As Advent season approaches, what am I thinking about? My Advent box sitting in the basement. No children to open the little doors each morning, their little fingers pulling out the surprise, their faces full of anticipation. My husband won’t play (I can see his face, disapproving with a hint of pity), and what’s the fun in hiding it for yourself? So I’ve carted it to the yarn shop and decided to hide a little treat or accessory in it each morning and one lucky customer will get to open it each day. How will I choose the customer? Ah, that will be my secret, but random, timetable. ’Tis the season…
Last night, after the 7th night of lying awake worrying about things beyond my control, I decided to make two lists: Things I Can Control, Things I Can’t Control. I don’t know about you, but making lists always makes me feel like I have a handle on my life and that I’m moving forward, one item at a time (especially if it’s a list where I can cross things off). So in my realm of “things I can control,” I firmly placed “anxiety.” To that end, two activities nestled into place: daily knitting and coloring. I know many people are coloring, but it wasn’t until “I Dream of Yarn,” A Knit and Crochet Coloring Book, crossed my doorsteps that I thought, “perfect.” Sometimes knitting or crocheting is just beyond my energy level, but coloring? I can curl up with a new box of crayons and a new illustration for a few restful moments. And if I can’t still my mind, the sound of snapped crayons might just ease the tension.
I was fortunate on my recent visit to England to attend Yarnporium at King’s College in London. This festival is small by American standards; held in The Great Hall, it accommodated 30 vendors and spotlighted 10 indie dyers. However, it was an educational experience for me, for here I found companies who cared deeply about preserving and promoting British Breeds. Blacker Yarns from Cornwall has breed-specific yarns: Blue-faced Leicester (who knew it was so soft?), Gotland, Hebridean/Mohair, Jacob, and Shetland. One yarn I brought back, Tamar, is 30% Cornish Mule (yes, baby soft mule fibre) blended with the long staple breeds Teeswater, Wensleydale, and Leicester Longwool. Baa Ram Ewe (aptly named after the Babe lines Baa-ram-ewe, Baa-ram-ewe! To your breed, your fleece, your clan be true! Sheep be true! Baa-ram-eye!) featured their yarn Dovestone. This luscious yarn from Yorkshire is made of 50% Bluefaced Leicester, 25% Wensleydale Longwool, and 25% Masham. The merino used in Alpaca Delight from John Arbon Textiles is from the Falkland Islands. Desiring to keep the wools British, the Falklands offer the dry climate Merino need to thrive. Britain still doesn’t enjoy the knitting culture that has grown up in America, but these last six years since the Prince of Wales launched the Campaign for Wool, the industry has seen great strides and Yarn in the City’s Yarnporium is one of them. May they have many more successful events!
Love.Yarn.Shop. 