Dreaming in Fibre Podcast: Episode 12 Devon County Show 2012

This is a monthly podcast by Sara's Texture Crafts.

Thank you to new and existing viewers, I hope you enjoy the show!



Photo by Geoff & Tordis Pagotto

In this episode I discuss my trip to the Devon County Show. I take this trip as a vendor this year and so I wanted to share this with you, in hope to give you an idea of what a show is like from behind the scenes.

This is the first time I have been to a show of this size and particularly a non-wool, or craft specific show. I admit I was nervous and for a few good reasons… would I sell any thing? Would I do the Westcountry Crafts Marquee justice?

After a stressful set up day, the show itself was an amazing experience. Darrin (who helped me… thank you) and I had lots of interest and I had my photo taken for the show’s website http://devoncountyshow.co.uk/photo-gallery (I think I’m on page 41). I also had an interview and photo taken for the Crediton Courier, which is my local paper.

I must give a big thank you to everyone who came to see us, and those who stumbled upon us… each of you made the show very special.

For those of you who couldn’t make it, I hope you enjoy my video diary.

Until Next time, keep Dreaming in Fibre!

Sara x

CREDITS

Dreaming in Fibre is filmed and edited by Sara of Sara’s Texture Crafts.

Guest Star – Darrin (my trusty side-kick)

Products, Events, Information and Shop Updates can be found at

www.SarasTextureCrafts.com

Show notes can be found at

www.dreaminginfibre.blogspot.co.uk

You can also subscribe on iTunes, YouTube and Blip.TV

You can join me on:

Twitter – SARASTEXTURECR

Facebook Page – Sara’s Texture Crafts

Ravelry – SarasTextureCraft

Ravelry group – Sara’s Texture Crafts

I won a prize from The String Empire!

I rarely get time to read other blogs these days, but there are a few I like to pop by when I can and http://thestringempire.blogspot.co.uk is one of them.

I noticed that there was a prize giveaway http://thestringempire.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/string-empires-first-giveaway.html and I thought... no harm in having a go, right?!

Well I only won!

The speed of light brought the package to me and I am now the proud owner of the cutest felt flower brooch ever! Thank you so much Jenny!

If you want one of your own, then visit Jenny at http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheStringEmpire

Customer Photos: Milla's Saroyan

Milla is a fairly new member of my Ravelry group at http://www.ravelry.com/groups/saras-texture-crafts and I was so happy to see that she has been sharing her lovely work with us. This is one of the pieces she has made with my fibre;

Merino Blend - Meadow

This is her spinning... lovely isn't it?!

The finished article!

Milla choose to knit a Saroyan http://www.ravelry.com/projects/MillaMargherita/saroyan, which you can find the pattern for at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/saroyan. It is a free pattern, so I recommend having a go!

Thank you so much Milla for sharing your work with us... I look forward to seeing more from you in the Ravelry group.

Sara x

www.sarastexturecrafts.com

Tour De Fleece Special Discount and Competition 2012!

Just a quick update to let you know that I have opened a competition for any Ravelry members who want to compete with me in the Tour de Fleece… when I say ‘compete’, I mean a friendly spin-along!

 

The Tour de Fleece is a friendly spin-along held on Ravelry each year. It follows the Tour de France bike race, with the idea that as they ride we spin; covering yardage, as they cover mileage. There are various groups and prizes you can be involved, with the simplest premise that we spin, socialize and generally enjoy almost a full month at our beloved wheels.

 

I thought it might be fun to join in and share some offerings from my shop. Here's what's up for grabs;

1. A 10% discount on an order at www.sarastexturecrafts.com by adding the discount code: teamSarasTextureCrafts2012 at the checkout.
2. Secondly a prize of 100g of dyed tops to one lucky winner. This I will be dyeing especially for the Tour de Fleece and pictures will follow soon.

