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Wool and Accessories from The Woolly Shepherd

Val Grainger, the Woolly Shepherd, started selling knitting wool because she noticed 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 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 spun from fine Dorset Down wool one of the finest wools produced in Britain, with the Dorset Down now classified as rare being the local breed to West Dorset and South Somerset.

Stitch markers, made from silver and glass beads, or felted wool are made by local artisans completing the range of goods produced, processed and made in the West Country. Added to this range are some products from outside the UK but imported direct and fairly traded. These are Banana fibre, Sari Silk, Hemp & Nettle.

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. Hemp & Nettle are supplied from local growers in Nepal.

All of these items are available from the Woolly Shepherd's online shop.
In 2008 funding was secured from Leader +, Devon Renaissance and The Blackdowns AONB Sustainable Development Fund to purchase machinery to start producing felt from local wool of all types for the fashion industry, horticulture and insulation.
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