Mill Open Weekend
This event has now passed. We’ll let you know the dates for 2025 soon.
- Dates: Saturday 8th – Sunday 9th of June, 2024
- Hours: 9:30am til 5pm (with FREE entry every day)
- Location: The Assembly Rooms, South Molton Town Hall, EX36 3AB
- Tours: We have tours around the Mill, with a minibus to take you to and from the Mill.
- Pop Up Shop: browse all our wondrous woolly wares and a few extra special limited editions too… click here to view this year’s specials!
- Plus Special Guest Vendors: So chuffed to be joined by some fabulous guest vendors again. See the list below for info about all this year’s exhibitors.
- Workshops: Click here to view our full line up of Workshops & Talks and book a slot.
- All workshops include materials and come with a complimentary beverage of your choosing from the pop-up café.
- Talks: Click here to view our full line up of Workshops & Talks and book a slot.
- Café: We will be running a pop-up café offering teas, coffees and cakes.
- Will there be a Virtual Mill Open Weekend again? Yes, of course! This year’s dates are the 6th & 7th July. Click here for all the info
- How to find us and FAQ
Our Mill in South Molton is one of only a handful of small-scale worsted spinning Mills still operating in the UK. This is where us marvellous Mill Folk create all our luxurious tops and yarns using vintage machinery and local fibre.
On this special weekend we are building a giant pop-up shop with all our woolly wares (plus a few limited edition delights) and our Mill will be open for tours, so you’ll be able to see and learn about our vintage spinning and processing machinery. Our trusty Mill Folk will be on hand to explain things as you travel through the Mill, providing you with a glimpse of how our yarn is made. Each tour offers the opportunity to wander around the Mill, soak everything up and ask as many questions as you fancy.
We have now expanded to a bigger venue, the beautiful 18th century function rooms in South Molton Town Hall. So we have oodles of space for workshops, talks and even a few other vendors – hurrah!
– We are so looking forward to seeing you in person again! xx
GUEST VENDORS:
Beyond Measure:
Inspired by the treasure found in antique sewing boxes, Beyond Measure is an utterly unique little shop for textile lovers! All the goods are hand-picked by Grace, the owner, for quality, beauty, and longevity – future treasures to be passed on from one generation to the next. Many of the items are made by small suppliers and craft makers for the UK and beyond – natural materials are used wherever possible. You can also find high quality needles and tools from Japan, as well as hard to find books and patterns from independent designers and publishers.
Katie Green Bean:
Katie Green is an illustrator, podcaster and wool enthusiast, formerly from Devon but now based in beautiful South Wales. When not sharing videos of the creative process and walking in the mountains, Katie runs a shop filled with all manner of unique stationery, textiles and gifts for fellow crafters. Katie also designs playful colourwork knitting patterns, bringing together a love of nature, drawing, and of course wool.
Telling Yarns: Telling Yarns is based on the regeneratively farmed 4th generation family farm of Beth Sparks, in Bedfordshire. Having been raised at the knee of British farmers, it’s crucial to Beth to close the production cycle of wool in Britain, where so much of the country’s history is steeped in the success of this industry. Sustainability is at the forefront of every decision made and she hopes that the garments and items you make with Telling Yarns wool will outlast us all.
Beth’s aim with almost every colourway is to create a finished knitted project which looks like a dappled single colour from a distance, but up close, when knitting and wearing it, each stitch is individual with a million nuances of colour and iridescence.
We create custom blends for Beth, Resolute 4ply and Steadfast DK, which aim to produce a completely British non-superwash yarn that is soft, yet hard-wearing; with enough grip and a little bit of halo; which feels like home to wear and replaces the need for non-UK, Merino wool blends, and particularly mass produced superwash yarn, at Telling Yarns.
HOW TO FIND US & FAQ:
Accessibility: For step-free access, there is a lift inside the Pannier Market which will bring you up to the Town Hall. Vendors, the information desk, accessible seating and toilets are all on the same level. Access to talks, workshops and additional cafe seating is via a short flight of stairs or a stair lift. For information on Mill Tour accessibility, please see the Mill Tour ticket pages. Please a member of our team know if you need any assistance during the weekend. If you have any questions in advance, please email [email protected].
Children: Children are able to attend the Mill Open Weekend, but due to health & safety restrictions, children under 11 cannot go on a tour of the mill, and any children between 11 and 16 must be accompanied by an adult over 18 on a tour.
Dogs: We love all dogs and all well behaved pooches are more than welcome to attend the Open Weekend. However, they will not be able to go on an actual mill tour. Thanks for your understanding.
Parking: There is ample parking in South Molton town centre, indicated on map below.
Directions: South Molton Town Hall is situated right in the heart of town, on Broad Street. We’ve created a handy map just below. Or you could always just pop the post code (EX36 3AB) into your sat nav.