 

Rules:

• Discount – you will receive 10% off of your order, by adding the code teamSarasTextureCrafts2012 at the checkout. This is not redeemable at a later stage and is limited to one order per person. Discounts are open from 1^st of June to the 20^th of July 2012.
• Prize drawing –
  • To enter for the prize you must be a member on Ravelry (free and fabulous!). When you log in, sign up to the official Sara’s Texture Crafts team at
  • Post pictures of your work as you go and generally join in the discussion to meet and spin-along with us. You can also tag your hand spun yarns with teamSarasTextureCrafts2012 as you enter them onto your Ravelry notebook. However, this is not essential, as I will be drawing a winner from the discussion thread.
  • The Tour de Fleece officially closes on the 22^nd of July, but I will extend my closing date until the 6^th of August so that you have time to wash, dry and photograph any yarns made in the final few days.
  • Each member will receive one entry in to the price drawing for posting pictures of their hand spun yarns. However, if you spin and submit pictures of spinning with fibre from Sara’s Texture Crafts you will get a second entry.
  • I will announce the winner on the 10^th of August 2012.

 

Official team thread and competition is at http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/topics/2160691

Shop Update 25th May 2012 www.sarastexturecrafts.com

Welcome to the next shop update! It’s been a while so I am very excited to upload new stock for you to take home and play with…

Ok, here’s the list;

• Hand dyed tops – these include Jacob humbug blends, Shetland, Falkland, BFL and Merino/Tencel blends.
• More hand dyed yarn – Aran, DK and Lace (more to follow in the next update)
• Fleece – I have my first Romney fleeces here and I picked up a pretty little Hebridean fleece on my travels. Most Farmers up until now have had trouble shearing on time, due to the weather. I’m hoping the past week or so will have helped, however we do rely on only a few shearers in the area. With this in mind please keep revisiting shop updates and following my free monthly newsletters. As soon as I have stock I will let you know.

It seems short and sweet, but there is a lot of choice, some new colourways and updates on sold lines. I have also updated stock levels to reflect Ashford a new Ashford equipment order I have just received.

If you remember seeing something at the Devon County Show and it’s not back in stock yet, let me know and I’ll see if I can make some more.

You can find all of these in the shop at www.sarastexturecrafts.com

Sara x

 

Next Update Due: 8^th June! This will include more fleeces (depending on the weather for shearing) and a few new free knit patterns.

Don’t forget to come and see me at my next events as I’ll probably be showing exclusive new hand dyed shades! http://sarastexturecrafts.com/page/5172-events.aspx

The proud owner of 17kg of Romney Marsh fleece... A possible fleece club spoiler?!

Taken at www.sarastexturecrafts.com

The sun is shining so it's time to dye wool tops!

Taken at www.sarastexturecrafts.com

Oh look I made the Devon County Show Website!

LINK: Www.devoncountyshow.co.uk/photo-gallery/page/41
Photo by Geoff & Tordis Pagotto

Photo by Geoff & Tordis Pagotto

How chuffed am I?!

Sara x
www.sarastexturecrafts.com

I'm Back (and counting in stock for this week's update!

A big thank you to everyone who came to see me at the Devon County Show... I had a wonderful time!

I'm back now and starting to pack orders and answer emails, ready to work on my next shop update later this week. In the meantime if you need anything the shops are open and ready for you... and I am at the end of the phone, or email!

Shop update Friday 25th May. If you saw something at the show you wanted to buy, let me know and I can get that to you.

Sara x

Devon County Show Day 3 - making new friends!

Taken at www.sarastexturecrafts.com

Devon County Show Day 2 - the Vikings arrive!

Taken at www.sarastexturecrafts.com

Devon County Show - my stand in the West Country Crafts Marquee Day 1

Taken at www.sarastexturecrafts.com

Devon County Show!

Devon County Show 17-19th May 2012 at Westpoint, Exeter.

http://devoncountyshow.co.uk/http://devoncountyshow.co.uk/. The show is a great opportunity to learn more about the fibre we spin! There will be plenty of local farmers bringing their sheep to the show, so you get the chance to meet these animals (a huge variety of breeds) and talk to farmers about their fleece. There are also Alpaca, Cashmere and Angora Goats (Mohair) there too... not forgetting the Angora bunnies! This of course is before we even consider the other livestock and events that take place. The Devon Guid of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers, as well as the Devon Lace Guild will also be on hand to inspire!

