Production Period 2014

It's that time of year again where we focus on our next production. 2013 has been a wonderful year for us which has seen not only our move to South Devon, but also one of the nicest summers for too many years.

Since our move in May, we have had a great time at Totnes market and wish to thank all those who have visited our stall in the market square.

Due to our annual production period in Nepal, we will be unable to process any online orders between the dates of December 21st 2013 and March 10th 2014. We apologise for any inconvenience and greatly appreciate your understanding.

As we'll be in Nepal, we'll sadly be absent from Totnes market square until Friday 14th March 2014. We'd like to wish a merry christmas and a happy new year to all our customers, Totnes market management and all those friendly stall holders that make the market a fun place to be.

We'll be at the market square for the final Tuesday night Christmas Market tomorrow and the following Friday and Saturday (20th and 21st). If we don't see you then, we'll look forward to seeing you early next year.

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

Production Period 2013

It's that time of year again when we have to hold the processing and dispatch of all online orders while sourcing and producing our range of products for 2013.

From January 30th until 5th April we will be unable to deal with online orders. Naturally, we will contact anyone placing orders during this time via email to let them know that their orders will be dispatched on our return.

We are still working on our pre-production planning and designing and are excited about our new fabric designs and the garments that will be cut from them. We will be stocking up on yarns and twines all dyed with our favourite natural dye colours as well as including a few new craft materials and tools.

We hear that scheduled power cuts (load shedding) has already reached 14 hours a day in Kathmandu, so hopefully not too much drama regarding tailoring. Good old traditional dyeing and weaving on handlooms do not rely on electricity, which is a blessing.

We look forward to slowly uploading our 2013 collection after our return and wish to apologise for any inconvenience caused by delay to all online order processing during the dates mentioned above. We greatly appreciate your understanding.

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

Colchester Grand Christmas Fair

From Tuesday 11th December through to Sun 23rd December we'll be opening a stall in Colchester, Essex. It is the first year for the Grand Christmas Fair to take place which will be open everyday from 11am until 8pm.

Naturally, there will be a selection of stalls offering a wide range of stocking fillers, but also plenty of food and drink and a 1930's fairground Waltzer.

The location is the former Colchester Bus Station just off the main high street and easy walking distance from two main car parks and the town's rail station. There will be a buss at the fair, but sadly it will not get you anywhere as it will be the bar.

Entry is absolutely free and well worth a visit if you are in the area for either lunch or an evening bit combined with that all important Christmas shopping.

UPDATE 17th December
Sadly, due to poor footfall, this Christmas Market closed on Sunday 16th December and will not continue until the 23rd as originally planned. It is a shame for all involved and for everyone who planned to visit during the coming week.

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

Website Issues.

Please accept our apologies to all that have tried to access our website over the last weekend. Unfortunately, there were some issues with the server in the states and our website was offline until just recently.

We apologise for this inconvenience and apreciate your understanding. Our website is now up and running.

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

Wild Heart Gathering Confirmed

Wild heart is held on the Weald of Sussex, one of the most forested parts of England from 4-7th May. The gathering is full of hidden treasures with opportunities for individuals & families to experience camping out in a stunningly beautiful landscape, with ancient forests, lakes & rolling meadows.

Families, groups and individuals are in for some adventure, fun, celebration & transformational learning at this event. The festival offers music, a wide range of workshops, food, dance, theatre, performance, films and much more.

Workshops range from yoga to martial arts, meditation to divine singing, bushcraft to storytelling, enchanting music and during the weekend there is the opportunity to learn wilderness survival skills, such as fire making, shelter building, wild food walks and tracking.

This will be the first time for Sorazora to exhibit and it is an event we are really looking forward to. For more information about Wild Heart gathering, please visit their website through the link provided below.

www.wildheartgathering.com

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

Larmer Tree Confirmed

Sorazora are pleased to confirm that we will be joining the Larmer Tree Festival for the second time this July. Held in the lush gardens of the Larmer Tree Gardens, near Salisbury, on the Wiltshire/Dorset border from the 11th to 15th of July.

With its intimate crowd of 4000, it will host on its 6 stages over 70 diverse artists, a comedy club, 150 free workshops, street theatre and more.

