Fleecewood Farm & Woolcraft Workshops

22/08/2026

While I was in Christchurch earlier this month I ran a Diagonal Weaving workshop at Linwood Resource Centre. I will be running a felt ball Christmas Decoration workshop in the first week in November (not sure of actual date at this point), but feel free to contact LRC if you are interested. The class will involve making felt balls and decorating them using needle felting techniques.

Fleecewood Farm & Woolcraft Workshops thank you! And for the wonderful mahi you did in the front garden! 💐

20/08/2026

First lambs of the season born yesterday, and so another sheep year begins. Abby provided the photos and does the lambing rounds. She brings the mums and bubs down for me to record and put out in the front paddock where it is easier to keep an eye on them.

11/08/2026

I have been working on the front garden of Linwood Resource Centre. I still have a way to go, but it is definitely looking better than the knee-high weeds of a year ago.

28/07/2026

I have just confirmed a rug hooking workshop for next Monday (3 August) - 10 am to 1 pm at the farm. Space for a couple more if anyone is interested. We will cover making tufted, loop-pile, and combination textures, on a rug canvas base using fleece locks and sliver - not spun yarn. These rugs are extremely durable, less expensive than the conventional latched hooked rugs, and can have a great range of textural interest. Please message me if you are interested in one of the remaining places. Photos are of previous students' work.

18/07/2026

What fun! I've spent the last couple of days washing and dyeing English Leicester fleece locks to restock supplies for my Rotoiti Retreat stall next weekend. Rotoiti Retreat is the annual Winter retreat weekend for Creative Fibre people in the Nelson-Marlborough-Buller-West Coast area.

15/07/2026

I was up in Taranaki teaching workshops last weekend - Fleece selection and preparation, Space dyeing, Beginner spinning. I'm still recovering from the travel, which was driving up and back so I could get everything up there. It was 2.30 am before I got back on Tuesday morning, though it all went according to plan with that trip. I had to deal with ferry cancellations and delays on the way up, but luckily I had allowed an extra day to make sure I got there in time.

02/07/2026

See what it is like working in a shearing shed.

02/07/2026

I though you might appreciate a video one of my helpers took to show what it is like working in a shearing shed. Notice how quickly the fadges fill up with fleece! My system is a little different to the usual shearing shed in that I can't skirt fleeces to my standards as fast as the shearer can shear the sheep. I place the unskirted fleece in the fadge with a tag identifying what animal it came off, and followed a layer of reusable plastic between the fleeces. Then, I skirt the fleeces at a later date.

30/06/2026

Another busy morning today and shearing is now finished for the year! It is hard to wind down, but I am working on it. Tomorrow is another day - feeding out, wool to sort and take to the wool buyer (all the skirtings and fleeces that are not up to scratch. Then there are fences to fix and trees to plant if the weather stays fine. If not fine, it is dyeing and getting stuff ready for Taranaki area retreat weekend after next.

29/06/2026

Christened the new woolshed set up yesterday - shearing 80 lambs and 20 something big rams and wethers. Sliding door (sheep entrance from the yards on the left - working though not yet finished), and temporary yards inside, but we made it work. I need to train the sheep to the new setup before next year to make it easier! The ewes get done today. Sheep photos to come :-)