Notions in my (Victorian) Neighbourhood

You may have gathered by now that I have a split (ah hem....personality??) life.  Some of it is here in Tasmania - born and bred 7th generation - and some of it is in the little village of Malmsbury on the edge of the central highlands of Victoria with the remote Significant Other who is there for his work.  Near Kyneton, it's rather like our Ross in a way - big english trees and old buildings and busy with tourists.  (Also b. cold in the winter and stinking hot in the summer).

Well.....10 kms up the road, Piper Street in Kyneton is the place to go on a weekend.  The monthly Farmer's Market is a draw, but the roughly kilometer length is absolutely chokkas with cafes, providores, art, handmade and decorating.  Everything from French Provincial to vintage Australian.  I love to wander when I get the chance...which I did on Sunday.

In a previous post I have enthused about Stockroom on Piper who have occupied part of the old Meskills Wool Mill building and this was my first time back since their opening (and relocation from Daylesford) - and I was not disappointed.  Jason and Magali have added a new coffee hub complete with vintage red caravan and 1970s lounges to sit on and books to browse (I was right at home!); there were the usual gorgeous Australian designed and made clothes to peruse plus an eclectic offering of handmades interspersed with vintage collectibles and kitchenalia - not to mention the exhibition spaces and artist workshops!

So......I was absolutely exstatic (well very excited at the least) when I spied a familiar logo and recognised the work of the lovely Rosie from NOTIONS !  Wonderful to see Tassie handmade abroad and mixing it with the world!

Ball, Balls, Balls

Been busy this week spinning and winding balls! There were 8 mill-spun hanks (Meskills, NorthEast Yarns and Jarob Farm) that had to be wound up and several bobbins of mine and Barbara's handspun.  I must admit, although I've been a spinner for more years than I care to remember (must be more than 31 as that's how old my eldest is......and I had black sheep before I had him lol) it's been an intermittently practiced pleasure. Alternating with spinning has been all sorts of other stuff including work, raising kids and gardening together with .....the list goes on. However, just lately, and inspired by Barb's product, I have had the urge to get the wheel out and I have really enjoyed it!  Part of that has been the absolute joy of working with the Tasmanian superfine merino wool tops - this fibre is truly magnificent to spin and I'm looking forward to blending the handspun singles and 2 ply with the mill-spun 2/16s on the loom. I have a couple of orders for superfine scarves and have decided on this approach.   So, the ball winder has been busy.......




Lots of balls



Clarence Point Alpaca (Rusty) 2 ply handspun

Meskills 8 ply mill-spun Corriedale and
Tassie Superfine Merino handspun single on right

Finn X dyed in the fleece 2 ply handspun

Finn X Dyed in the fleece selection of handspun sinlges with the 2 ply on left. 
These are all from the same fleece that I got from Lesley Rorke at Bendigo this year

Hand dyed silk fibre spun single (also from 2010 Bendigo)

Tas Superfine Merino handpsun singles in two textures

It's finally finished (the jacket) !

At last - after months of playing with designs, patterns, newspaper cutouts and such, I have finished the jacket / ruana / vest - whatever it is !  And I'm very pleased too!    Meskill's millspun dark grey corriedale woven on my 50cm Ashford Knitter's Loom (2 pieces), fulled to a firm felt fabric, sewn together (scary for a non-sewer!), hook & eye at closure, beautiful moon button trim (thanks Trace!), stream pressed and woo-hoo there it is.  Yay! 

SoewnEarth's Moon Buttons

Meskills Woolworks - end of an era

Do I boast, crack open the bubbly or cry ?   I have the LAST TWO HANKS, yes the last ones EVER from the Meskills Spinning Mill in Kyneton, Victoria.  The demise of this wonderful establishment earlier this year has meant that a host of small wool producers wanting their product spun to finished yarn now have to go elsewhere.  Most I spoke to at Bendigo have sent their bales to New Zealand; a few to Echo Beach Alpacas in South Australia - but the general consensus is that we have lost forever the ability for small niche producers to have their fibres finished locally, in Australia.  How sad it is.

Dairing have rescued one of the Meskills spinning machines and have installed it at their premises in Melbourne as a relict of this bygone era, but the rest has gone for scrap.