It is a really family friendly festival with something for everyone and was voted Best UK Family Festival 08. For more information follow the link below to the festival website, but hurry as tickets have sold out for the last 17 years.

www.larmertreefestival.co.uk

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

Green Fair Confirmed

London Green Fair 2012

The London Green Fair is a free festival that reflects the green aspirations and achievements of London as a whole, as well as providing an enjoyable and engaging day out for people from all walks of life. In the prestigious setting of The Regents Park, central London, the London Green Fair will be an interactive smorgasbord of both serious and suggestive takes on the environmental issues that affect us all. Building on the success of the 19 year history of Camden Green Fair, the London Green Fair is a natural progression and exciting evolution for this original and great event.

We at Sorazora are looking forward to this event and hope to see all the old faces from the previous years and lots of new faces, too! 

Visit their website for more details

www.londongreenfair.org

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

More Confirmed Events For 2012

Paddle Round The Pier 2012

Brighton's West Pier will be the setting for this year's event over the weekend of 7th & 8th July. The original Paddle Round The Pier started back in 1996 and quickly gained an international reputation as one of the hippest fund-raising events there is. The original concept was to bring all the surfers in the area together for a social gathering and to raise money for a variety of worthy charities. The main event is accompanied by lots of entertainment on land, these include music stages, beach sports, kids' area, skateboarding workshops and much more. We had the opportunity of visiting last year's PRTP as customers and are proud to announce that Sorazora will be exhibiting our ethical and organic products at this year's event.

Visit their website for more details

www.paddleroundthepier.com

Guants House Summer gathering 2012

Held in the beautiful grounds of Gaunts House, Dorset from the 9th to 12th August, the Summer Gathering provides a family-friendly atmosphere full of quality workshops, therapies, speakers and inspirational music. This is the 22nd Summer Gathering and one particular change that Sorazora are delighted to hear about is that Buddhafield Cafe will be providing the majority of the catering. This festival is a beautiful, inspiring, fun event for all ages.

Visit their website for more details

www.gauntshousesummergathering.blogspot.com

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

First Confirmed Events For 2012

Maverick Festival 2012

It will be our second visit to Easton Farm Park in Suffolk, the venue for Maverick festival. This year it will be held through June 29th, 30th & July 1st and will again host a wide selection of  Americana and roots music from both sides of the atlantic.

Maverick is a perfectly sized festival for all the family.

Visit their website for more details

www.maverickfestival.co.uk

WOMAD 2012

WOMAD needs no introduction as it is one of the main festivals in the UK. Held again at Charlton Park, Wiltshire and running from July 27th to 29th, it will be Sorazora's fourth year of exhibiting. It is an internationally established festival that pulls artists in from all over the globe in a celebration of world music, arts and dance. This is a very large festival that is great for all the family.

Visit their website for more details

www.womad.co.uk

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

2012 TWINE & CORDAGE SELECTION

Coming Soon...

New to Sorazora is the addition of soft undyed cotton cordage and rope. The cordage measures 4mm in diameter and is available in lengths of 10m. The rope has a diameter of 10mm and is also available in 10m lengths.

Back by popular demand is the selection of Himalayan fibre cordage. Both the wild Himalayan hemp and giant Himalayan nettle fibres have been sustainably harvested from the wild, retted and then hand spun by remote villagers resulting in a truly organic cordage. The nettle cordage is 4 ply and comes in 25m lengths. The hemp is available in 25m lengths of 4 ply and also 10m lengths of 8 ply.

Sorazora's selection of twines are now sold in 30g balls, as opposed to 100g for nettle and linen and 25g for hemp. This year sees the addition of cotton and also bamboo. Only hemp and cotton will be available in a range of natural dyes. The above photo shows the natural undyed twines for each fibre. To complement these twines, we have a small range of craft tools, pictured below. These tools include a knitting spool, lucet, mini rigid heddle and also crochet hooks (not included in the photo).

Our 2012 collection will be with us by the end of March. We'll send out a newsletter to let you know when our new range of products will be available online. For a newsletter, simply request your email address to be added to our mailing list by contacting us at info@sorazora.com

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

Sorazora's Mini Rigid Heddle

Coming Soon To Sorazora

The rigid heddle dates back to ancient times in many parts of the world and is also a part of a backstrap loom that has seen centuries of use and still used today. A mini rigid heddle would be used to weave narrow bands for either straps or decoration on clothing.

All that are needed to start weaving are the heddle, weft stick and twine. Printed instructions included with the tool will explain how to thread your warp through the heddle and load the weft stick. This simple, yet effective device helps separate alternate threads enabling you to weave effortlessly between them.

