If you’ve been following my exploits for some time now, I’m sure it’s pretty obvious, that I’m a bit of a ‘how can we help’ fiend? I’ve often found myself knee deep in knitted items, sorting out, bagging up and horror of all horrors – sewing seams 😱 To be fair, my long suffering knitting friends are usually roped in somewhere along the line too 💗 💗 💗
In the past getting a charity knitting and crochet campaign off the ground was relatively easy. I had the shop and a lovely customer base, who spread the word high and low. Once I’d got everything together and had a plan in place, I knew I could rely on everyone to champion the latest collection. Whatever the cause, the response was always fantastic and every time, I was honestly blown away with the amount of work everyone put in.
This time round, there’s no shop. There is a magazine, so you’d assume it would be much, much easier, but it’s not due for publication until next month 😦
The charity in question, is an Irish one and they’re in need of a long list of things, woolly and not so woolly.
So here in lies a dilemma and I’d love to hear your thoughts?
How do we gauge interest?
How do we spread the word?
How do we collect the items and where are we going to put the drop off points?
It can only go ahead with your help, so I’m looking forward to hearing all of your ideas.
I can hardly believe a whole year has passed again, Yarndale 2014 seemed like only yesterday and I almost missed it this year, due to the distraction that is Olann and.
Hubby needed to take a course in the UK, which we were able to time beautifully to coincide with the annual pilgrimage to Skipton and we’re lucky to have family in Yorkshire too. Handy for staying over and availing of all the Yorkshire bargains, my family are obsessed with bargains – 25% off a meal here, a free coffee there. It’s really funny and the subject of many a jest, but every little helps after all.
We caught the ferry in the wee small hours of Friday morning to give us a couple of days to spend in Yorkshire with the family. Saturday included a road trip around the dales, exploring some beautiful places and happening upon the Holmfirth Food Festival too.
Rising bright and early, we made our way to Skipton on the misty Sunday morning, stopping off for breakfast on the way (as you do). Despite arriving by 11am, the marts was already filling up and parking was at a premium.
Heading straight in as we’d pre-booked, we were handed our Show Guide, which contains details of what’s on over the weekend, all the exhibitors and a few lovely little knitting & crochet patterns. This years programme also contains a great interview with John and Juliet of John Arbon Textiles who won the best stand award at Yarndale 2014.
Having just closed a yarn shop, it’s fair to assume that I might have a few balls and hanks hanging around the house, so purchases could seem just a little extravagant. There’s so much to tempt you though that resistance is futile. I did buy a couple of books and some fibre to spin. I also bought some good old fashioned rug wool to use with my stash of weaving yarn. There were a couple of books and magazines too, but my hubby has it all with him in the UK to save me carrying it on the plane and he’s not coming home for a while yet. So it will be like Christmas when he does 🙂
You really have your pick when it comes to Yarndale, there’s stalls selling everything from fibre and spinning wheels to yarn and patterns. You can even enquire about purchasing an alpaca or two if you want. Setting a budget, is probably the safest option and then leave your bank/credit cards at home too. Bare in mind that there are bargains to be had, with many of the vendors offering ‘Yarndale Show Deals’ and ‘Special Prices’.
There are classes and workshops, but it’s better to book ahead as they fill rather quickly. Grabbing a bite to eat will no doubt involve queuing and seating near the food area is very busy. There are chairs set up in pens on almost every row throughout the marts though. So you can stop and rest your tootsies or even eat your lunch.
There’s a great atmosphere, with many attendees bedecked in their woolly creations and many of the stalls have garments on show for you to see in ‘the flesh’ and try on before choosing.
I could rattle on for ages about the things to see and buy, but maybe I should just let the photos speak for themselves? I took so many, but the lighting has meant loads of them are unusable 😦
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The day went by all to quickly ⏰ but not before we’d managed to head back into Skipton town for a walk around in the gorgeous late September sun ☀️
With so many lovely places to stop for a bite to eat it would have been criminal not to partake of a cup of tea and a slice of cake before heading back down to South Yorkshire.
