Meet the Makers | Diane Shadforth

Introducing Diane Shadforth. Having been taught to knit by her grandmother at the early age of just four, Diane Shadforth founded Amerston Woolcrafts with her daughter after attending a ‘living rug’ workshop run by the Wild Wool Shepherdess in Nottingham several years ago.

A farmer by trade, Diane and her flock are based near Hartlepool, and her creations are made using wool from both her own and her daughter’s flocks of various rare-breed sheep. Each rug is lovingly crafted from the fleece of a single sheep — Diane can even tell you exactly which sheep each rug came from and which shear was used.

She processes the wool entirely by hand, taking it through every stage from raw fleece to finished piece. While the wool from her daughter’s flock of Wensleydale sheep is her favourite to work with, thanks to its luxurious, lustrous locks, Diane enjoys using wool from a variety of breeds.