One of the most special purchases during my trip through the Scottish Highlands was the yarn I got from Ann at Dragonfly Studio in the Isle of Skye. These skeins were hand spun and hand dyed by Ann, and I just can’t get over them. The first think I noticed when I was in her studio was the softness of the yarn, as well as the little tags with a name on them, which turned out to be the name of the sheep from where the yarn came from.
I can’t tell you how special this is, to get so close and personal to how the yarn in my hands came to be. I knew the name and breed of the sheep, and also the person whose hands had spun and dyed this special yarn. It is a lovely chain of craft and passion, and I couldn’t wait to add my own hands to this chain.
I purchased two skeins, one from Lydia who is the pretty Shetland sheep you can see in the picture, Ann was kind enough to share this photo and give me permission to use it on the blog. Lydia’s skein was hand spun by Ann and left with its natural colour which is an exquisite cream. The second skein comes from Kezia’s fleece, a Shetland and Cheviot sheep which was hand spun and dyed with gorse, giving it a soft oatmeal colour.
This yarn was screaming to be a cozy shawl to warm me up in the flat during the cold months to come. I am sharing a sneak peak of how it is coming along, I am loving it so much already. The yarn is so soft, still a bit greasy but it doesn’t bother me at all. I have been catching myself burying my face in this shawl while I am knitting it, just to smell it and feel the fibre on my face.
I know that this shawl will not only keep my shoulders warm, but also warm my heart every time I remember all the love it went into it. From sheep to shawl, it is one special journey and I am enjoying the simple pleasure of being a small part of it.
Please make sure to visit Ann at her Dragonfly Studio and other amazing artists in the Isle of Skye, you can find details and tips on my latest post here.
Thanks for reading and hope you all have a great weekend!
When we decided that we would go to the Isle of Skye for our holidays my sister went immediately to her Lonely Planet guides to find all the places we should visit, while I went to Google and typed “yarn shops isle of skye”. In my search the only shop I found was Shilasdair, which I had seen at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival this year with their beautiful naturally dyed yarn. Once we got to the island however, I was shocked to find a thriving crafts and arts community with little shops spread all around Skye, each one more hidden and remote than the last. All I could think of was: “I need to write a post about this!” So here I am, finally sharing my tips for those of you who may be interested in exploring a different side to the island that does not include hiking! (in case you may not have guessed by now, I am not exactly the “hiking type”…).
The following list includes a wide range of shops for those of you interested in crafts and local products, and also a few recommendations for places to eat while you are there. If you decide to go to the island YOU MUST RENT A CAR. There is no other way I’m afraid, and a GPS is also very useful if you can get one. Please be careful in the roads which some are hellish single-track roads with passing places and very little visibility, we witnessed a horrible car accident while we were there so I urge you to be cautious and drive slowly. That way you will also be able to enjoy the most amazing scenery you have ever seen, it is really breathtaking.
The list is in no particular order, I tried to group the shops that are close to each other though. There are much more shops in Skye but these are all the ones I visited and can recommend. You can also check out www.art-skye.co.uk for a great craft and arts trail.
I was not smart enough at the time to think of taking any pictures of the shops, my apologies… I guess you will just have to go and see them for yourselves!
Skye Quilt Studio (5A Upper Milovaig, Glendale, IV55 8WY): This shop is on the way to Neist Point, a very popular spot in Skye. Here you will find beautiful fabrics and notions along with very attentive service, my sister bought there this gorgeous multicoloured thread that even I fell in love with and I don’t do patchwork! A must stop for those who love patchwork and quilts.
Red Roof Café Gallery (Holmisdale, Glendale, IV55 8WS): We stopped at this little cafe for lunch one day, I recommend it if you are looking for something a bit different using fresh and local ingredients, but probably not if you have any children since I didn’t see any child-friendly food on the menu. They had lovely cakes, scones and my sister had a very nice salmon and cheese.
