I'm sure you all remember our Honeycomb blanket pack which we launched at Wonderwool this year.  We've crocheted up some sample honeycombs in different colours and sewn them together in sets of nine to show different colourways.  At the moment they sitting in our window making a lovely summer display together with some crocheted bees just for fun.  Later we will make seat pads for the chairs in the shop from the samples but in the meantime why not come over and take a look.  The pattern and yarn packs are always available but we have a limited number of bags and stitch markers so pop over to our store page and grab a pack before we run out! 
Honeycomb Blanket Pack with exclusive, hand finished bag and stitch marker

One of our friends and customers, Giselle has just come back from running a crochet retreat at Number 63 by London's Kensington Gardens.  The weekend was a real  success for her and enjoyable for all involved and makes us all the more excited about our forthcoming knitting retreat at the same location in January.
Knitting With Confidence -- register interest  

Giselle designed a crochet throw especially for the weekend and it is now available to buy in the shop or from our online store. Called 'From Sea to Land', the blanket incorporates some really interesting techniques and uses one each of seven different colours of Stylecraft Special DK.  We have packs available from Saturday 29 June and will be adding the pattern to Ravelry next week.

We have a sample of the blanket in the shop, so why not drop in for a sneaky squish and pick up a pack and pattern to make one for yourself.

Before I start (and I'm sure most of you understand) this blog is about dyeing not dying.  It's only one letter but that 'e' makes all the difference!

Last Wednesday Michelle from Woolly Wumpkins spent the day at the show helping me to dye some yarn I had bought in April.  While at the Wonderwool, Michelle showed me a variety of different dyes and I chose the colour I wanted.  It took us a while to recuperate from the show but last week we were finally ready to dye!

We didn't use quite the same process as Michelle would normally use as there isn't a hob in the shop but by dint of lots of kettles of boiling water and a microwave we got there.  It is absolutely fascinating to watch the alchemy of dyeing.  Well technically it's chemistry, not alchemy, but it appears almost magical so I think alchemy fits better.

The yarn I had to dye was shetland aran weight which I had bought ready spun and hanked but still with a little oil.  If I'd just knitted it, it would have needed the oil removed but it was fine for dyeing.  I began by soaking half in warm water with a little fairy liquid to get it ready for the dye bath and then we were off.   The yarn was transferred one hank at a time into a dye bath containing citric acid and the woad coloured dye.  It was soaked until I liked the colour and then transferred to a second dye bath to give it a little bit a difference in tone from one end of the hank to the other.  As I want to make the yarn into a cable patterned garment, Michelle and I decided not to go for an obvious tonal effect, opting instead for more subtlety.  After dyeing, the yarn was rinsed in the sink with a little hair conditioner and then hung out to dry.

The process of dyeing yarn is quite simple but I couldn't have achieved such a lovely batch of yarn without Michelle's help.  Her eye for colour and experience at yarn dyeing means the colour take-up is pretty uniform across the hanks, something that a beginner wouldn't achieve any where near as easily.  

I now have to keep telling myself that I don't have time to take up dyeing yarn in earnest and instead cast and knit myself a rather lovely jumper.

Ruth blogged yesterday about how knitting and crochet tends to be put on to the back burner in Summer. Our Saturday specials will help you to keep your hobby going over the Summer and cheer you up during this unseasonable bad weather.

This Saturday we will be dropping the price of all of cake yarns.   Katia Silver Paint, Katia Spring Rainbow, Katia Azteca Degrade and Stylecraft Dreamcatcher will all be priced at £5.00* which is a saving of more than a third of the previous shop price and for some for some of them it is less than half of the recommended retail price.  Stock is limited so make sure you come in on Saturday and grab a bargain.

* No further discounts apply.

A huge thank you to our customers who have nominated us for Best Local Independent Yarn Store in the Wale region for the second year running.   We know that we have all had to go to the polling booths a bit too often in the past few  years but this one can be done from the comfort of your own computer and is much more uplifting than Brexit!   Voting is now open so if you would like to help make us Let's Knit's Best Local Independent Store in Wales, just follow this link.
www.letsknit.co.uk/awards

With the arrival of summer (hopefully imminent!), many crocheters and knitters find their crafting drops down the priorities list. The weather warms up, the garden, beach or children keep us busy and we don't seem to have time to sit quietly and work with yarn.

Many people tell us they miss the calming effect of crafts in the warmer months so to encourage you to keep it in mind, we are going to be putting selected yarns on sale in the shop on Saturdays. 

Each Thursday, we will announce on our website and Facebook page which yarns are involved. Then during normal shop hours on the following Saturday (9am to 1pm) those yarns will have at least 20% off. Sale prices are only available in the shop (not online) on that day so you'll have to call in and see us to take advantage of the offers.

If you would like to knit but are a novice or not very confident of your skills,  then our 'Learn the Basics' courses would be ideal for you.
These courses are aimed at knitters who know how to cast on, knit, purl and cast off.   We offer two, three week courses, Foundations and Building Blocks

Each course is made up of three sessions and cost £40.00 per set of three.
Each level has an optional materials pack to use during the course (£15.00) or you can bring your own.

Foundations
Week One
knitting and purling technique check
increase and decreasing techniques and when to use them
Week Two
Tension, pattern reading, mini-project to complete at home
Week Three
Finishing techniques
Optional pack comprises: two sizes of zing 25cm straight knitting needles; a pair of snips; pins, sewing up needles, tape measure and one ball of Stylecraft Special DK yarn.
 