Sorazora's Mini Rigid Heddle is one of our latest editions to our range of craft materials and tool and comes with a clear explanation printed on hemp paper. The heddle and weft stick have been carved from buffalo horn and polished. The 55% hemp & 45% cotton pouch has been dyed using indigo with myrobalan and we added a soapnut seed to the hemp twine closure.

Our 2012 collection will be with us by the end of March. We'll send out a newsletter to let you know when our new range of products will be available online. For a newsletter, simply request your email address to be added to our mailing list by contacting us at info@sorazora.com

Other great craft tools to arrive will be:

Knitting Spool
Crochet Hooks

Lucet

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

Sorazora's Knitting Spool

Coming Soon To Sorazora

Known commonly by many names, such as spool knitting, corking or french knitting, this basic form of knitting produces a narrow springy tubular cord. It can be used with an unlimited thread length and therefore suited to lengthy cords. It is also a great tool to teach the basic principles of knitting.

All that are needed to start braiding are the spool, working stick and a length of yarn. After a simple cast on, the yarn is simply looped and lifted over the prongs in turn. When the desired length of cord has been braided, carefully lift the loops and pass the remaining thread tightly through.

Sorazora's Knitting Spool is one of our latest editions to our range of craft materials and tool and comes with a clear explanation printed on hemp paper. The spool itself has been cut from a Nepalese hardwood called 'Saz', a large sub-himalayan tree found up to an alttitude of 1200m. The four pins and working stick have been carved from buffalo bone. The 55% hemp & 45% cotton pouch has been dyed using pomegranate peel and we added a soapnut seed to the hemp twine closure.

Our 2012 collection will be with us by the end of March. We'll send out a newsletter to let you know when our new range of products will be available online. For a newsletter, simply request your email address to be added to our mailing list by contacting us at info@sorazora.com

Other great craft tools to arrive will be:

Mini Rigid Heddle
Crochet Hooks

Lucet


Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

Sorazora's Lucet

Coming Soon To Sorazora

This simple craft tool's history is believed to date back to the Viking age (790s to 1060s), when it was used to create cords for practical use. It is ideal for lacing and draw-strings due to its square, strong and slightly springy characteristics, and as it can be used with an unlimited thread length, it is a technique suited for lengthy cords.

All that are needed to start basic braiding are the lucet and a length of yarn. After a simple cast on, the yarn is simply looped and lifted over the prongs in turn. When the desired length of cord has been braided, carefully lift the loops and pass the remaining thread tightly through.

Sorazora's Lucet is one of our latest editions to our range of craft materials and tools and comes with a clear explanation printed on hemp paper. The Lucet itself has been hand carved from buffalo horn and hand polished. The 55% hemp & 45% cotton pouch has been dyed using pomegranate peel and we added a soapnut seed to the hemp twine closure.

Our 2012 collection will be with us by the end of March. We'll send out a newsletter to let you know when our new range of products will be available online. For a newsletter, simply request your email address to be added to our mailing list by contacting us at info@sorazora.com

Other great craft tools to arrive will be:

Mini Rigid Heddle
Knitting Spool
Crochet Hooks

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

2012 Production Period

It's that time of year again where we head to the Kathmandu Valley for another period of sourcing, sampling and production of our next collection. The downside to our production period is that we are unable to process any online orders whilst in Nepal. This means our online store will have to take a break from 28th Nov 2011 until 30th Jan 2012. We apologise for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. We will still be checking our mail everyday and are always there to answer any questions you may have.

Two of the main fibres that we source in Nepal are their very own organic nettle and hemp. They both grow wild in the foothills and are harvested, retted, spun and woven by hand. We look forward to meeting up with all the craftspeople we regularly work with, from knitters, crocheters, weavers, dyers, and tailors. 

The image below shows a hemp & cotton blended yarn being woven on a handloom. We try to use handloom fabrics wherever possible in order to keep things as organic and handmade as possible. The standard handloom is vital for us as it requires no electricity and also provides much needed work for this group of traditional craftsmen.

Our blog will be updated throughout our production period with the latest news, so please do check from time to time. We look forward to presenting our new collection in the new year and Sorazora wishes you all a very merry Christmas and enjoyable new year celebrations.

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

PAIR UP with our FESTIVE FAYRE

Our winter sale started yesterday and will run through to the 28th November. It may be a little early to be calling this a Christmas sale and with it not running into December, this sale is our way to celebrate the closing of 2011 and the beginning of our 2012 collection's production period.

