It’s been a hectic weekend! The Edinburgh Yarn Festival take #3 was very exciting, despite the fact that all I did was shop, snap a few photos, chat, and fondle yarn!
shopping for inspiration
Have you visited a major yarn & fibre festival? I don’t know about you, but for me being in the presence of so many creative people and beautiful materials is one of the most inspiring things! I’m positively BUZZING with ideas, creative energy and excitement after this show. And I’ve added some lovely skeins to my stash.
La Bien Aimée DK and Wollmeise DK
Hedgehog Fibers Skinny Singles
meeting cool knit cats
One of my aims this year, as 2016 is the Year to Learn Something New, was to meet and introduce myself to more designers, dyers and knitters, learn their stories, and familiarize myself with the excellent work going on outside of my own studio! As a designer I spend a lot of time working away in my creative cave, and sometimes miss the inspiration and learning that can be found through the work of my colleagues.
Since I didn’t have a booth at EYF this year, I made the most of the social opportunities! I had the pleasure to meet Thea Coleman (babycocktails), Bristol Ivy, Melanie Berg (Mairlynd) and Kirsten Kapur for the first time. And I spent a lovely evening catching up with Justyna Lorkowska (Lete’s Knits), Dieuwke van Mulligen (Knitter’s Kitchen), Renée Callahan and Linda from Kettle Yarn Co. among others!
Of course I also admired the new designs and yarn by Ysolda, met Kate Davies in person while swooning over her new yarn and latest collection, and bought ALL the Hedgehog fibres from the Stephen & Penelope booth… YUM. Thanks ladies and gentlemen, it was a pleasure, and I look forward to getting to know you further at upcoming events.
beautifully british and rare breeds
While you know we love to knit in hand-dyes, we have an upcoming project that leans more toward neutrals, worked in fibres more local to us, so I’ve been doing a lot of learning (and shopping) for yarns raised or spun here in the UK. A few of the yarns that fascinated me at this show were the Alpaca Tweed by The Border Mill, Scottish raised Buachaille by Kate Davies, Wensleydale by the Chopped Ginger Wool Project, John Arbon’s Knit by Numbers range, and Ysolda’s new Blend no.1.
Alpaca Tweed by The Border Mill and Scottish Buachaille
Wensleydale by the Chopped Ginger Wool Project
Shetland Handspun
Ysolda’s Blend No. 1
Knit by Numbers
dyers who like it bright!
Of course, we’ve still got a number of other irons in the fire, and some of them require HOT HOT HOT colours… so here are just a small sample of some of the exquisite hand-dyers yarns that I loved in this festival!
Skein Queen
Easyknits
Wollmeise
La Bien Aimee
Hedgehog Fibres
Rainbow Heirloom
Kettle Yarn Company
The show was so much fun, and while advanced pregnancy prevented me from ceilidh dancing, I enjoyed the fibre, friends and excellent chat!
Max modelled his North Shore pullover on Saturday, with rockstar hair captured on film by French knit blogger Bintou (thanks!) check out her blog, and her feed nappyknitter on Instagram… very inspiring. As you can see from the sizeable bump, I’m nearing baby day!
flock to a fibre festival!
Are you headed to a fibre festival this year? If you can’t actually visit a local festival, pick up a copy of Clara Parkes new book Knitlandia and enjoy the experience from the comfort of your armchair! If you aren’t already on our list, sign up for our excellent email updates so you don’t miss out on new tutorials, patterns, and subscriber special offers! And follow us on your fav social spot too:
Simply Satisfying by Tin Can Knits
March 25, 2016 @ 3:19 am
Can’t get enough of EYF :) Beautiful photos! I am so lucky I got to volunteer at this great yarn event and met lovely fibre folk.
March 25, 2016 @ 2:28 am
EYF looked amazing! I was unable to make it but was enviously following all the instagram pics people were posting. You picked up some gorgeous yarns there.
March 23, 2016 @ 2:59 am
What is the name of the shawl pictured in the British and Rare Breeds section? I love it.
March 23, 2016 @ 9:19 pm
I believe it is the Willowbank Shawl by Ysolda Teague
March 22, 2016 @ 12:27 pm
I’ve loved seeing all the pics of EFY on Instagram! I attended a Stitches West once while pretty pregnant — I told my friend that I was willing to feign labor pains to distract everyone while she grabbed the most coveted yarns and hurried to the register. ;)
March 22, 2016 @ 1:14 pm
I love that tactic, I’ll have to remember it!
March 22, 2016 @ 11:02 am
Oh how I wish I could have been there. We’re hatching plans to go next year. It sounds as though it was awhirl with that positive energy which reinvigorates my own joy of knitting and creating. Thanks for showcasing some of the beauties of the festival.
March 22, 2016 @ 10:45 am
Aha! I was hoping you would have a stand there and I would have a chance to pick up some of your lovely patterns in the flesh! But good to see that you had a good time as a punter… Thanks for the pointers on yarns and yarny businesses that you saw there. I whizzed in for only an hour And missed soooooo much (although I did snag some skein queen yarn)
March 22, 2016 @ 9:20 am
Its great to see what is happening at yarn festivals in another part of the world! Thank you for sharing some ‘new to me’ type yarns!