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Sunday 14 October 2012

A 'Micro-break' in Wales (aka The Brecon Wool Raid!)

After another mad week at work Mark and I decided to give ourselves a 'Day-cation' yesterday.  We trundled off down to Brecon in BJ (the old Discovery).  Someone, somewhere, was keen to see that we had a good day - BJ ran out of fuel just as we rolled onto the forecourt of the petrol station at Abergavenny!  We actually had to push her to the pumps.  Fortunately she didn't seem to mind having air in her fuel lines too much and Mark got her started again so that we could continue our journey through the hills.
 
Wool was one of my main motivators for suggesting a day out in Brecon.  This is the wonderful wool shop tucked away in the entrance to the Covered Market.  They are fantastically over-stocked and have masses of yarns that may have gone out of stock everywhere else months ago.  This was the case yesterday with Sidar Denim.  I've always loved working with this yarn and was gutted when it went out of production and disappeared from my local wool shops.  They have finally got round to putting it in a clearance sale in Brecon and I picked up loads for £2.35 a ball.  A real bargain!  They also had big balls of Hayfield and Robin DK yarn for £1.55.  Irresistable!
 
 
After a lovely lunch at the Cathedral tea-rooms we left all the wool in BJ and went for a walk by the canal.  This was the gorgeous sky over the Brecon Beacons.

 
My camera struggled with the depth of shade under the trees but I couldn't resist this photo of the reflections.

 
We walked down to the aquaduct, where the canal goes over the River Usk.  It's a pleasant flat walk of about 3 miles - perfect for shaking down lunch!

 
We then drove home across the border, past Hay on Wye, Hereford and back into Worcestershire.  This is my 'woolly loot' spread out on the bed when we got home.  As well as Sirdar Denim, there's some clearance cotton mix yarn, clearance Snuggly and a few other bits and pieces.  I calculated that I paid just over £2.00 per ball on average - not bad for Sidar yarns. 
 
 
This has all been safely stored away with all my other recent woolly purchases.  Mark was remarkably understanding about the amount of wool I bought, given that it was all a great bargain, BUT I am banned from buying anymore until some of it has been made up!
 

8 comments:

  1. Oh, the wool shop has made me all nostalgic. I used to use a wool shop just like that when I first learned to knit 28 years ago. It was very close to my workplace, and I used to go at lunchtimes. It was the sort of shop where they used to put the wool away for you, and you could pop in and buy it a couple of balls at a time so that you didn't have to pay up all at once. Such happy days.

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  2. Your "day-cation" sounds fabulous. I love taking day trips. Oh I haven't picked up needles in months. My basket sits next to me, but the motivation is not there. Maybe when it gets cooler. Enjoy your Sunday.

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  3. To me it looks as tho you sowed great restraint...
    ;-}
    I would have wanted to bring it all home !!
    xoxo

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  4. Fantastic pics and I am very envious of your wool stash!

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  5. Wow, all that wool just waiting to be bought, and at those great prices too, I'd have had a field day. Looks like you had a lovely day out, and that sky is so pretty.

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  6. A friend of mine was just the other day bemoaning the fact that Sirdar Denim had been discontinued as she loved working with it. I remember the tea rooms at Brecon Cathedral, well sitting outside in the summer and a local cat coming to sit on my knee! Your walk sounds lovely:)

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  7. Don't you just love a good deal! Can't wait to see your creations.

    Hope you are doing well.
    e

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  8. Oooh I will be making a trip over to Brecon very soon!

    YOu came home very close by us - maybe you could drop in for a cuppa next time?

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