Yes sir, yes sir, 35 bags full!

I am very happy to share that my wool is now at the mill! Halifax Spinning Mill to be precise and in the very capable hands of Mr Paul Crookes! Here he is in front of some big wool making machines!

Myself and Angela set off bright and early one sunny Tuesday with a van full of delicious fleeces. I had no idea what to expect a part from lots of big machines and lots of wool. I wasn’t disappointed! Paul greeted us and showed us around, explaining each process. Paul genuinely loves his job and has been spinning for decades.  What he doesn’t know about wool probably isn’t worth knowing about! There were two huge machines, one built in the 1950’s and another at the turn of the last century, which was wooden. This was originally for training apprentices but is still completely usable.

We watched the fleeces being fed into the carding machine then passing right through until it was being wound onto bobbins as roving. 

Bags of wool filled every corner of every part of the mill, organised chaos it seemed but Paul knew where every bags had come from and was and going to! It was so amazing to see the wool being carded then wound onto spools to be plied. The slithers of carded wool looked like liquid toffee coiled up luxuriously. (although this picture doesn't do it justice)

I unloaded my 20+ bags of fleeces and nervously said goodbye, it felt really strange to be leaving them! But so exciting to think that the next time I’d see them they would be skeins of wool ready for knitting with. HA HA!!!!!

I’m hoping to have some ready for the Kendal Wool Gathering 29-30th October so if you haven’t already put it in your diaries, do so now and be the first to sample Northern Yarn, British Pedigree Breed (Poll Dorset Lamb’s wool and Poll Dorset & BFL) 4 ply & DK.  Grown by happy lambs treated with care by their farmer friends Lyn & Michael. Stall 17, that’s the magic number, yes it is, it's the magic number! Now I'm going to leave you with some plying for your Saturday night viewing pleasure, and don't worry, it won't hurt you. Lovely Paul Crookes!