plant dyed...

...hand spun yarn using madder

I love dyeing with natural plant materials, the results are always really fun, love the burnt orange colour

I used powdered madder root and added alum and a pinch of iron as a mordant

The yarn has been mordanted with alum and cream of tartar

Adding enough water to cover pre-wetted yarn, the gorgeous red coloured liquid is gently heated up to 80*c and simmered for about 45mins. I then left the wool in the dye pot overnight. Rinsed in soapy water until the water runs clear...and this was the result

Will be using the left over dye liquid (exhaust) to colour more yarn and will post results soon

xxx

hand spinning...

...grey Romney fleece

 

I love wool spinning, it's my very favourite thing to do, especially when spinning a great fleece like this one.

happy days xxx

hand spun Jacob...

...crocheted shawl

a little something I have been working on recently, a lovely shawl crocheted using a cluster stitch and my hand spun Jacob yarn, a capelet in Romney yarn and a cute neck warmer in a blend of Romney and Shetland fleeces. All washed, carded, blended and spun in my studio at home on a hill in south west Wales. All wool is as local as my neighbouring field, except the merino

these pieces will be part of my autumn collection including yarn, headbands in a Shetland/Jacob mix and elegant shawls and shrugs in cream Romney/Shetland/Merino blend hand spun yarn

coming soon....

do you already knit or crochet? want to make these items and more for yourself? i am putting together some simple kits, includes hand spun yarn and pattern from some of my best loved pieces

keep an eye on my website for more details... i aim to have the first kits available this september

xxx 

organic wool...

...project
here are my cushions I made for the organic wool project

i wanted to make simple cushions so that the beautiful fabric did the talking and to show how it could be used in home interior decor
i used my own hand spun yarn, made from Welsh Jacob fleece, to embellish each cushion and really enjoyed crocheting the heart fringing

the organic wool project will be going on a tour and I will let you know where the next venue will be soon
for more info about the project please visit the Facebook page Organic Wool Wales

Organic Wool Wales

organic wool project...

...i am very excited to be taking part in a new and wonderful project along with other designer/makers

the project is a collaboration between two organic Welsh companies

 Llynfi Textiles and Ystrad Organics

 Funding has also been provided by Better Organic business links Wales.

the aims are; (to quote Llynfi Textiles)

*to raise the profile and explore the potential of organic wool

*to establish a broad community of interest that spans wool producers, designers, makers and the general public

*to showcase the potential for organic wool and the quality, innovation and commitment to sustainability of designer/makers in the UK

all sounds really fantastic to me and shows a forward thinking approach to how wool can be promoted.

wool is no longer something that your granny knitted....

with new organic fabrics and yarns...wool now has a funky modern twist

any project that helps promote this has my whole hearted support.

all designer/makers items for the Organic Wool Project will be showcased at WonderWool Wales

 27-28th April 2013

for more information please go to Llynfi Textiles or Ystrad Organics

here are a couple of my mood boards for the project...that's the organic fabric I will be using...gorgeous isn't it?

Xxx

weaving workshop...

...today

using an old Harris table loom

the lovely Alice Evans showed my spinning and weaving group

how easy! warping up a loom can be...

once we had got our heads around dents per inch and simple maths

time to set about wrapping yarn around a warping frame

this took a lot of concentration

and an exercise involving my 8 times table

then time to put this yarn on the loom

now this took a lot of patience, good eyesight and a few cups of tea

just to ease off the back!

its a fairly long process before you can weave

but like most things, the preparation is about 2/3rd of the work

but then it was time to weave a first piece of yarn through shafts 1 and 3

and away you go

surprisingly it grows very quickly

and by the end of the day I had the beginnings of a sample piece of woven fabric

Thank you Alice for your expert tuition and patience

had a great day

just hope I remember it all!

too pretty ...

...for washing dishes?

i had some spare coloured commercial yarn hanging around

and thought i would use it up by crocheting these cute wash cloths

here's the very easy pattern

foundation chain 25 stitches, turn

treble into the 2nd stitch from hook

treble to the end, chain 2, turn

continue for 15 rows, taking care at each end to treble into the turning 2 chain
finish off work.

frilly edge
change to another colour, slip stitch into one corner of your work

*chain 3, (counts as one treble) treble 2 into same stitch

slip stitch into next stitch* continue from ** all the way around your wash cloth

slip stitch at end, tie of yarn and weave in ends.

do hope that all sounds clear...

it does in my head, but sometimes it's quite hard to write out a pattern so that everyone can understand it

you now have your own wash cloth or maybe use it for the dishes? or a little place mat

you get the idea

cotton or acrylic mix yarns work best as they wash better and are long lasting...for once my beloved pure wool doesn't really work as it mostly felts when using

they make sweet gifts too, make a trio and tie with string

have fun

wool spinning...

...keeping warm inside today by hand spinning Welsh Jacob wool

lots of snow fell again last night and it is very icy
the perfect excuse to not go out...
but to sit by Martha and spin
...bliss

naturally dyed...

...hand spun yarn, hand crocheted capelet

a little something I made.

am very happy with the colour of the yarn

the yarn was dyed using blackberries that I had squirrelled away in the freezer for this very project

i think this little capelet will look great over a strappy dress or a plain white tee

the wool used was Romney, a really light weight, airy wool and spins like a dream

i am writing up the crochet pattern for this, which will be available here soon

hope you like it, i welcome your comments

happy weekend folks

xxx

autumn days...

... are well and truly upon us

I Love Autumn

although i haven't got out to enjoy it so much lately

not even to berry pick

i am busy making, spinning and weaving gorgeous woolly wonders

for this years Llandovery Sheep Festival

which is just 6 days away

(no hint of panic in my voice...not much!)

I will be spinning wool and also showing the uses of a peg loom

and weaving too

there will be heaps to see and do

rare breed sheep sale, drovers

crafts and food stalls

and more 

see you there

come say hello

xxx

spinning and weaving demos at ...

...erwood station crafts

i have been happy to take part in a special event

at the lovely erwood station crafts centre near builth wells, powys

they have been celebrating the 50th year since the last steam train

ran along the railway line

and sadly no longer

erwood is a restored railway station

...as the name suggests

with a steam loco on tracks

and a great crafts shop and tea rooms

i demonstrated how to use a peg loom

and how to spin wool on my trusty wheel...freya

...

last fri i also met up with a great green woodworker

gareth from penpont green woodwork

who turned wonderful bowls all day

 great fun to watch them taking shape

thanks to michael cunningham and his team for a great couple of days

xxx

Anna cafetiere cosie...

 ...here is my first free crochet pattern for you to enjoy

the yarn used is my very own 'tegan wool' hand spun jacob yarn

in a bulky/chunky weight

This is the first crochet pattern i have written

and even though i can happily follow crochet patterns

it is a little trickier to write them

or thats what i found

so here is an easy one for starters

and if you would like' tegan wool' yarn for this or any other project

please contact me or buy from my shop

have fun

xxx

Anna cafetiere cosie by nellie and eve.pdf

sunshine means...

...a yarn drying day

hurray for the sun

a great chance to wash hand spun yarn

and get all that sunshine loveliness into it

local jacob and beulah speckled face fleeces

make lovely yarn

and this lovely lot when dry

is ready to crochet into

 winter neck warmers and cosy cushions

and the chickens went on their merry way

happy to be out in the sun too

happy sunshine weekend folks

xxx