My OperaMonday May 10 .... the start of the Jean Moss tour.
Friday, May 14, 2010 3:46:00 PM
Woke early to bright sunshine but another bitterly cold day in Bristol. Thank goodness I was joining the Jean Moss tour this morning, leaving Bristol and heading, via Coldharbour Mill, for Dartington Hall, Devon. A few hiccups, like one large volcano spewing ash, delayed the start of our tour. We spent a little longer than expected at Bristol airport waiting for some folks from New York. All good things happen to those with patience and what's an hour or so when one is busily getting to know other knidred knitting folks.
In high spirits we eventually set off for Coldharbour Mill at Uffculme, Cullompton, mid Devon. The drive was our introduction to the rolling, velvety green of the Devon country side ... so pretty it was mesmerising though, the more narrow the roads became the more awake one became. Curiousity rose to fever pitch re: will the bus fit down that road and what will happen if the bus meets a vehicle coming the other way. Our driver was obviously experienced and all was good ... lots of backing-up but no mishaps.
Coldharbour Mill is a working mill and home to many crafts; knitting, spinning & weaving. The spinners & knitters meet in the old stables weekly while the weavers conduct Beginners, Improvers & Advanced weaving classes on a regular basis.
The Mill has a long checquered history of boom & bust and it is due to the efforts of the hard working 'Friends of the Mill' plus a resurgence of interest in Crafts that the mill is working at all.
We toured the mill seeing wool being carded and Taran being woven on the looms. The carding is done for locals who send in their fleeces.
The Coldharbour Tartans of present date are the Green Devon Tartan, the Blue Devon Tartan, the Somerset Tartan & the Blackdown Tartan. The Coldharbour Mill tartans are recognised by the Scotish Tartan Authority & are exclusive to Coldharbour Mill. We had lunch at the mill which of course has, not only a wee cafe but also a shop. No prizes for guessing what we did after lunch. I bought a skein of Lace weight, water wheel spun, organically farmed Merino wool. Grown locally & spun at the mill.
Of course the mill was originally steam driven .... now the big steam engines sit idle awaiting restoration & what works is 'fired up' on special Market days. Appetites, curiousity and shopping lust sated we ambled back to the bus to continue our journey through the Devon countryside to Dartington Hall. See my Dartington Hall album on Facebook for photos. The day was not yet over and, after settling into ... well more like, after finding (quite the task) one's room & then settling in we joined Jean for her wonderfully entertaining lecture during which she disclosed 'the dirt' on what happens 'Behind the Scenes' in the world of knitting designers & publishers.
Dinner that night was held in the Great Hall with our table being located in what used to be the main fireplace .... the one where they roasted the whole animal on the spit (14 feet wide. No spit roasting for us, but I needed all the sustance I could muster from my dinner that night for the 'climb' ahead of me. My deliciously comfy, dreamily soft bed is extraordinarily high and, as I climb up each night I feel like I am about to sleep on a cloud.
In high spirits we eventually set off for Coldharbour Mill at Uffculme, Cullompton, mid Devon. The drive was our introduction to the rolling, velvety green of the Devon country side ... so pretty it was mesmerising though, the more narrow the roads became the more awake one became. Curiousity rose to fever pitch re: will the bus fit down that road and what will happen if the bus meets a vehicle coming the other way. Our driver was obviously experienced and all was good ... lots of backing-up but no mishaps.
Coldharbour Mill is a working mill and home to many crafts; knitting, spinning & weaving. The spinners & knitters meet in the old stables weekly while the weavers conduct Beginners, Improvers & Advanced weaving classes on a regular basis.
The Mill has a long checquered history of boom & bust and it is due to the efforts of the hard working 'Friends of the Mill' plus a resurgence of interest in Crafts that the mill is working at all. We toured the mill seeing wool being carded and Taran being woven on the looms. The carding is done for locals who send in their fleeces. The Coldharbour Tartans of present date are the Green Devon Tartan, the Blue Devon Tartan, the Somerset Tartan & the Blackdown Tartan. The Coldharbour Mill tartans are recognised by the Scotish Tartan Authority & are exclusive to Coldharbour Mill. We had lunch at the mill which of course has, not only a wee cafe but also a shop. No prizes for guessing what we did after lunch. I bought a skein of Lace weight, water wheel spun, organically farmed Merino wool. Grown locally & spun at the mill.
Of course the mill was originally steam driven .... now the big steam engines sit idle awaiting restoration & what works is 'fired up' on special Market days. Appetites, curiousity and shopping lust sated we ambled back to the bus to continue our journey through the Devon countryside to Dartington Hall. See my Dartington Hall album on Facebook for photos. The day was not yet over and, after settling into ... well more like, after finding (quite the task) one's room & then settling in we joined Jean for her wonderfully entertaining lecture during which she disclosed 'the dirt' on what happens 'Behind the Scenes' in the world of knitting designers & publishers.
Dinner that night was held in the Great Hall with our table being located in what used to be the main fireplace .... the one where they roasted the whole animal on the spit (14 feet wide. No spit roasting for us, but I needed all the sustance I could muster from my dinner that night for the 'climb' ahead of me. My deliciously comfy, dreamily soft bed is extraordinarily high and, as I climb up each night I feel like I am about to sleep on a cloud.
