Most woolcraft people prepare sheep fleece by carding it, but the historically important craft of woolcombing offers the opportunity to produce a yarn that is more lustrous and hard-wearing.

This workshop was to have been led by Jaquie Teal, whose husband Peter almost single-handedly revived hand woolcombing. Unfortunately, because of Peter's illness, Jaquie was unable to present the workshop, and Ulrike Bogdan took over, helped by Welmoed Perrin.

Ulrike gave us a potted history of wool preparation, explaining the difference between woollen and worsted, and provided instructions on how to sort and scour a fleece ready for combing. Since most people don't have a set of English Wool Combs, the workshop concentrated on using alternatives, such as dog combs and hand-held combs