Autumn Giveaway

Organic Merino Aran

Goodness the summer has vanished - and it feels like it too from the drop in temperature and amount of rain that is falling (well here in Northern France at least!).

a closer view - isn't it soft and squidgy looking?

We started the giveaway in June with the Summer Organic Cotton Boucle (colour still to be chosen - Sarah!). For the Autumn we though we'd offer something warm and comforting! Our choice this time is 3 x 100g hanks of Organic Merino Aran weight yarn. The Merino is not a British yarn, but is pure Merino and beautifully soft and warm. Organically certified and processed the dyer still refuses to go through the hoops!!! We are offereing 300g of the yarn which should be plenty for a hat and scarf to keep the Autumn winds at bay - try looking at Woolly Wormhead's site for some fab hat patterns, I have a scarf pattern that I will include with the yarn! The recommended needle size for the yarn is 4mm and the approximate hank length is 150m.

We have decided that as not everyone wants to join facebook we will also include followers of this blog, if you do NOT wish to be included in the draw please drop me an email and I will miss your name out!

Hope you like our choice of colour - it is Logwood and Lac, the yarn is handpainted and there is our usual guarrantee that if you find any problem with the dye in terms of rub off whilst knitting up then you are entitled to a replacement yarn.

Good luck to all!

Purple Jazz

My delivery has arrived from Eathues! In it was their new extract Purple Jazz. This is a new Logwood extract that they consider "so brilliant and snazzy the called it Purple Jazz". So of course I had to try some straight away! Here's my results, I love the purple on the silk yarn, the wool is more of a cochineal purple, maybe needs a bit more work - I did my usual and just put half a teaspoon in 50ml boiling water, mixed it up and immersed the fibre. Perhaps not fair. I DO like the silk though, that is Jazzy! It will be on sale in the online shop just as soon as I can get it bagged up and listed! If you're interested in trying it you can always give me a call!

Another package also arrived today - lots of lovely ethically produced silk cloth, I want to dye it up in time for the Alternative Fashion week starting on the 20th April at Spitalfields Traders Market. We've taken a stall there, so hope to see lots of interested people attending the fashion shows! These silks have come from India and are woven from handspun yarns. The wild and semi wild moths are not stifled but live out their lives and escape from the cocoons so the silk has to be spun, not reeled. I can't get away from the carbon footprint of bringing it in from India, but at least it is ethically produced!

I have to say I can't wait to get started on it - it feels lovely and I want to make some clothes out of it - there are 6 different weaves of varying qualities.