Ashford Dealer Spotlight – Blackwattle Yarn and Fibre
Welcome to a brand-new segment of our Blog – the Ashford Dealer Spotlight! In this series, we will be highlighting Ashford dealers from around the world, giving you a chance to learn more about their journeys and businesses. We’re excited to introduce you to these amazing individuals, and we hope you enjoy getting to know them better. Our first dealer in the Spotlight is Angela Smith of Blackwattle Yarn and Fibre, located in Murrumbateman, NSW, Australia
Kate
NAME: Angela Smith
BUSINESS NAME: Blackwattle Yarn and Fibre
We also have our farm accounts and website for our alpaca tours of our farm
Tell us a little about your business and how it all began?
We went to buy a goat…. #true story…
Our fibre journey started about 20 years ago when we visited a local farm, who had baby goats for sale, and come home with 2 alpacas instead. Oops! We only lived on 5 acres so I was limited to 2 goats and 2 alpacas. We then moved to our current property (40 acres) in October 2011, and Matthew, my husband, purchased another 5 alpacas for my Christmas and birthday present.
Then in January we were given a herd of 72 alpacas and we became the second biggest alpaca breeder in our region overnight! Shortly after Matthew was deployed overseas for 8 months and there I was living by myself on our new farm, with a large number of alpacas that I knew nothing about caring for, whilst renovating our home, and working full time off farm. It was a very large learning curve to say the least! In that learning curve I started to fall in love with all things alpaca and fibre!
We had all this wonderful fibre from our happy herd and our yarn and fibre business began! Initially we were processing at a couple of the smaller mini mills in Australia before our business outgrew the mills capacity to supply yarn and processed fibre (roving, tops etc) to us. We then used a yarn processing mill in New Zealand, and later began working with an overseas supplier who now provides all our bare yarn.
Our business has two directions: Blackwattle Alpaca Farm (tours and farm experiences) and Blackwattle Yarn and Fibre. Both are run from our property which is also our home.
We started offering tours of our farm in 2019, whilst Australia was in a drought period, to help us feed our herd of 65 alpacas, 5 llamas and 5 goats. Our farm was 100% dirt and we had to purchase feed from another state to be able to keep our herd healthy, driving the fodder to us in semi-trailer loads each time.
During that time I also focused on opening up our first Farm Shop which at that time was in our garage/shed next to our house. I also took Matthew’s ‘man cave’ from him, which was transformed into our Farm Shop. We worked in that shed for 5 years…the shed without windows. I lived on an alpaca farm with stunning views but I could not see them from where I worked.
Fast forward to 2023 and we took the jump to build a purpose built Farm Shop, training room, dye studio and café, where we currently trade from. We have grown quite a lot over the past 10 years!
What motivated you to become an Ashford dealer?
I started as a customer and becoming an Ashford dealer was really a natural progression. I needle felt, and have done so for many years, entering my felted items in many local and interstate shows. I was using Ashford needles for my felting, which by the way are the best needles I have used for felting!
The fibre from my alpacas, that I did not use for felting, I sold direct to spinners and felters, through our Farm Shop, and during that interaction they were asking for products.
I started with a few products, and then each year, my range has increased. With our new and large Farm Shop, that opened in September 2023, I now had the space to expand the range of Ashford products on offer.
In Australia we have wonderfully high quality alpaca fibre and it has always been important to me, as an alpaca farmer, that we use all the fibre we grow. Ashford products has provided an opportunity to engage with the crafting community on a different level then just selling yarn and this helps support the advancement of our fibre industry here in Australia.
How long have you been working with Ashford products, and what has your journey been like so far?
I have personally been using Ashford products for many years. Using felting needles for my projects. I have been approved as an Ashford dealer since June 2020.
My journey so far has been one of learning, laugher and connecting with community! I will confess here…spinning and weaving were totally foreign to me. Hand dyeing yarn and felting are my ‘super powers’ but weaving and spinning was something that initially did not interest me as a craft option.
As my fibre journey matured so did my interest in all fibre crafts! From our Farm Shop we offer a wide range of crafting workshops including spinning and weaving. I employ some really great teachers, and hosting these workshops has given me insight into and curiosity about spinning and weaving. Connecting to my customers during these workshops has encouraged me to learn more about all fibre crafts. Whilst I don’t think I will be adding weaving and spinning to my super power list, I do enjoy learning how to do both. My crafting journey continues…
What do you enjoy most about being an Ashford dealer and working with the Ashford community?
I think one of the best things is the connection. Community is very important and connecting with your community is so very important on so many levels. As a business owner, learning about what my customers need or want is important as it helps guide the products and workshops we offer. On a personal level, being a part of a vibrant community is good for the soul. I love that I get to be both – a business owner helping to build a connected community but also being a person who loves being a part of that community! Ashford helps build communities!
