Glastonbury!

Glastonbury!
A festival!!
Glastonbury Wool Festival  :)

The Alpacas on the way up!

We (I) had a great time. Enjoyed the stalls in the Town hall. Walked up the Tor for a fantastic all round view. Even thought the Alpacas not wanting to join in was funny. But my favourite bit was our campsite at the end of long, hot, sunny, fibre filled days.

Rob in a Harrier jump jet on site.

Great view of Tor in the distance.

Out and about

We had another great time at The Wool Experience, at Blaze farm.

This year the weather was kind and gave me a great excuse to have two scoops of their delicious ice-cream. I'm slowly working my way through their flavours which will take some time, as they introduce new flavours regularly...no problem!

This year we had more items for sale on our stall as Rob has been developing his interest in spindles and has produced some Navajo spindles that come with their own stand.  Really useful for when you need to store them somewhere. He's also been playing with buttons...a lot!  I've been dyeing some of them to match the fibre in the Knit a felted bag kits that I have developed. We're hoping to put some of these items for sale in our Etsy shop, but just need to find something to pack Navajo spindles in first!

I enjoyed showing a few more folks how to spindle and some trainer kits and spindles were sold, so there are more new spinners out there. I also noticed a bit of spindling going on by himself.  It's a favourite event of ours.

amonster speaks

Our eldest recently left home to really start his own life, new job, new house and new location. However it wasn’t so much losing a son as gaining room(s) for all of Sue’s collection of spindles, wheels and looms, not to mention the stash, or hoard as it’s become. Do I mean hoard? Going back to Viking times they were a weird mass of hairy objects taking over parts of the country…. Yes Hoard is about right!!

But can I really complain? Since turning a couple of cricket stumps into a pair of extreme knitting needles for Sue a couple of years ago, I’ve become hooked on making things from wood. Various tools have followed together with a bit of a wood collection that is taking over the garage. Whenever we go walking, I keep my eye out for a good stick to throw ‘for the dog’.  One of these days we may actually get a dog, but for now the stick becomes part of my ‘hoard’.

I’m impressed by all the wonderful clever designs I see around for spindles and the real artisans who make them. But for me it’s about what the wood wants to ‘give up’. I’ve often said I make sawdust and things fall out, and in many ways that’s how I feel. I want to make things that people like, enjoy holding and playing with and if it also does a functional job, so much the better. So if you buy a spindle, or any other turned wood related product from us, whilst there may be similar ones around, no one will ever have the same, as I’m not that clever and trees just don’t grow like that.

Stash or hoard?

It has come to it at last. I will have to admit that I no longer have a stash...but a 'hoard'!. And I'm only talking about the fleeces.

So...the solution is to buy a shed and admit that Rob needs all the 'workshop' space.

Now, the next problem is   'Does size matter?' Does the hoard need all the space, or can I fit in there as well?

Not spring cleaning

I have to keep telling myself it's not summer yet but anyway as I'm enjoying the sunshine I'm happy and don't care what season it's supposed to be.
Currently panicking a little as we've signed up for a craft fair in April and were expecting to do our first one in July.  So...mad production mode in the wood and wool departments then. Lots of fleece washing and combing and the  (Ta!  Da!) completed drumcarder is coming into it's own.  I'm running low on favourite dyes and frantic evening knitting is the norm. Rob's into new spindle designing and putting kits together. Just hope that this weather holds so at least I can dry all the fluff.
Also, sons number 1 and 2 are back from their various jobs/Unis for Easter, so that's spring then isn't it. And I'm out at various demos in April and hoping to see some lambs.
As you can see, I will not be spring cleaning.  I think that may happen in the summer when the official rainy, cold and grey summer weather eventually arrives. No, really I am an optimist!