Crowdecks Woolworks

From sheep to shelf. With absolutely no guarantee of dignity along the way.

It started, as these things so often do, with an entirely reasonable desire to live in a croft, raise sheep, process their fleeces and make things.

Unfortunately, I don’t currently own a croft. Or sheep. Or a spinning wheel.

What I do have is an interest in traditional wool processing, a history of questionable knitting achievements, and a possible collaborator who can actually make things properly.

The idea is to create a small range of handmade Cornish wool products with complete, documented provenance. Not simply handmade in Cornwall, but wool sourced from identifiable sheep on Cornish farms, cleaned, carded, spun and made into finished products locally.

Every item would have a story. The sheep, the fleece, the process, the mistakes, the blisters, the swearing and, eventually, the finished article.

The first possible product is a Crowdecks Crow Hugger - a crocheted mug cosy inspired by the wonderfully ridiculous, enormous-beaked crow photograph already in the Crowdecks collection.

Naturally dark sheep’s wool would form the body. The crow’s face could incorporate brushed wool for a fluffy texture, needle-felted details, small eyes and a three-dimensional beak. Of course I have no idea how to do any of these things. Yet.

Ideally, no dyeing. The colours would come from the sheep themselves.

Other possibilities include small woollen accessories, handmade gifts and limited batches of hand-spun yarn.

The emphasis would be on products that are reasonably quick to make, distinctive enough to sell and genuinely worth the labour involved. A beautiful handmade jumper might be lovely to showcase, but spending three weeks making something nobody will pay three weeks’ wages for is not a good business model. I don’t necessarily want to make a profit, but I’m certainly not interested in making a loss!

Questions requiring investigation

• Which Cornish flocks produce suitable naturally dark fleece?
• Can I learn to spin using a cheap drop spindle before investing in a wheel?
• Can the crow face be made quickly, consistently and attractively?
• How much time does each finished product actually require?
• Can the products command a price that makes the work worthwhile?
• Can I finally crochet something without it becoming a game of ‘guess what this is’?

Current status: Concept. No equipment purchased, no fleece acquired, no commercial commitments made.

Potential complications: Lack of space, insufficient hours in the day, distractions from future ‘brilliant’ ideas, and the possibility that the principal knitter may one day end up having to be me!

Guiding principle: The product is the souvenir of the story.

And if the whole enterprise fails, at least the Development Diary should be entertaining.