Love Your Yarn Shop Day

May 2, 2014Zoë Halstead Yarn Leave a comment

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!

CSC1

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!

Back to Work & A Thrifty Thursday

May 2, 2014Zoë Halstead Thrifty Leave a comment

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.

Ooh and it came from Leicester!

So I bought a scarf instead.

I’m not entirely convinced it’s vintage but it was only £1.50

And I just really liked the pattern and colour combination.

Now perhaps I should go back for that skirt and shorten it……

I’ll be back again really soon.

Zoë x

An itch to stitch and The Great British Sewing Bee

April 12, 2014Zoë Halstead Sewing Leave a comment

A long time ago BC* I used to sew a lot of clothes for myself and others.

Using the skills I had aquired making dolls’ clothes I would design and make my own garments.

Together my trusty little Bernette and I have sewn our way through numerous wedding dresses (my own included), bridesmaid’s dresses, wedding waistcoats, outfits and everyday garments.

Latterly though my sewing has been confined to curtains, blinds and cushions to furnish our home.

My itch to stitch has come about primarily because of the TV programme The Great British Sewing Bee.

The 2nd Series finished last Tuesday with Heather crowned as Britain’s best home sewer.

I’ve really enjoyed this series, probably more than the last, because of the challenges they’ve been tasked with…

Making children’s clothes,

Using a man’s suit to create something completely different,

And making sleeves for a ready made dress.

All things I’ve enjoyed doing in the past.

Claudia Winkleman as host is hilarious. I laughed out loud when she called an overlocker an ‘overlord’!

May Martin seems lovely and of course there is the eye candy that is Savile Row’s Patrick Grant….

But what I have especially enjoyed is the history of textiles and manufacturing bits that have been used to fill between challenges.

I have a Singer sewing machine almost identical to this one that belonged to my gran.

Mackintosh production.

Nice orange mac!

As with the first series, screened last year, I was inspired to sew again and went out and bought lots of fabric.

I planned to make lots of lovely tunic tops for the summer using the pattern you can see in this picture.

And lots of summer skirts using this pattern.

Needless to say I didn’t make anything!

Perhaps 2014 is the year it will happen?

My other stitching itch is to do some embroidery, again something I’ve not done for a long while.

I saw this image the other day of a Paul Smith shirt…

And I was reminded of a chambray denim dress I had as a child. It had a very full, circular skirt around the bottom of which were embroidered little people and scenes.

I’ve got as far as finding my embroidery hoop and threads, now all I need is some fabric…..

* Before Children!

Free Pattern Friday – Easy Sparkle Crochet Cowl

Hello again!

Because the weather has been unseasonably warm of late I was worried that I’d left it a little late to share this pattern with you. But having spent a very chilly evening yesterday by the side of a football pitch, I was very glad of this warm and snuggly cowl!

Earlier on this year I had a real urge to make (knit or crochet) something just for me. I very rarely have time to make anything for myself as usually all my knitting and crocheting time is spent working on projects and commissions for other people.

I found this yarn in a local sell everything really cheaply shop (B & M Bargains) and as you can see it was a bargain at only £2.99 a ball. (The top photo above doesn’t really do the colour justice, I was itching to get started and took this with my phone the evening of the day I bought it!) I was attracted to the soft green and grey mix, the roving type quality of the yarn and the subtle silver-coloured metallic thread running through it.

I decided I wanted to make a scarf or cowl and all out of this one 100g ball. There is a scarf pattern printed on the inside of the ball band but I wasn’t particularly inspired by it and so searched through Ravelry and Pinterest for some inspiration.

I finally settled on a crochet cowl in a fairly open stitch pattern so that it wouldn’t be too bulky and warm air could get trapped in the holes. Believe me it works!

As you can see from the ball band, this is classed as a Super Bulky weight yarn and the recommended knitting needle size is 8mm. If you want to substitute a different yarn try and match the tension and meterage (10 stitches, 13 rows and 166 metres) rather than just using 100g ball of any Super Bulky/Chunky yarn. You can of course use a completely different weight yarn adjusting your hook size accordingly to match and increasing the number of foundation chains so that it hangs down to about the same length as the picture below.

Easy Sparkle Crochet Cowl

UK crochet terms

Measurements

148cm around approximately

14cm wide approximately

Abbreviations

ch – chain; htr – half treble; ss – slip stitch; sp – space; rep – repeat

Materials

1 x 100g ball of B & M Bargains Sparkle Super Bulky

7.00mm hook

Tension

6 half treble and 6 holes and 9 rows measure 10cm square over stitch pattern using 7.00mm hook

Instructions

Foundation Chain: With 7.00mm hook, ch160 and join with a ss in first ch to make a round being careful not to twist the foundation chain.

