Woolly Wednesday is back!

Hello! Happy new year to you all.

January seems like a natural time to reasess things and figure out your goals for the coming year. One of my goals this year is to have a *massive* destash, declutter and general life detox.

With that in mind, I have signed up to take part in the Edinburgh Yarn Festival's Big January De-stash! I have a rather humungous stash of yarn, more than I will ever be able to use within this lifetime, so I'm going on a bit of a "yarn diet."

I'm joining other fellow crafty types at the Columcille Centre in Morningside this Saturday (16th January) to sell, swap and socialise. If you live in or near Edinburgh and fancy coming along, it's only £2 entry per person - EYF are asking folks interested in attending to pre-register so they can gauge numbers on the day. The event is being run by Edinburgh Yarn Festival as not for profit, in support of and to raise awareness of its nominated charity, the Teapot Trust who provide art therapy for children who suffer from chronic illness (all proceeds from the day go to the charity).

I'll be there for the afternoon session which runs 1-4pm but there will be yarny goings-on from 10am onwards.

Goodies I plan to sell on Saturday include:
- Rowan pattern books
- Knitting/craft magazines
- Rowan and other hand knitting yarn
- Knitting & crochet tools
- Lace trim and other notions
- Fibre for felting or spinning

I might also have a few hand knitted items for sale on the day too :) Hope to see you there!

Find out more about the Big January De-stash event here.

Woolly Wovember

Have you heard of Wovember?

Well, as you might have guessed, it takes place in November and it's a collaborative celebration of my favourite fleece, wool!

There are retailers out there who use a pitiful quantity of wool in a garment (say 5%) and somehow feel they can still justify calling it woollen or misleadingly marketing it as "wool". Wovember hopes to reconnect consumers with *real* wool, its beauty and rather marvellous properties, as well as educating them on the process behind creating different woollen yarns and fabrics, from fleece to finished product.

Image via Wikimedia

How can we support Wovember? It's really simple, actually! You can wear woolly things - and believe me, I have been... there's a definite chill in the air and what better way to stay cosy really. Also by spreading the word and generally helping to raise awareness of the wonders of wool.

If you've read my blog before, you will probably know just how passionate I am about wool. As a knitter, consumer and textile designer, I would definitely feel cheated if a piece of clothing (or yarn, for that matter!) was sold to me as wool but had little to none of the real deal off of an actual sheep's back in it.

Almost everything I make for my WildCat Designs label is made from wool. The majority of my accessories are handmade by me from gorgeous 100% bona fide Merino wool, which I carefully sourced from a UK woollen mill. One thing I wasn't willing to comprimise on was quality.

One of the reasons I love wool, as I'm sure I've probably said many times before, is its versatility. The folks at Wovember are celebrating wool in all its glory and variety by hosting an Instagram competition this year - you can join in the fun and submit your woolly pics using the #WOVEMBER2015 hashtag. You could even win a wool-themed prize if you're lucky!

Find out more about Wovember and how to support the campaign on the wovember.com website.

Happy Knitting Week!

Wishing all my readers a happy Knitting Week! Perfect timing for starting on a cosy autumn project, don't you think?!

Doesn't that little mouse just look so cosy! It certainly made me smile at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival earlier this year :)

I didn't have the chance to share these pictures at the time, but it was a really great day out in March with some fellow fibre enthusiasts. Below are a few of my highlights.

I also have a few woolly links up my sleeve...

As it's also Wool Week, I recommend checking out the Campaign for Wool website - lots of lovely events going on all over the UK this week!

"How wool got cool" - a Guardian article on the weird and wonderful things us crafters get up to these days.

The UK Hand Knitting Association's website has had a bit of a makeover - well worth a look, it has plenty of ideas to help you get started or find out more about the world of knitting.

Knitting & Crochet Blog Week 2015 is here!

Welcome to this year's Knitting & Crocket Blog Week!
Year 6, can you believe it?! If you haven't come across the event before, and want to find out more (or even take part!), read this blog post.

Day One (Monday 11th May): If You Were Yarn.

I've been musing over this topic for a few days now and it's quite difficult to choose! If I had to choose a yarn to represent my personality, there would definitely have to be some wool in there though.

