This
last weekend saw me, as the Southdown Sleep Steward, attending a natural fibre
event at RHS’ Rosemoor in North Devon. And what a delight.
Expertly organised, the event logistics were
flawlessly executed, making stand set-up a breeze. The exhibition hall,
specially designed for this very sort of event, was a beautiful space, subtly
lit by ultra-modern oblique skyward windows and ingeniously recessed
downlights.
This was not the first time Rosemoor has held
this event, and its growing popularity and local renown was immediately
apparent as the doors opened at 10am. From then on, there was a steady stream
of visitors, all aware of and deeply interested in the world of natural fibre.
Unlike the attendees of many of the larger agricultural shows, these visitors
were acutely aware of the environmental harm done by synthetic man-made fibres
and were all beating the same drum, collectively calling for a return to
sheep’s wool. All these, dare I say in jest, woolly-headed folk supportively
took away with them our Buyers Guide to the Perfect Wool Duvet, essential
reading before taking any duvet decisions.
As I got talking to many of the visitors, I was
astonished at how many people are doing creative things with wool. The yarning,
dying, knitting, and felting were an obvious starting point but there were
people using fine wools for weft and warp in weaving, wool in almost
3D-sculpting, wadding to fill cotton quilting and wool being used as upholstery
stuffing.
All this buzz of interest was really so pleasing
but the very best was a lady who walked up to me and said: “You’re Jessica. I
have been reading your blog in the Big Issue for years.” We then had a very
cordial chat about her local Big Issue Vendor who she has been supporting for a
long time.
It was a 4 hour round trip to North Devon and a
long day for me that started at 4am, but it was really worth the effort. In
case you feel you have missed out, call us and we will post you a copy of our
Buyers Guide, complete with a picture of a glorious dog tucked up in a duvet.