Wheatear Textiles (19 Fasach, Glendale, IV55 8WP): If you like Harris Tweed then this is your shop! Lovely handcrafted accessories, garments and homeware. I got some pretty Harris Tweed buttons from here.
Skye Weavers (18 Fasach, Glendale, IV55 8WP): This shop is run by a lovely couple who create the most stunning woollen products with their pedal-powered loom. I loved their designs and use of colour, it is quite unique. Also, you can give the loom a try yourself! What could be better? You can find them on Instagram by @skyeweavers.
Raven Press Gallery (Colbost, Dunvegan, IV55 8ZS): This shop has some incredible prints made with wood engravings, the detail on them is astounding! Really worth a visit.
Dragonfly Studio (Brunigill Farm, 3 Skinidin, Dunvegan, IV55 8ZS): I must admit this was my favourite shop of the trip, I actually had to go there twice! We met Ann at this lovely studio who sells a huge range of textile crafts and artwork, including handspun yarn from their own flock. The yarn is labelled with the name of the sheep it came from (I almost cried!), and it is so beautifully soft and squishy, I just can’t get over it. To top it all, Ann was so nice and welcoming to us both times we were there, you just can’t get any better than that. I will do a separate post of the project I am doing with this yarn, it deserves its own post!
Skyeskins (17 Loch Bay, Waternish, IV55 8GD): Another one of my favourites was this awesome tannery located in Waternish. If you love sheep… you will love this shop. First, you get a free tour where a member of the staff takes you through the entire tanning process, here they explain that they only use sheepskin from sheep which are used for meat, that they are one of two commercial tanneries in the UK, and that the process is mostly by hand. They are also very conscious about sourcing locally. Next you get taken to their shop where you can buy rugs, throws, garments and other leather products. I bought a pair of sheepskin slippers and they are OH-SO-WARM, and to top it even the sole is made in the UK. Needless to say, I really wanted to get myself a rug… hopefully one day. Oh, if you can’t wait until you visit you’ll be happy to know you can buy online at www.skyeskyns.co.uk.
Shilasdair Yarns (10 Carnach, Waternish, IV55 8GL): Of course, if you are in Waternish you must stop by Shilasdair. Beautiful yarns dyed with natural dyes in the most amazing setting. They have quite a big selection of colours and also quite a few of patterns and books.
Sam Peare Textiles (Loch View, Endinbane, IV51 9PW): This shop may be tiny, but what lacks in space it compensates on beauty. Sam creates unique embroidered pieces with a vintage feeling, and they are all stunning. She didn’t have much stock on her shop when I visited but it is definitely worth to stop by. You can visit her website at www.samanthapeare.co.uk.
Glenview Gallery at The Skye Pie Cafe (Culnacnoc, Staffin, IV51 9JH): I loved this gallery and cafe and it is near the very famous Old Man of Storr. The whole space is decorated with beautiful details all around, the cafe has a really good menu, delicious pies and soups, and they also do takeaway. In the gallery you can find unique pieces including some local yarn and vintage finds. My sister left with the most beautiful set of vintage tea cups, and I am still so jealous she saw them first. A definite must if you are in the area.
Handspinner Having Fun (Old Pier Road, Broadford, IV49 9AE): If you are a yarn addict then you will LOVE this shop. Filled with lovely hand spun and hand dyed yarns, as well as some rare breeds and beautiful notions, I was running around in circles like a chicken trying to decide what to get. It is also next to the best bakery in the world… make sure you stop for some bread to take on your journey, you won’t regret it! If you are heading over to Yarndale this year (you lucky people!) then you will be glad to hear the shop will have a stall there, or you can also check the website at handspinnerhavingfun.com.
Love from Skye (Main Street, Broadford, IV49 9AE): Just across the road you will find this jewellery shop filled with beautiful pieces created at their own workshop or by other Scottish artists. There is something for every budget, worth a stop.
We were only there for three days and there was still so much more to see, including more talented people selling their creations. It was so inspiring to see this community of artists and what they bring to the Isle of Skye, it makes it even more magical and I can’t wait to be back there. Hope this guide is useful for those of you planning a trip there, given that I didn’t find much information until I got there.
