Woollinn Stash

Where has the month gone?! I've been busy clearing more things for my move, completing my last hospital placement and getting back into exercise in this sunny weather. In amongst all this busy-ness, I realised I haven't shown you all my yarny purchases from Woollinn!

Just a note: all the yarn was photographed on an unexpectedly grey day, so apologies for slightly muted colours.

1. Bear in Sheep's Clothing 

This was actually my last purchase. I had put both these skeins back on the booth and walked away, smug in being so self controlled. And then returned twenty minutes later hoping they would still be there! Self-control.... Yeah.... I have never used mohair before and it is so soft and smooshy. This is Bear Luxury Halo, 72% mohair and 28% silk in the colourway Romance. The sock yarn is Bear Sturdy, 100% superwash Blue Faced Leicester in the same colourway. After watching a Grocery Girls episode before leaving for Dublin, I really wanted to try knitting one of Jodi's hat designs which uses doubled sock yarn held with mohair to make a really soft and warm hat. Her pattern is here. Bear in Sheep's online shop here.

2. The Fibre Co. from Emily Foulds

The photo above doesn't do justice to the vibrancy of these yarns. The left skein is a deep forest green, the right is a brighter... Hold on a second, I'll get another photo....

That's better! I think the yellow overwhelms the camera which in turn mutes the other two colours but this is a lot closer to the real skeins. These are Cumbria fingering from the Fibre Co. (from left to right) in dark green - Grizedale Forest, yellow - Buttermere and teal - Yew Tree. The colours are inspired by the lakes and valleys of Cumbria and the yarn feels soft but sturdy. I bought this yarn from the Emily Fould stall which is a yarn shop based in the north of England near Lancashire (Link here). With my purchase, I received a free pattern for the Fell Garth Tamdou shawl by Melanie Berg. There were two samples knit in very different colours which swayed me to buy the kit. The two women on the stall were very helpful and patient when I couldn't decide on three colours for the shawl. They took the time to suggest different pairings and despite having a busy stall, made no attempt to rush me. I truly appreciated that and would recommend stopping by their shop if you're ever in the area as I know you will get great customer service and also a friendly welcome.

This is the shawl pattern:

I'm looking forward to casting it on once I've reduced my WIP pile!

3. Dublin Dye

This is 4ply Swing Sock in the colourway Polar Express. Out of all my purchases, this is the only one I don't have a plan for. The colourway goes through a whole spectrum of blues and hints of purple. The subtlety of the different shades is lovely and I don't feel socks would do it justice. One to ponder on.... Link to Dublin Dye here.

4. Babbles Yarns

This yarn was a pleasure to buy for two different reasons. Firstly sock yarn with cotton is something I want to trial for hotter weather and secondly I got to meet Grace! Grace is the dyer and podcaster behind Babbles Yarns. She has a great podcast and is bubbly and full of energy. She is also so friendly and it was a pleasure to meet her in real life and not just through YouTube.

Fan pic! Can't wait for some neon yellow socks this summer. Grace's shop can be found here and her podcast here. I would definitely recommend giving it a listen.

5. Studio Donegal from This is Knit

This is Studio Donegal Darnie 4ply in the colourway 13023 or mustard as I've been calling it. This is a special purchase which you'll know if you read my original Woollinn post (here). My non-knitting Mum likes to use sample knits like a clothes shop and on this occasion, she fell in love with the sample cardigan at the This is Knit stall.

This is the Jaycee cardigan by Isabell Kraemer which can be found on Ravelry (here). This is the first project I will actually do a swatch for instead of winging it as it's for someone else and needs to match the original pattern sizes. The pattern involves a button band and a few other new to me techniques and I'm looking forward to the challenge.


Have a great week everyone x

Woollinn!

What a weekend! In case you missed my last post, I flew to Dublin this weekend to attend Woollinn. Woollinn is Dublin's first yarn festival run by the lovely ladies from This is Knit, a yarn shop in Dublin. The event took place just outside Dublin, right next to the airport in ALSAA, a sports complex. The marketplace was in the main hall with classes running in various other rooms including a squash court.

The entrance!

Preparing for Woollinn

I'm off to Woollinn tomorrow! Woollinn is a new yarn festival this year based in Dublin and is running between 25th to 27th May. I wasn't planning to go originally but after winning two tickets from the Yarn in the City Podcast that was all the encouragement I needed!

http://woollinn.com

Local Yarn Shop Day

Did you make it to your local yarn shop on Saturday? I don't have one near me at the moment but there is a yarn shop local to my boyfriend in Portsmouth so I decided that it was going to be my local for the weekend! As I'm in Portsmouth a lot I think it may become a regular haunt especially after my experience on Saturday.

