Wild Woolers from Gosberton and Quadring ensure wool is not sent to the tip but given new purpose
Wool was once responsible for the prosperity of a number of areas in the county but now this once-valuable commodity is often being burned or sent to the tip.
But passionate spinners Helen James and Beth McCorrie are hoping to bring about the end of some of that waste - and help some of our endangered sheep breeds - by ensuring this important resource is used once more.
The duo, who live in the Gosberton and Quadring area, formed Wild Woolers to provide ethically-sourced and dyed yarns, which also use a range of plants and even onion skins.
The venture into spinning was helped after they were offered fleeces from a conservation flock of Hebridean sheep which was going to be thrown out.
Helen and Beth now work with the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and have even won an award — but they are hoping to work with Lincoln Long Wool sheep and other indigenous breeds to have a big impact closer to home.
Helen said: “We feel very passionate that the fleece should not be sent to the tip.
“The problem is that costs more to sheer the sheep than you get back from the Wool Board - if they buy it off you. It’s really ridiculous.
“In the UK we have rare breed indigenous flocks that are going to disappear as no-one values what they have to offer.”
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust currently has 27 sheep breeds on its watch list - including the county’s own Lincoln Long Wool Sheep.
In medieval times, the Lincoln was one of three breeds which accounted for wool production, thanks to its fantastic curly fleece, but now there are just 99 registered flocks and about 1,500 breeding ewes due to the drop in demand for their products since the 1950s.
Helen said: “We are constantly on the lookout for fleeces. We are hoping we might be able to find local Lincoln Long Wools fleeces.
“Working with that wool is beautiful. It has a lovely lustre and is slinky.
“Lincoln Long Wool is a dream to spin.
“It makes me very sad when you go back to basics and look at the history of wool and sheep. This part of the UK was built on the proceeds of wool but we have lost all sense of our heritage.”
Wild Woolers was formed after professional knitter Helen started up a group, which is part of the Knitting and Crochet Guild in 2022, a short time after moving to this area from North Norfolk.
One of the first people to attend the group was Beth, a professional crocheter.
Shared interests in learning how to spin, botanical dying and British rare breed sheep helped to lay the foundations of Wild Woolers.
Within the first six months, they were offered a unique opportunity to ensure that fleeces were not wasted.
Helen said: “My son-in-law was offered sheep fleeces otherwise they would have been taken to the tip.
“We just said yes without having a thought. We drove over to Formby in Lancashire and packed the car with fleeces.”
The wildlife trust keeps the flock to help keep down invasive plants which would take over the area and not allow species of invertebrates to thrive.
The pair came across Halifax Spinning Mill, which was willing to deal with small batches of fleece.
But Helen and Beth are also able to offer hand spun yarn now that they are both capable spinners having mastered the art.
Helen said: “It is about learning and getting to know your fleece. It is fascinating and I love it.
“I have a vintage wheel which is the Ikea flat pack wheel of the Victorian era.”
She also has a more modern wheel which dates from the 70s and 80s along with an electric nano wheel.
Helen said: “I can spin 50g in a couple of hours. Some fleeces are really difficult and can be lump so can take longer.”
Helen says the Hebridean wool is now mixed with some alpaca wool to create something incredibly soft and very warm.
Some of the wool has been made into socks and Wild Woolers share the profits from selling the spun wool with Lancashire Wildlife Trust to support the conservation flock.
The pair have produced kits along with designing patterns for people to use.
And their kits are not just using yarn that they have spun but they are also have an interest in botanical dying.
Helen said: “We try to forage as much as possible I have now planted wode in my garden as it gives such as a gorgeous shade of blue.
“We use common weeds grown along the dyke sides and even onion skins.”
Both Helen and Beth are committed to being as ethical as possible - and are also opposed to superwool due to the processes involved in creating this - and were recently awarded Nature Business of the Year by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.
Wild Woolers goods are sold via the website but they also attend a number of shows across the country and have seen a greater interest as they go along.
There is also a joke between the duo that Beth ‘sabotaged’ 71-year-old Helen’s retirement.
She said: “I feel that what we are doing will be Beth’s business in the future but it is also a legacy about trying to leave something behind that can carry on looking after all of these kind of things.”
Helen and Beth welcome new members to their knitting and crochet group which meets at St Gilbert and St Hugh’s Church Hall in Gosberton Clough on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons.
For more information go to www.wildwoolers.co.uk
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