Shawl made with my handspun soft merino wool yarn, the blues and pinks are natural dyed with hibiscus flowers and the grey with Thai black rice and then handwoven into a shawl/lap rug - all my strengths in one beautiful piece.

Wivey Weaver – Yarn Alchemy has been a dream come true for me – I am my own boss and the only employee! There are no office politics and the nearest thing I get to any conflict in my working life is the starlings fighting over the bird feeders in my garden!

Weaving has always fascinated me and I love sitting at my loom being entertained by the wildlife in my garden. Spinning and natural plant dyeing came along as a result of friends saying “you just have to try …” and I have never regretted adding either of these to my handmade crafts list. I love colour (especially lime and olive greens) so, whether it is an acid dyed fibre I am spinning or a white fibre which I will then natural dye, my days are surrounded by a myriad of colours.

I am still amazed that I can take a skein of handspun white yarn, a few leaves from my hedge or some dried flowers and create the most wonderful natural dyed yarns. It is rare that I use plant extracts, I prefer to make use of everything I can find in my own garden.

Now, the circle is complete, I spin white fibre into yarn, natural plant dye it and weave it. The fibre I spin and the yarns I weave with are the best I can find, many coming from a local mill just a short distance from me in Devon where quality is paramount. The acid dyed fibre is either hand dyed by local craftspeople or blended by the local mill and much of that fibre is organic.

For more info please read this interview by my good friend Carol-Ann from Cette Petite Maison and Lulu Lavender https://www.cettepetitemaison.com/2019/05/making-magic-with-wivey-weaver-yarn.html?m=1