Shows, Art & Trends

Unravel Festival 2020

28 February 2020

With over 80 exhibitors and numerous classes and talks, Unravel is one of the biggest fixtures on the UK yarn calendar. It takes place annually over three days at Farnham Maltings, 1h by train from… Read more

Our Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2019 roundup

28 March 2019

Edinburgh Yarn Festival (EYF) has grown into one of the most high-profile yarn events worldwide, attracting visitors from across the globe. This year I travelled to the show for the first time to absorb yarn… Read more

The Knitting & Stitching Show 2018: Sewing Highlights

19 October 2018

The second half of my highlights from this year’s Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace covers the what is main focus of the show: Fabric crafts – fashion sewing, quilting, embroidery and related pursuits.… Read more

The Knitting & Stitching Show 2018: Yarn and Fibre Highlights

17 October 2018

Last Thursday I popped along to the The Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in North London (both the event and the venue are affectionately known as 'Ally Pally'). I found many wonderful independents and plenty of goodies for the knit-inclined. Read more

A wintery trip to Waltham Abbey Wool Show

26 January 2018

Waltham Abbey Wool Show is an annual fixture in the yarn calendar – a one-dayer in a small venue in Essex. It’s just six miles from my home in North East London but I’ve never paid… Read more

Trend: Metallic foiled knits

27 October 2017

Hands up, I am a magpie. I am drawn to shiny things but I’ll be honest, I hadn’t actually noticed that foiled knitwear existed until I started looking. It turns out that lots of designers… Read more

A/W knitwear trend: The oversize sweater

17 November 2016

Chunky, oversize knits are popular on the high street this season. The good news for hand-knitters is that this means quick-to-knit garments with minimal shaping. But, with 8+ inches ease, it can be hard to… Read more

Trend: Marled knitting

7 February 2016

Marled knitting is one of the simplest types of colour work there is – two strands of yarn of different colours held together while knitting, the resulting fabric has a random speckled texture effect. Over the last… Read more

Knitwear trends: Geometric

2 November 2015

As I found out in the weekend before last, geometric design seems to be everywhere right now, and knitwear is no exception. This autumn I have noticed a number of updated versions of the fair… Read more

Art & design in Malmö and Copenhagen

28 October 2015

I just got back from another Scandinavian trip, this time browsing the museums and design shops of Malmö and Copenhagen. There was so much inspiration it is difficult to squeeze it into a single post.… Read more

The Knitting & Stitching Show 2015: And finally...

14 October 2015

The Gallery area of Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace showcases the creative and experimental work of many designers and textile artists, but there was one that was clearly fishing for attention and blew… Read more

The Knitting & Stitching Show 2015: Knitting and spinning highlights

13 October 2015

Obviously, it’s the knitting and yarn stands I’m most eager to check out at Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, but this aspect has left me disappointed in past years. Each year I am hopeful… Read more