L👀k at that cake.
We took the scenic route back to South Yorkshire, enjoying the stunning views and beautiful Autumnal sun.
Last Friday, the 18th, was Cuture Night, with loads of events taking place all over the country and abroad between the hours of 5-11pm. There was so much going on it was hard to choose where to go and sadly it was for one night only, but wool will always win. So Deirdre and I drove to Dublin for an evening of fibre fun. I said we drove, but what I really mean is Deirdre drove and I got to sit and knit which was great and much needed 👍
Lovely Culture Night Folk Drumming Up Support
So what can I tell you about Friday? Well we ate, listened to some buskers, met loads of really interesting people and……
I can’t tell you that can I?
It’s magazine stuff 😉
Having got back to Lismore in the wee small hours, I managed to squeeze in some zzz’s before heading into Cork City on Saturday morning. My mission – to seek out and find people whose wares we wanted to know more about.
No visit to Cork City is complete without a visit to the English Market to purchase a few supplies and the odd treat 😋 Coconut chocolate anyone?
Having found what I was after, which took much longer than planned and meant I missed my monthly meeting of The Spinners, Weavers and Dyers Guild (naughty, naughty), I headed off to Kinsale for yet more detective work.
Having never been to Kinsale before, I was charmed by it’s little winding streets and rows of quirky shops. The sun was shining down and all was good with the world.
Again, I have to keep everything to myself. Sshhh, it’s a secret.
Fair’s fair, I’ve been so caught up in ‘Olann and’ work, that I’ve barely found time to spend fibre crafting. That is of course if you don’t count the two hours I spent knitting in the car 😁 So today, I promised myself I’d take an hour, yes a whole hour and do a little spinning, as I’ve barely managed to do any more since my post about Buttercup eons ago.
I cued up Paul Simon’s Greatest Hits on my IPod, moved the chair under the office window, so I could bask under the Septemmber sun and got comfortable (so did Buttercup) and I continued spinning up the brown fibre I’m practising with. It wasn’t long before the timer on my phone was chiming to let me know an hour had passed 😦
I’m really pleased with the results though 💗
I managed to spin this much yarn 💗 💗
and it would seem, I’m a default fine spinner too 💗 💗 💗
I kept trying to make my yarn thicker, but I just couldn’t maintain the consistency. So fine it is. I’ll just have to ply more strands together if I need a thicker yarn?
As an added bonus, I’m sure to get a little knitting in tonight too. I’m meeting up with some knitterly friends for tea, cake and laughter, what more can a girl want? I know, Dina (my daughter), will be there too 💖 💖 💖 💖 💖
I was fully convinced that closing the shop, would result in me having more time. At the moment though, the complete opposite would be true ⏳ (I’ve now got Culture Club in my head)
It’s all good fun though and I’m thoroughly enjoying working with Deirdre on Olann and. It’s great to be able to put the 10 years worth of knowledge, gained whilst working in the industry, to good use.
On the flip side, there’s been very little time for much of my fibre crafting 😦 That’s why it’s been a little quiet on here and the Facebook Page of late.
I’ve been taking my knitting or crochet to bed some nights, simply to try and squeeze the odd few stitches in before the zzz’s come a calling. What a glamorous life I lead?
So it’s lovely to be able to share a project I’ve finished, or should that be projects?
That’s right.
What’s better than finishing one project?
↓
♥ Finishing two ♥
I’ve finally managed to adjust the foot length on my neon, London Comicon socks
and I’ve also knocked up a pair of Autumnal looking lovelies too (oh yeah, now dancing in my seat)
I used 2.25mm needles on both pairs, rather than my usual 2.5mm and the slightly denser stitch, seems to have resulted in a warmer sock. Always a bonus round here 😉 I still knitted my usual 60 stitch sock, but added an extra few rows to the length of the leg and the foot.
