Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimmed their clammy cells.

from To Autumn by John Keats

Continue reading “Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness”

Somehow they manage to perfectly capture the fullness of summer abundance and mirror the warmth of the sun whose rays have fed their spectacular growth through the season – and yet they subtly hint at the autumnal treasures waiting just around the corner. They are the perfect bridge flower, helping us all to transition to cooler evenings and slightly shorter days.

Continue reading “We do love beautiful sunflowers…”

When a new product has been in development for a long time behind the scenes, it is always a particularly exciting moment when you can present it to the world, and Sian was thrilled to launch her new range of bedding – duvets, pillows and mattress toppers – during Digital Craft Festival last month. Everything about this process has been about getting each component – “just right” – and the alpaca fibre from Ash Farm has played a big role in the ultimate success of this project.

Continue reading “The bedding Goldilocks dreamed of….”

At the end of May it was all hands on deck to make sure the alpacas got their annual haircuts to keep them cool and trim for the summer. This year we had the added challenge of maintaining social distancing throughout the task; the shearers did a fantastic job and we are so impressed and grateful to them.

Continue reading ““Shear” pleasure to cool off in the warm sunshine”

Sian was very excited to be invited to attend Hay Festival 2020 for the first time as a vendor, presenting some of the best of Welsh knitwear design to a national and international audience. Alas, just as plans for this landmark event were starting to get into full swing, preparations were brought to an abrupt halt.

Continue reading “Experience Hay Another Way”