Yesterday was not all bad (see To Hell and Back Again). That’s because I received the two yards of hand-woven, hand-dyed 100% wool fabric that I had ordered from Joy Selby Cain. The fabric is an array of greens across the spectrum, which you will have to take on faith, because I simply cannot catch the beautiful colors with my phone camera.

I first fell in love with Joy’s wool last month at the SCA event, “Keep Calm and Ceilidh On.” See Keeping Calm at Ceilidh

. We had side-by-side entries in the A&S Display. It was my first time entering such a display, and I submitted my first-ever embroidery project, which won a coin of appreciation from His Royal Majesty King Cellach of the Midrealm. Here is his photo of my display:

My first A&S Display entry, Ceilidh, March 2018

I have posted at some length previously about this embroidery project of mine. LOL! For example at Double Herringbone Stitch finished..

When I entered the Display, I was the first one on site. But when I came back later to see how things were going, there was this GORGEOUS hand-woven wool in the entry next to mine. Again, the photo is by HRM King Cellach, who honors the Arts and Sciences by frequently documenting them in this manner, even though he is so busy at events, with his Kingly duties and fighting and marshaling, as well as doing his own A&S things:

Joy Selby Cain's wool at Ceilidh

When I saw his photo of this wool on Facebook, I pursued the question of who made it, because, newcomer that I am, I didn’t recognize the SCA name that was listed on the entry form. Once I had the information, it was full speed ahead!

When I got in touch with Joy, she told me that she had some red wool in the same pattern, which is a broken lozenge pattern, on Etsy:

Joy Selby Cain's red wool on Etsy

It was also beautiful, and I almost ordered it (NOTE: since that time, someone else has bought all the remaining red fabric), but Joy mentioned while we were chatting online that she was then currently working on a piece in the same pattern, but in green.

In her opinion the green wool was the best fabric she had ever woven.

Well, this news was indeed intriguing! I asked her to keep me posted about it, but the next thing I heard, someone else had preempted the entire green yardage, whereas I could only afford two yards of it for myself (sad, but true).

But Joy said she would contact me if that deal fell through. Which it did. Yay! 🙂

As soon as she told me, I sent her the money by PayPal because as the old saying goes, “There is many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip.” And I didn’t want to let this wool escape my greedy grasp! 😛

Joy sent it out that very night by One-Day Priority Mail.

So yesterday’s health troubles were vastly alleviated by my receiving and glorying in this hand-woven fabric, which Joy also hand-dyed with weld and osage and woad. The wool fabric itself has a fine hand and a superior drape.

Someday if I win the lottery maybe I can get enough of Joy’s wool to make an entire Medieval kirtle. Meanwhile, I need to find some yardage of other wool that will not look absolutely pitiful next to Joy’s, which will be the front panel of a new woolen smokkr.

Joy is an SCA Laurel, which is the highest rank you can achieve in the Arts & Sciences. One of her proteges is my very good musician friend, Halle Snyder.

I’ve asked Joy if I can come watch her weave sometime, and she has graciously said yes. She also said she might have me throwing the shuttle myself. There is nothing I would like better! ❤

Here are the photos I took with my phone yesterday of Joy’s green wool after it arrived here at my place:

Joy Selby Cain's green wool that I bought 1Joy Selby Cain's green wool that I bought 2Joy Selby Cain's green wool that I bought 3Joy Selby Cain's green wool that I bought 4Joy Selby Cain's green wool that I bought 5

The photos, though, simply do not do the colors in the wool any justice at all. They range from a light yellow-green to lime to an almost-teal. Nor did the photos that Joy had taken of this green wool look anywhere near as glorious as the real thing looks. She said that these greens are very hard to accurately photograph, with which I agree.

You simply must have some for yourself. Last I checked with her, she had two yards left, enough for, as an example, another front panel of a Viking apron dress (smokkr). And she intends to weave some more once she receives the necessarying supplies for dyeing,

You can find her on Facebook under her name, Joy Selby Cain, and on Etsy under her shop’s name, joydidit! ❤