H Art and Upcoming Events Before Christmas

 

It has been a busy time here at Hillside Cottage. We were delighted with our first h. Art event!

What a wonderful week!

We had a mini heatwave, the sun shone every day, perfect for all our lovely customers to relax in the garden, purchase our  handwoven and wood turnery work from the Cabin. Lots of them enjoyed the weaving demos in my studio and signed up for some "learn to weave workshops".

Pop over to our Woollen Tree YouTube video to view.

(13) h.Art 2023 Venue | Woollen Tree - YouTube

We will be opening again for H. Art Christmas Open Studios the weekend of  2nd to 3rd December from 10am to 4pm. There will be a different feel to this event as the Cabin will be cosy with the little stove lit. The shelves will be filled with items to buy special gifts for the festive season. The garden will be decorated with fairy lights and weather permitting the Jovi tent will be in place again to offer a hot cuppa to customers as they browse and shop.  

Home | Herefordshire Art Week (h-art.org.uk)

We are now heavily into the pre Christmas season of craft fayres and shows so ;

Before our event at Hillside Cottage, Woollen Tree will be attending two more shows.

The first is Orleton Handmade and Gift Fair

The following is Made in HR6

 If you are in the local area we do hope to see you there!

We will be stocking our online shops over the coming weeks too, so please click on our links to view our Etsy, Folksy and Ko-fi sites (right hand column on web view site of our blog)

The Creative Cabin- New Studio

We have been busy at Hillside Cottage, building a new studio for Woollen Tree.

So pleased with it. Named it The Creative Cabin!

 A fantastic space and so very versatile. Great to hold my weaving workshops in, giving me more of space for teaching small groups. 

I am enjoying kitting it out with everything I need. In this photo you can see my weaving studio and the new creative cabin together. Along the wall I have laid my latest batch of organic cotton handwoven cloth which will become T towels.

The other exciting news is Woollen Tree is taking part in H Art - Herefordshire Art Festival this year! The event runs from 2nd to 10th September 

and 

we will be opening the studios and garden for folks to visit and of course our new creative cabin will be filled with lovely items for people to buy. 

I will let you know more details closer to the date, meanwhile I hope you enjoy watching our You Tube and if you are interested coming to weave in the new cabin please get in touch via my ko-fi or Etsy shop. 

Thanks for your interest.

OUR NEXT CRAFT SHOW IS AT AYMESTREY FETE 15TH JULY

 

 

Harvest at Hillside

Elderberries

So we near the end of September, our first year at our lovely Hillside Cottage. We have been enjoying a bumper harvest from our garden, despite the "heatwave summer" the UK has been experiencing, we really have had an abundance of fruit and vegetables to keep us well stocked. I have been making jams and chutneys.

 The joy of walking down to the veg garden to select something for our lunch has been immense. We are fortunate to have a variety of fruits- cherries, apples, plums, damsons, raspberries, blue berries, black currants and blackberries. all giving us their treasure each in turn. We have been growing all our veg and salad crops. As we take care of our garden it takes care of us. Organically, no-dig, permaculture system.

The result is tasty food, lots of flowers, insects, bees, butterflies, birds and wildlife. The only battle we seem to be having is with all the wild rabbits! they, given a chance nibble everything- even things they are not suppose to like! luckily our vegetable beds are well fenced so as they can't get in but the terrace up near the cottage and the flower pots are all easy pickings. The baby rabbits are so sweet though hopping around the clover on our lawn. Next year we will build a few more fences to protect our specimen plants on the terrace. 

I made some elderberry cordial this year, perhaps next year I will see if I can make some wine?

Damson Jam

Damson jam is so delicious, shhhh I think a few jars will make perfect Christmas presents for the family  

Craft Fair

We also attended a lovely craft fair at the nearby village of Orleton. It's great to showcase our work and sell locally.

Hand Woven Throws

 It's been a very busy year at Hillside Cottage, so much so that our blog here hasn't been able to keep up with all we would like to share with you.

 Please remember that our Woollen Tree on You Tube is available for you to view along with our

 Ko-Fi site where we plan to chat more and open a little shop on the site too. Thank you for your support.

We are looking forward to producing more work in our Woollen Tree workshops/studio once all the harvest is "safely gathered in"

Meanwhile check our Etsy and Folksy shops to purchase new stock for the new Season.

ODD SOCKS- Handknitting projects

 

Just delving into my knitting baskets and bags and noticed I have ODD SOCKS on the go!

When we used to have our little yacht handknitting was my "go to" craft. I would be able to take a bag filled with squishy balls of wool and knit away to my heart's content when at anchor or on our mooring on the river. Many pairs of socks and hand warmers would be knitted up while I sat and enjoyed watching the wildlife and Nature's colours on the water, 

Now I can see how I sub consciously chose my yarns of colour, very often taking the hues and reflections of the colours from the Sea.

And today, I still do.

In my bag I find soft hues of aqua, greens, turquoise and blues.

