ORGANISERS are knitting together the pieces of this year's Kendal Wool Gathering.

The annual celebration of the cloth on which the town's prosperity and fame was founded is to take place on the weekend of October 26 and 27 at Kendal Leisure Centre.

Westmorland Agricultural Society will be bringing along its outdoor Farm to Fork Roadshow, featuring a variety of sheep breeds to help visitors appreciate the difference in fleece types - linking directly with many of the trade exhibitors inside.

As society chairman Christine Knipe explained, the livestock breeds will include Kendal Rough Fell and Herdwick, as well as North of England Mule, Blue Faced Leicester and Texel.

There will also be some Ouessant sheep, the world’s smallest breed, which are small enough for visitors to hold.

The roadshow is designed to help people learn about the Lake District's age-old sheep farming industry. The society's livestock marquee will also be home to a group of alpacas.

The family-friendly Kendal Wool Gathering is returning for its seventh year and has become one of the most popular events on the town's calendar, attracting thousands of visitors from across the country.

Dozens of exhibitors will be selling and displaying a large variety of goods at the Wool Market at Kendal Leisure Centre, including yarns, dyes, crafts, art, accessories, tools, felting, crochet, patterns, carpets, looms, spinning wheels and more.

Among the stallholders booked for 2019 include Sedbergh's Farfield Mill; luxurious Herdwick fabric designers and makers Cable & Blake, of Kirkland, Kendal; Cartmel Handspun Spinning School, which runs classes in how to spin fleece on a spinning wheel; the weavers and spinners of the Lancs and Lakes Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers; Wools of Cumbria Carpets; and craft shop and workshop Coolcrafting, based at Stramongate, Kendal, the home of the popular Luna Lapin and Friends kits.

The busy programme will also feature walks, knit-and-natter groups, demonstrations, and fun activities for families.

The Wool Gathering is a not-for-profit event organised and run by volunteers, led by secretary and event organiser Cliff Dixon.

To find out more, visit the website at www.kendalwoolgathering.co.uk