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!

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.