Mandala for Yarndale

The first ever Yarndale, the yarn-loving fest organised by Lucy of Attic24 fame, was a bit of a mixed bag of emotions for me. On one hand, it was the first time I'd ever spent a weekend devoted to all things crochet, a nice blend of learning and shopping and an opportunity to take in Skipton, a town I felt like I knew from Lucy's expressive writings and photos on her blog.  

And whilst I enjoyed my time at Yarndale (see my write up here and here), it wasn't quite all I had hoped for.  Luckily, we didn't get caught up in the traffic chaos that many others suffered through, but it was still very crowded in the pens, which made it hard to move through the stalls and get to see all that you wanted to see, and I was also a little disappointed by the variety (or lack of) of products.  Whilst Yarndale was honourably focused on promoting small, independent designers, this determination to showcase artisan talents for me meant that all the stalls were very similar; there's only so much variety you can get with handspun yarn or handmade crochet hooks.  I've been to other shows, such as the huge Knitting and Stitching Show, and whilst it is full of corporate offerings which may not be to everyones taste, it means in my opinion that there is a greater variety of products available.  And beings that the London Knitting and Stitching Show is a mere 2 hours journey compared to the 6-hour marathon we undertook to get across the country to Yorkshire, for the time being I've decided to stick with heading South, to give Yarndale a little time to iron out the creases.

All that being said, I'm still in awe of the work that Lucy and the team are undertaking to pull Yarndale together and really feel it will be the event to beat in a few years time.  In the meantime, I thought I would help the mandala effort to show my Yarndale support.  You can get all details about it from Lucy's website and there is a Pinterest Board showcasing all the mandalas sent in so far.  

Here's my contribution:

It doesn't like quite as eye-glaringly bright as this in real life I promise!  It's just left over yarn from my cotton stash and the design from this free pattern from Moogly.  I was a little hesitant at first as mandalas stray dangerously close to the granny square line for me with all the colour changes and chain starts but actually I quite enjoyed making something different for a change.  

I packaged it up in the envelopes I save for special occasions, and Sas and I walked it down to the post office to send the package on its way.  

I'm excited to see what Lucy plans to do with all these mandalas and am sure I'll be glued to everyones blogs for a full photo round-up when September rolls around...

2013 Round-Up

Wow!  So it's 2014 already.  Where has the year gone?  The older I get, the faster and faster time seems to pass.  2013 was a good'un, there's no doubt about that.  Mostly, because I started Curly Girl Coop, and found a place to jabber on about crafting with like-minded people.  I enjoy writing this blog so much and can't tell you how happy it makes me when you comment on things :) 

There's been a lot of crafting...

Which has made me very happy.  And there were a few stand-out pieces for me...

1. Sheldon the Sheep

Sheldon was a game changer.  He was my first attempt at designing something rather than following a pattern and I was so chuffed with how he turned out.  Sheldon has brought a lot of traffic to my blog, has led to me getting involved with a couple of fantastic British yarn companies which is so exciting but most of all he gave me the confidence to try my hand at designing.  Not bad for a little fluffy sheep. 

   2.  Yarndale

Yarndale was a great event to be part of.  Tracking the build-up online, the across country road trip across and then being there for the very first one was really great.  Will I go every year?  Probably not.  It's such a long way from Great Yarmouth and it has a definite emphasis on hand-dyed yarn which isn't necessarily my thing but another trip will be on the cards in the future I'm sure.

 

 3.  One Sheepish Girl Bloomdrop

I loved this yarn bombing.  It was the first yarn bombing that I have taken part in and I was a bit nervous about how it might go, but the flower drop was well received (with a little family drama thrown in for good measure but hey, when isn't there?!) and I was proud to honour my grandma in a way that was personal to our relationship.  This year, I hope to be brave enough to do some more yarn bombing without worrying what anyone else might think.  

So how about 2014?  Well, top of the list is to keep this up!  I really do love writing my blog and am determined to always make time and space to do so.  I also really want to carry on designing things as inspiration comes to me, but don't want to force ideas and take away the fun of it, so I'll just have to see how it goes.  I really want to get into using my sewing machine too.  I got a sewing machine last year but have hardly used it (I broke it once and then have been a bit scared to try it again) but I got a real urge to sew over the Christmas break and so am hoping to take this forward in 2014.  On the sewing front, I'm also tempted by some beautiful embroidery that's been cropping up on Instagram recently.  Perhaps this will have to feature in my 2014 plans too?!  

Yarndale 2013 part II

This was the sight that greeted you as you walked through the door to Yarndale, and it was breathtaking; the photos don't begin to show to bright colours and individual designs that made you stop and really look. 

