A visit to The Wool Shed

It's still the summer holidays down here in New Zealand. It's been a scorcher and I have been off enjoying life with my family and neglecting to write blog posts. I'd like to think some of you noticed, but I'd actually prefer that you were all enjoying some family time too.

There are still a few more weeks until school goes back and whilst I'm not ready to re-enter the world of planning and preparation just yet, I am never far from the world of handwork.

Last week we were driving up a seriously windy road, over a big hill in rural New Zealand, trying to get to the aptly named Golden Bay (originally named Murderers Bay, but somehow that was not as tempting to tourists) when we spotted a sign for 'The Wool Shed' and just had to turn down the dirt track that the sign indicated.

At the end of it we found this:

We ventured inside and discovered it was a rustic cafe run by people who love wool!

They had all sorts of beautiful hand dyed yarn for sale, as well as roving from local rare breeds - heaven.

Outside, there were fibre producing animals - sheep, goats and llamas. One of the cafe walls had pictures and information about each of the animal, including a description of their fibre and its uses.

We bought bags of animal feed and went outside to make some friends.

Sadly they were not selling the animals fibres at the cafe, as I would have loved some from the baby angora goat.

Whilst most of the animals were there to show off their various fibres, there was also an irresistible kunekune pig and a couple of ostriches who added to the entertainment, particularly when the ostrich snatched the empty food bag from my son's hand and gobbled it down in its entirety!

Inside the cafe, there were opportunities to explore various wool tools such as carders, blending boards and looms. There was also a place where you could have a go at making felt.

I particularly enjoyed looking at all the various wool products and of course, mentally filing the ideas to try with the kids later.

My favourite is this draughts set - so easy for children to make. Guess what we'll be giving as gifts next Christmas!

What handwork have you been inspired with over the holiday period? Please share what you have been working on in the comments section below, on the Montessori Handwork Facebook page or in the Montessori Handwork Threads Facebook group.