Herdwick Bowler Hat

'Limestone Wall' neckwarmer

Back British Farming Day September 9th

Back British Farming.......  Buy British Wool !

Sheep To Shore Autumn Collection

Textiles made from the wool of sheep living on high nature value,low intensity farms in the beautiful Morecambe Bay area.

2020 wool

Some of this year's fleeces back from the mill spun into lovely yarn. Soft lustrous pewter grey Chunky and Aran weight wool from conservation grazer sheep living on a high nature value,low intensity farm in Silverdale,Lancashire and spun in Derbyshire and I'm in the middle in Cheshire!
The mill uses minimal processing so the resulting yarn looks like proper wool from real sheep!
The cream yarn is North of England Mule wool and comes from a farm near Garstang. Once again high nature value and low intensity and spun at the same mill. Makes fab hiking socks and will be woven into bags with Herdwick and Lonk wool.

Lammas Greetings

Celebrating National Meadows Day

I love a nice meadow!

Mid Summer 2020

Open Farm Sunday 2020

No Open Farm Sunday this year but for a  'virtual' visit see Fishwick Farms facebook page

Knotwork Panel

Here's one I made earlier. A Herdwick wool panel I made for an exhibition at Manchester Airport many year's ago,it was based on a panel from the Bewcastle Cross.. It was 'lost' when the exhibition ended but at least I have this image of it!

Bowen Shield wall hanging

Here is another wall hanging based on a Bowen Shield which is a universal symbol of protection and also symbolizes new beginnings so I think it is quite appropriate for the times we live in.It's a woven panel with handspun yarn crocheted for the knotwork. Its not quite finished as I want to add handknit acorns and oak leaves to the fringe.

I'm weaving some wall hangings and this little one shows a Conservation Grazer Sheep looking over Morecambe Bay. The sheep was made for me by ceramicist Ilona Duffy,the handyed scraps of wool from my stash and the  little wooden butterfly from my box of useful 'bits'.It hangs from a piece of Morecambe Bay driftwood.
Next one is to be based on a knotwork panel from one of the Anglo Saxon crosses in Whalley,using Herdwick and Lonk wool.

Ravenscar Jumper,Jane Ellison design

 Jane Ellison of Purl and Jane designed this Ravenscar jumper which I knitted up in Silverdale Aran wool. Jane had just started selling my wool from her studio in Skipton when we went into lockdown. I loved this design of hers so I decided to pull back an old jumper and knit it for me. I steamed the yarn to straighten it but was still worried about how it would knit up but after a quick warmish water handwash it came up bouncy,smooth and good as new!
Lovely pattern to knit,instructions are so well laid out and easy to follow it was very stressless  for lockdown. Hopefully come Autumn I'll be out and about wearing it!

Beltane Greetings

Greetings at Beltane,Summer is here

Weavers Knot

😂

At last I've learned how to tie a weavers knot. I've been shown many times and fumbled about with bits of wool but now (thanks to you tube) I can do it but if anybody sees me with 2 strands of wool tying and untying knots they will think I've finally lost the plot!

Earth Day 2020

Earth day tomorrow April 22nd. Forget me nots and violets are rampant in the garden and bluebells just appearing. I've not seen so many in the garden for years.

Also celebrated National Tea day on the 21st. One bag Lancashire Tea one bag Yorkshire  + 2 custard creams,perfect!

knitting kits

Knitting kits available for simple beanie and bobble hat. Kit contains pattern needles 2 skeins of Silverdale yarn + handmade pompom for the bobble hat.

Save our Lonks

 

 

 

 

Our Lovely Lancashire Lonk Sheep are now on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's watchlist with possibly as few as 1500 left.I hope I will be able to buy more of their beautiful fleeces this year. I have some of last year's yarn left and Northern Yarn have some available to sell online.

Beautifully drawn Lonk Sheep by Zoe Fetcher of The Woolist.

 

 

 

 

Reasons to be cheerful (part one)

I can hear bird song instead of the continual drone of aeroplanes in and out of Manchester Airport,traffic on the main road and trains going into Manchester.
I can smell Spring in the air,blossom ,new growth,new mown grass being cut by locked in neighbours,instead of cooking smells from the 3 takeaways,pub and 2 restaurants at the end of the road and exhaust fumes.
I could if allowed walk along the pavement without having to squeeze past all the office workers parked cars as the 2 office buildings are closed.
The lack of dust on surfaces in the house has amazed me.
Still scary,worrying times,I know but what damage we humans do to the planet.

Greetings at Ostara

Hoping we all stay well in these difficult times. All I'm doing is focusing on what I hope will be a great Autumn and catching up on the handspinning that I've been meaning to get around to for ages!
Keep safe.

Farewell to The Pines

The family home being prepared for demolition.Lovely old mock Tudor-y,Arts and Craftsish house where I spent my youth.I'm sad to see it looking so empty and unloved and hope the little resident ghost will be alright!

Aran Chunky Jacket

That's better! Belt completed and lovely natural wood slice buttons added

Imbolc passed me by this year as I was so busy but here are 'the fair maids of February' in the back garden.

 This handknit Aran jacket is a new design. It's knitted in chunky wool from the Silverdale flock and it's waiting for some natural wood buttons from Arnside to complete it. Pictured outside the Shabby Chic Shed which is now ready to store some of this year's fleeces.

 Too windy to photograph outside but this handwoven shawl is what has been keeping me busy. This one is lustrous Masham wool from Yealand Conyers woven in stripes with some soft Cheviot/Leicester wool from Silverdale. I've also woven 2 grey shawls from the unique 'one off' fleeces and that yarn is now nearly finished. Hope there will be more this year.