Round 1: Ch3 (counts as 1htr, ch1), miss 1 ch, (1htr in next ch, ch1, miss 1 ch) to end, ss in top of ch3 sp.

Round 2: Ch3 (counts as 1htr, ch1), miss htr, (1htr in ch1 sp, ch1, miss htr) to end, ss in top of ch3 sp.

Rep last round 10 times more (or until yarn runs out).

Fasten off.

Sew in ends.

The cowl wraps around comfortably twice and may wrap around three times, I just haven’t tried it!

I’d love to see your cowls, please post to my Facebook page and/or Ravelry (there’ll be a link on there to this post hopefully, once I get it sorted).

Happy crocheting and happy Friday, it’s nearly the weekend!

Zoë x

That was the month that was…….March 2014

April 3, 2014Zoë Halstead Monthly Round-up Leave a comment

Hello again.

Hey, look at me managing to write the monthly round-up for March when we are only 3 days into April!

In March I have been…………

Designing, Writing Patterns and Knitting lots of new things I can’t tell you about just yet – I will in time, I promise. The picture above is the part of knit design that always scrambles my brain – ugh maths!

Crocheting more Granny squares for a blanket I’m planning. More about this in a future post.

Sorting through my yarn stash that was in the loft. I had forgotten about a lot of what was in these boxes!

Getting excited about Yarn Shop Day in a months time – 3rd May – and my involvement in it. (More about this in a future post.)

Eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. I bought these pancakes (we also made some) because they were cheap and also because I liked the packaging. Unbeknownst to me, on the inside, there was a knitting reference. And a cat. ♥

Drying my washing on the line in early March and Enjoying the blue skies and sunshine that we have had so much of this month. ♥

Loving these kisses in the sky left by aircraft. Both of these were taken on the same day. ♥

Rescuing a mouse from the jaws of our cat. Little Lad wanted to keep it, I said a cat and a mouse don’t make the best of housemates!

Enjoying that Spring has definitely sprung in the garden. Blooms and blossom everywhere. ♥

Picking flowers from the garden on Mothering Sunday.

And Celebrating Mothering Sunday as my lads think I’m the…

Reading Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon – chick lit. And Y by Marjorie Celona – heartbreaking.

Watching The Great British Sewing Bee on TV. Miranda Hart (such fun!) on tour and Justin Timberlake (brilliant!) in concert.

That was the month that was March 2014.

I was hoping to have written more than just 3 posts in March! I’ve therefore set myself the goal of double that – 6 – or more posts in April.

Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it and I hope to see you again soon.

Zoë x

Stitches review and yarny goodness

March 20, 2014Zoë Halstead Knitting, Yarn Leave a comment

Back in February I attended the Craft Hobby & Stitch International trade show at the NEC in Birmingham. And as promised in my previous post I wanted to share some more details with you.

Stitches (as it is most commonly known) is a trade show for the art, craft, fabric, needlecraft and hobby industries. Now in it’s 39th year I have attended the show for the past 16, mainly as an exhibitor during the 10 years I worked at DMC Creative World. As well as being a demonstrator (the showcasing new products and techniques kind, not the placard waving kind!) I would look around the show to check out new trends, products and what our competitors were up to.

The DMC stand back in the day.

The giant photo of a sampler you can see here is one I designed!

Since being freelance I have continued to visit, where possible, as an opportunity to catch up with past colleagues, fellow designers, and meet the magazine editors and companies I do work for.

Over the years it has been interesting to see which particular craft, hobby or product was the most popular at the show – there was the scrapbooking/papercraft/cardmaking phase, the cross-stitch and needlework phase and the fabric phase – but I am always hopeful that it will be a knitting, crochet and yarn filled show! So when I saw this display just outside the exhibition hall, my hopes were raised even further.

Luckily I was not disappointed. There were over 20 yarn companies exhibiting, the most I’ve seen in a long while. Most of the main players from the UK were there including; James C Brett, Designer Yarns, King Cole, Rooster Yarns, Sirdar, Stylecraft, UK Alpaca, Wendy and Twilleys of Stamford. Alongside international brands including; Adriafil, Artesano, Artyarn, Bergere de France, Lion Brand and MillaMia.

Unfortunately I was unable to take photos of all the wonderful knitted garments and gorgeous yarns on these stands (exhibitors don’t take too kindly to it!). Suffice to say it was all very inspiring.

One stand where I could take photos though was DMC’s. Having long produced cotton threads for crochet they have now added a collection of knitting yarns with contemporary and stylish pattern support.

Late last year I was commissioned to design and knit the following pattern leaflets for DMC and I was interested to see how they had been received.

And to have a squish of the yarns!

(Apologies for the quality of some of these photos!)

