I am delighted to be exhibiting at Yarndale once again.
Held at Skipton Auction Mart during the last weekend of September, Yarndale is one of the biggest shows in the UK.
Day tickets are £19.50 (including £2.50 booking fee), weekend tickets are £34.50 (including £2.50 booking fee). Under 16s and carers are free with an accompanying ticket-holding adult.
Day tickets have timed entry (between 10am and noon) and the 10am entry sells out first – so don’t wait too long if you want to spend the whole day!
I am very pleased to be exhibiting at the Wool-in Garden City Wool Show
Sunday 24th November, 10 – 4 pm
Oaklands College, The Campus, Welwyn Garden City AL8 6AH
I will also be teaching my two Brioche workshops the day before (Nov 23rd) at the Wool-in Garden City Pop-Up Shop in the Howard Centre – more details coming soon!
Last week I promised I would show you my progress with my Persian Tiles Blanket, designed by Jane Crowfoot and my Bargello Aurora Scarf. I’m quite pleased with both.
The large motifs for the blanket are on their final three rounds.
One of these 16 motifs is complete – that’s the one I made first and one to the left of it has a dark blue round with stitches of different heights that changes it from a flower / star to an octagon. I hope to have completed this round on all the other 14 motifs by next week and perhaps have begun the cream round with the stitches that cross over each other – that’s the hardest bit in my opinion.
As for the Bargello Aurora Scarf, I’m just over a third of the way through it! It probably could have been more, but since I got home from my *second* trip to the midlands last week (it was planned, but it was a lot of driving), I’ve been crocheting in the evenings instead.
There will be nine blocks of the stripe pattern repeat in total. Yesterday I wrangled with inkscape, a programme I use for drawing .svg files for schematics. I don’t use it very often, so remembering how to move nodes (the points where the lines change direction) etc and edit files took longer than I would have liked, but I do now have schematics for the cowl and the scarf as well as the wrap.
I won’t have copies of the updated Bargello Aurora pattern with me at Wool@J13 this weekend as I want to finish the scarf sample first and double check the measurements and yarn quantities used, but I will have it at the Pop Up Wool Show in Port Sunlight on August 18th and it will hopefully be available online before then as well.
There will be new designs and new kits at Wool@J13 though! Leaf & Vine has returned to me as I told you last week and I will have printed copies of that, the new brioche cowl (now named Bryn!) will be there in both printed pattern and kit form (with kits comprising the pattern, yarn and a stitch marker in a tin), and the pride kits will be there with the same bundle offer as online.
The Bryn Brioche Cowl kits all contain the same amount of yarn, allowing you to simply choose your colours and then decide which size you want to make.
That’s quite a few items having their first show outing! I was going through my inventory list and as well as these ‘brand new to shows’ designs, there will be about 20 other products that I didn’t have with me last year at Wool@J13, including patterns, kits, postcards and hand-spun yarn. I just hope I can fit it all into my car and then into my stand space! (Barragán will be making its show debut at the Pop Up Wool Show).
I have a new brioche knitting workshop coming up in a couple of weeks! Next Steps in Two-Colour Brioche Knitting is ideal for knitters who have learnt the basic two-colour brioche stitch and now want to explore the technique further. Knitters will create this amazing swatch, learning increases and decreases that will open up a whole range of brioche knitting patterns.
The workshop is being held at Shaz’s Shabby Chic in Buckley on July 10th, 6.30-8.30 and the full details can be found on my events page as well as on ticketsource where you can book a workshop place.
I will also be running this workshop AND my Introduction to Two-Colour Brioche Knitting workshop as online Zoom events later in the year, so keep your eyes peeled for those if this is a knitting technique you’d like to explore, but you can’t get to North Wales (or to Yarndale in North Yorkshire, where I am teaching Introduction to Two-Colour Brioche Knitting on Saturday 28th September – there are just 3 spaces left on the Yarndale workshop).
I haven’t been at home much this week with the double trip to the midlands, but we have been able to get into the garden this weekend. There has been some serious pruning of the box at the bottom of the garden (it was almost twice as tall as us!) and we’ve even trimmed the hedge! Well, some of it. We couldn’t get right down to the bottom because the box was in the way, but now that’s been brought back under control we’ll be able to finish the hedge off. This is the hedge that acts as a backdrop for many of my photos of knitting when it’s modelled on a human! Our neighbour used to cut our side every year while we were away in the summer, but since he died (quite a number of years ago now), we’ve had someone in to do it twice, but it hasn’t been enough – and we felt it used to get more of a tickle than a prune anyway. I reckon we’ve lost at least two feet of garden to the hedge, judging from how much it came in front of the bottom garage window. So, we bit the bullet and bought a pole hedge trimmer. We took off about a foot from the width of the hedge on Sunday, but we still need to remove more. We are being very careful – gloves, proper shoes and so on. This pic gives some idea of how much the hedge has overgrown – that’s after we trimmed a foot or so off (and bevelled the corner to get more light into the garage)!
