Festivals - Yarndale

Yarndale is a “creative festival celebrating all things woolly and wonderful” in Skipton, Yorkshire.
This is the third year that the festival has run, and it was a lot slicker than the first year (we didn’t go last year). Our only problem was that we parked away from the venue which made getting there with the pushchair a bit tricky.

With everything from knitted and crocheted bunting...



...to beautiful shawls made by stallholders...



...to the very animals that provide the fibre we spin, weave, knit, or crochet with...



...and so much more!



I had a great time meeting stallholders, squishing yarns and fibres, and doing a little shopping.

My favourite purchase of the day isn’t strictly yarn related, as it’s a new bag. I love bags. I love Star Trek. So this bag blew my mind. I love it so much. It’s from Side Car Knits.

I was also pleased to meet the lovely Louise of Spin City. She’s really friendly and has some amazing stuff. Even if you don’t spin, go check her shop out because she sells handspun too!

(Note: I am not affiliated with either of the brands linked in this blog, I just love them both!)

Knitting - Saffire Shrug

Safire (Ravelry Link)

A retro style shrug knitted top down with raglan sleeves.

Yarn: Sublime Yarns Cashmere Merino Silk DK (0196)
Needle: 4.5mm, 4mm for ribbing



Mods: I didn't knit the cuffs on the arms for as long as the pattern suggested, so the arms end at the bend of my arm.

Verdict: I think this might convert quite nicely to a full-length sweater, just by joining after the neck shaping and then working it a bit longer.
If I were to make it again, I’d increase the arms a bit more - they fit fine, but I might like them a bit looser, especially if I made them longer.

Knitting - Jayne Hat

Jayne Hat (Ravelry Link)

In preparation for York's inaugural comicon, I knitted the Jayne Cobb hat for my husband's costume. It's a basic earflap hat with specific colours to match the hat from the TV show Firefly.

Yarn: Sirdar Supersoft Aran (913, 861, 824)
Needles: 8mm



Mods: I changed the decreases for the crown slightly, and made the earflaps wider

Verdict: Pretty good, though I think I'd probably knit it a bit looser still, and maybe do more rounds before the crown shaping. I'd consider working top-down to get a better fit.

Knitting - Baby Hat

Basic Baby Hat by Heather Tucker

This is my go-to baby hat pattern when I want to make a quick hat for a new baby. For me it's probably about 4 hours to knit the smaller sizes, though a faster knitter could probably make one of these in just a couple of hours. I generally have a stash of appropriate double knit, and only a small amount is needed for each hat.

Yarn: King Cole Bamboo Cotton Solids (531) approx 15g
Needle: 4mm
Size made: Preemie



Mods: None
Verdict: As I said above, this is my go-to quick baby hat pattern. it fits nicely and the brim can be turned up or worn down depending on how big the baby's head is. I'll definitely make more of these.

Crochet - Glam Girl Shrug

Glam Girl Shrug from Ball Hank n' Skein

This is a simple little shrug, as written it is worked in one piece from side to side and then joined to make the armholes. 

It's a great project for working in front of the TV or when you don't have much concentration!

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock
Hook: 5.5mm (US size I)



Verdict: It's a nice little shoulder warmer. It worked well with the Noro yarn too, though I hope it will soften up a little on washing.

Mods: Because I was using Noro I started in the middle and worked to one sleeve, then picked up in the middle and worked to the other, this meant I could get the colour repeats to (sort of) match up.