It's been  a busy  and happy three weeks , which we've spent at our daughter and son in law's down in East Derbyshire , preparing for the birth of our Grandson . It was nice to be there to welcome him into all our lives  & be able to help out at home during  the days before his arrival.  On the 8th of August we were greeted by a beautiful sun rise at the dawn of a very special day, as we set out to take Mother & Father to the birth centre at Chesterfield a few miles away .

The felting equipment was taken along (not to the birth centre) and I was able to just about complete 3 hares before we had to return for the Herdwick Doorstop class  at Quirky Workshops Yesterday . Richard also managed to complete a cushion with Barn Owl design which is currently on  Etsy . We  recently bought some discrete embroidered labels to attach to our finished work , something we've been going to do for a while and  have finally got round to doing . Thank you to Woven Labels UK  who have a good choice of designs which you can personalise to your requirements and preview on their website.  

It was nice to be able to do our work outside in the warm sunshine and fresh air looking out to the East over the patchwork of wheat and barley fields between us and the M1 motorway which was far enough away in the distance of this scene  so as not to impose upon it .

A big thank you to all who  came to the workshop at Greystoke yesterday and made it such an enjoyable day  ! Again it was great to see some familiar faces again from previous classes , and at the end of the day we had a fine flock of Herdwicks to pose for the camera  as you'll  see on the  workshop photo  page  .

It was fantastic to be back at the workshop again yesterday , and it is always lovely to meet new , interesting and creative people ,  also to see familiar  faces  from previous classes , of which  there were quite a few . I really appreciate that you have enjoyed  previous projects and have returned once again .
This time our efforts were being channelled  into creating owls , with the aim of having a large owl , and a baby owl for each person to take away at the end of the day . We had a really enjoyable day with plenty of laughs , resulting in a superb  "study"  of owls  There are some photos of the artists and their work on the Workshop Photo page .
We were once again , at Annie's  Quirky Workshops   , Annie and Claire provided the excellent food and refreshments to keep us going, and we were yet again able to  make use of the lovely Summer weather and enjoy the beautiful  garden overlooked by the majestic  Greystoke Castle .
Thank you all  so much for attending and hope to see you again another time .

As you may be aware , that  wool , as a natural and abundant fibre is much under used these days , particularly for it's insulating properties . In the centuries before thinsulate and goretex  , man made  plastic bubble wrap and polystyrene , these insulating properties were made full use of , for clothing , blankets , and anything else you could think of which needed insulating .
We tend to think of insulating things to keep heat in , but it is used to keep heat out as well . You can after all , use a thermos flask to keep your drinks cold in Summer , & also to keep your soup hot in Winter . We've just seen a great example today ,  of  wool being used to keep the cold in !

This morning we took delivery  of  some  venison and chicken from Graig Farm Organics .  They are a family business and offer a really efficient service .We only tend to have meat  once a week  or so , and some times organic meat is not always available locally , though we do  support our local farms and small businesses buying  veg' and free range eggs from them where possible . Upon opening the cardboard box , as opposed to a polystyrene one , it was found to be  lined with bags of WOOL!  Great for someone who's  business relies on wool  Not only have we got our meat , but as you can see in the photo below,  that there was also a challenge printed on the bags of woollen insulation , which  I "felt" that I had to accept . So I made an  owl  from it , which I suppose should be called Graig ? The box of course will also be made good  use of , as  when possible , we keep packaging to ship our own products .
The insulated bags are from a company called Woolcool . With the awareness that plastics and other synthetic materials don't break down once in the system , it makes sense that  businesses  are using an effective and available natural product like wool .

It's been a while since the last update , but we haven't been idle since the last one .
How do you like the new look of the website ? Richard was kept busy yesterday with that . Hopefully you'll agree it's a bit cleaner looking & easier on the eye .  Couldn't resist a witty pun with the page title above by the look of it , too !

Been busy also with  workshops since I last wrote  . it was nice to see both new and familiar faces at these . I'm always grateful  for the opportunity to run the workshops  and meet so many interesting and creative  people and it's always enjoyable .
Last month was Woolfest at Cockermouth . Among my wool purchases was some  Ryeland which I found nice to work with , and some Shetland bought from Alice & Ruth at Woolclip  .  It was also nice to see Gary & Maggy of  Norwegian Wool
who supply us regularly with their beautiful quality wools and an excellent prompt friendly service.
Finally  managed to  get some items replenished in the galleries too , which in some cases had sold out .  There's an owl workshop at Quirky Workshops on the 19th of this month , and we are on standby  for the birth of our Grandson  any time soon which will see us heading down the motorway for a few days .
Looking ahead farther , the August workshop is booked up , however there are places available at one of the workshops in September , which is the owl workshop at Fobbles . See the diary page for details .

Richard  also finished a new cushion to addto the range yesterday  . A red squirrel design which at present is on the ETSY shop,  but might be going to one of the galleries on our way to meet  Grandson .

This past month has been a roller coaster ride! It began with an emergency appendectomy which resulted in my workshop being rescheduled to this month, after that experience things can only improve, and they did : )
I visited Rheged's Knit and Stitch show with my mother, again a dual purpose trip making a delivery to Blue Poppy in Appleby The Knit and Stitch show was very busy with lots of wooliness to see, I spotted Eden Gotland Sheep stand and wool was purchased even though a project for it's use hadn't been planned : )
A trip to  stay with our daughter in Yorkshire usually combines deliveries en route, this time Thornthwaite gallery and Viridian gallery, Keswick were our drop offs, so our car was packed full for the journey. We often stop for a coffee at Thorpe Farm, Barnard Castle on the A66 so we called in and found they have moved into their larger building which is fab! all new and comfy seating with great coffee.
Our next trip took us back to Yorkshire for my first workshop with Artison  staying in the historic town of Masham with it's galleries and breweries, yes two breweries in one town! Black Sheep wins just because it has a better name than Theakston :D

I met some very creative folks at Artison, attending many courses that is offered, I was warmly welcomed, well fed and many sheep were made.
The trip was rounded off with old friends and a visit to Bowes Museum at Barnard on our way home. The many times we have passed and never made time to visit Bowes, it was a real treat, crammed full of history and we got to see the famous Silver Swan do it's thing.
We are going through a very busy period this month, orders need to be completed and four workshops running! Starting with Herdwick doorstops on the 12th May at Quirky workshops in Greystoke , there are a few places left as I write this. The next workshop is May 19th, Owls at Fobbles, Holmrook, again a few places may still be available.  Back at Quirky workshops on May 28th for hares and finally back to Artison for more Herdwick doorstops May 31st.
So, an exciting month ahead, lots more crafty folks to meet, if you are attending one of my workshops I do look forward to meeting you very soon !

March certainly has been mad about hares!
Pictured left is one made at this months workshop by Sally, it was a long day for the students some had  travelled quite some distance up to Quirky workshops, the weather wasn't favourable but thankfully everyone got home safely through the snow . The next hare workshop with available spaces is  on Sunday 9th September, Diary 2018

Artison Open Day
Masham, February 11th is Open Day. I am lucky enough to be travelling to this beautiful area and meeting lots of crafty folks. I believe there will be lots of tutors, creative things to see and buy too. If you are able to go please come and say hello, it would be lovely to meet you.
Annis.