As you can imagine, I came back with quite a lot of things from my road trip around Scotland, including a vintage 1930 Singer sewing machine I bought at a car boot sale in a small town near Aberdeen (yes… I am that kind of people, I can’t stop myself). I will share my yarn purchases and Lydia (and yes, I name things as well) on a separate post as soon as I can.
My yarn stash has grown considerably in the last few months and yarn is sort of taking over the flat. When my sister came to visit this month she brought with her quite a few balls including some lovely handspun, alpaca and wool blends and even milk fibre yarn (first time I had ever seen anything like it before!).
First let me show you this lovely handspun Corriedale yarn. This was the product of an inspiring initiative to train 215 women from rural communities in Chile in the art of handspinning and dyeing. They spun and dyed 15,500 of these balls which were then put on sale in a large department store in Chile. The packs also included a small booklet with patterns and a pair of wooden needles handcrafted by a local artisan. You can see a video (in Spanish) of the project here, even if you don’t understand the language it is worth watching these talented and hard-working people, and see how proud they are of preserving the heritage of our ancestors. I am so happy to be able to work with this yarn and continue this chain of love for tradition and fibre, their faces will be on my mind as my own hands work on what was created with their skilled hands.
Next I have some beautiful alpaca and wool blend from the south of Chile, I just love these colours and they come in quite big cakes so I am definitely thinking of getting at least one sweater out of this yarn.
Finally, my mum sent this milk fibre yarn she purchased at a local yarn festival. The colour is so stunning and it is the-softest-thing-ever. I am very intrigued by it and may do a separate post to tell you how these types of yarns are produced once I have knitted or crocheted a sample of it to also tell you how the fabric behaves. So far I don’t know much except that after a quick Google search it appears it is not the most environmentally friendly of yarns and therefore I don’t believe I would purchase more of it, however knowing this makes me want to make sure that it is put into good use.
That is all I have for today, next will be my guide for shopping for yarn and other crafty goodness in Skye so keep an eye out for that 🙂
I am a planner. I can’t really start a day without listing what I want to do and what needs to get done, not only because it helps with my anxiety but also because I have a horrible memory 🙂
So when things happen like getting a stomach virus that won’t leave you after a week, it really messes my whole system up. I had planned to write quite a few posts this week, clean my flat, hang out with friends and family that are visiting, but instead it has been work and bed, work and bed. I have been trying to stay positive and not complain or feel sorry for myself, but it is so hard! I know it is not the end of the world, but is so much easier to just feel down. If you have any tips or advise on how to stay positive please share in the comments, would love to hear from you!
Since I am feeling a bit better this evening I am improvising in my usually organised routine and I decided to write a blog post that I have been wanting to share for weeks now. I went to the Lake District for a few days last month and happened to find a flyer for a wool shop on a nearby town, so of course my very-supporting-of-my-yarn-addiction boyfriend had to drive me there to check it out. The shop is called WoolClip and I couldn’t believe how many gorgeous things they had!
The shop is located in a beautiful old building in Caldbeck, a cute small town in Cumbria about 30 minutes north of Keswick. Once you go in you are welcomed to a stunning large range of all things wool: knitted and crocheted garments and accessories, tools, kits and yarn. But it is not only the range that makes this shop special, it is the women behind it. The WoolClip is a cooperative set up by 15 local crafters: weavers, spinners, knitters, crocheters, felters and more. All the products are crafted by them and they each spend a couple of days a month at the shop to run it. I found this description at their website:
The Wool Clip began as a co-operative of Cumbria-based crafts people back in 2001. We were all enthusiastic designers and makers but many of us were juggling our work with farming, families and other commitments. We enjoyed working with wool but also understood the threat to British wool and local sheep farming and the loss of traditional craft skills.
By creating a co-operative, we were able to raise the profile of our work and create a shop that we could share – each member spends a couple of days per month in the shop and the commission from sales pays for the upkeep.
