Classes? And other happenings…

Helloooo Yarn-Lovers! I’ve been agonising for a few weeks over how to add a separate page to my blog for yarn-craft classes. My concern has been keeping it continuously up to date, amongst other things. So I’ve decided to just do a regular (maybe monthly?) blogpost with details of upcoming classes all over SA. If you host or offer classes, and would like to add yours, please do send me details and I’ll gladly add it. I’ll be posting crafting classes next week, so keep an eye out.

I Love Yarn Retreat

I’m particularly looking forward to (and nervous about) the I Love Yarn Retreat this weekend. It’s being held at Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa in Modimolle (took me a while to realise that it’s the town that used to be called Nylstroom). It’s going to be a laaarge group of yarn-crafters (about 30, I think). Hence my nervousness. Big groups of people are overwhelming for me, but it’s good to get out of my comfort zone occasionally…

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Play with dyeing yarn! And kids-holiday-classes :-)

Hello Yarn-Lovers! The October school break is nearly upon us! Yay for holidays and some “R & R”! Whether you have kids or not, it’s always good to get some inspiring ideas on new things to try on your days off, whether it’s over the weekend or on a holiday break at home. Something I know many people are keen to try is dyeing yarn. Maybe you are too? It’s also a great creative and fun activity to do with kids. Something that I’ll be doing with my girls during the October break. Having tried it before, I do recommend adding it to your list of yarn-related things to try out and play with. Even if only just once.

Trying your hand at dyeing…

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Long time no see!

Hellooooo dear yarn lovers. Long time no see! It has been a few too many weeks since I last chatted with you. Almost feels like I’ve lost my blog-voice and need to find it again.

It sure has been an eventful (ie: challenging) few weeks with a sick new kitten that infected one of our older cats, our dog-let (actually a biggish border collie) needing surgery, sick kids and other health issues, broken gate, hacked e-mail, dad unexpectedly at the emergency room and… The list of drama actually goes on. Some of it has been the usual daily mishaps and goings-on, but there have been an unusual number of humdinger disasters in-between. Which made me wonder – how has this past month been for you? Whether or not it’s been a tough one for you too, here’s a virtual hug for you 🤗. Everyone can do with a hug, even when you’re feeling on top of the world!  

Clearly this is not Wonder Woman’s blog. Nope, I don’t get everything magically done (I wish!) in between whatever chaos may be happening around me. Come to think of it, I’m not sure even Wonder Woman actually has time for her own blog. It’s at times like these that I envy people with gazillions of Pounds, Euros, Dollars or even Rands who can pay multitudes of other people to deal with it when the paw-paw flies non-stop at the fan. But I’ll spare you the rest of the drama details, because in between all of that was a lot of good stuff, too…

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The gift of an Indie-dyer…

Hallo yarn-lover!

I hope you’ve had a great week so far. Just 2 more week-days / work-days to go.

My girls and I just can!not!wait! for this weekend and the Alliepad Alpakkas Farm Visit and Fibre Festival (details on the Events page). I’m so looking forward to a wonderful day out in the Magaliesberg, to the classes, workshops and demonstrations, and to drooling over the hand crafted alpaca-fibre goods and everything on offer from Baah Yarns & Fibre Arts, Linda’s Treehouse, Umbala Handpainted Yarns, Karoo Moon, The Yarn Tree, Craft Academy, Glynis Brooke, L.J. Craft Creations and Stitch Please.

It’ll be the first time I’ll be visiting the alpaca farm, and it’s long overdue. I met the lovely Louisa at a weaving course at the beginning of the year and have been wanting to visit her for ages. But time is a fickle beast – it passes way faster than it theoretically should and somehow there just isn’t enough of it when you need it. I first just need to get through this week with my heart still in my chest…

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An epic saga of death (nearly) by bind-off…

Hi there yarnlovers. I hope you had a wonderful weekend doing the things you love. Mine was quite good ~ surviving my eldest’s sleepover on Friday night, helping out at the Parktown Girls Small Stalls Market on Saturday (read a bit about that further down), making a gorgeous Mediterranean Lamb lunch on Sunday and getting just a bit of knitting done in-between.

 

On the projects front…

I finally finished my “Stella”! It was such an epic saga to cast it off that I was cursing the knitting gods all of Thursday! 

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Stash, yarn & projects I’m dying to get my hands on

Hi yarn-lovers. I thought I’d share with you a few of the plans I have for some of the yarns in my stash. I’m just dying to get started on these projects. I’m so desperate to get my hands on them that I’ve taken a break from binding off a sweater – Stella My Size. Yes, that’s all that’s left to be done – cast it off!

Instead, I’m using the excuse of telling you about my plans just so that I can touch these skeins and cakes of exquisiteness. They remind me of my reward when I’ve bound off a WIP (work in progress, in case you’re not familiar with the lingo). I’ve made a commitment to only start a new project when I finish another. And in-between I dream of what’s in my stash and of their potential to become something gorgeous… 

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When the world is ColourSpun!

My “love affair” with yarn was a gradual process, a slow awakening to the sensual delights of a skein of yarn. It started when I  joined the knitting group. You have my endless love and gratitude for leading me to yarn enlightenment, ladies! Seeing the gorgeous stuff that everyone was knitting and crocheting with felt like I had entered into a whole new universe of yarnie existence.

The festival that started it all…

Browsing the websites of the fibre artists was, without doubt, a visual joy. But I had an insatiable desire to touch these yarns in the flesh. As a newbie to natural yarns, nothing beat being able to touch that lusciousness. So I jumped at the chance to go to the Klerksdorp Yarn Festival in 2015 to get yarn for my birthday. I think it was the very first yarn event I went to and I dragged my whole family along…

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Why on earth knit socks???

I finished my first sock yesterday! Never thought I’d ever be thrilled about knitting a sock. I hate feet and anything to do with them. They gross me out and always have. Even my own. So entering the world of sock knitting has been an epic journey for me.

Most of the members of our knitting group are regular sock knitters. Inspirational sock knitters! But for me, ever since I started knitting, I have violently balked at the idea of making socks. I just never got the point of it. There are so many, MUCH more bee-autiful patterns out there that I’d rather be making. Not just that, but the thought of hiding the gorgeousness of my sock weight yarns on my feet, inside shoes no less, was ludicrous, bordering on hysterically laughable.

Then, in May, a friend was asked to give a cuff-down sock knitting class at a nearby shop in Roodepoort, Craft Academy Fabrics & Fibres. I decided to join the class to offer her some moral support. Maybe it was time to at least appear to be finally interested in this sock knitting malarky?

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