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 .