Saturday we took a trip to Bilby Yarns, our local weaving and spinning shop here in Perth.  The shop is located at the corner of Harrison Street and Hillary Street in Willagee, a suburb south of the city.  It is well worth a visit if you are in the neighbourhood.

Bilby is a friendly and welcoming shop with a good variety of spinning tools and supplies, as well as weaving yarns.  I spoke to the proprietor, June Lynn, about her business, and I was particularly interested in her philosophy about the shop.  June told me she started the shop in 1993 to support local Western Australian sheep breeders and to educate weavers, spinners and other crafters about the qualities and benefits of Western Australian wool.  June noted that she had run the yarn room for the local guild prior to starting Bilby’s.  Bilby’s is a “not for profit” shop June started by using her Superannuation, and started because June found it difficult to find local wool available for crafters.  June also provides therapy support to cancer patients and believes in trying to keep people busy by providing jobs and welcomes lots of helpers to the store.  June also try to support the WA Weavers and Spinners Guild as well.

I had a lovely time looking around the shop like a kid in a candy store, and choose some lovely natural coloured wool tops for spinning, and bought a new niddy-noody as well.  The wool is Corridale/Merino cross, natural coloured in silver, light grey, white and charcoal.

I predict lots of fun spinning ahead.

By the way, a Bilby is an Australian endangered species, a kind of Bandicoot, a marsupial mammal with rabbit-like ears and a backward pouch to prevent it being filled with dirt while digging.