News from the Loom

New Throws | New Scarves | New Events | New Yarn

As the nights draw in and the days grow colder I start to wrap up and what better material is there to keep you warm than wonderful British wool! A Laura's Loom wool scarf and a pair of our new wool socks are the perfect companions on a wet and windy walk. They will keep you warm from head to foot even if they can't quite keep you dry.

Once back inside, after a warm bath and with the fire blazing, a good drink to hand, you can snuggle under one of our lovely wool blankets or curl your toes around a hot water bottle clothed in a woolly cover. With a wool-filled cushion at your back you'll be all set for a cosy night in!

From collecting the fleece in September, it can take almost a whole year before the woven products are finished. In between, the wool visits the scourer, the spinner, the dyer, the designer (that's me!), the weaver, and the cloth finisher. Processing has been delayed more than usual this year but I'm pleased to say I can now reveal some wonderful new products online now or due in the next few weeks:

We have a new throw in stock and a second one on the way (sounds like twins!): Glen Check (above) is our subtle twist on a classic design. Woven from three colours rather than the usual two, this is a very warm smaller blanket that's perfect for evening snuggles or even a winter picnic!

Hirta is our Viking inspired throw! It is said that the Vikings made sails from woollen cloth, using one twist in the warp and the opposite twist in the weft. We have applied this to Hirta, crossing our silver grey Hebridean yarn with our Bluefaced Leicester yarn to create a robust but still soft blanket. A variation of our ever popular St. Kilda throw (which will be back in stock next year), it may not stand up to a force 9 gale but it will most certainly keep you warm and it looks good too! This beauty is expected in early December.

Luscious new yarns - I didn't set out to be a yarn supplier but in selling off remainders of my own yarn stocks and testing ideas for new yarns for my own use I seem to have developed a new sideline! This year we have added two new blends: a subtle BFL/Black Wensleydale 2-ply and a simply gorgeous 2 ply worsted spun blend of BFL/Alpaca, made with Suri Alpaca from our friends at Town End Alpacas.

A selection of our yarns are now available at Williams Wools of Kendal. They also made it across the 'pond' this summer to a lovely shop in central Massachusetts run by a fiber-mad colleague from my before-weaving life!

EVENTS 2015
Laura's Loom will be attending the Cumbria Life Home and Garden Show at Rheged Centre near Penrith on February 28th and March 1st.

We will also be at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival next March 13th & 14th. Our yarns, which are suitable for both weaving and knitting have been well received and positively reviewed by Louise Scollay of KnitBritish and Elaine Jinks of Baa Baa Brighouse. The only limitation is your own imagination!

And we hope to be back at Woolfest next June!

In the meantime, for those of you in, near or visiting London, look out for my scarves and socks at Creative Clerkenwell's Christmas Pop-Up, running from Dec. 16th to Dec. 23rd, 2014

Laura's Loom donated £300 in 2014 to The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Fund for their Rural Trainee Scheme. The money is raised from sales of our Howgill Throws, woven from bluefaced leicester wool sourced in the Dales. YDMT supported Laura's Loom at the very beginning, when creating something beautiful with local wool was just an idea. Now we support their aims to train young people how to care for our stunning landscapes.

READER DISCOUNT CODE!

Newsletter readers deserve something special, so with Christmas just around the corner here is an exclusive discount code for you to use should you wish to order any items from the website: LLX1420. It's valid from November 28th until January 31st, 2015.

Introducing our newest wool scarf: Our Howgill Stripes design wowed the audience on its 'maiden run' at Devon Guild of Craftsmen's Home Ground exhibition. These scarves are woven from a subtle blend of our natural and coloured Bluefaced Leicester wools, all sourced from small farms in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. They can also be purchased from our newest stockist: Church House Designs in North Somerset. More stock is expected by mid-December.

Wool Walking Socks - we seem to have a sock fetish here at Laura's Loom - it is something that has developed as we ponder what to do with all this yarn we keep producing. Our Salted Wool socks proved to be a big hit and have nearly sold out - get a pair while you still can! While we wait for more of our special 'salted' wool to be spun over the winter, we have decided to produce some natty coloured socks from our 100% BFL yarns. Colours will be the same as our Howgill Classic Wool Throws, plus a Sky Blue and a Deep Red. They're just the job for anyone who loves the great outdoors.....or anyone with cold feet! And they make wonderful Christmas stockings too. Delivery is expected by early December.

Handwoven scarves: With their oh-so-soft textured surfaces these lambswool scarves are snuggly and perfect for those who don't like itchy wool! I weave each scarf from lambswool, sometimes with a hint of cashmere. Wool/Alpaca with silk versions will be appearing in due course. I have also uploaded some beautiful new silk scarves to the website.

Given the slow and careful nature of handweaving, I have only a limited amount of handwoven scarves in stock but they can all be commissioned in a wide array of colour combinations. Please have a look at my gallery as well as my new products and get in touch if you would like something in particular.

Thank you for signing up to my newsletter....and for reading it! Please pass it along to anyone you think might be interested in Laura's Loom.

For general news and other interesting articles read my Latest News updates via the website.

Wishing you a warm and wool-filled winter season!

Laura

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