I'm not too familiar with most parts of Portsmouth so I Googled the shop and then got Will to drive there! He likes to get an insight into the knitting world occasionally and was descended on by the ladies knitting outside the shop for a chat. Perfect timing for me to look at yarn!

I don't know of any other yarn shops in Portsmouth other than Seeded. They run regular classes in the shop although I haven't had time to try one yet. I tried taking photos of the interior but it was so busy I couldn't get a clear shot. The plus side of this is that the shop was really busy! It's lovely to see similar people gathered for the same purpose. Alexis who owns the shop generously offered 20% off all yarns except Stylecraft for anyone who signed up for Local Yarn Shop Day at the shop. You can find her website for the shop here.

At the entrance cupcakes and a pile of yarn were sitting either side of the door, not that anyone needed any encouragement to go in. I even managed to capture a patient partner heading out of the shop or potentially a knitter?

Directly inside the shop was a heap of finished knitted items which had been submitted to the competition for the day. The rest of the shop was crammed with yarn in various shelves and nooks and crannies but in a way that you could see everything. There was also embroidery thread and ribbons and haberdashery items.

Alexis was very friendly and organised a raffle ticket for every £10 spent in the shop. I won a tote bag with the shop logo on it in gold. Who doesn't love a good raffle? The shop regulars were chatty and very keen for new local knitters. Within the first five minutes in the shop I was invited to the knit night and also any future dinners and drinks that they organize. This natural friendliness and reaching out to new people is one of my favourite parts of the knitting world. Long may it continue.

Aaaand there may have been a little bit of stash enhancement. Only three balls so fairly controlled and already allocated to projects. #winning!

First was a ball of sock yarn by Regia in dark blue with slim lines of orange. I'm hoping to make a pair of socks for Will for either his birthday in July or for Christmas. I've never knit socks for someone else and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Next was another ball of sock yarn but with a difference. This is Regia cotton in Tutti Frutti. Again something new to me which is knitting with cotton and also knitting cotton socks. I'm interested to see if cotton can be knitted like normal socks or if it requires a bit more elasticity in the cast on and more stitches. Perfect timing for the hot weather we're having here in the UK. I'm thinking two pairs of short socks would work really well.

Last was a 200g ball (cake?) of Stylecraft Batik Swirl. I was attracted to the colours but had no idea what to use it for. The colourway is poppy fields and when I saw the colour mix it really evoked an image of poppy fields in my head. In a complete coincidence, I borrowed Issue 131 of Let's Knit magazine from my local library and their one ball knit for the month is a shawl using batik swirl and pattern looks nice. Sorted.

Did you go to your local yarn shop on Saturday? Any purchases or new knitting friends?

Have a great week x

Woollinn Dublin

I have a small announcement:

Knitting and Craft Events for October and November

Morning everyone! 

I have gradually been making a list of all the upcoming events for the next couple of months. I'm hoping to have an ongoing calendar to remind myself of events and also as an easy way for people to find out what's happening. Below are the events for October and November this year. Let me know if I have missed out anything. Hope it helps!


October

1-31 Socktober!

7-22 UK Wool Week

11-15 The Knitting and Stitching Show, Ally Pally, London, UK

13-15 Lochness Knit Fest, Inverness, Scotland


14 West Wales Wool Show, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK

14-15 Bakewell Wool Gathering, Peak District, UK

21-22 Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Fesitval, Rhinebeck, NY, USA

20-22 Oslo Strikke Festival, Oslo, Norway

28-29 Kendal Wool Gathering, Kendal, Cumbria, UK

November

1-30 Wovember!

11 Festiwool, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, UK 


11-12 Nottingham Yarn Expo, Nottingham, UK

9-12 The Knitting and Stitching Show, Dublin, Ireland

23-26 The Knitting and Stitching Show, Harrogate, Yorkshire, UK

23-30 Threads of London Life, WSD Guild Exhibit, London, UK

Stash enhancement

If you're not interested in stash enhancement, look away now!

I've had two rounds of stash this month. First was from the Great London Yarn Crawl and second was my subscription goody from Knit Now. 
Knit Now gave me two Caron Cakes for signing up for their 6 month subscription:

These two cakes are 350m aran weight of yarn, 20% wool and 80% acrylic. On the left is Funfetti and on the right is Rainbow Sprinkles. I had no idea what to make from these at first! The ball band suggests a scarf.... Yeah no... Does anyone enjoy knitting scarves? Instead there's just enough in each one to make a Flax jumper by Tin Can Knits for the 1-2 year size which will be perfect for my two little cousins. Sorted -  pictures in the near future.

