I went to the show with two friends and we all enjoyed the visit and made a variety of purchases. We look forward to next year. Best wishes from Audrey Turner, West Bridgford, Nottingham
North Ronaldsay sheep live on the beaches of the Orkney island which gave them their name. They live on the sea weed blown on to the rocky shores and sandy beaches, as they’ve done since the Iron Age. Audrey told me that when she’d bought the yarn, there was a tiny piece of knitting inside the cone with a note to say the yarn had been scoured once. When finished, the shawl wasn’t as white as she would have wished, so she looked more into scouring.
Scouring is an essential process in the preparation of wool and removes grease, sheep’s dried perspiration, sand and dirt. Audrey’s yarn had been soured once, but she decided to do it a second time to hopefully remove some of the yellowness of the finished shawl. She took some Lux flakes and a bowl of seriously hand hot water and washed the shawl thoroughly but carefully – felting springs to mind! She then rinsed it in two or three lots of water, until the water was clear, then blocked out the shawl and left it to dry. You can see the splendid results in the picture on page 15 of the June issue and thanks for passing this on Audrey.
