Coffee & Alpacas: Spinning a Yarn

Alpacas!  And alpaca babies!

Sneak peek at some of their stuff, awaiting new shelves

Unpacking and Alpacas

Works Outing!  We needed to drop by and visit our friend Kirsty, of Moss Stitch Yarns, so we could beg her to lend us her gorgeous home for our new patchwork product range photoshoot, and bribe her with some brand new oven gloves.

Kirsty has recently moved to some new premises, where she shares her workspace with the lovely Liz of Chalkshire Alpacas in Buckinghamshire, who runs workshops and spins, dyes and knits yarns into products for sale.  They grabbed a break from pots of paint and bits of old wood, which they were valiantly wielding to make shelves and display stands for their workspace, so they could show me their wares.

We had a lovely warm half hour, basking in the spring sunshine in their cabin, while Liz untangled a gigantahoosive ball of wool, Kirsty made coffee, and I talked expansively with my hands, panicking when I got very excited that I was going to throw coffee all over their yarns.

Ethical and Fairtrade

A box of Kirsty's yarns

Kirsty, like us, has a keen ethical and environmental basis to her work - she imports and supplies many wools which are fairtrade or ethically produced, and of course, there is nothing better than dyeing and spinning yarns from animals you can actually see from your workshop window.  Liz has been working with the alpacas for years, dyeing their wools, and running knitting groups which include a walk to see the alpacas.

I was desperate to see the various woolly creatures in the fields beyond so I could say hi to them, probably in the voice I use for babies and animals.  It's not pretty, the voice, I'll be honest, but I think you'll find that ALL babies, without exception - including currently my little tiddler nephews - love it, especially when it's teamed with my grinning, gurning, funny-looking face.  Animals also.  Alpacas like a funny-looking face as much as the next ungulate.

A Stroll in a Natural Setting

When I was a kid we had a cavalier King Charles spaniel, so I was pretty pleased to see some clamouring at the gate as we strolled towards the woollier animals.  Kirsty too, apparently, because she has accidentally taken one of the puppies home with her.  That's what you get when you team up with alpacas, Kirsty. Puppies. Just leave it at that for now, eh?  Don't go taking any alpacas home...even babies, coz they DO get a bit bigger.

Kirsty, with her puppy's Mum

And why not? A barge in the yard.

Chook Truck!

Wheely comfy, if you're a chicken.

Kirsty gathers and forages for whisps of fleece, mainly amongst the poo.

Lovely alpacas, who look like they're wearing woolly leggings.

You can catch Kirsty over at her Facebook Page, Moss Stitch and go follow her, @mossy_mosstitch on Twitter too of course; why not go and say hi?  You can talk to her about the Chalkshire alpacas too, while Liz is in the process of getting on board with technology.  

And we'll keep you posted on our imminent photoshoots, in Kirsty's lovely home, where you'll see our new range of patchwork products.  Launching soon!

Why not pop your email address in our newsletter box up top there?  Then you'll be first to know when the new range and the new website are launched.

Green Living: Book Review of 'Second Skin' by India Flint

Gorgeous images inspire. And frankly, make me a little jealous!

If you're into making do and mending, living sustainably, or even just trying to thrift a bit and save money; if you're creative, love textiles, love beautiful imagery or just love a good, hearty coffee table book; if you're all or some of the above, then Second Skin by India Flint could be the title to add to your wishlist.
  

"Almost from the moment of our birth we are wrapped in textiles of one form or another..."

While India's book at first glance looks like a beautifully rendered reflection of her values, philosophies and thoughts about her place on the planet, it is also surprisingly choc-a-bloc full of hints, tips, tutorials, patterns and suggestions of how you can get more out of your clothes and textiles.

So I was torn between settling down with a cup of tea and doing some gentle Sunday reading, and my usual frenetic gobbling up of a craft book, which involves leaping up in a frenzy of inspiration to start on something before I've even finished the book, or indeed, read the instructions.

We all love a how-to! Good little graphics inspire you to rummage in your wardrobe

For example, a whole chapter is dedicated to repurposing your clothes, including such quirky and inspirational ideas as:

• Working out what will suit you by making a paper doll of yourself and playing with clothes shapes to work out what suits you;
• Dividing your wardrobe into Keepers, Tweakers, Throwers, Swappers, and Rippers
• A host of re-purposing ideas and talk-throughs such as:
• Over-dyeing stained clothes
• A short skirt into a shopping bag
• Jeans into a picnic bag
• Jumpers into cushions
• Turning two jumpers and an old silk shirt into a long cardigan
• Making a pinafore from an old skirt

Added to these lovely practical how-to's, are a gallery of wonderful images from inspirational textiles artists and refashioning gurus, and lovely pictures of India's dyeing projects.  She also gives you the no-nonsense, undeniable facts about some of the abominable environmental crises the fashion industry is responsible for; a good reason we should all change our thinking, and our actions, when it comes to the clothes we wear, a fact India sums up with a quote from fashion writer Lou Pardi:

"Modern production of clothing is an environmental and social disaster"

The book is beautifully written - full of whimsy and nostalgia, as well as practical and down-to-earth information on fibres, fabrics, washing notes, dyeing clothes and looking after them.  I was delighted to see that the index, a benchmark of a publication truly valued by its publishers but often a victim of cost-cutting, is refreshingly good, at 6 pages long.  It did well in some nasty tests I applied to it - I looked for English words such as 'jumper' to test its suitability for the UK market, and some vague terms like 'chemicals' and 'recycling' to test depth, and it didn't disappoint - it reflects the wealth of information and detail in India's work.

The book is graphically attractive, the colours natural

This is a book from a person for whom textiles is as intimately a part of her life as her skin is; Second Skin is a lovely expression of India's belief that we should all take care in what we put next to our, and our families', bodies.

I love this book - it is a treasure that I dip into when I have a quiet moment.  I hope you will love it too.

You can see what other lovelies Murdoch Books have in their stash too.  I follow Murdoch on twitter at @MurdochBookUK ; and of course you can follow our twitterings at @OriginalStitch  But don't blame me when you drool over Murdoch's library and find your wallet accidentally relieved of cash, ok?

Images taken from Second Skin by India Flint, published by Murdoch Books