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http://willofibres.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/dying-wool-and-gardening/
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Monday, 20 May 2013
Tynedale Spinners Gathering
As I'm having problems with blogger, take the following link to my new blog
Monday, 13 May 2013
At last something in the veg garden!!!!
On Saturday, when we were at Saltburn Farmer's Market, Pauline, who has the stall next to me, had brought in a load of her veg plants to sell. So I bought a courgette plant, 10 Russian Kale plants and 9 Tomatoe plants, 3 plum tomatoes, 3 beef tomatoes and 3 called "Les". because the seeds came from Pauline's late brother in law and the variety has been lost in the mists of time, so the plants are just known as Les. So we will have to see what fruits look like when they grow.
The courgette has been planted out in the garden, the kale plants moved on into bigger pots and the toms are in the greenhouse waiting to be planted out into grow bags.
We had a very quiet day at Saltburn on Saturday, which in someways I was glad about as, the fibre and wool to replace what I sold at Wonderwool, only arrived in the middle of last week, and as it's the Spinners Gathering at the Tynedale Guild at Stockfield this coming Saturday, and I'm going to have all on to get everything packed up, priced and some of the fibre dyed in time. But it should be good fun and the lunch is always good.
The courgette has been planted out in the garden, the kale plants moved on into bigger pots and the toms are in the greenhouse waiting to be planted out into grow bags.
We had a very quiet day at Saltburn on Saturday, which in someways I was glad about as, the fibre and wool to replace what I sold at Wonderwool, only arrived in the middle of last week, and as it's the Spinners Gathering at the Tynedale Guild at Stockfield this coming Saturday, and I'm going to have all on to get everything packed up, priced and some of the fibre dyed in time. But it should be good fun and the lunch is always good.
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Wonderwool Report
I left home on the Friday at 7.15am and arrived at the Royal Welsh Showground around 1.30. The drive over had not been too bad and I was able to park relatively close to one of the entrances near to where my stand was in row D.
Once checked in and unloaded, I set up my stall, but around 4pm I had had enough I was absolutely shattered and with only the fibre signs to put out, decided to call it a day and park up the campervan and enjoy a well deserved cup of tea.
The idea was that for tea we would go to the pub we visited last year for pie and chips, but discovered that it had been sold and was now a "student pub" and was only serving variations on burger and chips. Thankfully we found a very good fish and chip shop where we could eat in, so that was Friday's evening meal sorted.
Saturday morning, the Crepes stall was doing their usual bacon butties for the stallholders and whilst eating mine I took the opportunity to have a look round at the other stalls, not realising that the battery on my watch was fading, so I had less time than I thought and I was still setting labels out when the doors opened to the public, so hence I didn't get time to take a photo of my stall.
Saturday was a very busy day, so much so that I struggled to keep my stall topped up with fibre and knitting wool. I'd taken 34 yarn bowls, the ones with a cut out swirl, (would upload a photo but blogger won't let me at the moment) and 5 yarn bowls with a face one. By 2.30 on the Saturday all the "swirl" yarn bowls had all been sold and by lunch time on the Sunday, the other yarn bowls had also sold out. Needless to say some more have been ordered, another 50, so that should keep me going at Woolfest in June, hopefully. Most of Saturday was a blur with customers coming and going. In the evening some of the caterers continued to cook for the stallholders, so we could have a "bit of a get together" and just catch up with everyone at the show, in a way you can't during the day.
Sunday was much quieter, which to some extent was a relief, after the rush of the day before. But before we all knew it, it was 4.30 and time to pack everything up. As I was staying another night, I didn't really have to rush my packing up, and got help taking my stuff back to the trailer.
I left the showground at 9am on the Monday morning, for what I hoped would be a leisurely drive back home, it was to some extent, but at Chester the winds started to pick up and it was a bit of a "white knuckle ride" home in some places, with the trailer and campervan being buffeted by the wind. But I got home around 3pm and after a cup of tea and a bath, unloaded the campervan, but left unloading the trailer until Tuesday morning as I wanted to count how much fibre and wool I'd brought back, not a lot if would appear!!!!
So roll on Wonderwool 2014 where I will travel down on the Thursday as I'm able to stay at the Showground on the Thursday night.
All in all it was a brilliant event, let's hope Woolfest, Fibre East etc all follow suit.
Once checked in and unloaded, I set up my stall, but around 4pm I had had enough I was absolutely shattered and with only the fibre signs to put out, decided to call it a day and park up the campervan and enjoy a well deserved cup of tea.
The idea was that for tea we would go to the pub we visited last year for pie and chips, but discovered that it had been sold and was now a "student pub" and was only serving variations on burger and chips. Thankfully we found a very good fish and chip shop where we could eat in, so that was Friday's evening meal sorted.
Saturday morning, the Crepes stall was doing their usual bacon butties for the stallholders and whilst eating mine I took the opportunity to have a look round at the other stalls, not realising that the battery on my watch was fading, so I had less time than I thought and I was still setting labels out when the doors opened to the public, so hence I didn't get time to take a photo of my stall.
