Penny Rugs

Today we had the Penny Rug workshop and we really enjoyed ourselves.  They are made from woollen and felt textiles, and I had a great stock of Tweed fabric - some from the Donegal Woollen Mill, and some from the Cotswold Woollen Mill, in Filkins, Lechlade.

Sandra and I visited there on a very wet day in January - and had a great time.  You wander from room to room, upstairs and downstairs, and there is so much to see.  Lots of woollen clothes to buy, and loads of quirky things - but I particularly liked the old mill.   From what we could gather, they don't weave there anymore but the old looms can be seen

 

and there were huge baskets of old spindles everywhere

 

 

and there was a whole history of the Woollen industry in the Cotswolds.  I loved the old Shepherd's smock

and a selection of sheep bells (we have a few of these that have been dug up over the years).

We poked around the place for ages, and kept coming across really lovely stuff like this old platted rug

Anyway, I also came back with a big bag of tweedy off-cuts and decided to make a penny rug with them.

We made a good start today

I have also been working on my Janie Crow crochet - using the random method she recommends, I dig blind into the bag of yarn and work with whatever ball comes out.  I love doing the crochet but my heart would sink every time I pulled out the yellow or peach ball.  I really, really don't like those colours.

 

 I was talking about this in the workshop and Ros said, "well, don't use them then."  I was shocked - but they were supplied, I'm supposed to use them.  Again, Ros said, "but if you don't like them, don't use them."  So last night I took the yellow and peach balls out - and I feel totally liberated!  The yellow and peach have been banished!!!