You can understand my excitement at finding such special place. Quoting my boyfriend: “It was like seeing a kid at a toyshop”. It is such an amazing and inspiring model, I wonder if there are more initiatives like this across the country since I think it is a fabulous idea.
I wanted to get so many things and after much thought ended up getting some fabulous yarn, including some BFL and Shetland in natural colour by Ruth Strong and a beautiful hand dyed skein by Wild Wood Wool.
There was no signal to look on Ravelry so I don’t have a project in mind for them, I think the blue one will have to be a nice summery shawl, maybe one from the Shawl Project? I accept suggestions!
I think that is it for today everyone, my body needs some rest and nurturing so I am off to my couch with a cup of tea and Say Yes to the Dress. I haven’t had much energy for working on my WIPs, I think right now I just need to allow myself to do something I never do: absolutely nothing.
Coming back to reality after the holidays is always mixed feelings: I love being back home to my bed and yarn stash but it is so difficult not to miss the amazing places I visited and the great time I shared with loved ones. These holidays were super busy but so much fun, I first spent a few days with my boyfriend in the Lake District and then my sister and one of my closest friends arrived to the UK and we did an awesome road trip through the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye. I will be sharing some of my adventures here in the blog soon including a little shopping guide (featuring yarn of course) to some of the places I visited.
Everything was a bit crazy before my holidays so I didn’t have time to share how my first two knitting projects turned out. Remember the infinity scarf I was making from that Craftsy class? Well, I decided to simplify the pattern a bit and it is now finished! I really really like how it turned out, I used West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley Aran, it is so warm and cosy. I enjoyed so much to knit the centre in stockinette, such a simple stitch but so beautiful and different from crochet fabric. It had been a while since I had used anything thicker than 4-ply yarn so it was lovely to use a thicker yarn without getting a very thick fabric.
After finishing this project I knew I wanted to cast on a hat. I thought about starting with a very simple pattern but I’d had my eye for months on Clare Devine’s Chai pattern and decided to go for it even though it has a cable and you need to use DPNs for the decreases. The pattern calls for chunky yarn and I decided to use Ginger’s Hand Dyed in Little Cat Feet.
The pattern is great and it goes really quickly even for a beginner like me, I had a hat finished after 3 days! I only panicked with the DPNs when I was doing the crown and started to get confused with all the needles but managed to sort it out and now I have the most beautiful hat ever. I love it so much and already wore it while on our trip to the Highlands.
I already casted on a new knitting project with some very special yarn and have two other crochet WIPs at the moment, so loads to crochet and knit as usual 🙂 What is on your hook/needles? Let me know in the comments!
Well hello everyone! I am writing today to catch up on life, my crochet journey and now also knitting journey after a short break from the blog. It is summer in my corner of the world and even though the weather has not been great I have been trying to enjoy the extra light and just be out and about a bit more. I love being at home so it is always hard to get myself out the door but once I’m out I am always glad I did it. I am also still doing yoga and enjoying every minute of it, it helps with my anxiety like nothing else so really recommend it to everyone if you are looking for a different type of physical activity.
I finished two crochet projects recently that I would like to share with you, the first is my Lorelei Pullover by Dora Ohrenstein. I LOVE this top, it is just so light and summery, the colour is amazing and the stitch pattern is beautiful and unique. Very simple construction so really recommend it if you want to give it a try. I used Ginger’s Hand Dyed Swanky Lace in Girl on Fire which is a blend of baby alpaca, silk and cashmere so you can imagine how awesome this garment feels.
The other FO I wanted to share is my Penelope Top by Jenny Reid. I love the romantic look of this top and that stitch pattern is truly stunning. The back is really nice but couldn’t get a nice picture of it unfortunately… not easy to take pictures of yourself!
