What’s on at Wool@J13 2020?
2020
Penkridge • Staffordshire
Here’s the show and how it goes on.
Exhibitors
Workshops
2020 is bringing another stimulating programme of workshops & demonstrations for all our visitors. Want to learn how to spin art yarn, how to do basic lucet braiding, learn how to crochet, needle felt an animal? It’s all here. Just follow our link to book your place.
Just Another Brick in the Wall
Stitch a Brick is part of Wool@J13’s aim to promote mental health awareness in 2020 and is the brainchild of Ingrid Wagner, co-organiser of the show and two of the show’s volunteer team and keen crafters, Fiona Beech and Gill Slater, all three of whom have travelled their own journeys of depression in recent years.
“Stitch A Brick” is calling for anyone and everyone to stitch their own brick in knit, crochet, felt or weave (see the links below for the patterns) and then embroider/sew onto one side the name of the difficulty they may have faced/be facing and on the other, the positives which may have helped/be helping them through that difficulty. The bricks can be sent in to the address given below and the team at Wool@J13 will use them to build a wall with negatives on the one side and positives on the other. The wall will be displayed at the show itself.
Anyone can join in. All ages & abilities are welcome to create their own personal bricks in whatever way you choose to make them. By sharing & learning from each other, your brick may help someone else to bring down their wall.
The address to where you can send your stitched brick is shown on the patterns – see links below. With a big thankyou to Fiona Beech, Anita Greulich, Ruth Sprague, Ingrid Wagner and Elaine Hayes for helping to develop the patterns.
Thankyou also to Let’s Knit & Inside Crochet magazines for getting behind this initiative.
Stitch a Brick Crochet pattern
Fashion Show
In 2018 it was socks & feet, in 2019 it was gauntlets to the foot tapping melodies from The Greatest Showman. Presented by the lovely Stafford Steppers, all professionally trained dancers who by day are teachers, lawyers & doctors and who by night don their dancing shoes to give their time free of charge for the pure sake of the chosen charity supported by the show in that particular year. Presented for your delight, as always. What will 2020 bring? We’ll tell you as soon as we know.
Sheep Shearing
Returning in 2020 Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut away from the body of the sheep in order to keep it healthy and allow new fleece to grow in its place. The person who removes the sheep’s wool is called a shearer and Lower Drayton Farm’s shearer will be demonstrating his skill in removing sheeps’ fleeces without cutting or marking the skin of the animal.
Stash Swap
Returning in 2020 Where do you keep your guilty pleasure? In the garage, under the sofa, behind the bed, boxed up in the shed? Wherever your wool stash is, you may want to renew it and we are giving you the chance to do just that. The Stash Swop will run all weekend and you are invited to bring yours along and trade it in for fresh stock. We weigh it, you rummage and take away the equivalent in weight. Or not, if you can bear it….
Music & Camping
I Got Rhythm ……… Who will be entertaining us in 2020? Watch this space.
Camping Under canvas or in your caravan to bring you closer & quicker to the action. Just a field away at the farm. Check out more details on our Information page
Street Food
The Peckish Pony – Street Food Down on the Farm An inspired cuisine awaits you at The Peckish Pony with our Street Food from around the world. Bored with sandwiches? You bet! You might be in Penkridge, but we’re going to transport you to a torrid and tastier experience than you may ever have had before. We have oodles of noodles for you, a smile of spices, battered bhajis (in a good way) and wood fired pizzas to savour. Oh, your taste buds will love you. Especially if you’re vegan, cos we’ve taken care of you, too. The extraordinary nosh ‘n’ natter from these extraordinary street food vendors is all sourced as locally as possible and, eco aware, their packaging is made from, among other sustainable gubbins, plant based materials; portion pots & glasses are also very likely to be compostable. Don’t miss what is going to be a show with a kick and one to savour in your memory. For our complete list of Food Traders for 2020, visit our What’s On page
Fleece Sale
Do you have a fleece which you want to sell or do you simply want to buy one ? You may not know one end of a sheep from the other, but worry not. We will have a resident experts on hand to help guide both buyers and sellers We have over 70 different breeds of sheep in the UK and the fleeces produced from them will all be as different as the breed itself. Some will be finer and be used for knitting clothes, while, at the other end of the scale, mountain sheep will produce coarse fleece, hardwearing & downright suitable for floor covering (carpets). Just one interesting fact which you’ll be able to find out from our resident experts. Watch this space for more details
The Knitted Tearoom
Last year, the super Ceramic Sisters WI group from Stoke on Trent brought us Down on the Farm – a whole collection of equally super knitted animals which they auctioned and sold in aid of our chosen charity https://
This year the same dedicated group will be bringing us Welcome to the Jungle in support of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and the role that our wildlife play in our mental health welfare. Check out their work here https://
And the good news is that they will again be producing their rightly celebrated cakes for our visitors over the show weekend. So you will be able to do three things just the same this year: eat, drink & lay claim to an animal. Not forgetting, of course, to be merry in the meantime.