Our beautiful yarn bowls are handcrafted by woodturner Roy Humphreys. Roy is from Mohill, Co. Leitrim. He is the fourth generation of the Humphreys family working with wood, and has been woodturning for nearly 20 years. He is a self taught turner- it started out as as a hobby and has now developed into a business. He uses only native woods, and sources it mainly from the family farm. His studio is based in the converted granary beside his home.
An important native tree, the Ash is the most common tree in Irish hedgerows, and is a traditional woodland species. It is sometimes called the “Venus of the Woods” due to its attractive shape and beautiful foliage. Ash was thought to have power over water and was often planed near sacred springs known as Clootie wells which were places of pilgrimage for the Celts. The wood of the Ash is light, tough and flexible and is commonly used in Ireland to make furniture, walking stick and hurleys for the Irish sport of hurling. Historically, it was also used to build boats, and Irish emmigrants to America often took pieces of Ash with them for protection against the sea.