It’s Show Time

February marks the first of the big yarn shows so we thought now might be a good time to showcase the shows up until the summer and tell you more about what each event has to offer.

Yarn shows are a great opportunity to meet up with friends, see exciting new products and brands as well as restocking your stash (of course!).

Unravel 19th-21st February

This show takes place in the Maltings in Farnham, just off the M3, a lovely location. It is a bit of a rabbit warren of a building but that means that every time you turn a corner there is a lovely surprise. Amanda Perkins has a special exhibition including some of her most memorable designs.

What to look out for: The talks are a very interesting feature and this year include Alison Ellen, Susan Crawford and a PomPom magazine Pomcast with Veera Välimäki.

Tickets: £7 in advance/£9 on the door

Spring Knitting and Stitching Show 3^rd-6^th March

Just like it’s big sister in the Autumn this show, at Olympia in London, is a cornucopia of crafts from knitting and crochet to felt and patchwork with some papercraft for good measure. This year there will be over 2oo exhibitors so make sure you get there early!

What to look out for: UK Hand Knitting will have experts on hand to help solve your knitting and crochet problems.

Tickets: From £13

Wonderwool Wales 23rd-24th April

Based at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, this event describes itself as a Festival and it certainly has that kind of atmosphere.  It will be celebrating it’s 11^th year in 2016 and features some wonderful Welsh artisans as well as indie brands from around the UK and beyond.

What to look out for: Flock Gathering – a chance to get together at the end of the first day to knit, crochet and natter.

Tickets: £10

Woolfest 24th-25th June

Woolfest was the first British Yarn show, according to it’s website, and is clearly a favourite with visitors travelling from all over the UK and even from Europe to the beautiful town of Cockermouth in Cumbria. The event is a showcase of wool and wool related crafts and there is always so much to inspire you. What is particularly nice about this show is to see so many Scottish exhibitors and a large amount of felt artists who are very inspiring.

What to look out for: Lots of livestock; rare sheep breeds, goats and alpacas who are paraded around the main ring for you to admire and learn more about.

Tickets: £8

Fibre East 30th-31st July

This event takes place in the grounds of Redbourn Upper School, Ampthill in Bedfordshire. It may not be the biggest show but the variety of crafts is comprehensive and you will often find new, smaller brands launch themselves at this event.  The workshops feature tutors from all over the world and the organisers work very hard to come up with some unique opportunities to learn more about your preferred craft or even try a new one.

What to look out for: The sheep shearing demonstrations are always worth watching.

Tickets: £8

Why not leave us a comment about your favourite show and why you love it?

An Interview with Susan Crawford

Recently we told you about a new set of blog posts we have been planning, interviewing your favourite designers.  The first name that was nominated on our Facebook page was the legendary Susan Crawford, who is know for her sympathetic interpretations of beautiful vintage knitting patterns.  We caught up with her after a trip to Edinburgh where she was researching her next book.

How did you get started as a hand knit designer?

I studied fashion and textiles at college and had wanted to be a designer of some description since my early teens. I initially began sewing one-off dresses/outfits for people, even making stage clothes, but became more and more drawn back to my first love, knitting.

Why are you so drawn to vintage patterns?

The vintage aesthetic has always appealed to me – long before it became so fashionable in fact. My grandmothers taught me to knit using vintage knitting patterns and to sew making vintage dirndl skirts. I have also always been obsessed with film and as a young girl it was the 'old' films that I loved the most. starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford to Ava Gardner, Ingrid Bergman, Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and oh so many more. The clothes were the stars for me

Where did the idea for your book A Stitch in Time come from?

A Stitch in Time was first published in the 1970s in a simpler form, only showing reproductions of the original single size vintage patterns and photos of some of these knitted up. I had owned a copy of this book in my teenage years and loved it but was frustrated by the lack of updated patterns. In around 2006 I met Jane Waller who created the 1970s book and got to know each other and decided that it would be great to bring back A Stitch in Time but with updated versions of the patterns, all multi sized and using currently available yarns. I don't think even I realised quite what a task I'd set myself, but I managed to update, rewrite, multi-size and have knitted 59 patterns in volume 1 and a truly ridiculous 80 patterns in volume 2. They were both enormously enjoyable but extremely challenging.

What are you favourite yarns?

Well obviously my own yarns, Excelana and Fenella. Both are 100% British wool, using fleece from flocks bred in the UK, spun in Devon and dyed in Scotland. I'm particularly proud of Fenella as it has successfully replicated the vintage 3ply yarns of yesteryear. I also created a colour palette which reproduced the colours I found in vintage garments from the 1930s to the 1950s so it really is the perfect replacement for these elusive vintage yarns. I am also a big fan of Finnish, Swedish and Estonian wools and particularly Snaelden yarns from the Faroe Islands.

How did your latest project The Vintage Shetland Project come about?

Several years ago, Carol Christiansen, the curator at the Shetland Museum asked me if I would like to study some of the archive knitwear with a view to doing a then undefined 'something' as a result of that study. I of course jumped at the opportunity and over a period of two or three visits the concept of The Vintage Shetland Project was born. The more I studied the pieces the more I appreciated the stories behind them, the history each and every item was sharing with us and the need to impart those stories to others. The knitted pieces I looked at all had signs of deterioration or damage in some way and this made me ever more aware of the need to pass on their histories. They were also such fascinating pieces with so much to say not just about themselves but the knitters, the wearers, Shetland, social history and fashion history.

Susan Crawford’s The Vintage Shetland Project will be published soon and can be pre-ordered here.  As well as meticulously researched vintage patterns there will be a series of essays included and, of course, the stunning photography that always characterizes Susan’s work.