The woollen goods business continues to trade out of the premsies in Piper Street Kyneton and last month I purchased the last two hanks available.  Some producers such as Jarob Farm and North East Yarns have enought spun yarn for a couple of years, but for many, the costs associated with, and the quantities required, to send to New Zealand, are just too prohibitive.

On a positive note, the guys from Wolf at the Door at Hepburn Springs, Vic have leased the wonderful 1860s  building, formerly the Kyneton Butter Factory Co-operative, laterly housing the spinning mill operation from Meskills and have just opened The Stockroom.  This gallery and retail space featuring Australian designers and makers is a welcome addition to the vibrant Piper Street precinct.

Back from BENDO - TOTT

Well what can I say - it was just FABULOUS and much more betterer than last year. The 133rd Australian Sheep and Wool Show should be called the Wool and Sheep Show as it seemed to me that the woolcraft has about taken over.  We must always pay tribute to the sheep as after all, without their efforts we wouldn't have such stunning fibres to work with!  The BL below was exhausted (counting sheep perhaps ?) and so was I after a whole day at the Bendigo Showgrounds.

Hello to Ewe Too !

Just exhausting being the feature at this year's Bendi !

Last year we were positively falling over Tassies but last weekend, couldn't find any Tassie sheep, but the fleece had some good representation.  Grum only saw one local and that was at the feeding line!

Forton, Epping Forest

Andrew Nicholson, Campbell Town

 Alpacas were out in force too - there is   no doubt that this versatile animal has found a home amoung the gum trees!



With over 300 exhibitors, the woolcraft pavillions were packed with crafters demonstrating, dyeing, batting, weaving, spinning, knitting and displaying their wonderful wares.  The Fashion Parades even stopped the fellas in their tracks.  I cannot believe the creativeness that abounds in fibre.   There was some good tucker too and the sheepdogs were having a ball in the centre arena.

What did I come home with ?      A kilo of beautiful autumn-toned dyed in the fleece Romney x Finn from Lesley Rorke's Wooleebaa Farm that I have already dusted off the spinning wheel to try.  Finn Sheep seem to be the next big thing for niche producers with these long-wool baas producing multiple babies each drop and giving up a fine fleece of around 22 micron.   John and Lucy Edwards from Creswick, Victoria have Finns and Alpacas and John gave me a great overview of Finns in Australia.

I also got some finn x yarn in a lovely russet colourway from Suzi Horne, artist and wool producer.  Her hand painted millspun yarns were gorgeous! 

Shiloh Wool from the Bellarine Penninsula near Geelong had their Silky Wool on offer.  This is spun in New Zealand for them and has been treated by a CSIRO-developed process to stretch and set the fibres, resulting in a fibre that looks and feels like silk.  Available in spun hanks and tops, the hand-painted colours are amazing!  Not online, but you'll find them in the local directories.  I bought 2 skeins of "confetti" which I will weave with Tasmanian Superfine Merino to become a gorgeous scarf.

From Jarob Farm I purchased 500 g of soft millspun corriedale in a caramel colour.  Still with stocks spun at Meskills (now sadly closed) Kyneton Spinning Mill, the ladies were generous with their time and knowledge.

Wooldancer had their artisan hand dyed yarns on display and many other exhibitors were batting, balling and hanking.  EGMTK was hosting the Strauch Family from the USA with their drum carders, ball winders, swifts etc. Otto and Joanne's son was sitting there going like the clappers spinning a lovely yarn on his wheel and loving it too!  The future - yes indeed Otto! I  found a boat shuttle at  Christine's Glenora Weaving and admired the zany art of Conni Togel's Sheep Incognito.   Next I chatted with some Ravelry Guys and Gals who were all so welcoming to a Tassie girl.  I was disappointed that I could not make the dinner or brekkie this year, here's hoping for 2011!  You are all so friendly, helpful and taa for the discount! xxxxx (rowenajo @ ravelry.com)

Then Teresa at  Dairing shared with me!  What an innovative and savvy lot you guys are and so wonderful to talk with.  The range of fibres on offer I could not resist, coming home with some Habu Textiles yarns - the recycled linen, some of the tres unique viscose sizing and a ball of Teresa's own denim cotton.  It was sooo hard to choose - I could have bought the shop! 

Funds depleted, I went round again !  

THANK YOU to everyone who chatted to me.  THANK YOU to everyone who inspired me.  We'll be back again next year...I might even put in an entry for the woolcraft......