My two styles of socks on the needles at the moment are my slouchy sock

and my magic loop knit toe up afterthought heel design.

The slouchy sock is so comfortable, they are loose and soft, great for padding around the home.

Knitted on two needles, I enjoy knitting different coloured heels and toes with this design.

The magic loop system of knitting uses a circular needle and I tend to go for self patterning wool yarns to make these, I do often knit different coloured heels for contrast,

(knitting starts at the toe and the afterthought heel is added at end of knitting the main part of the sock). 

So today I think I will settle in and knit the other sock for each of these odd socks.

It's a grey old day, wet and drizzling outside so I will sit near the window and watch all the baby birds in our beech and holly tree in the garden and get some knitting done.

Look out for these two pairs of socks  in our online shops very soon!

Socks, Hand Knitted Slouch, footwear, clothing,... - Folksy

 

Lambs in the Fields

New Lambs in the fields at Quarr Abbey

Just spent a wonderful two weeks at Quarr Abbey holding our first exhibition and Craft show since December 2019 (due to Covid 19 restrictions).

It has been so good to be back and to meet some lovely customers, sell our work and catch up with our regular clients and friends.

The weather was cool and sunny, ideal for selling our hats, wraps and scarves for the Spring season.  It was pleasing to have new stock to offer in wood and wool along with organic cotton items.

Great to show off our new logos for Woollen Tree with each purchase and be able to share a little of what we do with the visitors. I took my spinning wheel to do some spinning demos which always interests young and old alike.

Families come to Quarr Abbey and enjoy feeding the piglets. As for me I'm always drawn to the fields with the sheep and new lambs!

Aren't they just adorable? and so full of mischief, curiosity and fun.

Doing our craft event has really given us a boost, we feel inspired to grow our Woollen Tree business. Selling our work means we can keep doing what we love and develop our designs and ideas.

Do pop over to our YouTube channel where we plan to show you more videos of our crafts in wood and wool.

 

Our YouTube Channel

New and exciting things are happening at Woollen Tree

We are pleased to announce we have our own Youtube channel

It's very early days and we have uploaded a short video on Saori Weaving Cloth as a taster.

here is the link 

Woollen Tree - YouTube

We have so many ideas and plans for this new venture.

 Please  click the Subscribe/like/comment buttons on the site to increase our presence there and help our little  Woollen Tree to grow. thank you.

It will be good to share our skills, experience and passion for our work and I hope you will enjoy tuning in and discovering more of what we do in weaving, spinning, dyeing, knitting and wood turnery.

Of course it is a whole new learning curve for us in photography and film making! luckily we have two sons who know a lot more about tech than us, so we will be seeking their help as much as we can.

There will be more videos there just as soon as we have them ready Enjoy!

 

Mini Knitted Christmas Stockings

 

This year's version of my Mini Knitted Christmas Stockings.

My daughter-in-law is a teacher and every year I knit mini stockings for her to give to every pupil in her class. It has become a little tradition and as the youngsters move up through the school each one has a keepsake to hang on their tree for the festive season.

I enjoyed hand knitting these in a lovely mixture of yarns and colours with all the same matching white mohair top trim. 

I usually try and get some more knitted to sell at my exhibition At Quarr Abbey next month.

They make an ideal gift for a loved one, fill with sweets, chocolate. My customers often tell me they are just perfect to fill with some money for the teenagers in their family.

There will be some in my online shop soon.

I designed these mini knitted Christmas stockings many years ago for a magazine publication. 

"Making Gifts Magazine" which is no longer in print.

I will be adding the design instructions for you to purchase from my online shop shortly - download a PDF and start knitting up your very own!

~sitting knitting in an evening working on a small project is a relaxing mindfulness activity~

Outdoor Studio Space

This Summer I have been able to run some one to one tuition workshops in my Outdoor Studio Space!

With Covid-secure practices in place, it has been really lovely to offer spinning and weaving classes in my garden.  

I love working in the garden anyway, whether its taking my spinning wheel outside to spin to the sounds of the birds in the trees or setting up one of my small table looms to enjoy the afternoon weaving a bag, cushion cover or scarf and of course the knitting needles are so portable, I always have several projects on the go.

This week the outdoor studio became a weaver's wonderland!

A brand new Katie loom (8 shaft from Ashford) came to be warped and woven on for the first time.

And an "Inside set" was put on my Saori loom to dress with a readymade warp to be taken home and be woven.  

So it was a wonderfully busy day, making a warp, threading heddles, sleying reeds. 

All helped greatly with plenty of chat with tea and cake!

Now some of you who have a Saori loom may think the way I'm dressing the loom looks a little strange in the photo above.

Let me explain. Since having my David 2 loom (8 shaft floor loom) from Louet I have learnt a much easier and quicker way of warping up. I thought that I could transfer this method to my Saori.

I use two sticks from front to back to rest the reed and lease sticks on. 