 

I love being cosy and it's one of my absolute favourite fibres to work with because of its versatility, the fact it's natural and takes colour incredibly well if you dye it. My boyfriend sometimes jokingly refers to my head as being "full of wool" so it seems fitting that I'd go for a woolly yarn!

I think the texture of it would have to be a good balance of having enough twist that it didn't split easily or look like roving but not so much that the handle of the yarn was compromised. It's go to be nice and soft! ...I'm a big softie at heart ♥

Finally, I reckon if I was a yarn, it'd have to be a colourful one - maybe a nice variegated style with rich jewel tones of deep purple, teal, blue and turquoise blending into each other. Oh and as for weight... probably a useful DK!

Search for #6KCBWDAY1 on twitter or google 6KCBWDAY1 to find more blogs taking part in Knitting and Crochet Blog Week 2015.

Woolly Wednesday

Great news - Edinburgh Yarn Festival is back for 2015! Some of you may remember the first one back in 2013 (was it really that long ago?!), which was held at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall in Leith.

The return of the EYF sees the event evolve a bit - they have expanded to a larger venue and the festival now spans across two days, Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th March at the Corn Exchange.

This rather curious creature greeted visitors in 2013!

The last one was well-attended and had plenty of things for the fibre fiend in you but this year the exibitor list boasts over 100 different companies ranging from local yarn stores to independent yarn producers. How exciting!

I dare anyone to try and come away empty-handed. If the last one was anything to go by it will be a serious challenge! It wasn't just yarny delights at the festival, there were also some fab indie designers selling their patterns and there were a few stalls with some lovely notions - all in all a great way to get some inspiration for your next/latest crafty project.

There are individual day tickets (£8 each) or weekend passes (£12) available, or you can go the whole hog and sign up for the evening events (knitty pub quiz, anyone?) or alternatively take part in one of the workshops and classes on during the day!
 

For more information about the Edinburgh Yarn Festival, 

visit their website: www.edinyarnfest.com. 

Advance tickets and class bookings are available online.

To read more #WoollyWednesday posts, click here.

Wondrous Wool

This is a special edition of Woolly Wednesday - it's Wool Week!

(This is a kitty commission I made 

from Merino lambswool a few years ago)

...What's Wool Week, I hear you ask. 2014 is the 5th year of the Campaign for Wool's week dedicated to wool, that most wondrous of natural fibres. This year's edition runs from the 5th - 12th of October and features a whole host of activities and events promoting wool. Want to organise your own? Check out Picknit for some LoveWool resources.

I love the idea of the Wool Ride, a brand new woolly cycle ride held in London on the first day of Wool Week. It appears to have a similar feel to the annual Harris Tweed Ride in Glasgow, albeit perhaps a little more light-hearted and rough (fluff?!) around the edges.

My latest knitting project is a pair of stripy mittens (shown above) in a lovely pure wool yarn. Seemed like the perfect time of year to start something like this, now that the air is crisper, the leaves are turning and it's starting to get dark sooner in the evenings.

One of the reasons I love making things with wool is its versatility. It can be incredibly useful in its many different forms - the elasticity of the fibre lends itself well to clothing which will keep its shape well, but not only that, it has a natural tendency towards repelling water, due to the waxy lanolin of a sheep's coat, even more so if you felt the fabric as the water will simply bead on the surface and roll off.

You can achieve a great stitch definition in a yarn 

with a high wool content such as this one (80% wool)

As many of you will know, wool is a rather wonderful natural fibre, meaning of course that it's biodegradable, unlike many manmade fibres. One which is renewable (thanks to the sheep growing a new fleece every year!), breathable and happens to be pretty great at absorbing a vast rainbow of dyes, as well as coming in a beautiful range of natural hues. Did you know wool can even be used as an insulation material? It's also naturally flame-retardant, believe it or not!

If you're interested in reading further woolly witterings, click here for more #WoollyWednesday posts.

Woolly Wednesday

Here it is! Another Woolly Wednesday :)

I intend to make these themed posts fortnightly for the time being, which hopefully gives me plenty of time to track down some new woolly things to shout about.

