The entanglement of redapple and gwlan Cambrian is complex and coming to an exciting point. I have been involved with the Cambrian Mountains Initative to promote local wool for several years. Hoping to improve the market chain for local  wool products. As a farmers daughter and life long crafter not being able to get a Welsh wool  seemed to me like many others, slightly crazy.  Even knowing how the British Wool Marketing Board works for the wool industry  and its relationship with sheep farmers didn’t really prepare me for the complexity of the task we set ourselves – to produce a locally sourced wool.

Well last year we were able to produce a wool which was definately from farms in the Cambrian area (postcodes included SA48) and processed on a commercial scale (3tonnes at a time for scouring for example). The quality is the best we produce in Wales, from mostly Welsh mules/ halfbred sheep (the cross with Welsh Mountians ewes and Bluefaced Leicester rams) We were able to test knit it and some very talented designers made an exhibition of items which we used to show case the quality and versility of the wool.

The road was hard and we have lost people along the way, tomorrow we have for sale Welsh wool. It is in lovely selection of colours based on the lead mines at Frongoch. The wool itself is  and a quality soft and bouncy. The company will be at Wonderwool Wales in Builth Wells. 

It is on show in the shop but not for sale until Tuesday …. for obvious reasons I will also be in Wonderwool