I already have another pair on the needles, as well as far too many other WIP’s to list here, so I’m sure they’ll be something new to share soon.
Happy Knitting!
PS. I’m so excited to be attending our first official ‘Olann and’ outing tomorrow evening with Deirdre. Looking forward to meeting more fibre infatuated people and telling you all about it some time in the near future,
Whilst in the grips of ✨weaver fever✨ I’ve still been doing the odd bit of knitting, but even that’s gone a bit bonkers, as I seem to have found myself gripped by sock madness.
Despite having (pause to clear my throat) several 😉 projects on the go, with more on the ever expanding ‘to do’ list, it seems I really am just happy making socks. Maybe it’s because they require little or no effort, except when it comes to the heel and toe. Could it be that they’re just so portable. Perhaps it’s simply because I love my socks.
Whatever the reason, things got a little out of hand last night 😵⚡️🐒
The socks in the photo at the top of the post are my Comicon socks. You might remember I bought a ball of the shy, retiring yarn, whilst taking Kye to London at the beginning of the summer?
The socks, I have to admit are beyond my expectations, I can”t wait to wear them and I would, only they’ve come up a little small 👎
I switched from my usual 2.5mm needles to 2.25mm needles after having a discussion with Dr. Sock about how both of us felt our tension was becoming slightly looser. In my head I’d computed the difference and had allowed for the slight change this could make in the finished sock, but of course this doesn’t mean I remembered when I was knitting. Actually to be fair, I did remember whilst knitting the leg part of the first sock, but then I completely forgot when I’d finished turning the heel and working the gusset.
In my defence, I was closing the shop at the time.
Usually I’d try my first sock on when it was finished just too check everything was right before moving on to the second, but of course I didn’t. Luckily, I copied the first sock, so both of them fit perfectly on the leg and heel, they just need to be a tad longer.
Now I have a pair of socks that need their toes ripping back so I can add five or so more rows. Luckily, I have plenty of yarn left to do this, but it just seems like too much to concentrate on at the moment though.
Much like picking up the stitches to make the gusset on this sock did last night as well. My living room can be quite dark and I was too comfortable to move to the kitchen, well that and I was enjoying watching the episode of Eastenders I’d recorded earlier 😱
So what’s a girl to do, when her knitting just isn’t happening?
Yep, you guessed it. I cast on another pair of socks 🙈🙈🙈
Must be going through some kind of orange phase.
Moving swiftly on….
You might have noticed they’re on metal needles?
The needles ar Knitpro Nova Cubics, they’re also 2.5mm and I’m not sure I’m going to stick with them. To be fair, they do feel so much better than your standard coated steel knitting needles that you see everywhere. They’re still metal though, so they are no way near as comfortable, flexible and quiet as my usual choice of Knitpro Symphonie, Cubics or Karbonz.
I’ll let you know if I change over when I’ve done a bit more knitting.
I am considering mixing it up a little, only a little though because I’ll still be using 4ply. So many of my friends are expecting and I’m way behind on knitting gifts, so I think it might be time to crack on with a little Newborn Vertebrae by Kelly Brooker of Pekapeka Design Studio. I’ve never made one before and it looks interesting, what do you think?
A few weeks back when I was sorting out the discontinued shades of Sirdar Supersoft Aran for the now de-funked Green Bin, I noticed how lovely some of the colours looked together. As Supersoft Aran is 100% acrylic, I knew I’d be able to work with it whilst suffering from my hayfever induced wool allergy, but didn’t know what to make with the 5 shades.
Cushions?
I’m definitely not short of them for my sofa and whilst some of them could probably do with a bit of a refurb, I’ve already bought some fun, funky material that will brighten up my dark sofa.
