Needle Felting Workshop: Easter Bunnies or Spring Sheep

My wooly journey began after visiting an off-grid community in Wales where I was taught how to weave on a peg loom. I loved that I was able to create a rug using such a simple and in-expensive method. When I returned home I asked around locally if any farmers had any wool I could buy. "Three bags full" came the answer, and this is when I started to learn more about just how undervalued wool is, and how much of it farmers are trying to get rid of or simply throwing away. My business has grown from there, with sustainability at the heart of everything I do. I am passionate about teaching this accessible and therapeutic weaving technique to others, showing how easily we can create useful homeware and accessories using a natural fibre with incredible properties that is in abundance all around us here in the North of England. Using local British wool involves no shipping of plastic fibres around the world, no microplastics in our oceans, and a very low carbon footprint. As well as weaving I began to learn to needle felt; another wool craft to fall in love with! I started with my felted sheep "baa-bles", and went onto creating fibre art displayed in frames and hoops. I now make jewellery, brooches and other decorations too. Always with British wool. Having been offered more wool from my local farm than I could possibly work with, I couldn't bear to see it go to waste. I found a small scale mill in Yorkshire who could card and spin it for me to sell for knitters, crocheters, spinners and weavers to enjoy! This enabled me to pay the farmers a fairer price for their wool, and I now have a small range of fully traceable, breed-specific wool in different shades available for crafters. I am very lucky to have the support of knitwear designer Jacinta Bowie, enabling me to provide patterns for use with the wool as well as the finished knitwear for the non-knitters like me!