Wool and Accessories from The Woolly Shepherd
Val Grainger, the Woolly Shepherd, started selling knitting wool because she found that it was almost impossible to buy locally produced woollen garments or art work made of wool that had been grown in the locality. This is despite the fact that the Blackdown Hills area in which she lives on the Devon/Somerset border was once a centre of the West Country woollen industry.
She also had a small flock of sheep producing wool of very high quality, as did other producers and therefore decided to start producing a high quality light aran type knitting wool which is sold naturally coloured or dyed with plant dyes, many of which are collected from the surrounding countryside. Some wool is also dyed using synthetic acid dyes. This wool is soft and not at all rough consisting of a blend of fine Dorset Down wool and lustre Wensleydale wool, two of the finest wools produced in Britain.
Both these sheep breeds are classified as rare with the Dorset Down being the local breed to West Dorset and South Somerset.
It also became apparent that traditional wooden knitting needles that were the best needles to knit on, avoiding problems such as and repetitive strain injury that can be aggravated by metal needles, were also unavailable except from abroad therefore a West Country wood turner is supplying hand made wooden knitting needles to compliment the wool.
Stitch markers, made from silver and glass beads are made by a local artisan completing the range of goods produced, processed and made in the West Country. Added to this range are two products from outside the UK but imported direct and fairly traded. These are Banana fibre and Sari Silk.
Banana Fibre is produced from the leaves of the banana tree and dyed and hand spun by women in Nepal to supplement their income. It is also an alternative to cotton that is made from a waste product and less damaging to the environment. It is also suitable for vegans.
Sari Silk is made from waste silk from the sari weaving industry and is also hand spun by women in Nepal.