[Spinningfishwife]

Hi, I'm Isabella and I live in East Lothian. I'm feeling a bit of a fraud being here as I'm a townie with only a back garden for growing in and doing the self sufficiency bit! In my defence though I had an allotment for over fifteen years, I only gave it up last year due to ill health. (Back problems.) I'm also a spinner, hence the name, and I've got a strong interest in all things woolly.

Now I  just potter around at home. The back garden has been turned into a quarter size allotment and the house is festooned with spinning wheels and fleeces. My OH ignores all of this, he just wants a quiet life though he's quite keen on the home grown vegetables and woollen socks. I've got two kids of 17 and 12, the older one is in the middle of applying to do an environmental sciences course at SRUC in Edinburgh next year and he's already a junior ranger locally so I must be doing something right!

Apart from that the only livestock I have is three rescue cats and a part time job chicken sitting when my neighbour goes away at the weekend. I'm always looking for new things to try though and am looking forwards to picking up a few ideas here. And contributing any way I can, of course 

[Rosemary]

Hello and welcome from  Carnoustie Nice to see you here and we hope you enjoy TAS - for the most part we're a friendly easygoing crowd, although there seems to be something in the changing of the seasons that's making some people behave really badly 

[happygolucky]

Hi, not far away in Clackmannanshire although moving away from the wee county very soon but still in central Scotland, there are a lot of spinners on here and a fair few non smallholders, I was going to leave this forum as I did have chickens and a pair of ducks but due to moving, re homed the lot, however, I would miss the characters and interactions on here too much so I am staying for now...most of us have some form of pets like dogs or cats......so, welcome....

[goosepimple]

...and hello from down the road a bit near Lauder.  There are lots of members on here who live very near you.  You're very welcome here, a bit of this a bit of that, that's what we like, nothing wrong with pottering away at things you like doing.  I just bought my 12 year old daughter a vintage Shetland jumper off ebay which has just arrived, looks like one of the knitting patterns my gran made up when I was her age, dark blue with a pattern at the top (is that Orkney come to think) she totally loved it and she's sitting in it now chuffed to bits.  Nothing like a bit of home made is there     Welcome 

[SallyintNorth]

Hi Isabella  good to see you over here 

Isabella's a fund of information spinning-wise, especially about spinning wheels and their care and maintenance, and has been a great help to me as I have been getting into spinning and spinning wheels. 


I had a go with the quill spindle you lent me, yesterday at Stanhope with Carol's assistance, and absolutely loved it.  Now I need to prep some batts and have a go with it on Janet, my 'leftie' Traddy - really looking forward to it 

I don't suppose you'd be planning to attend the Dumfries' Gathering on Sat Nov 9th?  I could bring Janet and quill spindle for you to see and try ...   (tempt tempt  )

[mowhaugh]

hello! 

[Lesley Silvester]

  and welcome from sunny Shropshire. I am a back garden smallholder as well but manage to have a couple of goats in my garden as well as fruit and veg.


I am a weaver and am re learning to spin although not very successfully at the moment. I also do needle felting.

[Fleecewife]

Hi and welcome Spinningfishwife from fleecewife      I'm in S Lanarkshire so not too far.
 
Looking forward to your contributions esp on the craft bit.
 
Don't worry about having no farming livestock - loads of folk on here 'just' have gardens    and we can all learn from eachother.

[Bionic]

Hello and welcome from another spinner  . I spin too although I'm not great at it but I'm getting there. I have just started weaving too and am finding that a bit of a challenge.

[Ina]

Hi Isabella! One of these days I'll get round to spinning, too...

[Mammyshaz]

Hello Isabella  from another spinner ( or at least try  ). The hardest part at present is finding time. I have a felting kit too still waiting for a day of confidence to try.
I garden in my two allotments so come spring may be testing your knowledge for advice    

[Spinningfishwife]

Thanks for all the welcomes! It's SallyintNorth's fault I'm here btw , I know her from Ravelry and we finally met in person at the Scottish Smallholders' Festival last month. (Great day out, DD and I had a lovely time and yes, I came home with a fleece.)

[Bionic]

. (Great day out, DD and I had a lovely time and yes, I came home with a fleece.)

Just one fleece?

[Spinningfishwife]

I've got a bit of a backlog of fleeces up in the attic atm...like fifteen or so! There was this very lovely Castlemilk Moorit fleece though.....

[SallyintNorth]

I have a felting kit too still waiting for a day of confidence to try.

Me too!  What about us both bringing our kits to the November Fibre Friday and having a go together?

There was this very lovely Castlemilk Moorit fleece though.....

Ah, and it was outstanding  .  I left my contact details with the lady whose sheep they were, but she hasn't been in touch so far.  If that's representative of the fleece on her Castlemilks, then I know where I will look for some more ewes in due course!