Today a bunch of Canberra knitters, and one Sydney ring in, took a trip to a little town tucked away in the Southern Highlands, called Bundanoon. By appointment, George arranged for us to visit Helen Rippin's home, where she runs her business, Waratah Fibres.
Walking into Helen's beautiful home, you couldn't help but feel at ease. Yarn in beautiful colours spills out of baskets in every corner. Spinning wheels, yes, wheels, adorn the living room and at the end of the living room is a nook which functions as a sort of show room for her yarn store. It's a yarn lover's paradise.
The day was filled with all manner of fun. There was spindling.
Some of us really struggled with that.
There was all manner of glorious food which we all provided so Helen didn't have to. Baked goods galore.
And check this out for stunning surroundings. A bush paradise.
That was our backdrop while we worked on a three colour dyeing method at the back of Helen's home. Here are George and Bec having a go.
And here's George's Princess sleeping through at least part of it. Note, that's a pi shawl keeping her warm.
Some of us did this complex numbering/dyeing system that only made sense to me after the event. It involved putting samples in gladwrap and microwaving them. Then you ended up with this.
Great fun. I think it's safe to say lots of us came away understanding that dyeing yarn might not be as scary as we once thought. The number of us who bought dye is a sure indication that Helen managed to work magic on us.
Some of us, well, actually I think all of us, went on a bit of a frenzied bout of yarn buying. Look at this beautiful Wensleydale I bought. It's a very fine 4ply and hails from Yorkshire. I simply had to have it. RoseRed, what do you think? It's seriously red, not pink like my screen seems to be suggesting. I would almost say it's brick meets cranberry.
I also got some of Helen's dyed merino - love this purple.
Really, it was the perfect day. Lots of knitting time in the car, friends, food and fibre. Couldn't ask for better.
Bells
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