Whatever happened to the weekend?

Don't know where the last few days have gone - it's all been a bit of a blur really. Fisrt there was tag making for the yarn, then winding the yarn from skeins to balls and back again to get the lovely mixed stripe effect you see when you look at a multi-coloured skein.Then signs to make for the craft fair and address labels to put on all my greetings cards. Just about got all that finished by midnight Saturday then up at 7.30 for the craft fair! Got home again at 1.30 this afternoon and then had to put all the remaining stock away again. I'm exhausted!!!

On the positive side I sold silk yarn and stitch markers and lots of people took my advertising bookmarks away with them.

Below are some pictures of the yarn winding process - the yarn being wound is my 'Choco-Mint Sundae' Merino Sportweight, being sold on Folksy

Wednesday was dyeing day.....

...so I didn't have a lot of time for anything else!



Below are some pictures of Merino sportweight, Alpaca chunky and sockweight and my new silk - it's a loosely spun single ply, approx 275m per 100g.




Today I will be busy making tags for the skeins - they are made so that they are re-usable as bookmarks. Hopefully a good marketing strategy! I have also made bookmarks with the addresses of my Folksy and Coriandr shops on to give away at craft fairs. I've got my first one coming up at Otley Courthouse on Sunday morning. Fingers crossed for a busy morning!

My lovely new brooch!

I would just like to say a big thank-you to Debbie (DinkyDaisy) for the lovely crochet flower brooch she sent me as a thank-you for the silk yarn I custom dyed for her. (See her blog about this here).

It arrived this morning just before I went to my Knitting Circle, so I wore it with pride!!

Debbie is selling some of her lovely brooches in her Folksy Shop DinkyDaisy.

Busy, busy, busy!

I knew that if I said I'd try to blog every day, events would conspire to prevent me from doing so. I've been so busy over the last couple of days!

I've mainly been preparing for my first Craft Fair at Otley Courthouse on Sunday 28th. Wool to re-skein (so it looks stripey rather than in blocks of colour), tags to print and laminate - they can then be used as bookmarks when the wool has been used, and stitchmarkers, earrings and cards to make.

I've also had to go into Leeds University to see my personal tutor and get an extension for my essays and dissertation because the 'fibro fog' (general forgetfulness and confusion) caused by my Fibromyalgia is making it impossible for me to write them at the moment.

Somehow I've managed to find time to dye some more silk - 'Rhubarb 'n' Custard' and 'Lemon 'n' Lime'

Both are now available in my Folksy shop

Better dash now, Knitting Circle at the Courthouse and we are being featured in the local paper. All good for business!!

Don't know where all my time has gone today! Mainly spent on tidying up I think. My dearest darling daughter (sixteen and full of attitude) is having a BBQ for some of her friends tonight and its chaos here.

Managed to grab five minutes to put some pictures of my yarns on here and a couple of the things I've knitted using them. Unforunately my current camera is not very good so I'm saving up for a new one!

First up is my lovely 2ply pure silk yarn. This is a picture of it in a colourway called Clematis.



Next is my banana yarn, made from pulped banana fibre and a wonderful vegan alternative to silk. It is handspun and has a varying thickness and twist. This one is called Denim.



My favourite yarn is probably Alpaca as it is so soft. This is a 4ply called Aqua which I am currently knitting into a jacket for my friend's baby which is due in August. (Pics to follow in a week or so)



Now for the knitting. I love knitting socks! This is a pair (my own pattern) in 2ply Bluefaced Leicester -Raspberry Crush.



Finally for tonight I have to put on a picture of my Official Wharfedale Woolworks Hat -Lambswool Aran in a colourway called Merlin. It would fit a baby around one year old and I intend to knit a pair of curled point slippers to match.



In future I hope to have pics of knitting works in progress on a regular basis.

Better get off now before daughter and friends get too silly!

I've finally taken the plunge......

Hi, I'm Kirsty.

Some of you may know me from Folksy or Coriandr. I run a yarn dyeing business called Wharfedale Woolworks from my home in Otley, West Yorkshire. I started the business following health problems (fibromyalgia and depression) which are preventing me from carrying out my admin role in the civil service.

I'm also studying for a Masters degree in Religion and Public Life, haing completed my degree in Theology and religious Studies last year. I got a 1st !!!

I have two wonderful kids, a very supportive husband and two gorgeous fat rescue cats - they have been on a diet since they arrived with us but the weight just won't seem to budge :( Perhaps they need more exercise.... if I had more energy I'd chase them round ;)


They had never been outside until they came here so they have been having lots of fun exploring! Or mainly, as pictured here, lying around in the sun :)

My other main interests are Motorcycle racing, reading and all kinds of music. Current faves include Ladytron, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, White Lies and some French stuff - Calogero and Emilie Simon.

Hoping to blog every day, time permitting, so see you all soon!