Having said that, we were on a mission.  A Bunch of Buttons and I had scoped out the Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter feeds of many of the exhibitors and so knew what we were looking for.  My shopping list was small; a yarn bowl from County Alpacas, some beautiful hanks from A Stash Addict and a crochet hook from For The Love of Yarn for my lovely newby crocheter, Leanne.  Of course, I had still come prepared with a purse bursting with cash, just in case...  We quickly worked our way through the things we needed (yes, needed!) as we had a busy schedule.  I had secretly booked us both into one of the many workshops that were being held in the main ring.  Our class was 'Dyeing to Have Fun', and I selected it because it's not the kind of thing we usually get up to at home.  I told Anna over breakfast, when I suddenly had a panic that she might not want to do anything but shop at Yarndale.  I had nothing to worry about; Anna was made up that I was treating her to a surprise class so promptly at 11am we took our seats.

The class was run by local crafter, Jaki Bogg who was delightfully friendly and calm considering the  hubbub of the Workshop Theatre.  

The Workshop Theatre in the Main Ring

I had never tried anything like this before and so didn't know what to expect - but I loved it!  We were mostly working with acid dyes, as well as natural and food dyes, looking at how different wool materials took to colour and how you could work the dyes.  

It was a messy business!  I had stupidly decided to wear a cream top and cardi (no idea what I was thinking when I packed given that I knew exactly what we'd be doing on Saturday!) but was especially cautious and luckily managed to keep the dye on the table and the wool.  Jaki was well prepared and had gloves, aprons, jay cloths and kitchen towel all ready for us.  

We worked with super soft merino, a complete knitting swatch, a ready made piece of wool as you would get in a skein and wool straight from the sheep!  

It was amazing to see how differently things reacted to the dye, the knitting took to the dye beautifully, whilst the unprocessed wool was much more difficult to get to the colour you wanted.

Here's the finished products.  What will I do with them?  I"m not sure, but I absolutely loved the experience of getting to try something that I would never normally consider, and it's certainly made me appreciate the expertise of the exhibitors showing their own hanks at Yarndale.

Some worked well, some not so much...

Once we'd finished the workshop, we quickly got back down to business, shopping!  There were so many beautiful, brightly coloured stalls, I loved just wondering around, giving soft merino wools a squidge and stroking the fluffy alpaca furs as you moved between stalls.  There were so many pretty items to take home.

Alpacas and angora rabbits were hanging out at Yarndale too and they were incredibly cute!

The Knit 'n' Knatter lounge was right in the centre of the Exhibition Hall and home to Lucy of Attic 24.  She had set up an incredible crocheted lounge where she would meet and greet the Yarndalers and it was quite something.

Now, I have known Anna for quite some time and there is one thing she rarely does, and that's have photos taken.  But I have never seen her this excited before.  Like many others, she was dying to meet Lucy and so we duly waited in line for our turn.  I'm not sure that I think it's a good idea to meet your heroes, just in case they're not all you thought they might be, but actually, Lucy was delightful.  It must be so difficult to make light-hearted conversation with so many people for hours on end, but she certainly made it look easy, and made you feel like she was genuinely excited you were there to meet her too.  She even agreed to a  picture with Anna, such a rare event that I must show you.

The only thing that made Anna even more excited was to see that on the table behind Lucy, right in the centre, was the goat bunting that she had made and sent in.  After spending hours telling Anna that there was so much bunting that we'd never find hers, there it was!

The day was fantastic.  I enjoyed the happy, slightly younger atmosphere and crowd at Yarndale compared to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Kensington Palace that I visited last year.  It was nice to see so many local, independent exhibitors here rather than the large commercial companies, (the number of things I now follow on Instagram and Twitter must have trebled!) although I felt that by having so many smaller exhibitors, there was less variety than I had hoped for.  That being said, I still managed to return with an overflowing shopping bag!

                                   

Overall, it was a great experience, and I'm glad we made the long old trek to Yorkshire to be a part of it.  The Yarndale organisers should be so proud of what they accomplished; I can't imagine the effort and hard work it must have taken to pull it off, but pull it off they did.  Here's to Yarndale 2014!

PS.  Keep an eye out tomorrow for my Yarndale-inspired first ever pattern - Sheldon the Sheep!

September Round-up

Wow!  September has been and gone already and it feels like we are hurtling towards winter and all that it brings.  

There has been lots of great things in September.  One of the big ones was my first attempt at getting involved in yarn bombing.  I was a little cautious about it all, worried that it would be laughed at or ruined, but the response was fantastic.  People took the time to find me on Instagram to say thanks and posted on Twitter that they found my flowers and liked them.  It was such a good feeling to think I had contributed something that had made people smile.  

