July

Nellie is now firmly in to the mini-adult dog and not really a puppy stage! She burst out of her puppy harness mid-walk a few weeks ago, and is now sporting a matching turquoise outfit when she ventures out in public. 
She adores anything that flies. Birds, butterflies and moths, bees, flies.... All are met with an exuberant jump and an ambition that you can only applaud. She graduated her Puppy class during which she was either the model pupil, or bottom of the class depending on how the mood took her. The week where she just lay there barking at everything was a particular highlight!

As restrictions have eased slightly we've cautiously been meeting up with friends and family who we haven't seen in far too long. Thankfully nearly everyone in my immediate circle is now double vaccinated, I'm just waiting impatiently for my second dose, along with a couple of my younger cousins. Luckily our favourite things to do is often to get out and about exploring the Welsh countryside. We thought we were pretty savvy at knowing quite a lot of our local flora, but have really been enjoying using the Seek app as we walk. It's surprisingly good at working out what it is you're looking at, and definitely makes you stop and look down as well as out at the beautiful views. 

My Spinning guild meetings have been carrying on online... we're hoping to be outside in-person in July, and maybe back in our hall in August. In June we did an online  eco-printing day, using the contents of our gardens, onion skins, and an indigo vat. I dyed lots of small pieces of silk noil, then sewed them together in to a wall hanging. 

At the end of the month I also headed over to Claire Austin Hardy Plants for her Open Garden for the National Garden Scheme. Walking through the Peony trial fields was stunning. 

I did get my St Distaff's Day project finished, it's now sat waiting for the colder weather as a pure cashmere stranded jumper is very snuggly! All the photos I have of it are dreadful... fluffy cashmere is very hard to photograph.

In just a couple of weeks time I'm hoping to spend some time with all of you at Fiberworld. The demonstration and lectures schedule for the stages has just been announced, and there are so many things I want to listen to and watch. Even for those os us in the UK there's still plenty happening at times when we'll be awake! 
Tickets are US$25, which gets you full access to all the stages, events, lounges, and vendor booths. 
This is what they have to say about the show
"Fiberworld is a completely virtual fiber show that brings the fullness of the experiences and camaraderie of a traditional, in-person show, while also harnessing new technologies to enrich experiences and expand the community. Fiberworld represents a breadth of talent and knowledge from across the globe coming together to share and celebrate the fibercrafts we love, as well as our whole selves: touching on the themes of education, wellness, justice, environment, and family that affect us every day. In this way Fiberworld explores a redefinition of what used to be thought of as "domestic" interests to a more expansive view of craft’s circles of influence."

In addition there are also classes, with world renowned instructors, you get $15 off your first class with your entrance ticket, and until midnight tonight you can get $10 off any 2 classes with the code FWFLASH. 

​In other business news the shop is being kept steadily stocked up, so you can hopefully find something to catch your eye whenever you choose to take a visit. I have at last managed to get some more Cambrian Wool, so will be back to dyeing that gorgeous base regularly, the mixed colour packs have already been restocked (and I will be dyeing another restock  of the sold out colours tomorrow). As ever, if there's something in particular you want for a specific project just send me a message and I'll try to help!

EU customers, as of July 1st there's no longer a threshold below which you won't have to pay VAT. I had hoped to have a solution ready for you that means I could collect the VAT, and send it through the IOSS system so you wouldn't pay any extra charges to receive your parcel, but all the current systems are overwhelmed with businesses trying to set up via intermediaries. It's complicated, and expensive for a micro business like me, but I do hope to have good news in a few weeks time. I've been trying to do this for months, but it's just been impossible as nothing was ready.  When I do have a system in place it should make ordering much simpler, and you will know exactly how much an order will cost at the time you place the order. I know this particular affects club members, under the new system it is possible to pause your subscriptions, and then restart them once I'm set up with the IOSS system. If you need any help with that, just send me an email.