I do love a happy coincidence. Yesterday I slipped off for a spot of half term fun by taking my son to the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood. By a strange twist of fate which involved a small voice from the back of the car saying ‘mummy I need a wee RIGHT NOW!’ I took the next turning left and found myself parked outside Prick Your Finger, a fascinating haberdashery shop and textiles gallery which specialises in British wools and yarns.
Did you know that there are over 60 indigenous breeds of sheep in the British Isles? It was news to me. Owners Louise Harries and Rachael Matthews, who originally hail from the sheep farming areas of Wales and the Lake District, explained how they work with one of the last remaining British mills to create their own range of yarns, as well as offering a wide variety from British and rare breed sheep.
In this treasure trove of a shop you’ll find thick waxy ropes of wool from the seaweed-eating Ronaldsay sheep from the south Orkneys, Romney wool from the sheep which graze on Romney Marsh in Kent, and Herdwick wool from the hardy breed indigenous to the Lake District, as well as Swaledale, Wensleydale, British Alpaca and Cornish Organic, to name just a few.
You can catch up with Prick Your Finger at the Stanley Picker Gallery at Kingston University from 16-20th March, where they will be constructing the world’s first bicycle powered wool mill, turning unwanted sheep fleeces from within the M25 into a range of seductive yarns. Definitely one for the diary!
