Those of you who follow me on Twitter will know that I've been dropping hints about a trip away that I've had this week.  Well, I can now reveal where I've been and why.  A drive of 3 1/2 hours found us deep in the Spey Valley here:

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Knockando Mill - dating back to 1784 when it was known as the Wauk Mill, and recently renovated to a very high standard and the mill is once again in working order.  Besides blankets, scarves and other woven goods, Knockando recently added yarn to their list of products, carded and spun on some of the oldest machinery in use in the UK.







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The fibre they are using is from a Norwegian breed called the Dala sheep.  This yarn is available from their shop, both online and on site, in a variety of natural shades:

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And my reason for visiting the Mill?  Well, they have very kindly asked me to dye some of their yarn for them which will be exclusive to Knockando Mill.  As you can imagine I was thrilled to be asked, and Moira and Emma (from the Mill) and I spent most of Monday talking about colours, techniques, and styles before they gave us an in-depth tour of the Mill.  It really is such a lovely place, and we were blessed with great weather which made photographing the Mill and the surrounding area a dream, and resulted in me having a head full of colours and ideas.

We were lucky enough to get to see parts of the mill that others never see, and parts of the mill that even Moira and Emma were a little surprised to find.  And colour was everywhere!











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So as you can imagine, my head is now buzzing with ideas, but now the hard work really begins - putting my ideas down onto the yarn in a way that will be pleasing to myself, Knockando Mill, and potential customers.  It will be a while before the hand dyed range appears in the Knockando shop, but hopefully by the Highland Wool Festival in May we will have some for you to see.

If you do manage to visit Knockando, make sure you have something to eat in the cafe while you're there.  I had the hot smoked salmon pate, and it was absolutely delicious.   And if you have a partner grumbling about having to look at wool related things - well Cardhu Distillery is just up the hill from the mill - you can send them off for a visit while you enjoy the peace and quiet of the mill and its surroundings.  What I loved about how they are operating is that nothing goes to waste.  Moira was explaining to me that very little goes to the Shoddy Man.   Every scrap that can be used is used, be it from key rings to bunting to craft kits made up to inspire folk to have a go at working with yarn, textiles and fibre, and the proceeds from which all get put back into the running of the mill and the employment of staff.







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There were none left while I was there otherwise one would have come home with me, but they had some great rug kits using up the ends of bolts of tweed fabric - genius!  You can just spot them behind the basket at the front of the table:

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I look forward to this collaboration, and I wanted to say a huge thank you to Emma and Moira for looking after us so well earlier this week.  Hopefully it won't be too long before I am able to make a return visit.