There is textile history around every corner in England. Last week, thanks to Victoria Owens, we were invited to the Cotswolds to meet Chris and Pete with their small flock of Bowmont Sheep and delve into British Heritage Wool at Wychwood Spinners.
The rain let up long enough for a quick tour of the farm before diving into The Wychwood Spinners copious stash of wool.
Chris and her colleagues collect rare and heritage breed fleeces from smallholders across the British Isles. They carefully wash the fleeces and then offer beautiful locks as well as well crafted, mill-processed roving on Etsy.
Needless to say, I was pretty excited about the whole experience. And, yes, I bought quite a lot of wool. For my husband’s sake, I was thankful that Chris and her husband, Pete, also operate Greensleeves Books from the same building. Bill was occupied with the books while I was diving into all the lovely wool.
My ever-patient Daughter-in-Law, Mariah, drove us to the Farm after a morning exploring Newbury. We stopped at the loveliest tea shop near the canal before launching into the Cotswolds.
Sheepies!!!