A chilly Sunday lead me to conclude that we don’t have enough blankets in my house. Being old enough to remember what it was like to have sheets, blankets and a bedspread on your bed and if it was cold, an extra blanket or two, I find it quite amazing that you never see ‘proper’ blankets any more. There’s no shortage of duvets in my house, but when you’re trying to convince yourself that it’s only forty winks on the sofa, a duvet can seem like too much of a commitment (or is it just me that thinks that?).
So a blanket it is.
As much as I love the blankets you see on Pinterest and Instagram, with all the lovely little granny squares, I’m just not up for sewing in all those ends.
The centre is a bit wonky, but it seems to have straightened up
I started with 2 balls of each colour and knowing I wouldn’t have enough to complete three repeats of each of the five shade, I opted to only repeat the first three shades a third time. As it turns out, I needed an extra ball of the mustard colour to complete the last side of the round.
I love it, but I want it a bit bigger and there’s no more green. Luckily, I’d put by a couple of balls of the dark grey, which I think will work really well to frame the rest of the colours and finish of my blanket.
Now all I have to decide, is how many rounds of the grey to do, all suggestions would be much appreciated.
I was hoping to be able to hang the blanket up on the washing line, so you’d see it better, but it was awful in Lismore yesterday evening. Instead I promise to photograph the finished blanket when the ends are sewn in and it’s washed.
Nearly forgot, I’ve been using a 5mm crochet hook.
Hopefully you’ve all had a little time to come to terms with the news in the last post 😦 Thank you for all your kind thoughts and words. So lets get down to it – I want to let you all know how and when we’re going to be closing. In order to try and clear as much of the stock as possible, I’m going to open up on Monday and will be open for most of the coming 3 weeks, although I will be closed next Saturday the 11th. As you might expect, there are lots and lots of bargains to be had, so I’d advise taking some time to plan what you’re after, make a list and be sure to bring a bag or two.
♥ Discount time ♥
That’s the yarn and the patterns. Needles, hooks and notions. Books need to go too. Please remember to dig out any gift vouchers you’ve been given, so you can use them before we close. All of the fixtures and fittings will need to be sold on too, so if you know someone who needs slat wall hooks, a till, vintage cinema seats or fancies my yarn units be sure to let me know.
I’ve been trying to write this post for many hours, days in fact and I’m still struggling with finding the right words , so maybe I should just come straight out and say it, then explain?
We’re closing down.
I know there are a good few of you that will read what I’ve written, then re-read it, possibly even more than once. I also know some of you might think I’m having a laugh, or playing some kind of practical joke, but I’m afraid it’s true L
I think I’ve known it’s been coming for a long time now, but like most of us do when faced with a tough decision, have been avoiding making it. Now it seems that the universe has stepped in and taken over, the elements have all lined up and the conclusion has pretty much, been made for me.
It’s been almost 10 years since my husband and I moved to Ireland and I opened my little shop in Dungarvan (I know some of you will probably be surprised to hear that I’ve been at this for that long).
Since then I’ve moved premises more times then I, or my ever suffering husband care to remember, but I’ve always felt the shop was ‘home’ when we eventually came to Midleton.
I can’t say ‘I always wanted to own a yarn shop’ because I’m not that kind of person, I’m not really aspirational, my life hasn’t worked out that way. I’m what most people like to refer to as a bit of a ‘hippie’ I guess and I just amble through life trying to do what feels right at the time. My love of all things crafty combined with the terror of moving to a new country and knowing I’d need to find ways of meeting people, resulted in the shop. Which several years later became the Knit you know and I hope, have loved?
Throughout the 9 odd years I’ve been extremely lucky to have met some truly wonderful people and am blessed to be able to call many of them friends, lifelong friends too (I hope). It’s easy to take for granted how the people you meet can brighten your day and adjusting to life without the smiles and chat with my regulars is something that I know will take time.
How we’re closing and when we’re closing are some of the more practical things I shall need to tell you about. I shall pop a separate post up about this over the next little while; I just have to finish typing it up.
