Studio ZIA

23/06/2026

A couple of weeks ago I lock spun some beautiful rare breed Leicester Longwool and today I finally got around to plying it, using a lace weight silk and alpaca yarn as I didn’t want to detract from the curls! I pushed my Ashford Wheels and Looms jumbo to the max as even with the 27mm or***ce those locks were chonky ☺️
It’s not perfect but it was a useful and enjoyable learning experience 🐑

18/06/2026

I’m really pleased with my latest batt - rare breed Soay, tussah silk and Merino.
It should make a super lofty spin, which I will test out tomorrow… 🥰

17/06/2026

This is another yarn I’ve made using very rare breed Soay sheep.
I’ve plyed this with Merino bouclé and auto wrapped with a pink sparkle thread - it’s really light and bouncy 😊
Because I think brown and pink go so nicely together, I’m going to work on some new blends soon… 🤎🩷

15/06/2026

A special spin I made today 💕
The pink is a lovely heathered merino from John Arbon Textiles and the chocolate brown is some precious Soay - a very rare Scottish sheep breed with ancient origins, thought to go back to the time of the Vikings!! Soay originate from the island of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides but this fleece was from a farm in Cornwall, which is a wee bit closer to home.
You can read more about Soay sheep here: https://soayandboreraysheepsociety.org/soay-sheep/ 🐑
…and some cat spam because Petunia threw herself down for a tummy tickle when she saw me outside with my yarn ☺️

13/06/2026

13/06/2026

This year’s Devon Open Studios is officially running for a shorter period than in previous years but at Green Hill Arts we will be happily welcoming visitors over three weeks! 🙌
❤️ Please save these dates ❤️
I am busy making new pieces and will have a wide range of hand spun yarns, cushions, scarves, textile kits, pictures, sculptures, decorations, cards and some jewellery too 🥰

12/06/2026

I carded up this batt while I was cooking dinner last night ☺️
It’s a great feeling to spin from your own batt and watch all the idiosyncrasies reveal themselves, like the fun little nepps popping up. The fibres are Rambouillet, Merino, Mulberry Silk, Tussah Silk, recycled sari silk, wool nepps and angelina sparkle.
Looking forward to plying this up!

09/06/2026

I’m excited to have a new art batt project in mind…
In the meantime here’s a fun yarn I made yesterday from BFL, merino and mohair 🥰

08/06/2026

Meet Missy, my lovely new model!
Now I’ve got her valuable assistance I can take some nice photos of my scarves.
Here’s one of my cowl scarves made from a luxury silk and wool blend ❤️