Fleece & Fibre
Join our fleece & fibre
membership scheme!
Fancy carving out some time to process your own fibre or fibre you have purchased from us? Well, we are here to help with our new fleece & fibre membership scheme!
This entitles you to the use of our shiny new Fleece & Fibre Hub during the core hours listed below. A lot of our hand processing equipment is included free of charge in this deal, as well as a 50% discount on the use of our wheels and looms and free entry to our monthly spinning group.
Our fibre equipment includes:
- Eight spinning wheels (3 x Ashford, 1 x Kromski, 1 x Louet, 1 x Magicraft double treadle, 1 x Hebridean, 1 x flax wheel)
- 4 x Lazy Kates (3 x Ashford, 1 x Kromski tensioned)
- Niddy Noddies (small & large)
- 3 x Cricket Looms
- 3 x rigid heddle looms
- 2 x standing shaft looms (1 x four-shaft, 1 x eight-shaft)
- 1 x swing picker
- 3 x drum carders
- Many hand carders
- 1 x English combs
- 2 x blending boards
- 10 x drop spindles
- 1 x swift
- 1 x ball winder
Core Hours
Monday 10am-1pm
Tuesday 6-8pm
Wednesdays 10am-4pm
Thursday 10am-1pm
Friday 10am-1pm
- These hours may occasionally be interrupted by staff holidays. Evenings/weekends negotiable.
Cost of the Membership Scheme
Membership: £25/month
Students: £20/month (with valid student ID)
Payment:
- In person (cash or card)
- Via custom PayPal link
- Via BACS by arrangement
Please use 'member + start date' in the reference box. So if you are a new member starting on 31st of March 2025, you would enter 'member 31.03.25' into the reference box.
If you are intending for your membership to be rolling, we recommend setting up a direct debit, as you will not be able to use the space or equipment if membership has lapsed.
Fees Outwith Membership
Groups and individuals not wishing to take out a membership are still able to use the space and equipment for the following rates:
- Individual fibre enthusiasts using the space & equipment (excluding spinning wheels and looms): £12/hour
- Groups of up to four using the space & other equipment: £40/hour
Payment in-person at the time: cash or card
Use of Equipment At Birkhill House CIC
Wheel: £10/week for members, £20/week for non-members
Cricket/rigid heddle: £15/week for members, £30 for non-members
Standing looms: £20/week for members, £40 for non-members
Please note that work can be left on wheels and looms for up to two weeks and must be removed or reviewed with the director at that point. If you have not removed or reviewed the finish date with the director, your work will be removed and stored safely for you to collect.
Tool/equipment Rental
Items that you are able to rent to use at home:
- Spinning wheel - £50/week
- Cricket Loom - £40/week
- Rigid heddle looms - £40/week
- Hand carders - £10/week
- Blending boards - £10/week
- Drop spindles - £4/week
- Lazy Kates – £3/week
Drum carders can be rented for one week at a time only and dates must be agreed beforehand. Rate is £25/week.
English combs, swing picker, standing shaft looms, Niddy Noddies, swift and ball winder are not for rent – they can only be used on the premises.
Fleece Donation Form
Do you have surplus fleeces lying in sheds and cupboards? We are collecting all different breeds of sheep fleece in an effort to reduce waste and put a focus back onto Scottish-grown wool as a valuable commodity. We use these fleeces in our teaching programme here at our not-for-profit social enterprise. Quite a few smallholders have already donated fleeces to us in support of this endeavour but we are looking for more and different breeds.
If you would like to donate fleece, please fill in our donation form below.
Smallholder Survey
Are you a smallholder or farmer in the Scottish Borders? We're trying to learn more about what services are needed to help smallholders make better use of their fibre. Whether you have a hobby herd of rare breed sheep, a pair of cashmere goats or a even a hutch full of angora rabbits, we would love to know more about you and your animals.
