The self imposed yarn buying ban didn’t last very long, not long at all. I made a trip down to the Knitting and Stitching Show in Edinburgh and returned home with a lighter bank balance  and an extra backpack to carry all my purchases. Oops!

It was the first time that I’d been to a show like this, so wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. There was a variety of workshops you could book onto (for an extra cost), various presentations and demonstrations, and the exhibitors were all more than happy to offer advice and guidance.

There was a huge variety of suppliers offering all the yarn you could possibly need, tools and gadgets, fabric, tapestry materials and patterns, sewing machines, lighting…the list goes on. Cats Protection were also there, with two stands – I guess crafts and cats go hand in hand?!

I booked places on two workshops, one on silver clay jewellery and one on how to make a crochet bracelet. I’ve wanted to try silver clay for a while and the session with Tracey Spurgin was really interesting, and I’ve now ordered some clay when I got home. The session on how to make the crochet bracelet with Dorothy Wood was great too. To make the bracelet we used Swarovski crystals and s-lon cord with a 2mm hook. I’d never used such a small hook before nor crocheted with anything thinner than DK yarn so it was certainly a challenge, but I really enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be trying it again.

I was determined not to go overboard, so I told myself that I would only buy yarn that I hadn’t used before or wouldn’t usually buy; for example, I have HEAPS of acrylic DK in various plain colours so there was no way I was going to buy more. It didn’t take me long to completely fall in love with a particular yarn….it’s beautiful! It’s a chunky yarn by Ella Rae Seasons, colour 28 (76% acrylic, 14% wool, 10% polyamide). I’ve never seen a yarn like it before, and I couldn’t resist, so ended up with eight balls of it. I’m thinking a blanket, maybe a waffle stitch, which I haven’t made before. I just love the tone of the colours.

Then I came across this sparkly stuff, and for some reason I’ve been a bit hesitant to use sparkly yarn but I really like this. It’s Batik Design Alize Angora Gold Simli, colour 1900 (75% acrylic, 10% wool, 10% mohair, 5% metallic). I stood for a few minutes trying to decide if I should get two or three balls, and a lady beside me ‘strongly encouraged’ me to just get the three. Us yarn addicts are all enablers aren’t we? There was an example of a virus shawl made using it, so I think that’s what I will make with it.

When I came across the last lot of yarn that I bought, I did feel a bit guilty because it was a bit more expensive than anything that I would usually buy, but it’s so soft and a lovely grey/silver colour. It’s called Sublime Evie, colour 512 (94% cotton, 6% nylon). I’m not totally sure what to use it for, but I just couldn’t resist it!

On the whole, I really enjoyed my visit to the show and seeing the variety of exhibitors that were there. It was really interesting to see some of the beautiful hand dyed yarns and all the possible accessories you’d need for crocheting, knitting and various other needlework and fabric related crafts. What was also great was the  opportunity to learn new skills or brush up on existing ones through attending workshops or watching presentations. It’s definitely opened my eyes to these types of shows and I look forward to visiting more in the future.