I had a great time at the London Yarn Crawl this year! I bought something from three of the four shops on my route.

From Sharp Works:

I love the soft pastels in this DK weight yarn from lilac to sherbet orange to mint green. I was again thinking of the little people in my family and making mittens. Still undecided though. 

I walked past this a few times. It was in a bowl with a range of dark metallics that shone softly in the light. I was expecting a scratchy yarn but its incredibly soft as its made partly with merino. No idea what to do with this - any suggestions? Its only 50g worth so it might be a good accent to a project.

From Loop:

Some more pastels! These are aran weight and next to them were a lovely mitten pattern (yep mittens again!) by Rachel Atkinson  - Ravelry link here. 

From I Knit:

The colours in the photos don't really match real life. Its a lot brighter and louder for both cakes of yarn and is truly eye-catching. I'm thinking a shawl with both colours for some brightness during winter. Any suggestions would be great. Perhaps the pattern - Girl from the Grocery Store by Joji Locatelli? TBC.

I didn't buy anything from the Handweavers Studio but I have booked a beginners spinning class there in November which I'm really looking forward to! I've tried a drop spindle a few times but would love to try a proper wheel. 

That's all this month! Now to start using some of my stash - any pattern ideas?

One day to go - Great London Yarn Crawl 2017!

How is everyone? I am very excited that it’s finally Friday not just because it means it’s the weekend but also because tomorrow is the Great London Yarn Crawl!! I have mentioned the Crawl before (here and here) and am really looking forward to going to my second one. GLYC will be five this year and is a great way to explore different yarn shops in London with a group of like-minded people. Its split into different routes covering different shops and so allows you to explore different places each year. This year I’m going to be part of Team Bakerloo which will be going to Sharp Works, Loop, The Handweavers Studio and I Knit.

Sharp Works

Sharp Works is based in Herne Hill in London. I don’t know much about this shop and I’m looking forward to reviewing it after tomorrow. They have a website but it doesn’t show all their products. It appears to be a mix of yarn and haberdashery which is a nice mix. More after tomorrow!

Loop

I have been meaning to go to Loop for aaaages. Its not that far from my normal commute through London and it has been mentioned on quite a few podcasts previously. Loop sells a broad range of yarns including Brooklyn Tweed, Malabrigo, Madeline Tosh and many others including indie dyers. Loop hosts classes and a weekly knit night on Thursdays in their shop in Camden Passage, Islington. Check out their blog here.

The Handweavers Studio

Slightly different to most of the other shops in the Crawl, the Studio is aimed specifically for weavers. They sell cones rather than skeins and also have wheels and looms for sale. I have been here once before and they are really helpful and patient with new weavers! They run weaving and spinning classes and a weekly evening for general weaving with a teacher to help you. This is beyond my budget at the moment but I think would be an invaluable way to learn! The Studio is based near Finsbury Park station.

I Knit

Another new to me shop! Gerard the owner dyes yarn and also runs classes in the shop. The shop is a stone’s throw from Waterloo Station. That’s pretty much all I know except that they have a knit night on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

After the Crawl I’m hoping to give a bit more of a review of each shop and how the day went! After trailing around London there is a mini yarn market with 13 different stall holders. If you’re interested in the Crawl but haven’t got tickets this year, sign up to the Yarn in the City newsletter (here) for news about tickets for next year and their other event  - the Yarnporium. 

Have you got any plans this weekend? 

Great London Yarn Crawl 2017

I have bought a ticket for my second Great London Yarn Crawl!! I'm not volunteering this year so I can see what its like to be a normal attendee. The Crawl is split into different routes with a range of craft shops. Most are knitting related but one or two are for fabric and embroidery. There are usually 3/4 shops per route and each route this year is named after a line on the London Underground. 

The best bit about a yarn crawl is the opportunity to sit and knit in each shop. It's ideal to get to know your group, exchange tips and ideas and enjoy being surrounded by people who love knitting as much as you do. 

The most exciting part of GLYC 2017 is that it will herald the first year anniversary of me learning to knit. When I went last year I still hadn't learnt how to cast on or even knit a wonky scarf - the inadvertent initiation project of every newbie knitter. I dived straight in with a yarn crawl (and as a volunteer!) hoping to absorb some knitty knowledge from everyone on my route. 

 

Wild and Woolly yarn shop on the Crawl last year

I certainly picked up a lot of enthusiasm from my group! 9 months on and I am knitting my fourth sock, a jumper and having a go at colourwork. Not too shabby! I have also discovered a community online and offline of some of the warmest and most welcoming people I have ever encountered.

