Yarndale flew past! It felt like no sooner had we set our stand up than we were taking it down again! Having just one table definitely gave us more room, but there were still people waiting to be able to get in to look at the patterns, so I think we will need a double space another time.
Lots of people admired Crenellate and Lichfield among many other patterns, and about half a dozen folk signed up to my monthly newsletter. Subscribers often get special short term discounts off new releases and are also able to get 10% off all patterns and kits so it really is worth signing up.
We had many lovely conversations during the weekend with friends old and new, and we even had time to be sociable on the Saturday evening which was fabulous and is something we will be making time for again at future shows.
There were lots of mandalas around this weekend, mostly in The Gather (the main entrance part to the show), but I also spotted several on different stands. They were beautiful and made gorgeous shadows as well as looking splendid in their own right. Ronnie made friends with Dolly the sheep too.
My moebius workshop was a lot of fun and there are now more knitters out there who are able to knit moebius patterns. They thoroughly enjoyed the workshop too and several commented on how quickly the time went – and it was a two and a half hour session! I didn’t manage to photograph everyone’s headband, but these are the ones I did take pics of:
If you missed this workshop at Yarndale and would like to learn I am teaching it again in person next month as part of my Autumn series of in-person workshops!
There was almost a problem on Saturday morning as we were getting ready when I realised that I had failed to pack any tights! The Auction Mart at Skipton can be a chilly place and my DMs are not shoes that can be worn with bare feet, so it was with great relief that we discovered a nearby Asda open early that had some tights I could buy. All the same I was very very grateful to get home to my regular Snag tights. If you are a wearer of tights and have not yet tried this brand I highly recommend them! They stay put and their larger sizes are actually wider and not just longer, so they fit really well. This is not an affiliate link or anything like that, I just genuinely think they are brill.
Anyway, back to the yarn! I was very excited to see that Menai is having another moment in the spotlight, this time on the front cover of the German version of The Knitter. A friend who is honeymooning over there sent me this pic!
Next month I am teaching at Woolly Away, a knitting a crochet retreat in Hertfordshire. There may even be a few spaces left if you’d like to attend, but you’ll need to book soon if you do want to go.
I’m also teaching four workshops at Shaz’s Shabby Chic in Buckley, Flintshire, over the next two months:
- 22nd October – Fair Isle (Stranded) Knitting
- 29th October – Moebius Knitting
- 19th November – Introduction to Two-Colour Brioche Knitting
- 26th November – Introduction to Lace Knitting
All the workshops are from 6.30-8.30pm and full details are on my Events page.
In the middle of these workshops we’ll also be at Stollen & Wolle at RiverKnits’ studio in Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire which I mentioned last week! That’s on Sunday November 16th, 10am-4pm. Susan Crawford (author of A Stitch in Time and The Vintage Shetland Project) will be there a special guest speaker and I’m very excited about it.
And, last but not least, we’ll be at Yuletide Yarnies in Shrewsbury on Saturday December 13th!
Amidst all this I think Issue 220 of The Knitter that comes out on Thursday will have a new design of mine in it, and I’m playing with lots of ideas for more designs! One of the things about a big show like Yarndale is that my brain starts buzzing with ideas, partly through seeing lots of new yarns and colour combinations, partly through conversations had with visitors and fellow vendors. Also, although my lovely wife Sue is not a knitter, she will often plant a seed that it would be a really good idea if I were to design a pattern for xyz… She’s usually right too!
So, this week I will be prepping for the retreat and knitting up some new ideas as well as getting something very special photographed ready for a big reveal on October 10th!
Until next week, take care and do something that makes you smile. K x