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?

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?

LOCAL YARN SHOP DAY!!

This Saturday see the return of the hugely popular Local Yarn Shop Day! Created by Let's Knit magazine, its aim is to encourage knitters, crocheters and all other yarn based crafters to head out and support their local yarn shop. A lot of shops are hosting designers, new patterns, yarns and there may even be cake at some of them, yum! 

To find out what is happening in the yarn shops near you, Let's Knit have created a handy interactive map. Simply put in your postcode and away you go! Link here

As I am now back near London, I am hopefully going to be wandering around a few shops so will keep you updated. 

Where are you going to visit this Saturday? :)

Why so serious?

Hola! I hope this post finds you well! I'm only three days into the new term and I am already missing the holidays. I am fully immersed into dissertation mode and ticking off the last few boxes to complete my placement. I had a great holiday with the perfect balance of a week away and a week at home. Just before the Easter weekend, I took a flight with my boyfriend to the beautiful city of Barcelona. It was a steady 25 degrees during the day with a bit of a chill in the evenings. We had a two minute walk from the hotel to the beach and a short metro ride to the main city. Perfect.

We visited Casa Batlló (pronounced buyo by the locals), famously built by Gaudi. I love how in Europe the tourist attractions are still open at 7 in the evening.

The house gave each visitor headphones attached to an iphone which gave a running commentary as you walked around each room and the roof. The headphones just happened to match our clothes, accidental style obviously....

The only slightly annoying part of Barcelona are the waiters who stand outside each restaurant and try to lure you in to eat. If anything, it puts me off wanting to eat there. Apparently both of us showed this sentiment on our face as one waiter yelled after us: WHY SO SERIOUS? It became our catchphrase for the holiday every time we walked past the cafes and restaurants. 

The highlight of my trip however was of course - a yarn shop!! While googling the main tourist attraction, I had to check if there was a yarn shop in the city. And there was! All You Knit Is Love was in one of Barcelona's multitude of tall narrow streets.

I was surprised the name was in English but from what I could understand I think one of the owners is American or English. The interior of the shop was gorgeous.The photos don't quite do it justice as it was difficult to capture the narrow space. 

The shop was really long with a tall ceiling. Yarn hung from every wall with recognisable brands such as malabrigo. In a glass cupboard just by the front door were multiple skeins of yarn hand dyed in Barcelona. As a souvenir yarn, this couldn't be any better - dyed locally and I genuinely liked the colourways on offer. I'm away on my placement but will post the yarn when I head home this weekend :)

TLDR; Barcelona is beautiful and has a great yarn shop

2017 stitch count:
Jan - April: 46,822