In the meantime I hope you will all understand that I don’t really want to talk about the why’s and where for’s because in all honesty closing the shop is not as a result of just one thing.
You name it and it’s probably a factor – family, health, wealth and happiness there are changes happening in every aspect of mine and my family’s lives and this is just something that needs to happen.
The Facebook page as you know it will eventually be going, but I shall still be on Instagram and blogging about my fibery exploits among other things. Hopefully a few more of you will come and join me here by following the blog and then we can keep in touch?
Most importantly I want to say a very big ♥ heartfelt ♥ thanks for all your support over the years.
You might have noticed by now, that my knitting needles haven’t been getting much use of late?
Don’t worry, I’m not ready to put them away just yet, it’s purely an enforced pause due to the dreaded hayfever season. Sadly, along with thousands of other people I suffer horrendously at this time of year. To add insult to injury, I become sensitive to everything including dust, wool, my dogs and even the Vaseline you can dab on the outside of your nostrils to catch the offending pollen particles 😦
My poor puppy, ♥Errol♥ is having to make do with sitting on the sofa with me rather than on or next to me and the knitting, which is mostly pure wool, as it tends to be my favourite, is staying in my project bags most of the time.
However, a life without fibre, is in my opinion just not right and happily, I still seem to be able to play in other ways, with just the odd sneeze here and there 🙂
I’m rather ashamed to admit to owning quite a lot of fibery equipment that, in most cases, has never really been used. Some of them were ‘complete bargains’, gifts, specially made (sorry husband), or bought with the best intentions, but a lack of time to learn how to use them.
Weaving, is something I love and have been fortunate to attend a couple of tapestry weaving classes now and I always get far too carried away when I do basic weaving with the children I teach. Since Christmas we’ve made wall hangings and Gods Eyes and I’ve bought Hula Hoops to try and use them for a group project at some stage.
So it probably will be of no great surprise for you to hear that I own a few looms? One of them is a little bit intimidating (a floor loom, disassembled and stored) and falls into the ‘absolute bargain’ category. I also own a peg loom (thank you husband), several tapestry frames (husband again) and a Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom that I’ve been dying to play with if only I could find the time.
Cue hayfever and cut to the loom →
Along with the ‘complete bargain’ loom, there were several boxes of weaving yarn, warp thread, tools and equipment, which all just added to the ‘deal to good to pass up on’ feel of the transaction many years ago. The yarn is mostly the heavy weight, rough rug weaving type of thing that makes your neck itch just looking at it. I love the colours though and find the more than slightly rustic look of the yarn, quite appealing, I just don’t see myself wearing it.
At this point, I could lie and say “I’d checked the thickness of my yarn by wrapping it round a ruler to see how many strands it took to make a inch (WPI’s) and then selected the appropriate reed – that’s the plastic bit that determines the set (lay man term – spaces) at which your warp (up and down) threads run through your finished fabric. I didn’t though, I took the picture after. Instead I winged it and used the 7.5dpi (I think I barely understand what this means myself, certainly not enough to explain it yet) reed that came with the loom, which is basically the one for medium thickness yarns
Having warped my loom, which took much longer than it should have, I was able at last to get on with some weaving. I completely forgot to take photos of the process which was more experimental than anything, but happily it ended up being usable.
I didn’t make my warp long enough for my table runner to stretch the full length of my kitchen table, because it’s purposefully over long and rustic. If you’re wondering, my ever suffering hubby made it for me, it’s based on my dads work bench which I loved and reminds me of him every day ♥
The weaving was an experiment after all, even the pattern ended up being a happy accident, one which just evolved and then I repeated.
I think it’s rather lovely, even if I do say so myself.
Look at those tassels too (don’t look too closely at my edges please).
I found I’d enjoyed myself so much I couldn’t resist warping up the loom again. This time I’m using sock yarn and I’m hoping to make a scarf.
Confessions of a Fibre Strumpet 