Image via Selvedge

The first of these this week is the recent KNIT issue of Selvedge magazine (issue 60). If you're not familiar with it, the magazine is a rather wonderful publication and provides articles covering the world of textiles, via its many applications in art, craft, fashion, design and interiors. The title is published bi-monthly and is one of my favourites (and has been for a number of years), as it features beautiful photography, insightful pieces on the history of textiles and it showcases some really beautiful art and craft. A highly recommended read. I also *love* the giant chunky cable knit scarf on the cover

Image via Selvedge

Issue 60 features knitting in its many forms and some absolutely stunning photography from Ian Lawson's book, "From the Land Comes the Cloth" - a breathtaking visual journey telling the story of Harris Tweed, showcasing the natural beauty of the Hebrides, the woollen raw materials, the painstaking traditional production process and the world-famous finished product. Needless to say, the book is on this girl's wishlist! If you want to have a look at a little preview of the book, click here.

Image via The Catskill Kiwi on Instagram

Continuing with the woven cloth theme... in my Instagram wanderings, I discovered The Catskill Kiwi's feed which piqued my interest because as someone who dabbled with weaving but realised it wasn't for me, I can live vicariously through the lovely textured tapestries of Toni Brogan.

K is for Knitaholic - 4KCBWDAY5

Day 5 - Something a bit different!

Friday's entry is s little delayed...I'm moving this weekend so things are a wee bit chaotic, to say the least!! For something 'a little different' I decided to do a post with an A-Z of Knitting.



A - Addictive. Knitting is truly addictive once you get into the swing of it!
B - Bamboo, my favourite type of knitting needle, and a very lovely (and sustainable) fibre to work with too.
C - Cast on; where all the fun begins!
D - Decrease...one useful way of shaping a piece of knitting.
E - Environmentally-friendly. There are many reasons this craft can be eco-friendly, including the fact that knitters make pieces designed to be treasured and handed down for future generations. There are also plenty of yarns out there with real "green" credentials, produced via sustainable manufacturing methods, coloured with plant-based dyes and a host of natural fibres.



F - Fair Isle. A beautiful, traditional way of patterning your knits.
G - Groups. It's fun to meet other like-minded enthusiasts at a knitting group, or even share ideas, tips and exeriences with virtual groups on t'internet (hello Ravelry!)
H - Handmade. There really is nothing like a hand-crafted piece of knitting, made with care, love and attention. (Not to mention the odd dose of blood, sweat & tears!)
I - Intarsia. A great way of working coloured areas into your knits.



J - Jumper. Surprisingly, not something I have knitted that many of myself! (I'm more of an accessories kinda girl)
K - Knit. The first method for creating a knitted stitch most of us ever learn.
L - Lace...a variety of openwork techniques can be used to create lace fabrics, which I love.



M - Moss Stitch. A nubbly textured stitch pattern which I find very pleasing to the eye :)
N - Needles. An essential bit of kit for any knitter. I love how there are some really amazing options out there now, like beautiful wooden types and even wonderful colourful ones!
O - Online. A world of wondrous yarn havens, friendly crafters and a vast array of patterns await.
P - Purl. The yin to a knit stitch's yang!
U - Unravel. Always worth making sure this doesn't happen to your knits!
R - Rip back. Sometimes a necessary evil. Try to avoid having to do it with yarns like mohair - it's a complete nightmare, trust me!!

S - Stitch dictionary. I find these so invaluable for inspiration and ideas.
T - Time. Finding time to knit is sooo worth it. Knitting can be very therapeutic too.
U - Universal. I strongly believe that knitting is a skill anyone can learn, with a little determination and perseverance.
V - Vivid. These days you can acquire some fabulously vibrant colours. No need to be a knitting wallflower any more!
W - WOOL! One of my favourite fibres to create with. Also an incredibly versatile fibre.



X - X-factor. Yes, for me the art and craft of knitting really does have the elusive x-factor :)
Y - Yarn. Without it, where would we be?
Z - Zzzzz. I find a spot of knitting before bedtime can really help sometimes. Also, I just discovered that the word zephyr can mean "any of several delicate soft yarns, fabrics, or garments, usually of wool," according to the Collins English Dictionary!

