Every year our Yarn Advent Calendar is one of the biggest projects we take on, and this year was no exception. The box included 24 limited new, edition shades of Favourite Sock minis and extra gifts individually wrapped in daily parcels. Many of the extras were created exclusively for the box, locally sourced and supported other artisan small businesses. We also made a special effort this year to reduce plastic and choose items with a minimal environmental footprint.
This year’s yarn shades focused on semi-solids, with the intention of creating a set that could be used together in lots of different ways – for colourwork, mini fades or contrast sets. The shades included neutrals, darks, earth tones, brights, pastels and of course a little bit of neon!
Day 1
Black Forest
One day 1, Adventers also received our Daedalum hat pattern.
This was a brand new pattern, released 1 December to accompany the box. The trend for advent patterns is normally for shawls. There are so many beautiful shawl patterns out there already, and many customers tell us that they have more than enough shawls, so we wanted to do something a bit different!
This is the first time we have designed a pattern especially for miniskeins, and this is a project you can really make your own with your choice of colour combinations, using as few as two and as many as 11 colours. We’ll be telling you a bit more about it and the inspiration for the design very soon.
Day 2
Lily Pond
Day 3
Verdant
Day 4
Tresco
Day 4 includes a knitting notebook and traditionally stamped pencils set, designed by us especially for the box.
The book has a combination of lined and squared pages, for notes, sketching lace charts and planning colourwork palettes. Inside the back cover we’ve included hand metric and imperial rulers and a chart symbols cheat sheet. It is decorated throughout with beautiful vintage illustrations. We still have some in case you missed out! We have a small number of book and pencils sets, and also the book on its own.
Day 5
Mariner
Day 6
Bubble
Day 6’s extra is a set of woven cotton labels.
We love using sew-in woven labels give our handmade garments a professional touch. So often they are made from plastic fibres, but we were so happy to be able to commission these in OEKO-TEX 100 100% Egyptian cotton. The set included two designs that inject a little humour (they read “This is the back” and “Yes, I really made it”). We have a few left in our shop.
Day 7
Regalia
Day 8
Bubblegum
Day 8’s shade comes with a coordinating stitch marker made for us by The Woolly Dodo.
This is the second year that talented owner Dominique has custom-made stitch markers for our advent box, and we love that they’re growing into a set.
Day 8
Stargazer
Day 10
Aperol Spritz
Day 11
Damson
What better to accompany this delicious shade than a Berries and Cherries mini bar from SAW Chocolate.
SAW is an artisan chocolate maker that we’re incredibly lucky to have in our Walthamstow neighbourhood.
Day 12
Limoncello
Day 13
Flambé
Day 14
Absinthe Suissesse
Day 14 comes with a set of wooden snowflake decorations.
We love the simplicity of these laser cut snowflakes made from natural wood ply. Unlike so many festive decorations, they are low impact and biodegradable.
Day 15
Blue Martini
Day 16
Faded Neon
Day 17
Twilight Smog
Day 17’s parcel included a spool of Twool!
Twool is a marvellous woolly alternative twine that’s durable, biodegradable and made from a rare breed British fleece. The colours are so pretty, your garden might not get a look in!
Day 18
Amaryllis
Day 19
Straw
Day 20
Copperbeach
Day 20 has a Christmas mini bar from SAW Chocolate.
This flavour is packed with tasty festive cheer, with figs, cranberries, Brazil nuts and spices. I wish I could eat them all year round!
Day 21
Fall
Day 22
Muddle
These paper snowflake decorations are so elegant and beautiful, we’ve included them for the second year running.
Day 23
Chutney
Day 24
Lure
Our final gift is a lemongrass and poppyseed handmade soap from Bean & Boy.
Based in nearby Southend, we love this company not just for their award-winning combinations of natural ingredients, but their plastic-free packaging.
That’s all for another year! Which was your favourite?
We hope to announce our 2020 Advent box in late spring, when we will begin taking pre-orders.
