Britain Extra - Fiber and Sheep Spotting

If you don't know by now, I'm a knitter, spinner, weaver and lover of all things fiber.  If you don't know that about me yet...you haven't been reading my blogs.  Anyway, in the course of our travels, anything fiber related was photo worthy.  This entry is to share with you my finds.

The Standing Stones of Stenness in Orkney are actually fenced in for sheep to graze.  When you go and view them, you are invading their territory!  But don't worry, walk slowly.  If you're lucky, you'll get to see them itching their butts on the stones.
Standing Stones of Stenness


On the Mainland just north of Evie is a neat little shop called the Woolshed.  
Drive up and see if the owner is in.  I walked around to the house as the sign directed and found a couple guys installing a window.  They helpfully got the owner and I was able to do a little fiber shopping.

Even St. Magnus likes sheep.
St. Magnus Cathedral
Speaking of St. Maguns Cathedral, walk out the door, turn left and go down a block to R. A. Finn's.  They have a nice little selection of yarns and wools.  I found some North Ronaldsay fingering yarn there. 





 I spotted two wheels in an Orkney museum.  They were in great shape and looked like you could sit down and still use them.

Sheep on Hoy Island.  I think there are more sheep than people.

Display at a kiltmaker museum, because what do you think kilts are made of?

A wheel at the kilt museum, in front of the display holding the kilt that Mel Gibson wore in Braveheart.

 I did have difficulty in finding a sheep in London, but the British Museum came to the rescue.

These sheep sadly were not let to pasture among the standing stones on the Salisbury plain.  I would've loved to have seen Stonehenge with sheep grazing in them.

Old Sarum, new wool.  

I'm not sure exactly why there was a wheel at 221 Baker Street.  Could I say that the treadle (game) was afoot?

The best place to find local yarn and fiber was In Orkney, there was a basket in almost every store.  I didn't make it to all the shops that I wanted to either.  In Inverness, there were only national brands, one lady at a shop said that you can't find real local yarn in their towns, only in the outer areas.  I didn't try in London but maybe next time.  




To view larger pictures, click on the photos.
To view all the posts for Britain 2013, click here.

Comments

spinnity said…
Just read over your trip advisor post and came here to see you photos from the 2013 Britain trip. I visited Orkney in 2014 and made a nice hat/scarf set from the hand-dyed North Ronaldsay DK I got from the Woolshed.

Thanks for making the internet a woollier place. :)