Saturday was a very busy day, so much so that I struggled to keep my stall topped up with fibre and knitting wool. I'd taken 34 yarn bowls, the ones with a cut out swirl, (would upload a photo but blogger won't let me at the moment) and 5 yarn bowls with a face one. By 2.30 on the Saturday all the "swirl" yarn bowls had all been sold and by lunch time on the Sunday, the other yarn bowls had also sold out. Needless to say some more have been ordered, another 50, so that should keep me going at Woolfest in June, hopefully. Most of Saturday was a blur with customers coming and going. In the evening some of the caterers continued to cook for the stallholders, so we could have a "bit of a get together" and just catch up with everyone at the show, in a way you can't during the day.
Sunday was much quieter, which to some extent was a relief, after the rush of the day before. But before we all knew it, it was 4.30 and time to pack everything up. As I was staying another night, I didn't really have to rush my packing up, and got help taking my stuff back to the trailer.
I left the showground at 9am on the Monday morning, for what I hoped would be a leisurely drive back home, it was to some extent, but at Chester the winds started to pick up and it was a bit of a "white knuckle ride" home in some places, with the trailer and campervan being buffeted by the wind. But I got home around 3pm and after a cup of tea and a bath, unloaded the campervan, but left unloading the trailer until Tuesday morning as I wanted to count how much fibre and wool I'd brought back, not a lot if would appear!!!!
So roll on Wonderwool 2014 where I will travel down on the Thursday as I'm able to stay at the Showground on the Thursday night.
All in all it was a brilliant event, let's hope Woolfest, Fibre East etc all follow suit.
Thursday, 25 April 2013
All packed up and rearing to go.....
Tomorrow morning I will be taking the camper van and the trailer packed with 92kgs of fibre, all the way to Wonderwool Wales held at the Royal Welsh Showground. It's a 239 mile journey, so with the trailer on the back of the camper van, I'm allowing myself about 6 hours.
This is the first of the big fibre shows of the year, so it will be interesting to see how sales go, compared to last year, especially as I'm taking some of my hand dyed knitting wool as well as my fibre. I have also added some new lines to interest some of last year's customers.
So if you are going to Wonderwool, come and see me and say "Hello". My stall in is row D, just look for Willo Fibres.
This is the first of the big fibre shows of the year, so it will be interesting to see how sales go, compared to last year, especially as I'm taking some of my hand dyed knitting wool as well as my fibre. I have also added some new lines to interest some of last year's customers.
So if you are going to Wonderwool, come and see me and say "Hello". My stall in is row D, just look for Willo Fibres.
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Latest on the veg garden
We've made a start on sorting out where the veg garden is going
We found these met posts at the back of one of the sheds, so we're reusing them to support the fence posts for the chicken wire to go around my veg garden to keep the dogs from running all over my plants.
I'm also getting some Quail from my friend Jayne, who hatched them in her incubator, (they were a batch of test eggs in readiness for raising partridges) and the the first lot are now starting to lay. My plastic hen hut is going to be given a good clean out and with the run attached to it, we think it will take around 24 quail. So as Jayne has 2 different batches of quail, a mixed batch and a traditional batch, which is to be followed next month by another mixed batch of quail, I'm going to have 6 from the first mixed batch, 6 from the traditional batch and hopefully 12 from the next batch of mixed quail. I'm hoping this 2nd batch will have a few more ginger/fawn females in it as I like the look of them. But we will see.
The Quail house and run will go on the grass behind the fencing, again to keep the dogs, especially Holly, from scaring them.
Hopefully the Quail will arrive in a couple of weeks time and of course I'll post photos.
I'm also getting some Quail from my friend Jayne, who hatched them in her incubator, (they were a batch of test eggs in readiness for raising partridges) and the the first lot are now starting to lay. My plastic hen hut is going to be given a good clean out and with the run attached to it, we think it will take around 24 quail. So as Jayne has 2 different batches of quail, a mixed batch and a traditional batch, which is to be followed next month by another mixed batch of quail, I'm going to have 6 from the first mixed batch, 6 from the traditional batch and hopefully 12 from the next batch of mixed quail. I'm hoping this 2nd batch will have a few more ginger/fawn females in it as I like the look of them. But we will see.
The Quail house and run will go on the grass behind the fencing, again to keep the dogs, especially Holly, from scaring them.
Hopefully the Quail will arrive in a couple of weeks time and of course I'll post photos.
Sunday, 14 April 2013
Fleece Washing
I decided it was time I washed Hermionie's fleece, well at least start on it. I'd forgotten how big it is! Her mum was a Corriedale and Dad was a Kerry Hill x Oxford Down, so her fleece is something special.
Here is half the fleece drying in the fleece store
a close up of some of the staples, note the length and crimp
and a slightly closer look at the staple.
Don't think I will have to card this fleece, just comb out the locks and they will be ready to spin.
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