A colour sample sheet on sketch paper, of inks made from flowers and plants.
A hand-woven rug made from local raw sheep fleece.
Craft Workshops
with
Cold Keld
NEW! Knitting Klub every other Wednesday (see below for details)
PLUS:
TEXTILE WORKSHOPS 2-4.30pm*
NEW for 2026 : Knitting Klub
£15 per coached session (includes coffee and cake)
Or
£6 just for coffee and cake
if you just want to drop in with your own project for the craic!
-
Completely new to knitting and need some help to get started?
-
Got the basics but after some tips to progress to trickier patterns?
-
Can't make head not tail of what's going on in knitting Youtube videos?
-
Need a quick SOS fix with a tricky project?
-
Or just fancy knitting in company with a nice view and a cuppa?
HELP IS HERE! Fortnightly knitting drop-in sessions are running from January - March and October - December.
Each session will have a skill focus and accompanying optional project (patterns provided), so you can develop skills at your own pace, and will also be open as a drop-in if you need a bit of support or an SOS fix, or just bob along with your own project and get a Knitter's Special coffee and cake for £6.
Knitting Klub sessions are short, gentle, and affordable. There are two times on each date to choose from. You can pay on the day, and will need to bring your own needles and yarn, but do contact me if you need some help or advice about equipment.
Dates
Jan 14th 2-3.30 pm OR 6.30-8 pm
Skills: casting on; garter stitch (basic knit); purling;
stocking stitch; casting off; swatching
Project: Pot Holder
Jan 28th 2-3.30 pm OR 6.30-8 pm
Skills: purling; stocking stitch; rib;
stretchy cast-off
Project: Headband
Feb 11th 2-3.30 pm OR 6.30-8 pm
Skills: Increasing and decreasing;
reading patterns
Project: Shapes - bunting triangles and hearts
Feb 25th 2-3.30 pm OR 6.30-8 pm
Skills: Basket stitch; moss stitch; knitting holes (on purpose)
Project: Basket-weave cushion (any size)
March 11th 2-3.30 pm OR 6.30-8 pm
Skills: In-the-round
Project: Hat
March 25th 2-3.30 pm OR 6.30-8 pm
Skills: In-the-round
Project: Wrist-Warmers / Fingerless Mittens
Oct 14th 2-3.30 pm OR 6.30-8 pm
Skills: Colourwork; intarsia; following a chart
Project: Scarf
Oct 28th 2-3.30 pm OR 6.30-8 pm
Skills: Colourwork: intarsia; following a chart
Project: Scarf
Nov 11th 2-3.30 pm OR 6.30-8 pm
Skills: Socks!
Project: Knit a pair of socks for Christmas
Nov 25th 2-3.30 pm OR 6.30-8 pm
Skills: Socks!
Project: Knit a pair of socks for Christmas
Dec 9th 2-3.30 pm OR 6.30-8 pm
Skills: Socks!
Project: Knit a pair of socks for Christmas
About me: I'm an ex-drama and theatre studies teacher, so a lot of my work has a theatrical air about it. Since 2015 I have run Lorton Village Shop with my partner Lee, where I've sold my handmade items, and taught craft and textile workshops in the shop, the Yew Tree Hall in Lorton, and a few other spots around West Cumbria. I'm an experienced knitter and experimental maker, and I'm very much about recycling and upcycling; using what's at hand and what is forageable to create unusual items. In 2025 I was commissioned to make the 2x3m banner you see below. It's the very definition of a slow craft, made entirely from reclaimed fabrics and bits of fleece picked out of hedges, all hand-dyed and printed from plants grown in my garden or foraged. And it's all sewn together on a VERY temperamenatl antique hand-cranked Singer sewing machine. I hope to see you at a workshop soon or maybe just pop in the shop for a coffee and a look around. I'm available for commissions, private bookings for up to 6 people on site at the shop, or for workshops, teaching, or demonstrations in your space. (BONUS RANDOM FACT! I'm also a folk singer and clog dancer! You can find out more about the other stuff I do here and here)
March 8th, 22nd & Oct 11th - Raw Fleece Pegloom Rugs March 8th FULL March 22nd Oct 11th - 1 PLACE LEFT! Using 100% natural sustainable materials. Learn how to make a basic peg loom, simple weaving and felting techniques with raw fleece straight off the sheep! You'll weave a seat pad cushion in the workshop and go home with all the information you need to felt it thick and chunky, and inspiration to weave your own rug at home. £40. 4 places available. *2-5pm
April 19th - Rag Rugs/Clippy Mats Learn the traditional craft of making clippy mats (also known as proddy or proggy mats). It's a fantastic way of repurposing old clothes or unused pieces of fabric into rugs. You'll work fabrics into a sample sized piece of hessian from a reclaimed coffee sack using traditional tools and take it home, along with inspiration to make your own full-sized clippy rug! £30. 4 places available.
May 17th & Aug - Eco-plant-printing. Introduction to making botanical prints on fabric, using pounding and steaming techniques with leaves and flowers. You'll take away one or two a sample pieces of printed fabric large enough to make a cushion with. £25. 6 places available.
June 21st & Sept 13th- Ways with Woad. Learn ways to print onto fabric from traditional blue dye plant woad. You'll take away one or two a sample pieces of printed fabric large enough to make a bag or cushion with. £25. 6 places available.
Bespoke Workshops
Craft workshops are perfect for small hen parties, Mother's Day or birthday treats, or groups of friends just wanting a relaxed, chatty, get-together. The shop is a small but cute and welcoming, lovely light space for your private event, and workshops can be built around your interests and requirements.
Workshops are offered outside of shop opening hours after 5.30pm, or any time on a Sunday, and the maximum we can accommodate comfortably is 6 people. Costs range from £25-£40 per head, depending on the content, with reduced rates available for full-group bookings.
All materials for all workshops are provided for you, and your ticket includes coffee/tea and cake.
Check our Instagram and Facebook pages for upcoming dates.
Booking and enquiries can be made by emailing Arwen at lortonvillageshop@gmail.com, by Facebook messenger, or via Instagram messages.
Nov 15th - Knitting Klub Extra! Knitted Christmas Puddings! Make hanging decorations using my own pattern. For knitters who can work in the round on small DPNs. £20. 5 places available.
Dec 6th - Rag Wreaths. Using the traditional clippy mats techniques (also known as proddy or proggy mats), you'll make a decorative reusable wreaths from repurposed fabrics. Please note, these wreaths are NOT the type tying fabric to a metal frame. You'll work fabrics into a piece of hessian made from a reclaimed coffee sack using traditional tools, back it, and take it home along with inspiration to make your own full-sized clippy rug! £30. 5 places available.