delete
  2. Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience and day !!!!!! I enjoyed it so much ! It was like taking a mini trip for me :) and am so glad that you had so much fun :) Your friend across the pond <3

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like you had a really great time!! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh we did! It was truly spectacular! I'm slowly starting to recover!haha :) xx

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comments, they are always appreciated :) <3

Popular posts from this blog

Hello?

*Peers round corner* Hello? Is anyone there? First of all, i would like to apologize for being so long updating here! It's been pretty busy around here, especially in the past month or two, and i have been updating mostly via Instagram.  We discovered that The Bearded Wonder has been having quite big heart issues , so much so that he was initially referred to get a pacemaker fitted, but on the day of his surgery the surgeon decided he was too young for a pacemaker and ended up fitting him with an under the skin monitor instead, which shall be in for 3 years, then he'll be re-assessed to see if a pacemaker is more suitable. He is doing well, and recovering nicely from the surgery. In other news, today is the day that Angus has been in our lives for a whole year! He was so tiny then. Somehow, out of nowhere, he has turned into this really fat, obnoxious fluffball! We are still enjoying going out and about on the bikes, and we are looking fo...

Patience Is A Virtue (apparently) A Tour Of The Craft Room

Evening all :)  Sorry for it being so long, this week has completely nuts, I've barely had a chance to breathe! I've been attempting to organize my craft room. On Monday we finally got a double bed for our room ( we were sleeping on a double mattress on a sofa bed), at a bargain price of £5 :) So, we had to move the sofa bed into the spare room (that was fun!) and, up until now, the spare room was just used for storage until we got the house sorted. Let me introduce you to...The craft room! Woohoo! By the way, this is tidy by my standards! A lovely squishy sofa to curl up on and draw or read, and the spare duvet in case it gets cold and my knitting machine in the corner . (by the way, if you ever have the urge to put a knitting machine back in its' case, it is advisable not to! You need a degree in physics!) My cobbled together drying rack (and the sad looking hand made dress form in the corner) baskets of yarn and my sewing machine. Ugly ...

Adding to the flock- Ex battery hens

Hello! How the time has flown! This Saturday saw us adding two new girls to the flock. Meet Felicity and Penelope. The poor little buggers were so frightened by this strange new world, with fresh air, room to move and dirt to scratch in, but they've soon got used to it and are coming out of their shells. Felicity is definitely the bolder of the two, and now she's figured everything out she likes to show poor little Penelope who's boss Felicity checking out the dust bath Barbara checking out the roost in the new indoor shelter (formerly a wendyhouse) Felicity stepping out into the sunshine. This afternoon saw me teaching the new girls how to peck at the broccoli i'd hung up for them. Fliss was unimpressed, she'd rather try and eat my engagement ring. The good news is that after a week they are all starting to settle in with each other, and now there is much less squabbling between them and the older girls,...