Yarndale was a fantastic way to say goodbye to September, it really was a great experience and I loved my time there.  It seems like I waited so long for it to come around, I can't believe it's all over.  

Do you see Nelson the Owl and his little log has snuck into the round-up?  I'll make sure you get to meet him soon!

Plans for September - reviewed

• Taking part in the One Sheepish Girl Flower Yarnbomb - done!
• Making some bunting for a friend that I've already taken too long to get around to
• Starting my tunisian crochet Craftsy class
• Learning more about using my DSLR camera - started
• Starting to think about things I need to make for christmas decorations/presents - started

So, as usual, I've got distracted this month and not achieved much of what I'd set out to.  Having said that, I still feel like it's been a busy and productive time.  

Plans for October

• Making some bunting for a friend that I've already taken too long embarrassingly long to get around to
• Starting my tunisian crochet Craftsy class
• Learning more about using my DSLR camera
• Starting to think about things I need to make for christmas decorations/presents
• Making a cowl for myself (well, I deserve a treat too)
• Trying my hand at a bit of designing (!) 

What are you most pleased to have made this month?  What are your plans for October?

Yarndale 2013 part I

So this weekend was THE weekend.  The weekend I'd been waiting what felt like forever for.  On Friday lunchtime I packed up my suitcase, filled my project bag and said good bye to Squitchy to make the 220 mile trip from Great Yarmouth to Skipton with my buddy A Bunch of Buttons.  To say it was a long journey would be an understatement.  Six and a half hours travelling through what became commuter traffic tested my concentration, temper and at times my nerve but we were both very excited when we finally saw this sign...

Anna's action shot from the car window

Anna had arranged the accommodation for the trip in the neighbouring village of Kelbrook.  We stayed in the very luxurious Craven Heifer Inn, a modern country inn with beautiful decor and a fantastic restaurant to match.  I felt very spoilt to stay in such a lovely place when I had originally suggested a Travelodge! We had a huge tasty meal in the restaurant below when we arrived (the place was crammed full of locals - always a good sign in my book!) and a hearty Yorkshire breakfast in the morning to prepare us for the busy day ahead.  

Yarndale was held at Skipton Auction Mart which is more used to wooly sheep than wooly skeins!  It was a great choice for the venue; it gave that real rural agricultural feel to the proceedings.  As promised, the yarnbombing appeared as soon as we got out of the car.  The 6000 or so bunting which had been sent in from across the world was everywhere...

Not to mention hanging decorations in many of the trees (I really love the knitting needles through the yarn balls below)...

And even the nearby park had had the Yarndale treatment with lampposts, fences and trees all brightly decorated in yarn...

My particular favourites appeared when you reached the picturesque canal at the end of the park.  Lucy of Attic24, one of the main organisers of the event had given little teasers in the weeks leading up to Yarndale that there could be a water theme to some of the yarnbombing and she didn't disappoint.  

Skipton canal

These little guys were so cute! 

Not to mention this little sweetie!

We arrived at the Auction Mart at 9:30 for a 10am start and already the queue was building, so we took  up our place (number 11 and 12 - that's commitment!) and waited in anticipation for the doors to open.  The queue grew so quickly, especially once the special London-style red Yarndale bus appeared from the train station.  Apparently there was issues with getting to, parking at and getting into the venue later that day, but everything was very straightforward for us. 

Finally, the doors opened, and Yarndale had begun...

Come back on Wednesday to find out what Yarndale held in store in Yarndale part II!

Things to be excited about...

There are so many things for me to be excited about at the moment...

1).  Weekend away

I'm sooooo excited to be having some time away this very weekend.  Me, my good friend A Bunch of Buttons and my tiny car are heading up to Yorkshire from Friday to Sunday.  For me, it's nice to have a little break from the worries of work and life, but for Anna, it's even bigger news. This will be the first time she will be away from her Little Lady since she was born.  Exciting but scary, I'm sure.  We have booked a lovely quaint little inn where the food is supposedly excellent and I'm looking forward to the chance to have a little relax and lots of uninterrupted crochet time!

The real purpose of our trip however is not merely the chance to get away. Oh no, it's for something much bigger...

2).  Yarndale!  Yarndale!  Yarndale!

Yep, Yarndale is finally here!  When we booked it, it seemed like an age away and the time passed dreadfully slowly.  In the last few weeks however it's crept up on me and suddenly it's here!  I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to this event.  The Yarndale team have been dropping hints and teasers of what's to come on Twitter, and now there's a Facebook exhibitors group so that you can see the amazing goodies that will be waiting there.  I've already got a shopping list forming, and it's growing everytime I check my Facebook account!

