Yarndale and New Yarn Projects

I've recently finished a dress and a knitted top (will share pictures soon) so obviously I needed to replace them with more projects. So a trip to the new yarn festival 'Yarndale' in Skipton was a opportunity not to miss (I was never going to leave empty handed was I?) so I was very restrained and only bought one pattern and some yummy wool from Easy Knits (although I don't think the pattern is that easy really). It a scarf which is starts with solid stitching at one end and you gradually build up the number of holes to form a big lacy pattern at the other end. Its really unusual and I had some problems picking a yarn to create it but eventually plumped for this one with a metallic thread running through it too.

Here's some other nice photos from the event, ,the crochet bunting was organised through Lucy who runs the blog 'Attic 24' which is lovely.

A Crafty Sheffield Christmas

Well...its the last day of school before Christmas and when I was young that meant you could bring games into school like Connect 4 and Battleships, so I'm in the Christmas holiday mood. Since the last post things have been busy with the spring workshop programme and I've made lots of gift vouchers for crafty Sheffield people to get in their Christmas stockings.

This week I was in town for the last minute presents and also popped into 'Birds Yard' on Chapel Walk. Birds Yard (Sheffield) has been set up by Birds Yard (Leeds) and local artists and craftspeople can rent selling space to promote their wares to the good people of Sheffield. This is MUCH needed in Sheffield, in fact 3 of our tutors have items for sale in the shop (Sharon - tweet cushions, Saskia - Screenprints and Hayley - Lampshades). I often feel that Sheffield falls way behind places like Bath, Bristol, Brighton, Manchester and Leeds for promoting good and professional craft (except for Silversmithing of course). I wonder if its because our art / craft degrees in Sheffield are quite limited and we are just not turning out trained graduates and craftspeople, or is it because Sheffield doesn't value the benefit of craft as much as other major UK cities? Where are Sheffield's crafty pop up shops for example? I hope Birds Yard starts a new trend.

Wandering down Chapel Walk (this little Street has real potential...) brought back fond memories of Whiteheads (does anyone remember this little Aladdin's cave of crafting?), me and my Gran used to do down into the basement bit of the shop and buy lots of crafty things to keep us going. It was real jumble of stock and you almost couldn't see Mr Whitehead and the till behind all the stuff piled high! Later the shop moved to the bottom of London Road, but it always lot some of its charm for me at its new location.

So over the Christmas break I really must do those curtains for our bay window (they've been over a year on the to-do list), and finish that linen top and do 18 more granny squares for the cushion......while drinking hot port and listening to Bing Crosby singing 'White Christmas' .....I hope you all have a wonderful time and hope to see you in the new year - Emma x

Craft projects on the go....

This week I have learnt a new craft! (I'm not sure what you call someone who collects crafts skills, maybe a craftoholic but that sounds really unappealing!). I learnt how to crochet which is fab. I joined in the workshop led by Laura last weekend making 'Crochet Granny Squares' and I actually got to grips with it. Once I got home I manically tried to find a crochet cushion cover pattern published in a Magazine a few months ago and after about an hour I found it. Then things got slightly confusing as I'm not sure that it was an 'English' pattern but in true Running With Scissors style I launched myself into it without worrying to much and now I'm the proud owner of 4 crochet squares (the pattern calls for 36 squares, so only 32 to go.....) I am very impressed with myself!

To add to all things woolly I have put aside my current kitting project (despite promising myself to finish a project before I start another one) and started on a winter top which is all silver and sequins - sparkly and seasonal - I will be a walking glitter ball once completed. Its a good job its on 10mm needles so it will be quite quick to knit. I've started this project as I have been naughty and ordered some wool online which arrived yesterday (it was in the sale!) for a winter top pattern which I've had since last year - its going to be purple and pink!. I have never really understood why 'winter colours' are black, brown and grey when what you really need on English winter days is a strong blast of tropical shades to lift your mood and make you feel better!

The Sewing Projects I have on the go include:
Green linen print top
Reversible skirt
Curtains for our bay window (fabric stored for over a year!)
Purses
Christmas Stocking
Wall hanger with pockets
...and those are just the ones I can remember.

Laura has recently been to the 'Knitting and Stitching Show' in London and its coming to Harrogate this month 22nd - 25th November, I went a few years go and its fantastic, all the stalls have lots of offers and discounts and there are workshops, exhibitions and shows too. Apparently one of the exhibitions is called 'The Unfinsihables' - I think this may be one for me! Here's a link to the show if your interested in all things knitty and stitchy!  http://www.twistedthread.com/pages/exhibitions/viewExhibition.aspx?id=39

Phew.....autumn here we come...

