Wool Miles.

There are some very exciting developments going on here at Misty Cottage. My neighbour’s youngest son, Philip, has a small flock of Blue Faced Leicester sheep which are in the field across the lane from Misty Cottage and when I was walking the aged dog the other evening I saw Philip out checking his sheep. 

I asked him what he does with the fleeces from his beautiful sheep and it turns out that they are all in the barn waiting to be taken to the Wool Marketing Board. I mulled over this information for a day or two, thinking about maybe buying a couple of fleeces from him but then feeling guilty about my ‘Stash Shame’ (c.f. previous blog post).

I popped into a local craft fair last Sunday at Treworra Barton (where I would very much like to have a stall next year) and there was The Natural Fibre Company with a stall. This company is based in a nearby town and will take fleeces and process them for you, either scouring and carding, so you can spin them yourself, or continuing the process and sending balls of yarn back to you. The smallest amount of fibre they will take for scouring and carding is 10kg, so I am now thinking of buying several fleeces from my neighbour and having them scoured and carded by The Natural Fibre Company so I get them back ready to dye and spin.

For those of you yet to experience the delight that is Blue Faced Leicester wool, it is a very high quality fibre and is soft enough to wear next to your skin – not scratchy at all. So Misty Cottage Crafts may soon be able to offer Cornish sourced and processed fibres and yarns – that is what passes for excitement here at Misty Cottage!