This week sees the final lot of planning and organisation for Yarn Gathering which takes place in just five days! We have been making last minute tweaks and refinements and continuing to promote the event on social media and in our local area. Things that can’t be done until just before the event are setting up the venue with tables as requested by each vendor, marking out and labelling each vendor’s space, putting the signs up, and (most importantly) putting the snack basket together!
There will be 15 vendors this year, four of whom are new to Yarn Gathering and they cover a wide range of fibre arts. 11 vendors are downstairs and 4 (including myself) are upstairs. If you are coming to Yarn Gathering and you can’t manage the stairs, do ask to see the videos we will be taking at the start of the day once everyone is set up. This is so you can see what is up there and, if there is an item you want to see in more detail or buy, we can bring it down for you.
I promised to show you my progress on my 4-ply version of What Do Points Make? this week.
On the right hand side I’m almost ready for the next short row corner, then everything gets quicker as I work towards the top right hand corner point and the rows get progressively shorter. Then I will return to the stitches on the left hand needle, rejoin the second colour of yarn (the darker purple) and work the left hand side.
My progress on this project has been slower than anticipated, partly because I have had some secret knitting/designing to do at the same time, and partly because I have been under strict instructions from the osteopath not to overdo things again and risk returning to the pain I was experiencing in mid-July. I’m being more careful now about my posture when I knit, knitting for shorter periods of time (30 minutes in a row, then stop for a bit and stretch rather than 3 hours without moving) and I’m paying attention when niggles and aches do arise – and stopping! It might mean I don’t complete projects quite as fast, but if it means my back, neck and arm are not trying to gang up on me, that is fine!
One of the new designs I’ve been working on will be getting its ‘big reveal’ fairly soon. What I can tell you now is that I am once again designing the exclusive pattern for advance ticket holders to the North West Winter Wool Festival. Their instagram post yesterday gave a great teaser:
“Something special is sailing in for our advance ticket holders at the North West Winter Wool Festival ⚓✨ A free exclusive pattern designed by the talented @kath_andrews_designs will be waiting for you… but we’re keeping the details under wraps for now.
Think cosy, think seasonal, think a touch of the sea 🌊❄️
🎟 Advance tickets are your passport to this secret treasure. – don’t miss out!”
Do you remember I told you about my lovely wife and her sister climbing Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) overnight? This is a ‘before’ shot of them taken in the bar of the hotel I was staying in overnight while waiting for them to navigate the mountain safely.
They completed this epic challenge at about 7am on Sunday morning, having set off about 12.30am, alongside nearly 140 other people, who had all gathered together to challenge themselves and raise money for Macmillan in the process. Not everyone who started completed the walk/climb, but everyone did as much as they could and over £31K was raised!
Sue and Katie completed the whole walk, and were able to reach the summit as the winds had dropped by then. I am in total awe as I wouldn’t even be brave (or fit) enough to try this walk in daylight, let alone at night. It does make me want to be able to get to the top of Moel Famau again though. The last time I went with Sue I managed about two thirds of it, which wasn’t too bad for my first attempt in over 8 years.
If you don’t make it to Yarn Gathering on Sunday, I’ll tell you all about it next week. But if you do come, please say hello!
K x