Well I'm back (and just slightly embarrassed that its been so long since my last post), things have been quite hectic here at RWS H.Q. We have been planning our autumn workshops, which are now ready for booking (hurahhh) although there are some more to come too. We were also at sharrowvale market which was a really busy, as well as sunny, afternoon - so a BIG hello to everyone who discovered us there. Our Private Sewing Tuition sessions are becoming really popular and also we have been working really hard to find a more permanent venue for Running With Scissors (we're almost there... more news on this soon).

We are running 7 new workshops in the autumn block as well as your favourites. Here are some images for the new workshops, I'm intending to do a more detailed blog on each one:

Free Machine Embroidery (+ water soluble fabric) very exciting - its like drawing with stitches, lots of possibilities and lots of scope for creativity! (which is what we are all about at RWS)
 

The Baguette Bag!
As the name suggests - perfect for carrying your baguette home, without it falling out or snapping! Use some lovely fabric and they make great gifts for your friends..

Easy Peasy Shirt to Top
A bit of up-cycling - made from a man's shirt you can run up this little top in a couple of hours. You will get to have a go at attaching some bias binding which is a nice way to finish raw edges.

Improvers Knitting 
Our knitting tutor Fran is running our improvers knitting workshop to give all the beginners out there the chance to have a go at some more techniques, such as increasing and decreasing, stitch patterns and reading a pattern.

101 Ways to Felt
I am very exciting about this workshop which is going to be run by me and Fran. Everyone will get to have a go at wet felting, dry felting and using an embellisher machine and then we are going to chat about knitting and felting in the washing machine! You will get to play about with lots of wool, have a good experiment and make lots of little things to take home! This is a little purse decorated using the dry felting technique (using a felting needle), which you can make at the workshop (we'll put the zip in for you)

Patchwork & Quilting
Our fab tutor Janet is back in December for our place mats and coaster workshop (which would make great Christmas gifts) - they are the wonky house and trees pattern so they have their own individual charm! if you prefer you can make a table runner instead with a little row of houses!

Improvers Crochet
Laura will be running a more advanced crochet workshop for everyone who has grasped the basics and wants to learn more techniques. Provisional date is Sunday 28th October (images and booking details coming to the website soon)

Hope to see you all at a workshop soon
Emma x

Knit your socks (or bootees) off

It's been a while since I managed to do any knitting so I thought I would share these little bootees with you all. I've made them for my friend's baby No.2 - aren't they adorable? They are from a free pattern found at http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/baby_booties_mittens.php

If you are not a knitter and want to have a go, we are running 'Knitting for beginners' on Sat. 28th April where you can learn all the basics - these bootees are made just using knit stitches (no purling involved!)

If you are already a knitter and you want to use the pattern the 'm1' only includes the m1 (the m1 and the stitch you are knitting into are counted as individual stitches i.e. 2 stitches)

and... if you are wondering how the new years resolutions is going - you will be as surprised as me that still no new clothes have been bought in 2012 (other than the exceptions listed on previous blog posts) and we are well into March!

Knit One, Purl One

In knitting jargon this is my current knitting project OTN or WIP ('On the needles' or 'work in progress') at the moment. It's a pattern I've had for years which I've knitted for myself and lent to other people and now I'm knitting it for my friend's birthday (after much admiration of my own version!) Some of you may have seen me knitting behind my stall at the Crucible craft fair last weekend.


What I love about the pattern is that you knit it on super chunky needles (12mm) with super chunky wool so it doesn't take that long to do. You start at the bottom of the back and knit up and over the shoulders and down each front. Then you finish off with the ribbed cuffs and border so there's not even much sewing up to do (I hate sewing up knitted things - I just want it to be instantly finished!).

I tend not to do much knitting in the summer, it's more of an autumn / winter thing to do in the long winter evenings. You also get to wear it immediately and it keeps your knees warm while you're knitting it!


I was one of the generation where we were taught to knit at school (briefly) at about aged 8 but I got in a terrible tangle - fortunately my Gran was a great knitter and she used to knit loads of stuff for me and my brother and really I learnt from her. There have been times in my life when I have found knitting very therapeutic, times when it has been a disaster and times when me and my friends have all knitted the same jumper at the same time.

I always seem to have some knitting project on the go and vast numbers of patterns which I want to knit. You can also buy some fabulous wool now. I love the fair trade Mirasol wool made from lama's wool, (or are they alpacas?) I also have a fab book of proper vintage knitting patterns which have been reprinted, but it also shows the original published version from women's weekly magazines from the 1920's onwards. I'll bring along some of my patterns / books and finished items to the workshop on Saturday too. People always seem to be really amazed when I tell them that 'knitting' is really only made up of just 2 stitches (a knit stitch or a purl stitch) - all the fancy patterns you see are just about how you combine these 2 types of stitches.

Happy knitting, stitching or sewing whatever you are up to this week.