May | 2014 | Zoë Halstead

Hello again lovely people, I told you I would be back soon!

Two posts on the same day, phew, this won’t happen very often (although I published the first post in the early hours before I went to bed so technically that was yesterday ☺).

Being an avid knitter from when I learnt at the age of 5, throughout my childhood, teens and into adulthood, I was reliant on local yarn shops for my yarn fix and pattern needs. The internet didn’t exist and what wasn’t available to buy on your local high street you either didn’t have or ever know about.

My hometown had four wool* shops all run by grumpy old ladies who did nothing to dispel the myth that knitting was a past time only for grannies and nanas. They were always reluctant to sell a single ball from a pack of yarn, kept in its bag, behind the counter and away from wandering hands. And heaven forbid if you wanted to buy a pattern but not the yarn to go with it!

I remember once enquiring about knitting display samples for one shop only to be treated with such a look of disdain that I never asked again!

It seems I am not alone in my experiences of yarn shops past as Sarah (the editor of Let’s Knit magazine) writes about similar in her blog here (she also writes about why she began the Love Your Yarn Shop campaign in the same post).

Nowadays you can buy your yarn in all sorts of places….

The supermarket…

The DIY store, Pound shops, bargain basement shops and of course the internet.

But none of them match the experience of visiting a proper bricks and mortar yarn shop.

The supermarkets, pound shops and bargain basements can’t offer you technical know how, advice on yarn quantities, substitutions and colours that suit, or even pattern support.

A printed shade card or computer screen just doesn’t cut it when you’re trying to put a colourway together or find out what the yarn feels like. Knitting is a tactile textile and your yarn choice is important!

I need to be able to squish the yarn, run it over my fingers and bundle it together with other colours and you can only do this in a yarn shop with the actual yarn.

Thankfully, yarn shops are now run by like minded individuals with a real passion for their products, their crafts and their customers.

As a designer for Let’s Knit magazine, I was asked by Sarah, the editor, if I would be an ambassador for Yarn Shop Day which is being held tomorrow Saturday 3rd May 2014. All across the country yarn shops are holding special events, competitions and parties all to celebrate yarn shops and their valuable place on our high streets. You can find a brilliant interactive map of all the shops taking part here.

I shall be visiting Crafty Sister Crafts in East Leake in the morning and then Knit Nottingham in, you guessed it, Nottingham in the afternoon as both are King Cole stockists who, as you probably already know, I also do a lot of design work for.

The other week I went along to meet both shop owners, introduce myself and talk about plans for the big day.

Crafty Sister Crafts

Tucked away behind a cafe, up a flight of stairs and along a corridor is the lovely light filled shop that is Crafty Sister Crafts where I met Rose one of the crafty pair. (I look forward to meeting her sister Jan tomorrow). We talked yarn and knitting and my boys got really bored waiting in the car outside!

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It’ll be great to meet the local knitters and try out the different yarns ☺

Knit Nottingham

I’ve been a fan of Eleanor’ blog and Facebook page for a while now and having read all about her fabulous little yarn shop, I was very keen to finally visit. Eleanor is about as far away from those grumpy old lady shopowners as you can get. Young, funny and passionate about knitting, crochet and yarn!

There has been much excitement about tomorrow, plans were hatched, the event created and posts written here and here with some very nice things about me that have had me blushing ♥

It’s going to be a great day and, of course, I’ll share pics and everything that goes on.

Happy Yarn Shop Day peeps ♥

Zoë xx

* All wool is yarn, but not all yarn is wool, in case you were wondering!

Hello again!

I didn’t intend on being away so long and sat down several times during the last 2 weeks to write a post only to be side tracked by something else – usually to do with being a mum!

Both my boys went back to school on Monday and so I have been trying to catch up ever since.

The Easter holiday was spent making stuff, eating chocolate, spending time with family, eating chocolate, trips out, knitting and eating chocolate! We visited some great places and I have lots of photos to share with you very soon.

I also went to visit the two yarn shops that I’ll be at this Saturday 3rd May as an ambassador for Yarn Shop Day and I’ll be back later on to tell you more.

But now; Thrifty Thursday.

Today my sister came over and we ventured into town for a bit of shopping, coffee and later on, lunch. Our hometown, like most medium sized towns, has a plethora of charity shops and I like nothing more than a good mooch round all of them. I usually go in to look at the brick a brac and textiles and occasionally the clothes.

All of the following have been discovered on recent trips….

A very springlike patterned dress

♥ I just love the colours and flowers and I can’t wait to wear it when it gets a bit warmer ♥

♥ A Meakin coffee pot for my growing collection – I’ll tell you more another time ♥

♥ And a gravy boat/custard jug with a delightful flower, leaves and tendrils pattern ♥

I’m just not too sure about the matching saucer!

A few of the charity shops have had a vintage makeover and now stock much older gems (sometimes at inflated prices) like this maxi skirt I saw today.

And unusually it was in my size and only £4.80! I was rather taken with it but it was polyester and my sister, ever the voice of reason, pointed out that it would probably make you sweat and that I wouldn’t wear it.