Whether you are buying for a newbie or a dedicated knitter or crocheter we can help in the quest for a present  you know they will appreciate and enjoy.   From yarn to needles to accessories, we will help you find something to enhance their hobby.

We can put together a yarn kit with needles or hooks and a pretty project bag or you could select your own and make the kit up yourself.  Our handmade cotton project bags are £20.00 each and come in a range of designs -- there is a particularly cute one with reindeer on the front pocket sitting in the window right now.  Yarns start at £2.25 each for the amazing array of colours available in Stylecraft Special and go up to £26.00 for 50g of silk and cashmere from Lotus Yarns.  We have blanket kits made up ready to go in the Stylecraft special (starting at £35.00) and the cashmere is just begging to be made into a lace shawl or scarf so would need one or two hanks.  For a present that won't be seen anywhere else, we have hand-dyed yarns from Woolly Wumpkins as £16.00/hank -- the colours are just luscious.  

Your knitter or crocheter may already have a stash that will take them several lifetimes to use so instead how about a lovely handmade silver shawl pin or a set of knitting pins or crochet hooks.

Why not drop in or visit our online shop and if inspiration eludes you we can provide personalised gift vouchers so crafters can come in and choose for themselves!

Our Christmas Crochet workshops will get you in just the right mood for Christmas.  We only have spaces left in the stocking workshop so if you want to come along, click the link and book now!

Saturday 1 December 10 till 1   £35.00 including yarn.  You could come and make stockings and then go along to the Christmas Fair at the Athletics Club.Saturday Crochet Workshops

One of the favourite topics on one of the knitting and crochet facebook groups I am on is words -- generally the difference between UK English and the rest of the World's version of our wonderful language.  So do you say 'jumper', 'sweater' or 'pullover'? 

i Make jumpers and it is definitely jumper weather today.  With the weather set for cold (well it is November) maybe you all need to be making a nice warm and woolly jumper.  We have lots of lovely yarns and patterns in stock to choose from and we are always ready to help if you need it, so why not make this winter the one where you make your own.  it doesn't have to be as ornate as the octopus jumper shown but it will be just as unique.

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I was in Birmingham earlier this week and revisited the Birmingham Art Gallery and Museum.  My sister and I visited there last month but only had time to quickly whizz around the Pre-Raphaelite exhibition and the Staffordshire Hoard.  This time I had a bit longer to explore so was able to really enjoy the displays.  Tal and I spent some time in the Egyptian, Greek and near Eastern rooms before they had to go back to college lectures and then I spent a few hours wandering.

Of course, I went in search of yarn related artefacts and was well rewarded in the Egyptian room with a display of spinning implements -- spindle, whorls and loom weights.  There was no date given, just 'various dates' but Egyptian archaeological finds show that that women and men have been spinning at least since the time of the Middle Kingdom 4,000 years ago.
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 I was searching for my great grandmother's lace bobbins which I know are in the museum collection but while I didn't find them, I did find a beautiful boxwood lace bobbin from 16th century France or Spain.  It's quite a heavy bobbin so would probably have been used for silver or gold thread.   In the same part of the museum were three knitting sheathes on display.  These exquisitely carved items were probably love tokens and were used to hold one needle attached to a belt and enabled the knitter to have one hand free to do other chores.  I've added a picture of a knitter using a sheath.   Maybe women multi-task so well because we've always had to!  

I finished my visit with lunch in the museum's Edwardian tea-room and then to make the day complete was able to collect our renegade cat on the way home!

I hope all of you have seen the many displays around the UK commemorating the end of the first world war.  Our village decided to theme the remembrance around 'Peace at Last'.  Ruth and I wanted to create an eye-catching window which would make people think about the lasting effects of war.

Because our business is very much based around women (I know men knit and crochet too but they are in the minority) we started by thinking about women's experiences of the war and of the peace that followed.  I'd been home to visit my parents in October and my Mom reminded me of my maternal grandparents.  My grandad signed up in 1918 aged almost 18 as did his older brother.  Grandad was injured and sent home twice but my great uncle was killed in 1918.  My great grandparents died during the course of the war so at the end of the war there was just Grandad and two sisters left.  My grandma was the youngest in her family and at the beginning of the war worked sewing uniforms and later did some work in a munitions factory.  Two of her sisters had fiances in the war, neither of whom returned so like many other women they faced a future on their own.  Their story was commonplace.   It's not called the Lost Generation for nothing.   Our window represents the reality of the peace for young men and women who lost the lives they had planned remembering the women who never become brides and their young men who died.