The veg has been very poor this year, with everything apart from a few kale plants having been eaten by slugs or snails. However the fruit bushes are looking mighty fine, and the blackcurrants are ready to be picked!
Jam making time is coming near. Maybe after the weekend?
That’s all from me today. The next time I write it will be July! Which reminds me, if you’d like to receive exclusive discount codes and more, then do sign up for my monthly newsletter, which comes out at the start of each month.
I am very excited to be exhibiting at Yarndale this year – and I’m teaching a workshop there too!
The Festival of Yarn and Woolly Creativity in the North.
Championing the brilliance and versatility of wool, this award-winning festival is a show for everyone interested in making. Over the last weekend of September Yarndale brings together a splendid variety of exhibitors with yarny stuff to sell and thousands of visitors, who come to browse, squish and buy yarn to make.
Day tickets are £17 (plus £2.50 booking fee), Weekend tickets £32 (plus £2.50 booking fee). Tickets for children under 16 and carers are free, but still need to be booked.
This time 2 years ago, Leaf & Vine Cardigan was published by Knit Picks as part of their “Haven: Knit Lace Patterns” collection. The rights have now returned to me and I am delighted to tell you that the digital pattern is available to buy from Ravelry, my website and Payhip! You can still also buy the whole Haven collection direct from KnitPicks.
Leaf & Vine is an oversized lacy cardigan with very short sleeves that are worked as an integral part of the body. There are 10 sizes (up to finished chest measurements of 71″) and 2 length options for every size. It is designed to be worn with 7-10″ of positive ease (ie 7-10″ bigger than your body measurement). As the pattern was published in the US initially all the measurements are in inches.
Knit Picks have a great system where, once the rights return to the designer, you can choose for the individual pattern to still be available from their website (it is) as well as sell it yourself. They send you the pdf document that they’ve been selling for you to sell yourself, so I don’t have to worry about reformatting the pattern, taking new photos or any of that.
The pdf for Leaf & Vine is 10 pages, 2 of which are full page photos. For printed patterns, that I will sell at yarn shows, I haven’t printed out the 2 full page photos. This is to keep the pattern to 8 pages and avoid excessive ink usage. Both omitted photos are on the pattern page on my website and on Payhip (and here!), so you won’t be missing out on anything if you buy a printed rather than digital copy of the pattern!
Last Thursday I should have been giving a workshop knitting Pride flags at Qube in Oswestry. Sadly it was cancelled due to lack of bookings, so I decided to use some of the yarn I had purchased for the workshop to make up Pride flag kits. It’s all West Yorkshire Spinners ColourLab DK, so it’s 100% wool that is machine washable. The ‘basic’ flag kit (£7) has 6 colours and the progress pride flag kit (£8) has 11! I think you’ll agree that’s a massive saving on buying 6 or 11 100g balls of wool!
The instructions for the basic flag include youtube links for every stitch used (two cast-on options, knit, cast-off). They’re publicly available videos that I have checked out for clarity and helpfulness. The progress pride flag instructions include the colour work chart and information on how to work intarsia in garter stitch to get the zigzag part of the design. I’ve put the kits on my website and I will be bringing them to Wool@J13 in just under two weeks time. You can even buy them both together and get a tasty discount (both for £12)!
Although I wasn’t able to lead the Pride flag knitting workshop at Qube as part of the first Oswestry Pride, my lovely wife did take part in the Pride in the Park event in Oswestry on Saturday. We braved the weather (which thankfully calmed down and dried out a bit!) and, after the Mayor of Oswestry (the one with the chain) and Jen the organiser (the one with the flag) opened the event and welcomed everyone, Sue was the first of three poets up on the bandstand to read to an enthusiastic audience. I was very proud at Pride!
If you receive the Yarndale newsletter (or have looked at the Yarndale website since Friday), you will know that I am teaching a workshop on two-colour brioche at Yarndale this year! It’s on the Saturday afternoon, 1.30-3.30pm. If you’d like to be introduced to the delights of two-colour brioche knitting and are going to be at Yarndale on the Saturday (28th September), why not book a place? You’ll have to be quick though – there are only 4 places left! I’ve updated this workshop since I last taught it and we’ll cover the basic two-colour brioche stitch, an increase and two directional decreases with lots of repetition in the swatch to help the skills bed in.
You may spot some similarity between the new workshop swatch and these cowls! I’ve been asked quite a lot recently what my simplest brioche design is for someone who hasn’t done two-colour brioche before or for someone who has done just the basic stitches but maybe didn’t want to knit a whole brioche shawl. This is my answer to that question! There are two size options in the pattern, both of which can be made with or without the garter stitch striped border. The cowl looks great worn as it is or folded in half. Not only do you have these options, but the pattern ALSO includes instructions both for knitting it flat or knitting it in the round! (Top Tip: I strongly recommend starting with knitting two colour brioche flat…)
There will be kits in a tin too, in these two colourways of Town End Yarns Poldale DK: Lime Green/Olive Green or Light Blue/Blue. Look out for them at Wool@J13, Pop Up Wool Show, Yarn Gathering and Yarndale!
