Art yarn is a spinners response to fibre and colour and texture, in the same way as any art is a personal response to something. Art yarn is yarn made for the purpose of art. Not designed for a project, but created as a result of the will or personal response. The [...]
Iceberg lettuce is like watered down cabbage compared to what's in season here at the moment. I'd rather have English leeks which are at their natural best at this time of year, and there are still a few brussels sprouts, sprouting white and purple broccoli, cabbage, onions, turnips, celery, swede and potatoes and [...]
Making rolags during photoshoot with Danish photographer, Dorte. All looks a bit Hygge I think. . I wondered if I should ask my daughter Jenny - who has lovely elegant hands - to model for me, but Dorte said; "No Pam, your hands know what they are doing' and I can [...]
Weaving in school with sixty Year 5s sounded a bit of a challenge. Thought they might get bored and misbehave, but no, couldn't have asked for 60 more delightful ten year olds who all helped weave two mufflers in natural wool. The children each made a card to take home by weaving [...]
Andean plying is a really useful technique I learned from Kate at my Ashford workshop. She made it so easy I teach it to beginner drop spindlers at their first lesson - it only takes me one lesson to teach long draw on a drop spindle! You can learn all about [...]
Long draw spinner makes her first art yarn after only two lessons. Vanessa learned to spin long draw in her first lesson and has since created this lovely art yarn. Not bad for someone who had her first lesson on 19th December 2016. I learned to spin when I was about [...]
Bullfinches were busy enhancing the view at Woolly day in November, hopefully they will do the same at the next woolly day on 28th January.
Dyeing for a weekend is a development of my workshops at Loddington. See Events page .A day is just not enough, so I am currently planning my first weekend SpinAway Retreat there from 10-12th February for spinners, weavers, felters and dyers. Although you may be DYING for a weekend away, you [...]
Dyeing and spinning silk workshop had an interesting event when a candidate who had never spun before spun this silk and an Ashford traditional wheel. She watched the demonstration about how to spin a long worsted draw - yes, a long worsted draw, not two inches but a satisfying long arms [...]
Beginners weaving is full of surprises such as this bag by Kathy. Her first weaving. She decided to turn it into this bag and needle felted some decorative bits on it. Just lovely. An astonishingly fine piece of work for a beginner. We warped up the loom together - she had beginners [...]
Life's safer nowadays. My brother cooked Sunday lunch for me yesterday, two world's first's - first time he has cooked Sunday lunch for me and on the first day of the year. He is very supportive, and always been creative, made his own sausages, stout, bread, curry, chow mien, beer. Even before [...]
Dyeing, dyeing, dyeing. Its difficult to stop once you start. Had a great time on Tuesday at Loddington with Ashford dyes, using different colours in the same dye pot. People brought their own hand spun yarn as well as using mohair locks, and merino/bamboo mix. The acid dyes don't work [...]
Great Spinning Wheel Party Great Spinning Wheel party for all sort of spinning wheels, not just great wheels - bring your wheel and party with people who like what you like. Bring your spinning wheel, great or small it doesn't matter, and treat yourself to a day at the lovely Knuston [...]
Joy is a varident reed. This wall hanging called 'Seashore' by one of my recently bereaved pupils is pure joy. The colours, textures, fibres are all chosen and woven with complete freedom - weaving on a Knitters loom and vari-dent reed gives so much scope- you can weave nearly anything. Anything that [...]
Rainbow Dyeing Workshop The Rainbow dyeing workshop at Knuston was a diverse event last week - there were weavers, felters, knitters as well as some first spinning off the bobbin - this lady wants a Joy wheel - preferably used if anyone knows of one. The workshop is repeated at Knuston [...]
This new sock yarn is just off my Joy wheel. Know why it is called Joy now. An absolute joy to spin on. This is the singles, it is a mix of hand dyed merino and bamboo, silk, and dyed corriedale. Was spun from rolags and will be plyed with a [...]
In case you were wondering why no posts for a year it is because of sad loss of my dear husband Bob, last November and my dear friend Paul, who died suddenly a year ago this week. My mother also died last year she was 87. I haven't felt very 'outgoing' [...]
Colour in Spinning and weaving was the theme for Wednesday's Summer School this year. I love colour. If I'm feeling a bit low I turn to my dye box - its far healthier than popping a pill. The results of our dye were so luscious one wanted to eat them...still [...]
Jenny raises > £500 for Cancer Research when she completed a 26 mile overnight walk recently. I'm very proud of her. My grandsons Nathan - who lives in London, and Ben - at uni in Portsmouth met her at the finishing post on the Sunday morning with flowers and fizz [...]
Gotland pullover - pupil news from Jane who completed this cosy pullover for her husband. Jane learned to weave this time last year and subsequently learned to spin - so she has not been spinning for a year yet. What an achievement! It was prepared with hand carders and spun [...]
