Wonderwool was fantastic! If you are on social media then you may have seen some of my posts from during the weekend already. If you came and had a chat, or bought a pattern or a kit, thank you so much! We enjoyed talking to so many people over the weekend and hearing about their knitting plans and ideas. I didn’t take lots of photos as it was very busy (yay!) and I was teaching on both days as well. Some of the highlights were:
Having a lovely big space to use and set up (and it being such a well-organised show that it makes this process easier). This space is 10′ x 14′ (approx 3m x 4.25m) and these photos were taken when we’d just finished setting up on the Friday afternoon, which is why there are the inevitable extra bags by the chair! I promise it was tidier when the show was open.
Seeing people’s projects that they had made (or were making) from my patterns. Below are three Tiffany shawls – one in Riverknits yarn, one in the knitter’s own hand-spun yarn, and one in Deby of Dyelution‘s own hand-dyed yarns, a Jo March scarf in the most glorious colours and a Meg March shawl knitted by Katie of Sealy MacWheely knitted in her own hand-dyed yarns modelled alongside me in mine!
I had fun teaching two groups of knitters how to knit a moebius and they all had success! There was even one intrepid soul who had never knitted before!!
These were from Saturday’s workshop (or Woolschool as Wonderwool Wales calls them!) My big teaching example moebius is the photo in the centre:
And these were from the Sunday group. Many in this group chose to make their headbands into a cosy cowl by knitting extra rounds. The first time knitter’s work is top left – isn’t it amazing?!
We got home safely, if a little tired on Sunday evening, and I spent much of yesterday analysing sales and checking inventory. I was delighted to discover that patterns for 44 different designs had been bought during the weekend (with a total of 168 patterns sold) – which is a big increase in variety on the 34 different designs bought in 2024. I had taken 56 different patterns with me and had worried it was way too much, but the visitors to the show obviously appreciated the range of choice! We didn’t run out of Nevern Throw as we had done last year, but we did run out of Tiffany!
In less than three week’s time it will be Buxton Wool Gathering on May 17-18th! This year we’ve gone for a slightly larger stand than before at 2m x 4m, and I’m hoping this helps folk get in to see things more easily. There are still spaces on the moebius workshop at Buxton which is on Sunday 10.30am-1pm. It’s a 2.5 hour workshop with all materials (yarn, needles and handouts) included, so good value at £40. There are five workshops happening each day, so there’s a lot to choose from and it’s such a lovely event.
The weekend after Buxton Wool Gathering, a new show, Yarnies at the Flaxmill is happening. Taking place on Saturday May 24th from 11am-5pm (note the slightly later timing from the majority of shows), this is happening at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, a location which has recently been acquired by English Heritage! Tickets are £5 either in advance or on the door, with under 16s and carers going free. There will be just under exhibitors (of which I am one) and should be a lovely day out. Do come and say hello if you visit this event!
The workshops I told you about last week at Sew Woolly in Cheadle are happening in May too – on Wednesday 28th. If you want to learn how to knit socks (this workshop is for cuff down socks) or how to knit lace, do get in touch with Elizabeth at the Sew Woolly shop! All yarn is included in the workshop fee.
August seems like a long way off at the moment, but I’m sure it will swing round really quickly. We’re exhibiting at the North East Wool Show for the first time which is exciting. It’s the furthest north we’ll have been for a yarn show yet! I will be teaching my Two-Colour Brioche workshop there on the Sunday. The show is held at Newcastle Racecourse on August 9-10th and my workshop is 12.30-2.30pm on the 10th. If you want to book a place, just email me and I can send you an invoice for the places you want. There are currently 6 more places available on the workshop.
As someone said at Wonderwool this weekend when they saw the flyers on the table for the different events we’re at: “You’re getting about a bit, aren’t you!”
Yarn Gathering will be happening again this year and Anne and I are in the midst of finalising who is coming to this year’s show. This year Yarn Gathering is not on the same weekend as the Mold Food and Drink Festival. Instead it will be taking place the weekend before, on Sunday September 14th. There will still be some shops and plenty of food outlets open in Mold that day and parking will be easier too! We will have more information about this year’s show very soon.
Alongside all these shows and workshops I am still designing! This morning I emailed a new pattern off to the magazine editor and I will be entrusting the sample (the actual knitted item) to the postal system later on. That part is always a little terrifying, so I often end up sending them by special delivery – after weeks or even months of work (and sometimes a design has been bubbling away in my head for years before it finally takes shape) the last thing you want is for the sample to get out in the post!
As I write today’s blog post I am looking out of the window at the back garden. The apple tree is in full blossom and looks beautiful and my lovely wife is tackling the vegetable plot, which has been neglected for several months, in readiness for some optimistic sowing of seeds. I do hope that this year’s plants aren’t all eaten before they get big enough to actually produce some food for us! That was what happened last year and it was a little disappointing. I have spotted that the currant bushes and gooseberries seem on track for bumper crops – they seem to have appreciated their prune!
It seems I’ve had a lot to tell you today! If you’ve read this far, thank you. I hope you have a good week that includes some things that make you happy and I’ll write again next week. Until then, take care, K x