Yesterday, I went to Harrogate; to the Knitting & Stitching Show...
If you are lucky enough to have ever been to this eevent, you will understand why I am writing this basking in the afterglow of utter Inspiration Overdose. Not having been before, we weren't sure what to expect. We knew it would be good, but not as good as it actually was. We knew it would be big, but not that big (we were blown away by the actual Bigness* of it ~ *a totally made up word to convey just how big it was). We knew we would see things that would charm and tempt us and on that score we were completely right.
We set off on a cold November morning, with the sun behind us rising in a crisp blue sky over hills and fields - at least it was until we got to Leeds!! Navigating that city isn't for the faint hearted - I feel like such a country bumpkin as urban driving (one way systems, sudden lane changes which mean zipping across four of them to get to a swift and sudden turn off etc etc) is not really my cup of tea these days. Still, we got there eventually and celebrated a whole day of wandering, gazing at yarn, thread, felt, textiles, gallery exhibits and the like by going for a large mug of coffee and something sweet.
Having neglected to take any pictures of the event itself (silly me) I can only entice you with the handful of beautiful goodies I chose to bring home with me:
Buttons, felt balls and yarn...
The felt balls are for a piece of felty jewellery I'm going to be having a go at creating. I will post pics as soon as it's done, but in the meantime please feel free to gratuitously drink up those terrific rainbow colours - don't they just pop and zing?? Don't they make you feel just ridiculously happy?
The buttons, they're just wonderful. I'm not quite sure what they're made of, but they seem to resemble polished coconut shell on the underside, and a smooth, polished ceramic on the top in dreamy ocean shades. I don't quite know what to use them for as yet but they had to come home with me, I knew that for sure!
Of course, it was probably inconceivable to imagine coming home without a bit of yarn..and oh, the Yarn...oh my.
The yarn I chose is by a delicious company called Nimu Yarns. They are a family company based in East Kent and create the most decadent and beautiful hand dyed, hand painted yarns you may have ever set your eyes upon. Ever. In the whole world.
After much 'oooh~ing' and 'aaahhh~ing' I decided to treat myself to a skein of Aira in the Grasholm shade. It's 400 metres of pure, unadulterated silk in the most divine shade of mermaid oceany turquoise. And I am saving it until I find the perfect pattern for it. At this point in time I'm sitting with a vision of a slim, drapy kind of scarf which can be worn in the warmer months...what do you think?
Another deeply inspiring moment was to be had when I wandered past the Selvedge Stand. Something caught my eye...and I glanced again...quickened my pace and was all of a sudden standing before a real life Sophie Digard masterpiece!!
For those of you who are familiar with Sophie's crochet work you will perhaps understand why I went into a trance like moment as I stood before one of her scarves. The tiny stitches, the colourways and detail is like nothing I've ever seen on earth. I understand that she has a team of highly competent women who crochet up her designs somewhere in South America (I think!) which would go some way to explaining why there are so many amazing designs available as it would surely take a Very Long Time to create even one of these pieces don't you think?
I then moved on to gaze longingly at her jewellery...oh my goodness, heart stopping moment - for two reasons; the first one being the absolute beauty of a necklace made intricately from yarn, and secondly, the price tag...which I think it was £127.00...
One day I would like to think I'd have the patience to try and make my own Sophie Digard inspired scarf, but in all honesty I think I'm one of those souls who just isn't made to create teeny tiny faffy pieces of work. Fortunately I am one of those people who never say never, so one never knows...but for now I think I'm best (and happiest) at gazing adoringly at the stuff from people who can.
'Til next time, thanks for coming by
Julia x x x