I place the cross of the warp at the back of the loom and load it onto the extension rod, putting the lease sticks through the cross. I use a raddle clipped to the top of the loom shelf to spread out the warp. I wind the warp onto the back roller.

I thread the heddles from back to front.

With the reed laid flat it is so quick to sley.

Then its just a matter of  using the tying rod, hooking the treadles on and start weaving!

When loading a readymade warp as seen in the photo, I rest the warp on the lease sticks for easy access and have no need for a raddle as the warp threads are already on the roller in order ready to select.

It is such a simple way to dress a loom, in fact the Katie loom was done exactly the same way, no need  for double crosses as per instructions!

give it a go, have fun, happy weaving.

 

 

Ripples and Reflections

 Skipper and I spent a lovely afternoon on the water.
We took our little dinghy Peewit out for a row and a spot of fishing.

High water on the river Medina. The day was hot and sunny, the river was calm with a very light breeze, a perfect way to relax and enjoy just being afloat once more.

We took the fishing rods, not a hope of catching any fish! but its always an occupation on board which instills calm reflection and becomes very absorbing. I love the way it helps me focus on my surroundings, making me look more closely at the water and sky. Watching the birds and yes even a fish jump out of the water!   

 Looking closely at the ripples and reflections on the water.Seeing the patterns that dance in the light.

 

 Back in my studio/workroom a gorgeous basket of blue clouds await spinning.
 Carded fleece naturally dyed with homegrown woad.

If you are on the Island from Tuesday 12th to Saturday 16th September, The Isle of Wight Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers is holding an Exhibition.

I will have some of my hand woven work on show as well as some of my hand knitted and hand woven items will be available to purchase.

Time To Grow

 March has been a time to get things started. A time to grow. Here is a photo of a woad plant I have left to grow on and hopefully produce seeds for my next year's stock. The photo below shows my woad seed collected from last year's plants. (Woad is biennial)

 I planted some in seed trays in the greenhouse and some direct in the ground under a cloche, as you can see in just a week the ones in the greenhouse have grown into tiny seedlings! the hope and promise of wonderful homegrown natural blue dye for my wool this year.

 While things grow, Skipper and I decided to spend a few days in Devon and enjoy the spring weather, fresh air and beautiful scenery.
A time to relax and be inspired, grow and nurture our own ideas for this year's projects.
 We visited  Arts and Craft centres and explored Dartmoor, walked up to Haytor and did some coastal hopping all along the South coast on our way home -Teignmouth, Exmouth, Sidmouth, Bridport and West Bay.

HAYTOR

 While in Bovey Tracey I made sure my stash this year continues to grow too! I called in at
Spin A Yarn

http://www.spinayarndevon.co.uk/

and treated myself to a gorgeous collection of roving and various yummy yarns.

 Then for my hand painted yarn and dyeing projects I bought a steamer and a good selection of tools to go with it.

I aim to grow my knowledge and experience, develop my skills in producing more of my own yarns, hand spun, hand dyed, hand knitted and hand woven.

ALL NEW!

Wow what an amazing start to our year. It really is all new. I have been very busy knitting and weaving, this time it has been with added excitement because I'm now a Granny! It has been a double thrill for us as first a granddaughter arrived in January then a grandson in February, so as you can guess I'm grinning from ear to ear.

I have been popping over to the mainland to visit.

Above photo is of a simple new born cardigan/ bolero jacket in garter stitch, hand knitted in one piece. I have used a little anchor button to fasten as a finishing touch  and soft pastel colours with a nautical hue.

No doubt Skipper will be teaching them the ropes before they can talk and walk... new crew always welcome

 

 

I have also had a lot of fun on my Saori loom, this time using it to weave two baby blankets.

I wanted to make them bright and cheerful rather than the traditional whites and creams of the knitted and crocheted type. These blankets are intended to be used for the pram, crib, cot or as a play mat, just something soft, fun and easy to wash and use and use and use.

As these are for our grandchildren I decided to make them both together on the loom using identical warp, to connect the little cousins as belonging to and being part of  one big Wright family. Then each blanket has been woven differently using the colours and patterns on the weft to make individual unique blankets to recognise each baby is totally unique and special, so as to make it personal to them.

I will be blogging about the process of this project soon, so as you can see how this was done. 

All New I have been working on plenty of new stock and as you may have noticed my online shops are closed just at the minute that is because I want to launch an all new look to each shop with my new work for sale. 

There will be hand knits, hand woven and hand spun items as well as hand spun yarn, along with Skipper's hand turned wood items. I will need to put the knitting needles down, step away from the loom and wheel for a short time  and get on the computer/ photographing and listing stock.

It is the perfect time for a new and refreshing breeze to blow through, giving me the energy to reach for new colours, new ways of  looking at what I'm doing and what I want to achieve. Planting my own garden for natural yarn dyeing, veg seeds for healthy eating. Shaking out the sails stored all winter hoping that we can get on the river in our dinghies for an Easter sail. I love this time of year