I'm also eager to see Skipton yarnbombed top to toe.  The rumour is that from the station to the Auction Mart is completely decorated in yarn and everything in between.  It's definitely going to be something to see :)  I'll be sure to get some pictures so you can admire it too.  

3).  Kit Club arrival

I'm sure by now you've realised that Fresh Stitches is one of my favourite crochet designers.  Earlier this year, or possibly even last year (time moves so fast!) Fresh Stitches organised a 'Kit Club' where a mystery package of crochety goodness was sent out every 2 months for 6 months, each complete with everything you need to make a new cutey animal, and a special gift/technique to use in the kit.  

This kit club is just the same; a new package is sent every 2 months, and each has something special included to take your crochet skills to the next level.  The first kit is en route to me right now!  It's got a long old journey though from America, so I'm not expecting to receive mine anytime soon.  That doesn't stop me checking the post everyday mind...

4).  Janie Crow crochet blanket club 2014

Another club!  I guess I'm a sucker for a good crochet mystery.  I've signed up for the 2014 crochet club which starts in February.  The Crochet Club has been held every year since 2011, each with a different theme including art deco, victorian lace and persian mosaic.  This year the theme is 60s and 70s retro flower and geometric patterns and the colours are right up my street.  The kit includes all the Rowan yarn you need to complete the blanket and the online support to do it well.  Now just to tackle the payments...

5).  Movement to the dark side...

Quite possibly the most exciting news of the week is that lovely Leanne Leanne is moving to the dark side.  She's starting to feel the crochet love and becoming a happy hooker!  I gave her her first proper lesson on Friday.  She had been working on sample squares of different stitches and I was helping with crocheting in the spiral, with increases and decreases.  I thought a good place to start was a caterpillar, as it's made up of 6 repeated balls.  I made the eyes, all ready to be attached, and when I left, she had already made one of the balls. 

Later that day, I got this!

I'm massively impressed!  For a first attempt at amigurumi, this is incredibly neatly stitched and perfectly round; so much better than my early work.  I can't wait to see the finished result!

What are you looking forward to over the next few weeks, crafty or otherwise?

Gifts for myself

I love receiving post.  Ok, not bills and mundane day to day normal letters, but parcels and packages are always exciting, even if I've bought it for myself.

This week I waited for 2 deliveries.  Firstly, I had treated myself to some new yarn.  Back at Christmas time, I asked for John Lewis vouchers so that I could treat myself to some 'posh wool'.  My friends and family were very generous, and so I bought a huge amount of Rowan's Amy Butler Organic Aran.  In my very limited experience, it is the best yarn I've come across.  A huge variety of modern bright colours, doesn't split and is nice on your fingers and as a finished item.  Ahh, I love it.  But the reason it was in the christmas sales was because it was being discontinued.  Hmmmph!  Well, I've mostly worked my way through my huge Christmas supply and have yet to find something that feels as soft, at a good price with a variety of colours.  I was thinking of hanging on until Yarndale, where I'm hoping there will be many yarn companies for me to chose from, but I gave in.  

Being discontinued, I have had to search hard to find a range of colours, and eventually bought my supply for several different companies.  But how happy I am!  4 different packages brought me my new supply with lots of lovely bright colours and I was inspired straight away.

My favourite colours in the batch; I love love love grey!

My little cupboard is now full up!

The other package I was even more excited about I've had to wait for, for around 4 weeks.  As I may have mentioned (just once or twice ha!) I'm off to Yarndale soon - 4 weeks today in fact.  I want to take my new DSLR camera with me as I'm sure there'll be lots of things to photograph, but the camera bag we have is huge, as it is large enough to carry all the accessories, extra lens and other things.  I didn't want to lug that around with me (it might limit how many new purchases I can carry!) so I found a beautiful handmade case on Etsy,  It was made specifically to suit my camera and lens so took a while to get here, but oh it was worth the wait!

The inside is made of a soft antistatic material

What was  really nice was the kind touches included in the package.  Not only had my camera case been beautifully wrapped to make sure it got to me safely, but the seller had included a postcard of her home town and a little thank you card which was very sweet. 

This weekend, there is plenty of crochet planned.  I am in the middle of making a small gift for a friend and am keen to find some fingering weight yarn so that I can take part in the Fresh Stitches Tiny CAL. I am also making plans for the Sheepish Yarn Bomb which I hope to take part in next weekend.  What are your plans for this weekend?  Will you be crafting in the sunshine?