The pattern is written, the samples are knitted and the photos have been taken. All I need before I can print the patterns is a name! Have you got any suggestions? Please add your pattern name suggestions in the comments. If I choose your suggestion, you will get a free copy of the pattern!
I think I mentioned before that I’m adding some more options to my Bargello Aurura pattern.
Here’s the original wrap:
There is now a cowl version as well, and I’m currently knitting the scarf sample to complete the set.
Here is the cowl!:
I love how the cowl works with the fabric folded to create overlapping points. The finished updated pattern with all three options should be available in time for the Pop Up Wool Show in August.
Yesterday I took my mum for another hospital appointment. When she was called in I stood up rapidly to push the wheelchair and heard a ripping sound. The pocket on my smock had caught on the back of one of the waiting room chair armrests and had torn. I’ve already had to mend this area of the smock once before – but it hadn’t torn so badly the first time. The smock is from The Slow Wardrobe as are many of my clothes. I had kept some fabric from a pair of black linen baggy trousers that had given up the ghost years ago, and I used that give support to the mended area. A patch, but on the inside. Once that was tacked in place I had some fun with the sewing machine. The tear is now repaired, the smock is once again wearable (and it’s at least 8 years old), my sewing machine knows I still love it, and it looks as though I’ve sewn a K around the pocket! What more could you want, really?
I’m taking her for another appointment later this week – hopefully I won’t need to mend any more clothes as a result of that one!
That’s all for today. Next week I’ll show you some of the progress I’ve been making with my Persian Tiles crochet blanket (designed by Janie Crow) and the scarf sample of Bargello Aurora. Take care all, K x
I am delighted to be exhibiting at the Pop Up Wool Show once more this year. It was my first yarn show and will always hold a special place in my heart! The lovely venue of Hulme Hall is in Port Sunlight and is very near the wonderful Lady Lever Art Gallery – why not visit both?!
Now in its 10th year, the Pop Up Wool Show has a selection of vendors selling everything from hand dyed yarns and fibres to felting kits and needles.
Entry is £4 per person and is available on the door or online here tickets
Wool@J13 was a great show last year (pic from last year’s show) and I am so pleased to be exhibiting with them again this year.
A celebration of all things woolly, just 25 mins from J13 of the M6 or a stone’s throw from the A51.
Wool@J13 2024 is set to show you all manner of all things wool, celebrating the diversity within this one word. Whether you are a knitter, crocheter, dyer, needle felter, sock maker or just plain curious, we have notions & potions of all shapes, sizes and colours just dyed and presented for you at Wool@J13 2024. Exhibitors will again be travelling from all over the country to The Heritage at Bishton in Staffordshire, where we have been invited to stage our 2024 show by the renowned Stafford Northcote family, former owners of neighbouring Bishton Hall from 1946 when it became the new home of St Bede’s School up until when the Hall was sold in 2018.
Here you can find all the information you need. Find details about the event, exhibitors, workshops, camping, the venue and much more! Tickets are available here
Day tickets online £5.50 (+ booking fee) or £7 on the gate
Weekend tickets online £10.50 (+ booking fee) or £12 on the gate.
A celebration of wool and fibre in North Wales. Highlighting the best producers, retailers and supporters of wool and fibre use. The exhibitors are hand picked and will be showing a wide variety of wool and fibre products. Individuals and groups who support and educate in fibre, and wool use will be present. All under cover in the Deiniol Centre, Bangor, LL57 1NW.
Free entry to public.
I am delighted to be exhibiting at this new festival of Welsh wool & fibre! I’ll have all my Welsh inspired and named designs with me, along with kits that use Welsh wool and much more!
I am so pleased to be exhibiting at Buxton Wool Gathering again in 2024.
Buxton Wool Gathering is a wool festival dedicated to the best of fibre and yarn, held in the gateway to the Peak District.
Whether you’re into spinning, felting, weaving, knitting, or crochet, there’s something for you. All in a stunning location with some of the friendliest, craftiest people around.
There are also tickets available for a ‘Quiet Hour’ on Sunday 9-10am (same price as a regular day ticket). These allow you to enter from 9am on Sunday morning. We have a limited number of these tickets and they’re intended for anybody who would prefer to avoid a large crowd – these tickets are also valid for the rest of the day so you could leave mid-morning and return in the afternoon (Sunday afternoon is generally quieter at yarn shows).
Here you can find all the information you need. Find details about the event, the exhibitors, Buxton, and the venue. You can also book tickets online. Tickets are £5 or £8 for a weekend ticket.