I will be showing in the West Country Crafts Marquee with my stall. This marquee is specifically aimed at hosting local crafts and businesses, with the idea of promoting 'buy local'. We have a huge wealth of quality breeds and wool businesses here on our door step that we often don’t know exist, or forget about.

I will have lots of blended tops and exclusive hand dyed tops, solid colours too. I also have spindle kits and needle felting kits, as well as yarns and embroidery/surface textured mini skeins. My demo will be needle felt figures and spindle spinning. So there will be lots of goodies to see.

If you need to pick up an order, please let me know 3 days in advance with full payment. This will ensure I have enough time to process.

If you can make it, I’d love to see you there… support is always very welcome and I would always love to see a friendly face or two!

 

Special Note: Orders made from the 15th of May and during this time will go out on the 21st and 23rd of May.

Ready for this show, now prep for the next!

See the full gallery on Posterous

I'm finally finished with stock for the Devon County Show next week, I just have a few last minute packing items to get together for display... Phew!

So while I wait for set-up day I thought I ought to make a start on products for the next show... The Somerset Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers' Fleece Day. I'm starting by carding batts and dyeing fleece, while keeping an eye on the weather to see if I can put something on the line!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Sara x
www.sarastexturecrafts.com

Labelling and packing for the show next week

Taken at www.sarastexturecrafts.com

Unicorn Fleece wash is back in stock!

You can find it at http://sarastexturecrafts.com/products/50576--unicorn-power-scour-16-oz-473ml-fleece-wash.aspx

Oooo, my new Mollie Makes arrived!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Just in time for my lunch break and the Postie brings me my new Mollie Makes magazine (issue 14)... Fab!
I already spied a lovely knit pattern for a cowl in this edition... Might have to knit that at some point ;)
They also have a fab mini magazine all about weddings, which is full of pretty handmade ideas.

Finished reskeining and labelling...

See the full gallery on Posterous

Well the full skeins at least. Now it's time to start the mini skeins.

Wishing everyone a happy May Day Bank Holiday!

Sara xx

Sunday photos

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sunday Gardening and just a little show prep

As I re-wrinse the fleece I am waiting to dye (Gotland, Shetland, Kerry Hill and a BFL cross), I am cutting some more blends for the Devon County Show. After that I think I'll do a bit of gardening... The potatoes are growing nicely and we have a couple of figs. The aubergine and courgette seemed to have survived the night from the snails... I'm still going to have to keep an eye on them though!

Thank you to everyone who sent me their tips on keeping the snails at bay... I'm going to try the coffee grounds and the sharp stone chips and see how that goes. The larger option... Well I think I deserve to drink that after all this hard work!

Hope you are enjoying the bank holiday.
Sara x
www.sarastexturecrafts.com

New hand dyed fleece, knops and silk on Etsy

Taken at Www.sarastexturecrafts.etsy.com

Dreaming in Fibre Podcast, Episode 11 - Wonderwool Wales

Dreaming in Fibre - Episode 11 Wonderwool Wales
This is a monthly podcast by Sara's Texture Crafts.
Thank you to new and existing viewers, I hope you enjoy the show!

In this episode I discuss;

Wonderwool Wales April 28^th 2012 - www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk

This is a wonderful annual fleece, fibre and yarn event held at the Royal Welsh Showground in Bulith Wells, Powys. There are over 170 stall holders showing their beautiful products under cover.  I normally have a stall here, but due to health reasons decided against it this year… hopefully I shall be back to my regular spot next time! Having said that I couldn’t stay away and stole the opportunity to go and experience the show as a buyer for the first time.

The great thing about this show is that there is plenty of room to wander between stalls, which is perfect as there is so much to see. It also means that you don’t miss anything! I very much enjoyed my day and wanted to share it with you… So I’ve filmed a little walk-about and talked you through some of my purchases!

Overall I felt that there was lots of inspiration, from finished clothing, to weaving kits and from sheep to yarn (fibre in various stages of production). There were many stall holders I recognise from year on year, but also some fresh faces too, which is always a good thing… keeps us regulars on our toes!