Awash with Colour - 4KCBWDAY4

Day 4 - Colour Review

"What are your favourite colours for knitted projects. Have a think about what colours you seem to favour when yarn shopping and crafting.
 
"Only after writing this part of your post should you then actually look to see what colours you have used in your projects. Make a quick tally of what colours you have used in your projects over the past year and compare it to the colours you have written about. Compare this, in turn, to the colours that are most dominant in your yarn stash – do they correlate?

Now think back to your house animal - do the colours you have chosen relate to your animal in anyway - if you are in the house of peacock, for example, are your projects often multicoloured and bright?"



I feel that my favourite colours for knitted projects (and crafting generally) are more or less the same as my favourite colours overall: beautiful deep, rich jewel tones, as well as a sprinkling of neutrals and pastels to offset them.

Now to see if I'm right! (I imagine I'm not far off really, as I have a pretty good awareness of colour and frankly am quite obsessed with it.)

On reviewing the projects I recorded over the last year on Ravelry, I do think my initial assessment is about right. I'm not including in this review items I was commissioned to make as I do usually get requests for specific colourways when people order something!



I do know for a fact that my stash is dominated by reds, purples, violets, greens, teals, blues and greeny-blues - a veritable rainbow of saturated colour if you will.

This is tempered by my love of natural tones - many hues of soft greys, a hint of cream and a handful of inky blue and deep black. I also have a small collection of pastel yarns because I have a love for shades with a slightly retro feel - 1950s ice cream colours anyone?

[EDIT]

Just realised I neglected to cover the final part of the task! Ooops. In any case, thinking about the colours that appeal to me and that I tend to craft with, I supppose they do correlate in a way (other than perhaps the neutrals) to the sorts of colours a *real* bee might be attracted to in the world of flora. How fitting!

4KCBWDAY1 - Knitting & Crochet Blog Week 2013!

Welcome to Knitting & Crochet Blog Week, which I'm happy to say I'm taking part in again, for the fourth year running! (Hard to believe it's been going for four years already!)

Day 1 - The House Cup

Today, the topic is to discuss "your crafting outlook/style" and choose a "house" which represents this.

I've chosen the House of Bee:

The House of Bee: "Bees are busy and industrious, but can flit from one interesting project to the next as bright and shiny things capture their interest."

I feel this animal (out of the four house choices: bee, manatee, monkey and peacock) most closely fits my knitting "style" - I tend to have several projects on the go simultaneously and I definitely have a chronic case of serial startitis! The lure of fresh new patterns and colourful yarn is sooo hard to resist though...

As a knitter I like to have multiple creations, usually at various stages of completion, but the thing I enjoy most about my approach to this craft is that I generally have one or two more complex, 'cerebral,' patterns in progress (for example a tricky lace pattern or one with lots of fiddly colourwork), as well as having a few of a more simple design underway.

This means I can knit to suit my mood - sometimes I want to work on something which requires quite a bit of concentration...and other times I like to have a simple project I can just work on in a less focussed way - such as when sitting in front of the telly of an evening. It's a great way of winding down, I find!


For more info about this annual yarny extravaganza, check out Eskimimi's blog. (Thanks to Mimi for creating the fab blog week graphics too!)

Edinburgh Yarn Festival

Let me start by saying this: Woooooooooool!
...um, and some other fibres too, ha ha!

The first Edinburgh Yarn Festival was a grand day out for fibre fans, that much is certain. It was a properly dreich day but we still patiently queued in the rain - this very much set the tone for the day. Not in the respect of the damp weather, but more in the respect that people were generally very good-natured, considerate and patient.

...Which is just as well really, because by the time I got there (very late morning) it was mobbed! Though after a bit, me & my friends decided to grab a spot of lunch at a nearby quirky and - I think - recently opened bar on Leith Walk, a good choice as it turned out both in terms of timing and food! On our return things at the festival had thankfully calmed down a little and it was much easier to get around and see more of the stalls up close.

It was really great to see yarn spun, supplied and hand-dyed from all over Scotland (and a few from further afield). I am pleased to say that I have noticed a real upturn in the availability of Scottish wool [and other fibres] - something I am personally quite passionate about and I try to support whenever possible.

