What a lovely birthday weekend, DH agreed to go to Wonderwool Wales with me! We set off Friday night to Llandridnod Wells and found we had been upgraded to a suite from a double room – big comfy bed and our own little sitting area with couches, TV, DVD player and music centre!It was so relaxing after our drive – we had a jacuzzi bath as well – so we relaxed in comfort with a nice bottle of birthday wine while I planned how to enjoy the next two days!

Saturday we browsed round the book shops and the vintage shops in Hay on Wye. There was a lot of vintage lace and embroidered cloth in one place which wasn’t for me but would have been a fab find for someone! We also managed to find a coffee shop with home made cakes and another with home baked Cornish pasties! Oh I do know how to enjoy myself!!

Anyway, on Sunday after a very satisfying brekkie, we arrived at Wonderwool just after it opened. It was already bustling and there was some very unique and interesting clothing – and that was just the customers! Weird and wacky outfits- knitted, crocheted, felted, sewn or spun – it was either for sale or being worn by a customer or stallholder!

If you love wool you should really make time to visit one of these shows. There were lots of balls or hanks of ready to use wool and even more piles upon piles of wool tops for spinning. You could get plain (raw?) wool tops or some that was already dyed. Some of the colours were enchanting, I watched a demonstration of how to blend wool rovings into a swirly mix of purply pinky loveliness!

Up till now knitting and crochet have been my thing but what really inspired me today was the art of spinning with a wheel. I would very much have liked to have bought a wheel right there and then and sort out how to use it afterwards! However, I managed to be sensible and resist and instead listened to the advice of a lady in the Spinners and Weavers Guild who suggested learning how to use one first and trying some out before buying, then looking on eBay once I knew what type suited me.

She also told me some Guilds lend out Spinning Wheels to members for as little as £5 a month and that would be a great way to find out if Spinning is something I will continue to enjoy doing. My mission now is to suss out a spinning workshop or course which is within reasonable travelling distance of Wirral or somewhere with accommodation (little spinning holiday!!) If anyone else fancies learning and is near enough to split traveling costs I’d love to hear from you!

So what did I buy? Well a lambs wool cutoff to ease the dog’s arthritis by lining it’s (memory foam ) bed! It really is comfy and warm – I know cos I have my feet on it now while travelling home (I’m not driving obviously!)

A pack of dyed felt with some orange and turquoise pieces to make some additions to the sewing bag I started last week. The felt is on one of the lambs wool pieces.

Lovely felt!

These dyed silk hankies – not sure for what yet – I just love the colours.

Dyed silk

Over now to Handmade Monday – see what you have all been up to!