It's getting towards the time of year when I start to notice a few orders from people with familiar surnames, but very different first names! I've been buying bits and pieces for my family members for the past few weeks, and judging by the parcels that appear and are immediately hidden away I'm not the only one in the household who's started buying presents, 
I thought I'd share a few gift ideas for spinners for you to point your loved ones towards. I've tried to pick non-fibre options to avoid the issues caused by  buying the right fibre, but in the wrong colour! There's lots of small options as well that would be ideal for gifts in your local spinning group, or as stocking stuffers. 

First up, the things in my own shop... (If you're in the UK or EU all these prices will be plus 20% VAT)
Things to care for your wheel. Your wheel is a tool, it needs maintenance just like your car. 

If your wheel is already well cared for then how about something to make you better at working with colour?

It's hard to go wring with bags... places to store things are always useful when you're a crafty person. 

Finally a wpi tool is a useful addition to anyone's spinning toolkit.

If books are your thing then there are so many that are excellent... (Note, these are all links to Amazon UK, if you're outside the UK you will probably be able to find all of them on your countries own Amazon site, and many will be available from other online book sellers)

The Spinners Book of Yarn Design If you only own one spinning book this should be it! 
The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook For the spinner who loves learning more about sheep and the quality of their wool
​Yarnitecture For the spinner who wants to get better at analysing the sort of yarn they are spinning, and be more in control of the results. 
​Spin Art For the spinner who needs to step outside their comfort zone

Non-spinning books, but interesting for anyone who has a love of textiles. 
Women's Work- The First 20,000 years.
Stitches in Time: The Story of the Clothes we Wear
The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History 

​A subscription toPly magazine would also be a lovely gift. If you're outside the US then it may be better to buy a subscription from one of their stockists.

Akerworks bobbins are such a pleasure to use, and I love that they collapse flat so I can store them easily. Note to any potential present purchasers, you need to check the wheel that your spinner uses...

Beyond Measure stock lots of beautifully useful trinkets for people who love to make things.  I love their tape measures, or their sewing needle cases. 

There are usually a few tipples consumed at Christmas, so how about some knitting stitch identification guide drinks coasters. 

If the person you're buying the present for is a spinner, the chances are they're also a knitter or crocheter. So a storage solution for their needles or projects will probably be well received. ​

Your spinner might also like abeautiful tool to use to wind their yarn in to skeins, or need a new orifice hook. 

If you're hoping for some spinning goodies to be in your pile of presents what would you like to receive? Leave a comment below, and someone else might be getting a nice surprise! 

Did you know that there's s sharing thread over in the Hilltop Cloud Ravelry group?
And as a reward for sharing your photos there are random prizes on offer?
​The current thread is here, all you need to do is post a picture of spun yarn, or a finished object.

Here's a few highlights from the last thread, that really do deserve to be seen by more people, they're stunning! 
Click on the photo to go the Ravelry project page to find out more details. 

You can browse the rest of the thread here, and do come over and share your creations in the current thread.

October also became known as the month with the cold... It circulated the whole household, in fact Mum is still suffering. My fibre was at Bakewell Wool Gathering, but I was away at Lakes & Lancs Guild teaching. If you're in that area and aren't a guild member, then I can thoroughly recommend going along to a meeting to see what being a guild member is all about. 
I also squeezed a couple of shop updates in, and have finally been able to get to grips with a sewing machine and some fabric I bought on my holiday in America last year. 

I spent yesterday at Westhope College learning how to take patterns from existing garments without unpicking them... now I just need to get my sewing skills up to scratch so I can replicate a couple of my favourite garments!

We had some lovely warm summer days which have really helped to set the bees up for winter. They were buzzing all over the Mahonia bushes while I was at work in the dye studio, which is such a cheery sight.

My aunty was here for 2 weeks as well so we took her on a day out to see the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter. sadly this is closing on November 17th, but if you can manage to get over before then I can really recommend it. I'm just sad that this piece of Welsh history is going to be lost from public display. My Aunty used to work in the garment factories in Stoke on Trent when she was younger, and while she was staying with us we showed her this BBC programme which features modern women going and working in a clothing factory through various decades.

The final part of the month has been focussed on getting the final details arranged for the 12 Days of Christmas parcels.  The first batch are now ready, and will be going on sale soon. I'll be making the announcement on my email newsletter, so if you're not already subscribed then head over here.  Once the first batch has sold I will be making up a second smaller batch, so keep your eyes peeled!

So what will November be bringing...
I've already got the first part of a shop update dyed, so it won't be too much longer until there's some fresh fibre in the shop. Next weekend is also my guild Open Day.  If you're in the area then there's lots to see and do, it's free entry, and there will be quite a few stands selling goodies, I'll have fibre at reduced prices as I sell off all my show stock at the end of the year.  I'm also doing a bit more teaching at Pembrokeshire Guild, and then I get to go on holiday at the end of the month.  If you're in a guild and considering making a booking I'd urge you to get in touch sooner rather than later. My diary in 2019 is now full, and I only have a  few vacancies left in 2020. 
I also have a very special parcel that is waiting for me... 10kg of double sorted John Arbon BFL & Silk. I couldn't get any of this fibre last year, so am really pleased to have some available this year. I'm currently weighing up the possibilities of how to dye it...