Good day at the market

I attended my local village market today with my little knitted and crocheted bits, along with things I make from vintage fabrics. Given that the forecast looked like this this morning:

we weren't exactly expecting much in terms of turn-out.

Nonetheless, the market had moved to a different venue from before - indoors for most of us - in the lovely bright village hall. I set up, got a lovely big mug of tea and settled down with the end of my Kingswood cowl.

As it happened, the weather stuck to being nasty and wet rather than torrential and stormy as predicted, and quite a few people in barbours and wellies turned up! Business wasn't exactly booming, but I had enough big sales to make it definitely worth coming out for.

Of course, as is usually the case whenever I attend any markets, I end up spending all my earnings with other stalls! This time I was rather sensible and "only" came away with a beautiful Welsh Spalted Beech key ring and a very special treat of Welsh cider-washed cheese - perfect peppered with garlic and baked in the oven for a rainy day treat. All I need now is to actually find the house keys I was going to put the key ring on...

hello.

Our new addition, Arlo.

Brrrrr

Glorious nippy Sunday morning in Machen....
 

 

 

 

Although maybe I should have some concerns about the need to scrape the inside of the windscreen...

The product testing department

As part of our fibre bartering system, Jan got to be the first to try spinning the new Gower fibre (I traded it for a camel....but that's a different story).
In the space of a weekend, she spun, navajo plied and knitted this lovely hat of her own invention and design and showed it off at last nights knit-night. I'm afraid I grabbed her for the photo so fast that she didn't get a chance to take her coat off!

 

Prototype

I have been approached to supply sock kits in Gower Wool to the lovely Welshgiftshop.com , so this week I have been working on a prototype for a pattern to go with the kit - just a super-easy, festive stripe which is knitted a little larger and looser to allow the socks to be lightly felted in the machine. I accidentaly felted my christmas socks from last year and they became the softest warmest thing on earth, so now I want to spread that toasty joy!
These knit up really really fast, I only cast on late Sunday night and have been knitting a little casually in the evenings...the second one is already on the needles.

First Gower colours

Blueberry soup - inspired by a Swedish dish served on particularily cold winter days.

Laverbread - A Welsh seaweed speciality, fantastically healthy, and so delicious for Sunday breakfast!












  Denim - a good basic colour...just like jeans, really.

Gower Wool and Gower Fibre

Introducing this years batch of wonderful Gower Wool and the new addition Gower spinning fibre.
This wool comes from sheep belonging to our family on the beautiful Gower peninsula in Wales, with a little help from Mr Owens prize-winning Bluefaced Leicesters in Conwy. It is then processed by a small independent mill in Cornwall, making it a truly Celtic product!

The blend of Bluefaced Leicester and Black Welsh Mountain fibres produces this lovely ice grey natural colour....and a soft, fluffy sport to DK weight yarn, perfect for extra warm socks, winter accessories and lightweight but toasty sweaters. It will also felt beautifully.
The spinning fibre is the same blend and...well...just lush, as we say here.

Both are available in our Etsy shop right now.

                                                         

A little whisper of spring

100% Fine Lithuanian Linen in a heavy lace weight, the colour of my favourite deep purple lilacs with little flecks of sky blue.

Happy Halloween!

I used to dread Halloween. It used to just mean incredibly drunk people in tacky plastic outfits knocking about outside our house until the early hours on a week night, and you certainly didn't dream of opening the door to anyone.
It's rather different in the country though, and a lovely opportunity to meet a few of the neighbours whilst they chaperone groups of children from door to door. What we've also discovered is that it is the perfect opportunity for Mark to show off his Art Degree credentials and fully express himself artistically through the medium of Pumpkin.

We had two last year. This year we have five. I fear eventually we will become that house covered in decorations that people will come from neighbouring villages to see...