12 Days of Christmas 2019

After the success of last years idea to create a 12 Days of Christmas spinners pack, the woman who runs the online shop where I buy most of my spinning fibre and who also runs the monthly fibre club that I have, announced this years options much earlier this year, clearly she is now aware of their popularity and needs to be organised much earlier to avoid disappointment coupled with the worry of any issues regarding Customs & Duty should the UK crash out of the EU on 31st October.  No one knows what is going to happen as this countries politics is in total chaotic mess.

Once again, we have three options.  All of them will include a 100g hand dyed braid of a luxury blend fibre that works with the colours she has chosen for each option, so the main braid for each option will a different colour.  The main braid will be 60% 18.5 micron Merino, 20% Yak, 20% Tussah Silk, which is the same blend that most of us had last year, although I was one of the spinners who had a different blend.  The eleven small packets to be opened one each day thereafter will be different fibres.  They will all be packed into a hand printed cotton bag like they were last year, although the design for the bag will be different than last years.

Sleigh Ride has little parcels containing 10g of Mulberry Silk in a set colour palette and everyone gets the same colours each day.  This is the inspiration photo.

Frost Fair has little parcels containing 20g of 14.5 micron Merino in a set colour palette and everyone gets the same colours each day.  This is the inspiration photo.  This is the one that I chose to get.  My reason for getting this one was because I haven't had the courage to spin last year's yet as I am not comfortable spinning pure silk, it scares me because its so fine and can clump into a nasty mess very easily and I don't want to ruin it.  I will spin a small amount of silk from a sample pack first before risking this beautiful pack.

Nutracker has little parcels of 20g of Tussah Silk and everyone will get a slightly different selection but all colours will work together.  With this one you have to be OK with getting surprises as they will be all sorts of colours in lots of combinations and could be jewels, brights, pastels, neutrals etc.  This is the inspiration photo.

My parcel arrived this morning, 21st October, but I will add the photos of it once I have my Christmas Tree and decorations up as I want a Christmassy photo of it like last year.  Another cardboard drinks coaster inside the package and that matches the bag and is a different design to last year. 

And just like magic, here is the photo.

October's Fibre is here - Khadi

A neutral colour and ohhhhhh so soft, this will make a fabulous shawl once its spun and knit.  I've never heard of Khadi that was mentioned in the letter but there are are all sorts of cloth that I've come across before.  I like this one, such a delicate colour.  50% 18.5 micron Merino Wool, 25% Polwarth Wool, 25% Tussah Silk.

October's Fibre Club Letter

October's fibre club letter has arrived.  I hoped it wouldn't be about politics or activism, we've had quite a few of those this year and whilst its not entirely about politics it is about a politician.

The letter reads:

“The music of the spinning wheel will be as balm to your soul”
“The spinning wheel is as much a necessity of Indian life as air and water”
“I have pinned my faith to the spinning wheel, on it, I believe, the salvation of this country depends.”

With quotes like this I found it hard not to celebrate the birth of Mahatma Ghandi, born on 2nd October 1869. The Indian lawyer and political activist was a passionate believer in the power of the spinning wheel. The Charkha is a hand driven wheel, and cotton (and other fibres) are spun off the tip of the spindle. It was used for spinning yarn that was then woven in to cloth known as khadi. So central was the spinning wheel to Ghandi’s vision of a self governing, independent India that the wheel features on the flag of India, and by law, the flag can only be made from khadi. 

Control over textiles was one of the ways in which the British Empire exerted authority over India. The American civil war had pushed up the price of raw cotton, causing issues in the British cotton mills in Lancashire. As a result the British turned to India for the raw cotton, shipping it back to England, spinning it, and weaving it into cloth. Some cloth was then shipped back to India, and sold at huge profits. Local production of cloth was strongly discouraged, and subject to taxation, where as British made, imported cloth was not subject to any tariffs. In addition Indian cloth could not be exported into the British market. 

Under the rule of the British Raj the yarn output of the handloom industry declined from 419 million pounds in 1850 to 240 million pounds in 1900. Similar policies stripped India of her wealth and prosperity. India's share of world income collapsed from 22.6% in 1700, (Europe’s share at that time was 23.3%), to 3.8% in 1952. 

Ghandi used the symbolism of going back to handspun, hand woven khadi as part of his rejection of the British empire. He generally wore a loin cloth with a woollen shawl in colder weather, and encouraged others to reject their Western clothing, and go back to a manner of dress from their pre-colonial culture. He spun nearly every day, and made it obligatory for members of the Indian National Congress to spin cotton, and pay their party dues in cotton thread. He also saw it as a way of raising the status of women in Indian society, this being work they could do at home. “I swear by this form of swadeshi (khadi) because through it I can provide work to the semi-starved, semi-employed women of India. My idea is to get these women to spin yarn, and to clothe the people of India with khadi which will take the impoverished women out of it.” 

Today khadi is still being woven from handspun cotton, and is something the Indian government is focusing on as a way of helping the poorest in Indian society as the cloth attracts a premium price.

As ever, I hope this letter is just a starting point, the work of Ghandi and his belief in non-violent protest is a vast topic. I’ve chosen to focus on khadi, and the importance that cloth played in the route towards Indian independence. I can’t put cotton in a blend, as it just forms clumps, so instead I’ve chosen to use a form of silk that originates in India, and combine it with some wool from other countries that used to be in the British Empire. Khadi can be dyed any colour, but I’ve done for a blended neutral. I’ve also popped in a small bag of cotton for you to have a go at spinning. Even if you don’t have a quill you can still spin this fibre on a standard wheel, I’ve included a link to some tutorials in the further reading section.


From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is a soft blend so making socks would be folly so best make something soft and squishy to go around your neck and she already says in the letter that she has gone for a neutral colour. 

What to do with Annie

With two of our chickens passing away recently we have been deliberating what to do with Annie.  She has shown no signs of illness but she is not doing so good on her own, she is quite upset and distressed at being alone and having no friends around her.  We have decided to try and re-home her to somewhere she can live out the rest of her days in retirement but will have friends around her.  We contacted Heronfield Small Breeds Farm and Animal Rescue Centre, which is not far away from us, and they agreed to take her in.  We will miss her but we have had to do what is best for her.  Bye bye Annie.

Annie is the dark grey chicken in each of these photos.