We have selected various products and divided them into two groups. Whether you are looking to treat someone special or spoil yourself, all you need to do is PAIR UP any item from each group for the fixed price of £70.00. That is a great saving that could save you between £16 to £49 depending on your selection.

With our recent change to shipping rates, where all UK orders over £60 will be delivered free of charge, our FESTIVE FAYRE is covered and no shipping fee is needed. To view our FESTIVE FAYRE page, please follow this link:

(This sale has now ended. Many thanks!)

The following images will give you an idea of some of the selected products included in the sale.

HarVest

Picnic Bag

Natural Backpack

Natural Dye Raw Silk Shawl

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

5 New Pendants From Stone Dance

Today's new product upload is another fine selection of 5 stone pendants that have been carefully selected and ornately encased and corded by STONE DANCE.

Created in 1999, Oren & Mami produce beautiful gemstone jewellery under the name of STONE DANCE.

Oren (Israel) and Mami (Japan) carefully source all the gemstones themselves in India and personally create individual pendants using various macrame techniques. This ancient technique and the fact that these stones are a snapshot of living history offer a timeless feel to each piece.

Based in Gunma, Japan, they make the most of the Japanese festival's off season to travel India in search of precious and semi-precious stones. In 2004, Stone Dance started working with Nepalese gold and silversmiths to provide alternative creations with gemstones.

The husband and wife team feel that each stone holds its own natural beauty and power, dictating how each stone is to be presented. They believe there is a special stone for everyone, a stone that will shine, glow and grow with its owner. Through their indepth knowledge of stones and clear explanations to customers, they hope the fascination of stones, nature and earth will be kept alive through their craftwork to maintain a connection with the crafts of our ancients.

 To view these and other products from Stone Dance, just click on the following link.

http://sorazora.com/shop/TokyoCraft/TokyoCraftStoneDance.html

INCA ROSE

RED JASPER

SERAPHINITE

TURQUOISE

AMETHYST

https://sorazora.com/product-category/accessories/jewellery/stone-dance/

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

5 New Pendants From Stone Dance

Today's new product upload is a set of 5 stone pendants that have been carefully selected and ornately encased and corded by STONE DANCE

Created in 1999, Oren & Mami produce beautiful gemstone jewellery under the name of STONE DANCE.

Oren (Israel) and Mami (Japan) carefully source all the gemstones themselves in India and personally create individual pendants using various macrame techniques. This ancient technique and the fact that these stones are a snapshot of living history offer a timeless feel to each piece.

Based in Gunma, Japan, they make the most of the Japanese festival's off season to travel India in search of precious and semi-precious stones. In 2004, Stone Dance started working with Nepalese gold and silversmiths to provide alternative creations with gemstones.

The husband and wife team feel that each stone holds its own natural beauty and power, dictating how each stone is to be presented. They believe there is a special stone for everyone, a stone that will shine, glow and grow with its owner. Through their indepth knowledge of stones and clear explanations to customers, they hope the fascination of stones, nature and earth will be kept alive through their craftwork to maintain a connection with the crafts of our ancients.

 To view the product page for these pendants, just click on the name of each design below the photos.

Rose Quartz

http://sorazora.com/shop/TokyoCraft/products/sz111819.html

Rose Quartz

Charoite

Malachite

Ocean Jasper

To view more of Stone Dance's work, click the link!

https://sorazora.com/product-category/accessories/jewellery/stone-dance/

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/

New Pendants From Green Glass Tokyo

Today's new product upload is a set of four new glass pendants that have been beautifully crafted by Masaya Kuribayashi of Green Glass Tokyo. Based in Shibuya, Masaya uses various different techniques to achieve different distinctive results from fine glass.

This is our third year at Sorazora to be introducing our customers in the UK to Green Glass Tokyo's intricate work. We have seen many talented glass workers based in the UK, but we have yet to find anything quite like this and we look forward to maintaining a steady flow of Masaya's work. To view the product page for these pendants, just click on the name of each design below the photos.

Wokan (kinoko technique)

Hondo (neutral technique)

Melita (inside-out technique)

Antego (umi technique)

To view more of Masaya Kuribayashi's work, click the link! https://sorazora.com/product-category/accessories/jewellery/green-glass/

Natural fibres, Natural dyes and Original designs http://www.sorazora.com/