May 2013

We thought you’d like to know about some of the exhibitors attending the show.

LaalBear is a Lancashire based indie dyer.

I came into dyeing by accident after buying a dyeing kit from a fellow crafter at one of the craft fairs I used to attend. The rest as they say is history. I have always loved working with colour and love mixing and matching for my yarns and I like using different yarn bases and seeing how they all take the dyes differently. I also dye fibres for spinners. My yarns and fibres are dyed with acid dyes which give strong vibrant colours. To compliment the yarn I have a small range of patterns I design and a selection of project bags. I attend and sell most of my wool at wool festivals including Wonderwool Wales, Woolfest and the Bakewell Wool Gathering. I also have an online shop with Etsy.

Laalbear's stand

But my passion is sourcing and using  British Wool and supporting the British Wool industry. In 2012 I decide my yarns were travelling to far round the world  before they got to me and begun the task of sourcing wool in this country. After some detective work and the help of Carole from Skeins I can now boast that 80% of my wool is produced in Britain. The majority is produced in Yorkshire and the rest in Devon including an Exmoor Blue Face/British Alpaca blend which is spun especially for LaalBear. My main aim is to continue to find more British yarns to add to my stock.

The Counted Sheep

Based on Lincolnshire’s East coast, The Counted Sheep usesBritish wool to create a range of beautiful items, including hats, scarves, gloves, throws and cushions. We scour the UK to find the best quality yarns, aiming to support British rare breed sheep in particular, and are partners of The Campaign for Wool. Everything is knitted by hand with great skill, care and attention. We also stock a small range of British knitting yarn. We sell through our website, www.thecountedsheep.co.uk and at various events throughout the year. The business is only young, being started in 2012, but Lauren, the founder, has already received a Young Entrepreneur award from Shell LiveWire. We hope you’ll watch us grow!

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