Is there anything that makes the crafting community in your region unique?
Our crafting customers and community as a whole are quite young. We have many people, both men and women, who attend workshops and purchase products from us, who are in their early 20’s. In addition they are very well educated. They are keen to learn and understand where the products come from, are they sourced sustainably and are they sourced from businesses that care about their workers, do they care for their livestock etc.. My customers ask lots of questions about the products they use and purchase.
Which Ashford products are your customers most excited about?
My customers love all Ashford products but during our workshops our customers really like the drum carder and the e-spinner. Both are great assets for our classes and the customers really enjoy using them.
Do you have a favourite Ashford product, and what makes it special for you?
I love my drum carder. I use it when preparing my fibre for felting and for fibre related workshops. I love the tops that are made with it. I have a manual one at the moment but I am saving up for an electronic one!
Can you share a memorable customer story or piece of feedback that really stood out to you about Ashford products?
Memorable story….well I have one that is from me. As I have mentioned before, I don’t really spin all that well. In fact during a spinning workshop last year, Deb our wonderful and very patient teacher, was trying to teach me how to spin in the workshop on a traditional wheel. I just could not get the technique and was getting really frustrated with myself. I thought I would be able to transfer my crafting skills from dyeing yarn and felting across to spinning and I would be good at it. In reality I was struggling and no matter how hard Deb tried to teach me I was just getting more and more frustrated with myself! After a little time, Deb, under her breath, said ‘step away from the spinning wheel’ and all the workshop participants giggled along with me as I was put into the crafting ‘naughty corner’. During the Ashford Dealer Retreat Kate managed to get me spinning on the e-spinner and Deb was amazed! She said “that is the longest I have seen you sitting at a spinning wheel Angela”. Since then I have purchased an e-spinner, following the Retreat last year, and I am finding that spinning on the e-spinner so much easier. The moral of my story is…try again and then if you still don’t get it try again and don’t give up!
Have you worked on any personal projects with Ashford equipment that you’re especially proud of?
As previously mentioned I love needle felting. A few years ago I created a needle felted koala on a tree branch. I used Ashford drum carder and needles to create the koala.
It won supreme at the Canberra Royal Show for a Needle Felted Item and then in the same year went on to win Highly Commended at the Sydney Royal Show, which was the first time I have entered the Sydney Show. I was pretty chuffed with both show results!
What advice would you give to someone just starting their crafting journey, whether it’s spinning, weaving, or any other fibrecraft?
Don’t give up! All too often, in our workshops, some customers struggle with learning a new technique with some getting frustrated with themselves. This often happens with people who are really good at one craft and they think those skills can be transferred to a new craft, without giving themselves time to learn the new craft. I personally am guilty of this but what I have learnt along the way is that people need to give themselves time to learn and to practice. Craft is a skill and all skills need time to develop!
How do you stay inspired and connected with the crafting community? Any tips for keeping your creativity flowing?
I love the crafting community. All aspects of community from the people, to the designers all the way to the producers. Everything! If I need inspiration I start with chatting to my customers and seeing what they are creating. Our customers are so very creative and they always make such beautiful things!! We call it ‘show and tell’ and it is one the things that I really enjoy. Connecting with my customers in this way is a really great way that I stayed inspired. Keeping creativity flowing? I firmly believe that we need to create to keep creating!
Where can people find you – online, social media, or at your store?
Customers can find us in many ways:
• Farm Shop – we have a really beautiful purpose built farm shop on our farm. This was built in 2023. We are open to the public Friday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Located at 315 Patemans Lane, Murrumbateman, NSW, Australia (30 minutes from Canberra, Australia’s capital city). See map below.
• Online – www.blackwattleyarn.com.au and we are also stocked in about 10 stores across Australia and one stockist in Texas, USA.
• Off Farm – we attend a couple large fibre/craft markets across the region.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with the Ashford community or any upcoming events we should know about?
We have just created a brand new “Fibre Room” in our Farm Shop. This has given us the space to showcase the fibre from our alpacas and to have Ashford products on show allowing customers to use the equipment before they purchase them. The room also has a large TV on the wall, that we play Ashford YouTube videos on, when the Farm Shop is open.
We are now also offering a lot more fibre related workshops including our new Learn to Card, Spin & Ply: A complete fibre journey. Over the course of two days, workshop participants are introduced to carding using a drum carder, blending board and hand carders. Then they spend the afternoon learning how to use a spinning wheel to create yarn. The next day they then spend the morning practicing spinning before spending the afternoon learning how to ply the spun fibre into yarn. This workshop has been developed for beginners and intermediates. We think this will be a really great introduction to fibre craft and we hope this will inspire those attending to continue their fibre journey.
View our workshops HERE