It struck me whilst gazing at these wonderful colour palettes of yarny goodness how important it is for me to touch and stroke the yarn. It’s all about the texture, colour and smell (!) all of which are very hard to glean from a printed shade card or website. For all these reasons, and more, the Love Your Yarn Shop campaign, culminating in Yarn Shop Day on 3rd May 2014, is bang on! I’ll write more about this and my involvement in a future post.

Very positive meetings were had at Stitches, ensuring plenty of work for the next few months, and I left feeling happy and bouyant with renewed excitement for my craft. ♥

Thanks for stopping by, I really do appreciate it and I’ll see you again soon.

Zoë x

P.S. I realise that since starting this blog I haven’t exactly been prolific and those I have posted recently have all been about February! I have a couple more things to catch up on and then I promise I’ll be back in the here and now!

That was the month that was…….February 2014

March 13, 2014Zoë Halstead Monthly Round-up 3 Comments

Hello again.

I realise we are now nearly half way through March but I wanted to do a round up of what went on in February; a little retrospective of last month before I forget!

In February I have been…………

Knitting Pandas for a King Cole pattern leaflet.

Knitting how tos and step by steps for a book proposal.

Visiting the Craft, Hobby and Stitch International (Stitches) show at the NEC in Birmingham. (More about this in a future post.)

Enjoying seeing my Gillian the Tortoise toy in Let’s Knit magazine.

Spotting knitty references at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

A giant knitted hat in the Olympic Park!

Antti Koskinen, the Finnish Coach, knitting at the top of the ski slope. He is working on a communal scarf project that the Finnish Olympic crew will all be adding to as a gift for Finland’s summer Olympic team competing in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. I’m not sure why they will need a scarf in Brazil in summer but it created a lot of interest in Sochi!

Liking the patchwork references on everything.

Find the ideas and inspiration behind it here

Enjoying the first signs of spring in my garden.

Enjoying time out with family visiting a local country park.

Taking time out to enjoy simple pleasures: Earl Grey tea, hot buttered toast, my toadstool patterned Cath Kidston mug and plate and a little bit of granny square crochet!

Wearing my crochet cowl, a LOT.

The pattern will be on here soon!

Reading The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones – odd. And Ten Years On by Alice Peterson – lovely.

Watching Call the Midwife, One Born Every Minute (there’s a theme here!) and The Great British Sewing Bee on TV. The Lego Movie (‘everything is awesome’!) at the cinema and Priscilla Queen of the Desert musical (amazing!) at the theatre.

That was the month that was February 2014.

Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it and I hope to see you again soon.

Zoë x

Rabbits! Or should that be Pigs?

March 1, 2014Zoë Halstead Blogging, Knitting Leave a comment

Rabbits!

This is what would be yelled, usually by my mum, in our house in the morning of the first day of the month. White rabbits if there wasn’t an ‘r’ in the month. It is supposed to ensure good luck for the duration of that month.

These images are from one of my favourite childhood books and it was lovely to have the excuse to read the story and enjoy the pictures again on this sunny first morning in March.

And so rabbits to you and yours or should that be pigs?

Apparently March 1st is National Pig Day in the United States. A day to celebrate all things piggy!

It seems apt, therefore, that I should write my first post today as I have a certain pig much to be thankful for.

Poppy Pig is a sweet knitted pig that appeared in and on the cover of my first book Knitted &Felted Toys published in 2007.

Knitted in garter stitch in soft and lofty Rowan Calmer (sadly no longer available but updated for this book) she quickly became the perfect cover star with her heart-shaped trotters and cute beret and scarf.

It was a happy accident that I ever came to write this book (more about that another time) and even more of a surprise was how popular it became and the kickstart it gave my freelance career.

I therefore owe a lot to this little pig and her recognisable face which is why I use her image as my avatar on all my social media profiles and my business card.

Thank you Poppy Pig!

I realise I’ve come a little late to the blogging party – no news there, I’m usually late to most things! – but I have been a long time fan, and reader, of many other blogs and have had ‘setting up my own blog/website’ on my ‘to do’ list for a long time.

I was also a little worried (another thing I’m very good at – worrying) that there wasn’t room for yet another knitting, crocheting and making blog – there are a lot of blogs out there written by people I think I was separated at birth from! But, as I work on my own at home every day, I wanted another way of connecting with fellow craftspeople, designers and makers of my patterns as well as better recording what I design, make and do and honing my photography skills (these need work!).

I can’t promise that I’ll write at length or very often, however, I can promise posts about my design work, knitting, crocheting, making and sharing patterns. There will also be posts about my love of interiors, rooting around vintage and charity shops, collecting vintage and retro homewares, fair weather gardening, my haberdashery and fabric addiction and my inspirations. There may even be snippets about family life, day trips and holidays and my naughty cat!

You will also find I am prone to overusing exclamation marks!!

I’ll leave you with some more rabbit and pig pics. Thank you for stopping by, I really appreciate it and I’ll see you again soon.

Zoë xx