Building Blocks
Week One
Working in the round using double pointed needles and circular needles
Week Two
Colourwork -- intarsia and stranded 
Intarsia
Stranded colourwork
Week Three
Lace & cables
Optional pack comprises: one set  of double pointed needles and a circular needle; cable needle and two colours of Mambo DK.

At the end of each session we will give suggestions for patterns and yarns which use the skills learned that week to produce a small project.

If you would like to join our courses but have never knitted, we also offer a stand-alone session (Basics) which teaches how to cast-on, knit, purl and cast-off.
Optional pack as for the Building Blocks course.

Forthcoming Dates
 
Tuesday afternoons 1-3pm
Basic                           10 September 2019
Foundations              01, 08, 15 October 2019
Building Blocks         05, 12 & 19 November 2019
 
Tuesday evenings 6.30—8.30pm
Basic                           04 February 2020
Foundations             11 & 25 February and 03 March                                       2020
Building Blocks        17, 24 & 31 March 2020

Booking is recommended as numbers are restricted to five per course.
Learn the Basics Knitting Courses

One of the things that Ruth and I hark on about all the time is tension.  Always do a tension square!  These pictures show that we don't always take our own advice and why tension matters!

We decided to crochet up lots of hexagons from the Honeycomb Blanket pattern so that customers can use them to help create their own colourways for the throw.  Some hexagons were made during drop-ins when we were feeling relaxed (the larger ones in the picture) some when we were feeling a bit tense (the smaller ones!) and some by Ruth (generally the larger, neater ones) and some by me (generally small and messy) together with a couple by Gaelle (small and neat).  It just goes to show that we don't all knit or crochet the same as each other or the same as the pattern, so a little time spent checking goes a long way! 

We have the blanket pattern in stock together with all the colours pictured and limited stock of the Honeycomb bag and stitch markers.  If you would like the entire kit (pattern, yarn, bag, stitch-marker) then just click on the link to go to the shop page.  The pack is no longer at the Wonderwool show price but it is still amazing value at only £35.00.  Pattern and yarn is available to buy separately too but who could turn down our lovely buzzy bee bags and markers!
​Honeycomb Blanket Pack with exclusive, hand finished bag and stitch marker

Have you seen this yet?

We are delighted to be supporting Giselle and Number 63 with their Crochet Confidence Weekend – 21 – 23 June 2019. .

During the weekend you will be able to build your skill and confidence in crochet and will come away with at least one project finished.   You will begin Giselle's exclusive 'From Sand to Sea' blanket (pictured) which will help you to learn various different techniques and the yarn pack supplied will enable you to finish the blanket at home.

The weekend begins at 6 pm on Friday 21 June and finished around noon on Sunday 23 June and costs from £330/night inclusive (further pricing details are listed below).  The venue is the wonderful hotel Number 63 located just off Kensington Gardens in Bayswater.  I've already stayed at the hotel and Greg has been using it as his base while working in London so we can both attest to it's wonderful location and calm atmosphere.  The hotel It is a short walk from Paddington Station and an even shorter walk to Lancaster Gate tube so is easy to get to by public transport and makes a  perfect base for visiting London.

What the workshop includes:
The weekend comprises two nights dinner, bed and breakfast, Saturday lunch, refreshment breaks, plus all the yarn you will need for the weekend and to finish the projects at home, plus the support of experienced crochet tutors and designers.
What you need to bring:
The only materials you will need to bring with you will be your favourite hooks (3.5mm, 4mm and 4.5mm are likely to be needed), darning needle, scissors and a measuring tape (optional).
Accommodation and prices:
All rooms are ensuite. Weekend places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment. A limited number of day passes for Saturday are available. Maximum group numbers including any Saturday Day passes will be 24.
Weekend Prices:
Double occupancy of a twin room/triple in suite – £330 per person
Single room – £345
Single occupancy of a twin room/double in suite – £395 per person
Single occupancy of Suite – £415
Saturday Day passes:
A limited number of Saturday Day passes (which include the two Saturday day workshops, yarn for these, lunch and two refreshment breaks) will also be available at a cost of £80. Please contact Reception on +44 (0) 20 7723 8575 or e mail info@number63.co.uk
Booking is through Number 63
Terms and conditions:
Full payment will be required on booking, but cancellation will be possible on the following terms:
From 22 May to 7 June – Refund of 25%
After 7 June no refunds are possible.
As this is a special event weekend, Number 63 must have the whole payment on booking and not just a 20% deposit as per their standard online booking system (which unfortunately does not allow the flexibility to make individual adjustments). Therefore once you have booked your place on line please telephone to pay the balance by card. If Number 63 does not receive the full balance within 7 days, the reservation will be cancelled in line with the Special Terms and Conditions applying to this event.
Qualifying shareholders of Number 63 (Soroptimist) Ltd are entitled to their normal 5% discount on accommodation only.
TO BOOK SIMPLY CLICK BOOK ACCOMMODATION HERE AND SELECT FRIDAY 21 JUNE AS YOUR CHECK IN DATE  

Ruth and I are heading off to the Smallholder's Festival at the Royal Welsh Showground tomorrow.  The show runs over Saturday and Sunday and we are joining the Cows on Tour Stand with Prudence our knitted cow.  We'll also be offering mini-workshops making felted bits and pieces so if you are at the show come along and say hello and join in.

As we will be out, Greg is looking forward to running  the shop on Saturday morning so if you drop in, please be patient because he's not as familiar with our systems as we are.