I used John Arbon Alpaca Supreme 4ply in Silver Fawn, beautifully soft yarn though I am regretting the alpaca a bit after getting some serious pilling issues with only one wear. If anyone has any recommendations for a good pilling remover please let me know 🙂
I am so happy with these two garments because I really like how they look and have already been wearing them proudly, that is what my handmade wardrobe focus is all about and it makes me want to keep on doing more and more garment patterns now that I know I can make them fit. You know when you are working a pattern and you realise you made a mistake or you have a feeling it won’t be big/small enough to fit you and you avoid it until you are done? Well I have been determined not to avoid those feelings and it has saved the fit of my garments more than once with just a bit more work. Trust your instincts everyone and it will save you a lot of time and effort.
My knitting is coming along, I am taking a Craftsy class that shows you how to make an infinity scarf so I am working my way through that and really enjoying it now that I have found a good position for my hands and yarn when knitting and purling. After this I would like to do a hat and a shawl, so if you have any simple patterns to recommend I would really appreciate it. For the shawl I want to use a beautiful 4-ply skein from Hedgehog Fibres that I purchased when I was in Dublin last month, it is so pretty that I know the yarn would shine in a simple knitted shawl. I thought of doing a crochet shawl but it would have to be a very open and lacy one to use just the one skein and I don’t think the yarn colour changes will show as well so I am glad I am adding knitting to my skills bucket!
What have you been up to? Let me know in the comments 🙂 I will be going on holiday this month and I have family visiting on the following month so I may not be posting as often. I try to post on Instagram a bit more often so you can check my feed there if you want to see what I am up to.
A few weeks ago I had an amazing opportunity to be part of a knitting class run by Jules from Woollenflower. If you haven’t checked Jules’ website I really recommend you do, she sells the most beautiful products, including machine-knitted cowls and small bags made out of worn Harris Tweed jackets. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival and found her to be not only incredibly talented but also such an amazing person, so I jumped at the chance to have her as my teacher.
Now, let me tell you a bit about my knitting journey. I am not sure if I shared this but I learned how to crochet when I was about 10 years old, it was the first craft I learned and it really clicked with me straight away. I have crocheted on and off since then: it is like riding a bike, you really never forget how to do it.
When I was in high school my nanny (the most awesome knitter I know to this day) taught me how to knit and I decided to cast on a scarf with a simple ribbed pattern. It was THE-LONGEST-SCARF-IN-THE-WORLD. By the time I was finished I not only hated the scarf, the colour and everything about it, but also hated knitting. That was the last time I picked up a pair of knitting needles.
Fast forward to the last year and crochet and the fibre world have become a really big part of my life. For the last few months I have been thinking that I should try knitting again, mostly for the following reasons:
I really like how knitted fabric looks like, and that it is lighter than crochet fabric. I believe there are many things you can do with crochet, but just like knitting it has its limitations. The one thing I have never liked in crochet is hats, to this day I haven’t found a pattern that I like. The fabric is too dense and stiff if you don’t want an open stitch pattern (which you don’t if its a winter hat) and the hat ends up wearing you instead of the other way around. Knitted hats on the other hand are beautiful and that is my ultimate goal in this knitting journey: LOADS AND LOADS OF HATS 🙂
I love fibre and as I get to understand more and more about how we get from sheep to finished object I have come to be very curious about all fibre related crafts such as weaving, spinning and of course, at the centre of it all is knitting. I don’t think I could call myself a fibre enthusiast if I don’t have at least some basic knitting skills.
As some of you know I have started teaching a few workshops at Ginger Twist Studio and I came to realise very quickly that most (if not all) of those who have attended my workshops are knitters and know only a bit about crochet. I feel that I can become a better teacher if I can speak the same language as my students since this will help me understand their issues better.
Finally, I love learning and there is SOOO much to learn in knitting.
Even though these sound as very compelling reasons I also had my doubts about whether I should learn how to knit again. Knitting is slow and so much less forgiving when it comes to mistakes. Crochet is awesome in that way, make a mistake and you just rip it off and pick up again but with knitting it is a different story and I am NOT a patient person. Also, I was a bit afraid of immersing myself in the knitting world and not being able to pull out. I am a very obsessive person and there are so many knitting patterns out there that match my aesthetic, much more than crochet patterns. Could I keep crochet as my main craft with so many patterns calling for my attention?
