showers and crisp chill mornings. The inhabitants of these
isles have become expert at dealing with changeable
weather and temperature, and the wool raised in Britain has
a long history of keeping out the elements.
The Romans prized the native British Byrrus Brittanicus, a
thick hooded cape well able to deal with the worst weather,
and later, in the Medieval period, fulling mills trampled and
shrunk woollen cloth and knitted caps to create thick, dense
textiles that wore well and kept out the chill.
Today, we take inspiration from this long heritage to bring
you our woollen stole. Made by us in the heart of the Welsh
Valleys, we select 100% woollen yarn (from British sources
for preference) in colours inspired by moor and mountain,
sea and sky, season and leaf, and turn it into a thoroughly
practical multi-purpose wrap, shawl, stole and blanket.
The body of the stole is knitted in plain stockinette, then the
short ends are given a neat no-nonsense crochet finish,
either in a self or contrasting shade, before the stole is fulled
in hot water with our own hand made all olive oil Castile soap
to thicken and shrink the fabric. This gives a dense, cosy,
slightly fluffy handle to the finished stole, with edges that curl
invitingly around the body, and an ability to drape and pin in
as many ways as your imagination allows.
There is a Welsh word 'Cwtch' that sums up well how a
woollen stole feels and works. Snuggle it round your
shoulders on cool evenings or whilst working at the
computer, double it up for the warmest scarf ever on cold
days, wind it over your head to keep off a drizzle,pin it on
your shoulder with a brooch for an elegant evening drape or
tuck both ends into your waistband (or secure behind the
back with a brooch for a sleek line) and you have an up to
date shawl wrap cardigan for work wear.
Most of our stoles are one offs, we may source enough yarn
to make several in the same colour, but we usually finish
each slightly differently, so you can be sure your stole is as
unique as you are.
Stoles are a practical garment. We could have added
fringes, sequins and beads, but we chose to make
hardwearing, hardworking textiles that will age gracefully.
Saying that, they are great to decorate yourself if your tastes
range to something with a bit of glitter. A woollen stole is
ideal to wrap round yourself after a dance class or exercise
session
100% wool stoles are now available priced £35 plus postage
we also have a limited range of shades of Wool/Silk stoles available (approx 85% British wool, 15% silk) priced
at just £45
This is a new addition to our range, and we are hoping to bring you a gallery of currently available stoles in
about a months time. Until then, if you would like to order a stole, drop me an email and let me know your
preferred colours and I will see what we have available. I can also source almost any colour to order in 100%
British grown and produced Shetland wool, though colours not in stock may cost a little more as I will have to
have the yarn sent down specially (typically £5-£10 more depending on colour availability)
Brooches are made to order by Gareth and start from £25 for a solid silver penannular.
Email me to order or enquire about a commission.