Yuk and yak

Has your life been disrupted because of recent floods or power cuts? I met a lady on the shuttle bus to the British Wool Show yesterday who had flown in from New York, only to find there were no trains to and from London. In fact, at York Station, where we alighted for the shuttle bus, there were signs saying there would be none all weekend. No wonder the intercity from Leeds was so comfortable.

However, my own minor troubles started as we left the station to the shuttle bus pickup point. This point was submerged by building works, so clearly out of action, and at the station there were no signs indicating a solution.

In short, the organisation of the shuttle bus was a shambles. I’d found other showgoers also looking for a way of getting there and between us we picked out what worked from what was erroneous information when we called the organiser. So, we got there after over two hours of worry and frustration.

Fortunately, everyone I spoke to at the show was lovely. And I was able to get what I’d gone for: a sturdier drop spindle than the one I had already. Then I came across a stall selling the most beautiful silky fleece I had ever felt and the seller managed to convince me that it was exactly what I needed to soften the sheep’s wool I had recently acquired elsewhere.

This is not just sheep’s fleece, though. It is a mixture of: merino, alpaca, silk and yak. And it is a new challenge to spin, so there are a few strands which are wending their way to the compost. Still, I imagine yak, alpaca and silk, like sheep’s fleece, will be beneficial to the garden.

A shame that (some of) these exotic fibres will have come from outside Britain. Not seen many yaks on my travels, but I console myself with the fact that these particular fibres were remnants and better I use them than allow them all to waste.