Alice at Socktopus in London had invited me to do a trunkshow at her shop on Sunday June 21st!  The skinny is,  I fill my boot with mountains of yarn and fibre and bring it down to London so you all can have a lovely squoosh.  I will bring a few things that haven’t had an outing yet, like the new Woolsilk laceweight, and some favourites such as Sweet Feet in new colours.  I’ll pop in lots of fibre too, for some fibre petting.  Can’t wait to see you there for an afternoon of yarny/ fibrey goodness and lots of cupcakes

Also on the horizon is Fibrefest, in North Devon, which will take place on 22nd and 23rd August.  I hope to have one or two new yarns there as well as my current  favourites.  Lots of fibre too, of course.  Yippee!

Just take a look at this!  It is Anne Hanson’s Fiddlehead Scarf beautifully knitted for me by the talented Linz in time to be displayed at Wonderwool.

It is knitted with just one skein of Glisten, and Linz went down one needle size in order to showcase the yarn rather than the lace pattern.  It is so beautiful and drapes like a dream.

Well, what a fantastic weekend.  I just have a few pictures of the stand.  I didn’t have time to get out and about until the end of Sunday, so I didn’t get to take any around the halls.

Here is a before and after -

and PING, almost finished -

If I can work out how to get emailed pictures on here, I will show you one of it in full swing!

My best bit was meeting people in real life whom I have only emailed, messaged, sent parcels to, chatted to on Ravelry and talked to on the phone.  I will only forget someone if I try and name you all, but let’s just say, you ALL made my weekend and made the very busy Saturday one of the most memorable and exciting days so far, ever!

Thankyou.  xxxx

I’m not just taking the yarn to Wonderwool this weekend.  I think you deserve lovely things to knit my yarn with too, so I’m going to be taking all the KnitPro items I have,  leaving just a few of each in the shop.

The best bit is, I have lots more than there is in the shop at the moment.  I’ve got lots of the bits that are harder to find.  Here’s a list:

40cm cables

extra short tips in a couple of sizes to make really dinky circulars with the 40cm cables

cable connectors, to make not dinky at all circulars

2.5mm 250m long fixed circulars for magic loop

normal sized tips in 3mm and 3.25mm to complete the interchangeables set

view sizers, and last but not least…

sets of double ended crochet hooks.

I may have forgotten something, so there might be a surprise or two!  Phew.  And, never fear, for those of you not going to Wonderwool, it will all be going into the shop afterwards, in nice neat new categories.

I haven’t got any lovely colourful yarny fibrey pictures to show you, as I haven’t taken any!  But rest assured, you are in for a visual treat!  Here’s a little clue………”wall of colour”!

See you there 

I have to apologise for the rather sparse shelves at the moment, and lack of updates.  Oh yes, I have been dyeing my socks off! But it’s all for Wonderwool, you see.  The week after next,  everything I bring back will be put on the shelves, and I am planning a website overhaul too, with new goodies galore.

I am not taking every yarn.  I’m afraid Big Softy is taking a summer vacation, but will be back in time for cooler weather knitting.  There will be Buttersoft DK in 100g skeins, and some in 50g skeins for a super duper little kit I have been promising for ages.  There’s sock yarns, including my new Superwash tighter twist merino (scroll down to the last post for a pic),  Damsel cobweb lace  in many colours, Softee, Glisten and some blimmin’ gorgeous new silk yarns in 4ply and dk.  Lots of fibre too.  It’s so close now I am starting to look forward to it rather than dread it! Bring it on!

xxx

This Easter Saturday sees us at the Cotswold Craft Market in Cirencester.  Our newly renovated building is lovely, and new shops and a great cafe/deli are opening in the same building, The Corn Hall.  The farmers market should be outside in the main street too, so, being Easter and all, it should be a lovely busy day out.  Haven’t checked on the weather though…!

Here’s a random picture of yarn to prettify the post!

Smootherino, coming to the shop soon (after Wonderwool, but more about that later )

We will be at the Cotswold Craft Market this Saturday 14th March, in the lovely Cotswold town of Cirencester.  Do pop by and say hi.  There’s loads of other stalls too, and the town is really pretty.  There is usually a Farmers Market just outside in the main street,  so looooads to look at!

xx

Spring is definitely springing.  The birds are really loud first thing in the morning.  There are snowdrops and croci everywhere (just in case you hadn’t noticed!), and there is at last a juicy shop update in progress.

Mostly it is Pop Sox.  There is also a little Softee, some Sweet Feet  and Buttersoft dk.  Here’s a taster of the Pop Sox.  I’ve had some good feedback from the knitting group I go to about the Pop Sox, how it is so much softer that the ‘regular’ sock yarns.  My husband is test wearing some which he has had since about mid November, and they continue to come out of the washing machine as good a new each time.  We’ll see how they are in a year or so!

So, here is some yarn candy………

And a new colour of Softee.

I’ve decided to reskein the Softee.  I think it gives a better indication of how the colours work for lace.  I would do the cobweb ones too, but I would need to inhabit a parallel universe to have the time, and have a bionic arm!

Happy knitting xxxx

Here is Chantelle’s lovely Star Crossed Beret. Don’t the colours work well with the texture?  It’s knitted on Big Softy colour 7005, and I heart it! 

pic courtesy C Smith

Here is Ali’s hat, knit in Big Softy bought at Stash, London.  The pattern is Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson.  Turned out rather nice, didn’t it! 

photo copyright A Irish