(our special thanks to Pat who made all of our knitted poppies and to my sister Lynda who made the wedding dress)

​As well as our Learn to Knit and Learn to Crochet courses, we have workshops for lovely festive projects coming up.  Gaelle will be teaching how to crochet stockings, snowmen and snowflakes and we will be showing how to knit a festive door decoration.  It's never to early to start celebrating so why not go to our bookings page now and start getting ready for Christmas! Click on the pictures to go to our booking pages.


Christmas Crochet Workshops  10 till 1 pm £35.00 each
24 November 2018  Christmas Snowman
1 December 2018  Christmas Stocking
8 December 2018 Christmas Snowflake
 

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​Christmas Knitting Workshop 10 till 1 pm £35.00 
8 December Christmas Door Decoration

You might have seen our 'All About' crochet classes taught by our lovely crochet teacher Gaelle but you would prefer to knit.  Here is the answer -- our 'All About' knitting edition.  We will be offering three Beginner and three Improver classes which can be taken individually or as a course.

The beginner classes are:
Class One:  All About:  the Knit Stitch
This class assumes no knowledge of knitting and takes you through the foundation block for all knitting -- the Knit (or plain) stitch.  We don't teach casting on in this session as it is easier to learn how to knit and then how to cast on.  We supply 4mm needles and DK yarn so all you have to do is book and arrive!
Class Two:  All About:  the Purl Stitch
Having mastered the knit stitch, the next step is purl.  Variations of knit and purl can now be made to make all kinds of textured knits. This class concentrates on mastering the purl.
Class Three:  All About:  Starting and Finishing
You can't make anything unless you can cast on, cast off and sew up so this is the class to learn how.

The Improver classes will start in the New Year and cover shaping , reading a pattern and knitting in the round.

The All About Classes start in November and places are limited to just five per class so book now to make sure you can join us 

1 November 2018 6.30 till 8.30 pm             All About:  the Knit Stitch
8 November 2018 6.30 till 8.30 pm             All About:  the Purl Stitch
15 November 2018 6.20 till 8.30 pm           All About:  Starting and Finishing
Classes cost £25.000 each (including yarn and needles for the first session only).

Classes can be taken on their own or as a series with a discount if all three beginner sessions are booked at once and paid in full.  

You may have already seen the national Keep Yarn on our Streets campaign which launched yesterday and is a great way for yarnies to support Local Yarn Shops. www.keepyarnonourstreets.co.uk/ 

​We wanted to reward our customers too for supporting us so we are launching the Fibonacci Fibre Cub.

First of all -- Why 'Fibonacci'? Ammonite shells are a naturally occurring example of the Fibonacci sequence.   It is also interesting to see that when designing garments the Fibonacci sequence when used for the number of rows in a stripe pattern, for example, is very pleasing to the eye.  Our name and logo is an ammonite so the Fibonacci Fibre Club is a natural step forward for us. 

Our club costs £20.00 to join and membership includes:

• An exclusive club project bag which is your VIP pass to:
• 10% discount on all purchases* until end of Dec 2019
• Club events the first of which is a craft taster afternoon on Saturday 12th January from 2 pm
• An exclusive offer at Wonderwool 2019

You will also receive: 

• Regular e-mail newsletter with advance notice of events
• One ball of sock yarn

* Bag must be shown to receive benefits, discount does not include sale items

Well the mornings are definitely getting crisper so, if you haven't already, it is definitely time to ditch the sandals and welcome socks back into your life!

Lots of knitters are a bit worried about making socks but there really is nothing to be scared of as you can find out at this Saturday's September Socks Workshop. 

​We are going to run two workshops in one day this time.  The main workshop will be all day (from 10 till 3 pm) and will show how to make traditional top-down socks using double-pointed needles.  You will make a mini-sock at the workshop (perfect for the Christmas tree) and take away the yarn to make your own full-size socks in your own time.  We'll supply everything you need and lunch too!
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The second workshop is half day (12 till 3pm including lunch) and delves further into sock-making techniques, this time making the socks from the toe up and throwing a little extra by making them both at the same time on one circular needle.

You can reserve your place with a deposit or pay in full on our website or in the shop.