Knitting and Stitching Show

I’ve never been to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate – each year there has always been some very good reason not to go, including trying to park a large Volvo with all the manoeuverability of an super tanker, but when our branch of the EG organised a bus trip I was one of the first to sign up.

I had no idea it was going to be quite so huge, nor that I would have to exert so much will power not to come home with everything that took my eye. I only actually wanted/needed a pack of  milliner’s needles…

Practical things first. Little fragments of coloured leather, a scissors sharpener and a lovely big spool of fine undyed silk thread which I can dye as and in what quantities I need to.

I was really pleased that my 13 yr old daughter wanted to come along too and as we both love Japanese things we were only too happy to make a beeline for a stall selling sashiko designs. After completing my sashiko sample I wanted something a bit more challenging and I thought that this design was perfect.  

It incorporates different coloured threads and patchwork elements using strips of traditional cloth.

I also bought some variegated sashiko thread.

Oliver Twists hand dyed silk cut cocoons. It was the colour of these that I fell in love with and in fact they are even more deeply indigo and vibrantly coloured in real life.

I could have cheerfully bought most of the stock on the entire stall. And from Stef Francis. And Mulberry Silks. And the Silk Road…

Silk and colour. They make my heart sing.

I knew that the very talented Chris Gray was going to be at the show and later in the day I managed to get round to her stall and make myself known. I’m so pleased I did because she was lovely! I’m very aware of being a newcomer to the blogging world and being so in awe of the art produced by so many people like Chris but thanks Chris, for making me feel so welcome. 😮

To go with the cocoons I bought a selection of Chris’ lovely hand-dyed threads.

I wasn’t too sure what I was going to do with the cocoons at that point, but after talking with Chris about the idea of something three dimensional emerging from them, an idea has started to form…

My only regret was that there was so much to see that we didn’t get long enough to have a proper look at the exhibition side of things or to do more than get a taste of the drop-in activities.

In spite of my best efforts, I went home without any milliners’ needles.

I guess that means I’ll have to try again next year…