​When I agreed to teach on the AGWSD Summer School 2019, there was plenty of time for me to think about what I would teach and how I would teach it. I also knew that it was going to be an important test of my skills as a feltmaker and tutor. In January of this year, I started the Certificate of Feltmaking Techniques (offered by the IFA) and, thanks to my work for that and workshops attended earlier this year with Mandy Nash, I finally considered myself up to the challenge.
Here is a little diary of the week.

Askham Bryan College is an agricultural college near York, set in beautiful grounds with fabulous flowers all around. Our classroom was in the Science block....and before I could get my classroom ready for my 10 students, I had to clear the decks of various teaching aids (see below).

My own experience of learning through sampling was applied on the first day, as we worked on creating durable felt (required for bagmaking) and more flexible, pliable felt (for scarf-making). The samples were small but the amount learned was significant and could be seen throughout the days to come. 

Next up, we focused on scarfmaking. This technique combines silk with merino wool tops to make lightweight wearable felt. The focus was on colour blending, fine layering of the wool and decorative features (including prefelts) and shaping. The whole class participated in the Summer School Fashion Show later in the week. Unfortunately for me, they were the finale of the show, by which time it was getting dark and my camera couldn't cope with the twirls and bows everyone was taking. However, the last photo here is of Clare's beautiful scarf as seen on the catwalk!

The Summer School had plenty of interest for textile enthusiasts outside the classroom too. There was a total of 15 different workshops running at the same time (mine was the only feltmaking...the rest were all connected to weaving, spinning and dyeing, not surprisingly). I managed to see a few of these on the last afternoon when students set up their classrooms with all they had made and visitors came to admire. There was also a Tutors' exhibition, which I took part in, and work from recent textile graduates and students who had completed their Certificate of Achievement. The standard of work was wonderful and truly inspiring.

The final part of the week was spent making hard-wearing, structural felt. Most made bags while a couple worked on wonderful multi-resist vessels. This involved a tremendous amount of hard work and humour. By this time, the group had bonded really well....the banter was bouncing around the room and everyone was having a thoroughly good time. Notes were taken and checked regularly. Whenever decisions had to be made about the next stage in the process, these felters were able to give each other advice (including those who had started the course as beginners).
We even had a surprise visit from the President of the IFA, Sheila Smith, on the last day.
This was a wonderful week and I have the AGWSD to thank for inviting me and a tremendous group of women to thank for making me laugh so hard (and bringing a tear to my eye, on occasion). 
​Cherry, Clare, Eve, Helen, Janet, Jennie, Liz, Pat, Pauline and Wendy....see you all next year!

Returning to Latvia in June was delightful. Jo and Ian were as hospitable as ever, the village of Ergli and the farm were beautiful (if a little dry) and there were two more alpacas, called Freddy and George, to meet. I spent the first couple of days reacquainting myself with this very special place.

The three-week sojourn was conveniently divided into three sections. A few days after I arrived, we picked Pauline up from the airport in Riga. She was our guest for a week of ecodyeing, meeting the local people and getting a feel for the countryside.

First and foremost, though, we were felting with the fleece from Jo and Ian's alpacas.

After a week of wall-to-wall sunshine, great food from the farm, home baking from the local bakery and a lot of interesting conversations, Pauline and I headed to Riga, where I was to be the tour guide. Anyone who knows me will know just how hilarious that notion is...but, with the help of my trusty phone, I managed it. A couple of wildly different exhibitions (one about Latvian emigrees after WWII and one about Art Nouveau) were an added bonus. A very enjoyable interlude. 

And finally, Jo and Ian hosted my (and their) first ever residency, giving me the opportunity to work with the different fleeces from their alpacas. This proved to be a fascinating challenge as each animal produces a different quality (and quantity) of fleece...not only from each other but from year to year. I kept a sketch book with notes about the different fibres I used in the pieces I made. 
As alpaca is such a luxurious fibre (George, the young cria born last year, is the finest at 18.5 microns), and as there is so comparatively little from each animal (around 1 - 2 kilos maximum), we wanted to concentrate on making wearables (Jo worked with me when she wasn't cooking, saving chicken's lives and baling!). Some fibres felted beautifully, such as Mari and Aggie. Chanel (who is delicious chocolaty brown) hardly felts at all and others, such as Turbjorn, work better when spun. 
All of this I discovered over the week, in the belting heat of a Latvian summer. In a greenhouse.
Hard work (and I did have one wobbly) but I loved it. 
​Thank you to Jo, Ian and the alpacas.

The days were full of excitement, ranging from workshops to talks to excursions to fine dining. I was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Swedish people, the friendliness of the other delegates from around the world, the beauty of the region and the fabulous spring weather. 

I attended a workshop with Yvonne Habbe on sculptural objects, using a technique I had heard of but not used before. She also gave a fascinating talk about the large-scale project she worked on whilst contemplating the life of a nomad.

I had plenty of opportunity to walk around the town of Landskrona, with a tour and also with other delegates. An elegant, calm town, it was a real pleasure to visit. 

Not only is there fine architecture in Landskrona but a tremendous interest in gardening, with lovely allotments (each with its own summer house), parks and avenues. 

A couple of trips into the countryside gave me a small taste of the region...some of us even stayed on a couple of days after the conference to visit the island of Ven, where the Swedish astronomer, Tycho Brahe, had his observatory.

All in all, it was a very successful conference. Personally, it gave me the opportunity to visit a beautiful country, meet people who share my interests, make new friends, and appreciate just how much work goes on behind the scenes to organise a brilliant conference. Thank you to everyone involved. I loved it!

After months of planning, I went out to Latvia at the end of May to help Jo and Ian get ready for our first Latvia Alpaca Adventure. I stayed in their flat in the village of Ergli and went to the farm every day. Workshops were to take place in the greenhouse and, thanks to a long winter, there was a fair amount to do. Rather more than I had anticipated, in fact.

So many wonderful things happened during the week, some planned, some not. Here are some of my selected highlights.

The felt workshops were led by Ieva Prane in her studio and me in Ergli, in the local High School, and on the Griezetes alpaca farm. Jo Storie introduced us to some interesting embroidery techniques to apply to our felt. Another day spent in the peaceful sunshine on the farm.

The contrast between Riga, the Latvian capital, and the countryside around Ergli and the farm is incredible. We sampled local moonshine, sang with the Ergli choir, tasted gorgeous goats' cheese (not to mention meeting the goats themselves) and painted porcelain. 
The sun shone throughout the week, the atmosphere was serene and the Latvian hospitality was wonderful. A lovely Latvian adventure indeed.

To register interest in the next Latvian Alpaca Adventure, contact me or Jo Storie at Griezites Alpaca Farm.

Catch up with our hosts, Griezītes Alpakas and their amazing alpaca farm on Facebook.