There will be an after party and pop-up market after the Crawl taking place at the Central Hall, Westminster. I cannot wait! 

The tickets for the Great London Yarn Crawl are now sold out but they may have a waiting list (information here). 

Have you got your ticket already? Which shops are you looking forward to?

PomFest 2017

Pom Pom Magazine has been running for five years this year and to celebrate they created PomFest - a three day yarny festival with talks and a pop up market. I didn't have a huge amount of free time over the weekend but I managed to go late in the afternoon on Saturday. I missed the talks but if there's another PomFest I would love to listen in!

The Pom Pom team were manning the door and giving out tickets. It was nice to put faces to the voices I hear on their podcast. They kindly gave us two tickets for the price of one as I'm a student and it was late in the day. Great start! If you haven't listened to the Pom Pom podcast aka the Pomcast you can listen to it on their website (here). They are really cheery and well worth a listen.

Mum had a quick loop of the vendors with me before heading for the cafe. She's not a knitter and unfortunately twisted her ankle on the way. A cup of tea and a tasty cupcake definitely helped. Its great taking her to events like this to show the innovation of the designers and indie dyers. She was very impressed with all the knit up samples and said she wished they were for sale as well. I have a feeling I'm going to have a few requests for Christmas this year including this gorgeous cardigan from the latest Pom Pom magazine:

And this one:

Yarn purchases! I'm trying to make everything I buy a bit more mindful so with that in mind (haha!) I think my stash enhancement was pretty controlled. I did however do a lot of window shopping of the other vendors for future yarn ideas. 

I have had my eye on all of the Coop Knits books and this one appealed to me most on the day. It was nice to talk to the author behind the books although I was too shy to ask her to sign it. Shyness was a running theme on Saturday. 

I'll do a full review of the book once I've had a proper read of it. Look at all the colourwork on the front cover!

I couldn't walk past the highly colourful Easy Knits stall without having a look. It was a riot of colours. Its at this point I wish I had taken photos of the actual Pomfest and the vendors. Learning point for my next yarn festival visit! The Easy Knits guys had a little sausage dog called Sweep (because his ears sweep along the ground I'm guessing). He almost received more attention than the yarn on the stall. Almost. I picked up this mini skein pack with the aim to buy more in the future. Their range of different yarns was impressive and I would definitely like to buy more of it.

I have been eyeing up the Tanis Fiber Arts pattern for multi-coloured cardigan called Lifesavers (link here). The main colour is a dove grey with regular stripes of different colours. Flicking through other knitters versions the cardigan is a blank canvas to try lots of different variations. Either rainbow or a spectrum of a particular colour or even monochrome. There are endless combinations. These minis are a great start.

With my next purchase, I have to start with the bag that came with them. A normal brown paper bag but the handles were wool!

This is 100% organic wool from the company Garthenor. I'm not entirely sure what makes some wool organic and not all wool? Will need to research that at some point. The wool was nice and crunchy but not scratchy and I cast it on as soon as I got home. (Can anyone say 'too many WIPs?') 

This is destined to be a hiking hat one day! Again I wish I had photographed the stall as it was so well put together. The lady running the stall was so so friendly and we had a great chat about different sheep breeds particularly the ones native to Wales where Garthenor is based. If you would like to try Garthenor yarn but want to feel it first, they are sponsoring the after party for the Great London Yarn Crawl 2017. More on the Crawl in a later post but tickets are nearly sold out so get yours ASAP.

And last but most certainly not least was a skein of yarn from Stranded Dyeworks aka Amy from the Stranded Podcast. Again another podcast thats well worth a listen and can be found on YouTube. Look for Amy Edwards Green and the podcast should appear. I have been listening to Amy's podcast for quite a while now and she is exactly the same person in real life as on her podcast - friendly, bubbly and full of energy!

This is a 4 ply yarn with 75% merino and 25% nylon so ideal for socks, shawls, jumpers or anything really. I would love a jumper out of this.

This is a lot of photos but I had to take a few different angles to capture the many facets of this yarn. I'll be interested to see what it looks like once its wound into a cake. 

And thats all of it! I briefly spoke to Amy from Stranded Dyeworks as well although I was too shy to ask for a photo with her. Maybe next time! Will definitely be working on my courage to talk to podcasters especially as they're always lovely when you do :)

Links for the shops mentioned:

Coop Knits - www.coopknits.co.uk

Easy Knits - www.easyknits.co.uk

Garthenor - https://garthenor.com/

Stranded Dyeworks - www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StrandedDyeworks

Have a great week everyone!