I was also intrigued to discover that Yarn Pony not only offers beautiful hand-dyed yarns but courses on how to kettle-dye your own too!

I was very restrained in my purchases on the day but I did see a lot of lovely things on the day - I could have happily gone on a giant fibre-y shopping spree! Instead I chose a few choice pieces and used the opportunity to do a little research on suppliers I can (and likely will) purchase from in the future.

This Pac-Man woven ribbon is so, so amazing! I also love the Space Invader one from the same shop (Textile Garden) shown below. There's no way I was leaving without a little of each of them :D Their stall had lots of interesting trims and buttons for your every need.

I loved this stall's selection of pretty wooden buttons, many different designs too. I think they are done as some kind of transfer. (I just wish I could remember what the name of the business was so I could visit their website, argh!)

[EDIT: I have since discovered the buttons are from Skybluepink-Designs! Yay!]

(I also got some fab things for a yarn swap, but I don't want to spoil the surprise for my swap partner so no pics here of that stuff, sorry!)

Resources
Tin Can Knits - pretty patterns for adults, kids & accessories
Textile Garden - notions galore
The Thread Room - hand-dyed yarn in fabulous colours from Oz
Yarn Pony - scrummy yarn hand-dyed in Edinburgh & yarn-dyeing workshops
Avery Homestore - Edinburgh shop selling craft materials & homewares
Skybluepink-Designs - specialist supplier of unique yarns: rare breed wool, plant dyed, recycled, handspun
Strathearn Fleece & Fibre - raw fleece, batts, rovings and spun yarn from this Perthshire farm
Porcini & Button - handmade crafty things from Edinburgh
OwlPrintPanda - THE cutest little knitted fox purses, a fanastic selection of stitchmakers and earrings for the crafter in your life!
The Yarn Yard - yarns and fibre hand-dyed in Midlothian
The Border Mill - small-scale mill in the Scottish Borders, mainly processing alpaca fleece (I recommend visiting this site for the wonderful illustrations and "meet the herd" page!)
Alpaca Loft - lovely alpaca yarn and alpaca products
Ripples Crafts - yummy hand-dyed yarn from the Highlands
Shilasdair - yarn shop, dye house & exhibition on the Isle of Skye
Crafty Ally - knitting project & notion bags handmade from pretty fabrics
Cairngorm Bags - knitting bags made from fabulous fabrics
Fibre Forager - wonderful dyed fibres for spinning & felting

More info about the event here.

3KCBWWC - Perfect Day

Day Seven: Craft your perfect day

Today I chose to go for the 'wildcard' (3KCBWWC) topic: "Plan your fantasy day with your craft, It might just take up one hour of your day or be the entire focus of the day, but tell your readers where you'd love to craft, whether you'd craft alone or with friends, knitting or crocheting something simple or spending a day learning new skills."



I think my perfect knitting-filled day would have to start with poring over my library of knitting books and magazines for inspiration. I've collected rather a lot of them over the years! (the image below shows just a small selection of some titles I own...) This may be followed by having a peek at some knitting blogs and of course, the wonderful Ravelry.

Fibrespates Scrumptious DK from my stash

After that, I would head off into town (Edinburgh, that is) and one of my favourite local yarn havens, k1 yarns, a cosy, bright little shop on the West Bow, just at the curve at the bottom of Victoria Street in the heart of the city's old town. They specialise in Scottish yarns such as Orkney Angora, Jamieson's of Shetland and Harris Tweed, and have a lovely selection of hand-dyed yarns too. It's quite likely that this visit would result in a yarn splurge, but that's part of the fun, right?! Plus I could get another stamp on my loyalty card ;)

Orkney Angora St. Magnus 4ply from my stash

Once I've satisfied my yarny needs, I'd meet up with friends at an alternative bar I'm quite fond of, the Auld Hoose, for some of their tasty food and a spot of pub knitting. The perfect way to round off a knit-tastic day, n'est-ce pas?

I do hope you've enjoyed reading these posts. It's been fun taking part in Knitting & Crochet Blog Week for the third year in a row, not just as a participant but reading other knitty blogs too. To view my other posts for the week, see here. Thanks once again to Eskimimi for organising it!