In the end, I am glad I decided to learn. Crochet will always be my main craft but knowing how to knit will allow me to create some special items that crochet may not do so well. I see many hats in my future, simple shawls that allow me to show-off that very special skein of yarn and maybe one day a simple sweater (I say only one knowing that it will take me a lifetime to finish). Crochet is still faster and more comfortable so I know I will never lose it and right now I am just really enjoying being a beginner and learning a new skill that can only add more inspiration to my creative journey.
I still haven’t done any projects, I am just practicing my stitches for now. I will be casting on something soon, an infinity scarf from a Craftsy class I purchased. It doesn’t look simple, but I do like a challenge! If you have any tips of nice beginner projects please share them in the comments, would love to hear your suggestions.
Hi there, how are you all? The blog has been a silent for a bit but I am back today with a book review for you. When I first started the blog I did quite a few reviews but it has been a while since I have shared one. When I purchased this book however, I knew I had to talk about it.
I hadn’t heard of Anna Wilkinson before since prior to this book her designs focused on knitting rather than crochet, though I had seen her beautiful Brill shawl which was featured in Pom Pom magazine (if you are knitter you must check it out). So when Jess from Ginger Twist Studio mentioned this book was coming out I was intrigued… a knitter publishing a crochet book is not something you see often, most knitters I know don’t like crochet at all and haven’t met many who enjoy both crafts. Since I believe knitting is definitely ahead in terms of fashion and style I was hoping this was a good thing, and I am happy to say I wasn’t disappointed. This book has many patterns that I would like to try, and more importantly, that I would love to wear.
I was very lucky to try on the samples from this book and Anna has given me permission to share some pictures of me and Jess with our favourite patterns. It makes such a difference to try on the samples, it made me realise which patterns I not only liked on the page but also looked good on me and if there were any modifications I would like to do.
The book begins with an introduction by Anna which I think really touches on what might be holding people back from crochet. As a knitter herself she admits that learning how to crochet felt a bit “alien” and “fiddly” at the beginning, but just with anything in life, this passes and you get to enjoy this craft and all the amazing things you can do with it. She explains how forgiving crochet is when it comes to mistakes (which I have always believed is the definite plus compared to knitting) and how each craft has its own place and purposes.
After a great intro there are detailed instructions for crochet beginners with everything you need to work your basic stitches, read patterns, measure gauge and even change colours. Sometimes this part of crochet books is not great, but I was quite impressed to see how clear the pictures and instructions are. She doesn’t leave anything to guesswork, showing you how to wrap yarn around your hook and identifying stitches, I am guessing her background as a knitter contributed to how comprehensive the instructions are. Since I have always crocheted I have never thought about how I wrap yarn around my hook but it makes total sense to mention this for complete beginners.
After this section you come to the “Learn to Crochet” patterns aimed at beginners, starting with a simple pair of fingerless mitts and moving on to more complicated things. What I love, love, love about these patterns is that in this book “beginner” does not mean that you can only do blankets, but also beautiful and wearable garments which use a simple construction that would be easy for a beginner to follow. She uses great colour combinations which are very attractive and the photography is stunning. I particularly like the Cropped Tee, the Zig Zag Shopper, the Granny Stripe Chunky Sweater and the Tweed Cardi.
Jess has already made an awesome version of the Cropped Tee using her hand dyed yarn and I may have already purchased some yarn for mine… 🙂
Cropped Tee, Jess’s versionCropped TeeGranny Stripe Chunky Sweater
I was very surprised to see I liked some of the garments here which use thicker yarns. I don’t dare to crochet patterns which use anything thicker than DK, and even that I find too thick to work with crochet. But I must admit I was very attracted to those patterns, even the Tweed Cardi which uses super bulky yarn! It looks amazing on Jess and the weight of the yarn makes it more like a jacket than a cardi.
