It's so nice to feel as if things are getting back to normal and seeing trade reps is part of that process for us.  Yesterday our King Cole rep came by with their August launches.  We've been looking for a wool mix aran weight yarn to complement the wool arans we already stock and King Cole has just the thing -- their new recyled aran.  King Cole have used spinning waster and recycled sweaters for the wool content and recycled plastic bottles for the synthetic content.  The total mix is 35% wool, 20% acrylic, 20% polyamide and 25% viscose.  The yarn is named Forest and each of the lovely, slightly tweedy shades are named after British forests.  Ten colours gives plenty of choice and there  pattern support offers garments and accessories (although any pattern for aran or worsted weight should work provided you check tension!)  With 300m/100g ball and a £3.50 price tag the yarn is a great value and sustainable too.  It's on our website to pre-order and will be in the shop by the end of next week.  
And now for a teaser -- keep an eye out too for the new offering from West Yorkshire Spinners which is due mid-August!

As things get back to some sort of normal, we are becoming more hopeful that our Autumn workshops will be able to go ahead.  I'll be adding more information about class sizes and times this week but in the meantime, why not skip over to our classes page and see what we have planned.Workshops

​Last week saw a visit from my sister delivering more of her Hand Made Project Bags.  Ranging from pretty little bags for small projects to a lovely large padded bag for bigger items they are just right to carry your  knitting or crochet around.  Go on ... treat yourselves!

Do any of you have any projects that have been on the needles or hook for a long time?  

Some projects just feel as though they have been in progress forever I have a jumper, for example,  that has only been knitted off and on for a fortnight but it is in garter stitch so seems to have stretched time and space.  But I mean, actually in progress forever.  Again I am guilty.  I have a traditional gansey that bought the yarn for at Wonderwool in 2017.  It's a lovely project in Frangipane 5-ply guernsey yarn bought from Propagansey at said show.   Originally ganseys were knitted as working jumpers most commonly for the fishermen of the late 19th century fishing fleets and have a fascinating history,  My pattern is from a much loved old knitting book on traditional knitting and will be amazing when it is finished.  It is knitted in traditional gansey style in one piece in the round up to the armholes.  Gussets are added under the arms and it is then split to do the front and back yoke.  Sleeves are picked up and knitted from the top down.  All of this on 2.75mm needles. 

The jumper has taken this long because pretty much every row is different to the previous one so I have to have paper and book in front of me all the time.  I have just finished the front yoke which was 178 rows with each row different!  It is definitely a labour of love and quite hard on the hands as the yarn is tightly spun and knitted on smaller than usual needles so that the jumper acts as a windbreak should I ever go out on a fishing boat (which isn't likely as I haven't been on a dinghy since a school trip when I was 14).  I've done bits and pieces of this gansey and then put it away to do other projects but over lockdown I've picked it up again and plan to try and finish the back yoke before having another rest and doing the sleeves.  I think it's beaten my previous longest work in progress which was a shetland cobweb shawl which took two years off and on.  

Let us know what projects you  have that have waited a long time to be finished -- you can post pictures in our facebook group Yarnmanglers -- we'd love to see them.

The shop has been open again for almost a fortnight and it is wonderful to see everyone again.  I know some of our customers are limited by the five mile guidance in Wales but that will end soon so then we can see them again too.  Being closed for so long has really made us appreciate what a community a yarn shop is and how we all support one another both in crafty doings and in the rest of our lives.  We really miss our drop-in groups (although we are seeing some of you on Zoom on Tuesday evenings) and our workshops and sadly can't see these re-opening until September at the earliest but just being open is a start.  Just a quick reminder that our opening hours are reduced over the Summer (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 11am till 3pm and Saturday 11am till 1pm but our online shop is always open if you can't get to see us in person.