Cumbria Wool Gathering

Phew!

This weekend was the glorious Cumbrian Wool Gathering, held at the Rural Auction Centre, and it was a weekend of sunshine, rainstorms and everything in between.

Set up on Friday got off to a rocky start, the A66 and Google maps seemed to suffer from some miscommunications, as myself and a large stream of vehicles got stuck trying to make it past a closed road. After being turned around a few times, I was finally on my way to Cumbria, and a mere 3 hours later I was ready to set up the stand. By this point, rain was pouring on the tin roof of the pens, and several stallholders were starting to give each other worried glances. Thankfully, when we got in on Saturday morning, the rain had cleared, the sun was shining, and a long queue of visitors were excitedly waiting to come in.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the stall to say hi! It was so lovely to see a few customers from TexStyle back in March who had since made up garments from their Maru skeins.

The drive there and back each day took me through the breath-taking Yorkshire Dales, twisting through the tiny villages and hamlets I was familiar with growing up, and have rarely had chance to revisit. This weekend included the longest day of the year, which attracted a huge number of families and groups to the ‘three peaks’ to enjoy the spectacular views and nature which the region is synonymous with. With so many local businesses present at the wool gathering, highlighting the breadth of textiles products and skills around, the event really made me appreciate the uniqueness and beauty of this area of the world, something I take for granted.

Cumbria was also the launching pad for my brand new 4ply 100g skeins, something many people had been asking for at my previous shows. I only brought a small selection of skeins with me to the gathering, and they quickly dwindled down to the few skeins now available on the website. Do not fear, more will be coming!

Looking ahead, the leviathan of Festival of Quilts is almost upon us, and I hope to see some of you there soon.

All the best,

Ebony