I recently got some yarn that was spun from sheep at Morwellham Quay, Devon. You may have seen Morwellham on BBC tv recently as it was used for The Edwardian Farm programme. One episode featured White Faced Dartmoor sheep, showing the whole story from shearing to spinning and weaving. The industrial spinning process was filmed at Coldharbour Mill, Devon; it’s a working museum and is a fascinating place to visit.
Posts Tagged ‘Coldharbour Mill’
Morwellham Farm sheep…
Posted in Yarn Suppliers, tagged Coldharbour Mill, devon wool, fleece, give fleece a chance, knitted sheep, local wool, sheep, South West wool, spinning, washing fleece, wool on January 31, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Knitted Sheep update…
Posted in Yarn Suppliers, tagged BBC, Charolais, Coldharbour Mill, Cotswold, Cotswold Sheep Society, ebay, fleece, Fowlescombe Farm, Hebridean, Heltor Rare Breeds, Huxtable Farm, industrial spinning, knitted sheep, lleyn, Lydford, manx loaghtan, Morwellham Quay, North Ronaldsay, Oxford Down, Poll Dorset, spinning wool, The Edwardian Farm, washing fleece, White Faced Dartmoor, Wonnacott Farm on January 31, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Since Christmas and New Year quite a few things have happened in the GFAC world. Through this blog I was contacted by a farmer in Lydford (Devon) who told me that he had some Cotswold sheep and did I want some of the fleece? I went along and bought two fleeces; both not very clean but beautifully soft once I got pass all the nasties on the outside. If you want to see photos of the sheep, click here and go along to the Lydford website. The Cotswold Sheep Society have a really interesting website, describing the role that this breed played in the wealth of the Cotswolds.
Cotswold fleece
I’ve also got North Ronaldsay fleece from Heltor Rare Breeds (Dartmoor), Oxford Down fleece and lambswool from Callington (Cornwall), and Poll Dorset/Charolais cross from Helston (Cornwall). All of these I found on eBay; I got the idea of looking here from Jackie at Huxtable Farm, who sells her fleece this way.
Also found on eBay; yarn spun from sheep at Morwellham Quay (Devon). A skein each of Lleyn Aran, Lleyn DK and Hebridean DK. If you want the details of any of the sellers on eBay, get in touch and I’ll pass them on to you.
Morwellham Quay wool
From Fowlescombe Farm, I’ve got Organic Hebridean and Manx Loaghtan yarn, and I couldn’t resist buying a cone of Hebridean weaving wool. I’m planning to use this either for machine knitting or trying some weaving. Fowlescombe Farm have flocks of pedigree Hebridean and Manx Loaghtan sheep; have a look at their website as it’s filled with interesting details about the farm, how they are supporting rare breeds, and their diversification into educational farm visits.
Fowlescombe Farm Hebridean and Manx Loaghtan
Finally, I found Wonnacott Farm, Okehampton (Devon) who have skeins of organic DK yarn.
Wonnacott Farm organic wool
Sheep on TV again…
Posted in Yarn Suppliers, tagged Coldharbour Mill, Countryfile, Deborah Meaden, Fibre Harvest, fine wool cloth, fleece, Fox Brothers, sheep, spinning, Sue Blacker, The Natural Fibre Company, weaving on November 8, 2010 | 5 Comments »
Great bit on BBC’s Countryfile last night, as Adam continues his journey from fleece to Savile Row suit. He visited Sue Blacker at The Natural Fibre Co. in Launceston to get the fleece spun into yarn, and then Fox Brothers in Wellington for weaving. Here he met Deborah Meaden (Dragon’s Den) who has acquired the company. Article about that here.
The Natural Fibre Co. spins many of the yarns that we have used for our sheep. If you have sheep and don’t know what to do with the fleece, visit either their website for information or Fibre Harvest at Colharbour Mill.
Click here to see the programme, from 26 minutes.