From the Love Crochet patterns section I really liked the Vintage Style Embroidered Top, the Fan Stitch Cardigan and the Patchwork Stitch Sweater.
Fan Stitch CardiganFan Stitch CardiganPatchwork Stitch SweaterVintage Style Embroidered Top
I would say that the one thing I missed in this book was garments using lighter yarns. Even though I was surprised to like the garments that used heavier yarns, it is still not my preference in general. I think crochet can be so much more than heavy garments, it can also have beautiful drape and shape which also suits a larger range of body types compared to garments with thicker fabrics. Having said that I think some of these garments have a very simple construction and could therefore be adapted to use a different yarn weight if required.
If you would like to purchase this book, you can find it online at Ginger Twist Studio here. Big thanks to Anna for her permission to play with her samples and to Jess for being such a stylish model! I think my modelling career would be very short… I had to erase half of the pictures because I had my eyes closed 🙂
I will be back soon with some WIPs, FOs and some knitting… yes! you read that right!
x
Sol
Disclaimer: I purchased this book with my own money and decided to review it simply because I liked it 🙂
My last post about summer crochet tops proved quite popular so I am back today with some more patterns for you to check out. The last post was all about what I call a typical crochet top so today I thought I would share a few that are quite stunning but may not fit with your idea of a crochet top which is why I love them even more. I am all about pushing crochet boundaries so these tops really make my hands itch!
I must mention again that I have not tried any of these patterns, though I have tried other designs by some of the designers showcased here with great results, particularly Joanne Scrace and Dora Ohrenstein. Some of these were published on magazines but checked and they are all still available as digital issues if you wanted to purchase the issue. Would love to hear what you think of these patterns and if you would like to try any of them so let me know in the comments. If you click on the picture you will be directed to the Raverly pattern page.
Hello everyone! I want to share some crochet news and events with you, I am so excited that this passion of mine is opening up some great opportunities for me to grow and explore. I have always been someone who moves from craft to craft never sticking to one in particular. I have tried crochet, sewing, knitting, cross stitch and so many more, and I was always teased in my family since I would get so excited at first to only give it up completely in a few months. I think this time is different, I know now that I will always be involved in a fibre art. I have become so passionate about yarn and would like to try all crafts that honour such an amazing resource: knitting, spinning and weaving are definitely on the list!
So first, if you are in the Edinburgh area the Indie Burgh Yarn Crawl is happening on the 13th and 14th of June. Three local yarn shops (Ginger Twist Studio, Kathy’s Knits and Be Inspired Fibres) participate and you can make your way around them on your own or sign up for a lucky dip group and get a tour guide as well. There are workshops and an after party on the Sunday so make sure to check the Facebook page for details. Yours truly will be at Ginger Twist Studio on the Sunday with all my samples, would love to meet some of you if you can make your way there.
I also wanted to let you know that I am doing workshops at Ginger Twist Studio. The next one will be a crochet colourwork class in which you will learn about the different techniques and learn how to work tapestry crochet by making an adorable little purse. This is the technique I used to make my Moroccan bag so if you liked that pattern this might be of interest to you. The workshop will be held on the 19th July from 12pm to 3pm at Ginger Twist Studio, check her website for details and booking.
Finally, I am excited to announce that I am Designer of the Month at Ginger Twist Studio during June! My samples will be on display at Jess’s shop this month along with other crochet designs by Anna Wilkinson so I am really happy to be part of her lineup (can you spot my Moroccan tote in the window? Love it!)
That is it for today, hope you are having a great week!
One of the most special purchases during my trip through the Scottish Highlands was the yarn I got from Ann at Dragonfly Studio in the Isle of Skye. These skeins were hand spun and hand dyed by Ann, and I just can’t get over them. The first think I noticed when I was in her studio was the softness of the yarn, as well as the little tags with a name on them, which turned out to be the name of the sheep from where the yarn came from.
a crochet journey 