The show ground is well serviced locally, so it is a show worth travelling to and I definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Chrissie (organiser of Wonderwool) for allowing me to film and to Darrin who acted the Robin, to my Batman whilst I wandered around the show full of cold!

Photo & Purchase credits –
 
 

www.Purlescence.co.uk I bought some Chaigoo circular needles from here.

 www.LaalBear.co.uk I bought some lovely sparkle gradient yarn and 50g of a variegated yarn.

 www.manxloagthansheep.org wonderful rare breed fleece.

 www.shearersgirlyarns.co.uk LoveLydia’s stall!

 www.feltstudiouk.etsy.com This stall gets my personal best in show thumbs up!

Video mentions & credits:

• www.fyberspates.co.uk wonderful yarn colour.
• www.shetland-sheep.org.uk had some wonderful fleece examples and two sheep that we were very taken with!
• www.bcsba.org.uk organisation for UK coloured sheep.
• www.thenaturaldyestudio.co.uk Beautiful natural dyed colours and some new patterns.
• www.thetoftalpacashop.co.uk lovely Alpaca goodness! 
• www.wellmanorfarm.co.uk Gotland crosses and Pygora which I didn’t see an example of as I was on the move, but I would definitely like to try some out.
• www.woodland-turnery.co.uk The makers of the beautiful Timbertops spinning wheels.
• Oliver Twists (no website) – who sell dyed silks and fabrics.
• www.lakesidecrafts.co.uk wonderful selection of yarns, kits and equipment… a staple store!
• www.jarbon.com Beautiful yarn purchase for my new hand dyed shawlette.
• www.schoppel-wolle.de I purchased from a LYS some Admiral Batik, which again I think might be a shawl… not sure yet.
• www.straw.com the home of Crystal Palace yarns which I bought from a LYS for using as an art yarn ply.

You can find a full list of exhibitors at www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk/exhibitors-list.html

 

Special mentions/shout outs go to;

• Erin from www.mommyneedsyarn.com for allowing me to purchase and give the excuse that they don’t really need to count as stash!
• www.Mumfordandsons.com – who’s music you can hear on the trip back… needless to say I nearly lost my voice singing along all the way home!
• Erin (above) and Steve from www.dramaticknits.blogspot.com for inspiring my purchase of Chaigoo needles. I’m excited to try these out.
• www.gwentguildwsd.org.uk a local guild of spinners, weavers and dyers for inspiring me as always… Thank you Ladies!
• Tania from www.rumplestiltskin.org.uk and Lynda from Funky Fibres… sorry Lynda not sure if you have a website. Let me know if you do and I shall link it! Thank you for always being so much fun!

Until Next time (next stop the Devon County Show), keep Dreaming in Fibre!
Sara x

CREDITS

Dreaming in Fibre is filmed and edited by Sara of Sara’s Texture Crafts.

Products, Events, Information and Shop Updates can be found at

www.SarasTextureCrafts.com 

 

Show notes can be found at

www.dreaminginfibre.blogspot.co.uk

 

You can also subscribe on iTunes, YouTube and Blip.TV

You can join me on:

Twitter – SARASTEXTURECR 

Facebook Page – Sara’s Texture Crafts 

Ravelry – SarasTextureCraft 

Ravelry group – Sara’s Texture Crafts

Customer Photos: Feltmeupdesigns... Pippin's Owl Enabling!

I've long admired Melanie's work over at http://www.etsy.com/shop/feltmeupdesigns and was absolutely thrilled to have her join me as a customer... I think I did a little dance around the stockroom, when I saw the first order come through! So as you can imagine I squeed with delight to see these photos tagged to my personal and business facebook page this week...

These little cuties... owl babies have proved very popular at a store called Pippin's in Edinburgh. I can see why... I just want to eat them up they are so cute!

Melanie used my Gingersnap handdyed Teeswater fleece to create the fluffy, feather texture and I love that each little baby owl has turned out so unique.

Thank you for sharing Mel and keep adding those photos to the facebook page so that more customers can find you.

Sara x

www.sarastexturecrafts.com