![]() One vendor was even able to show a prospective customer a picture on her phone of the individual sheep whose fleeces had contributed to the balls of undyed knitting yarn on sale! Sacks of raw fleece. The theme I could see this year was traceability – there was a strong emphasis on the provenance of the yarn on sale, with information on the flock that the fleece came from and the mill or hand-spinner that had processed it. Neither was there any sign this year of the giant knitting – with yarn as thick as rope, and broomsticks for needles – which was all the rage the last time I went. This year, when I specifically wanted some cotton yarn for a project, there was none to be found, and remarkably little linen either. For example, a few years ago there was a plethora of yarns made from hemp/linen, organic cotton, and nettle fibres. Over the years that I have been coming to Wonderwool, I have noticed trends within the fibre crafts world. Fortunately, they were happy to pose for me! Ali and Christine modelling their creations I could have photographed dozens of examples at Wonderwool, but I settled on these two ladies who had travelled to Wonderwool from Cheshire, resplendent in their stunning, unique creations which incorporate felting and stitching techniques. ![]() There are several thousand people here, and seemingly every second person is wearing a handmade scarf, hat, sweater or dress. Fibre events like this (similar gatherings in the UK include Yarn Fest in Yorkshire and Woolfest in Cumbria) are an opportunity for people to show off their creations. Sock yarn by Siobhans Crafts But it is not only the cornucopia of goods for sale which draw the eye. The first time I came, I felt like I needed a lie down in a darkened room for the rest of the weekend. During Wonderwool, however, the barns become like the inside of a kaleidoscope, a sensory overload of colour and texture with nearly two hundred stalls representing sheep breed societies, craft guilds, boutique textile mills, purveyors of equipment for knitters, spinners, weavers, dyers, feltmakers – but mainly yarn, more yarn in a dizzying rainbow of colours than I have ever seen in one place. The venue is three large barns which, when used for agricultural shows, are full of pens containing trimmed and brushed sheep and cattle, the elites of their breeds. Fivemoons yarn hand painted yarn from the Blackdown Hills, Devon. The event at the Royal Welsh Showground near Builth Wells in rural Mid Wales has taken place since 2006, and whilst it started with the idea of raising the profile of Welsh wool and providing a showcase for craftspeople and small businesses using wool, it has developed into a gathering of the fibre-obsessed from all over the UK and beyond. After a break of two years because of the pandemic, Wonderwool Wales was finally able to go ahead in its traditional slot of the last weekend in April, and nothing was going to keep me away. On the last weekend in April, I re-connected with my tribe.
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