Yarndale 2019

It seems so very long since Yarndale 2019. To be fair it was back in September, on a lovely autumnal day. Driving to Skipton is always lovely. Whilst the parking for Yarndale is tricky (I ended up parking in town and walking up the hill to the Auction Mart), it’s worth it.

I haven’t been to Yarndale for a few years. 2013 to be precise. I hadn’t realised it was that long…had to check the archives! The main reason for not going was that my stash has alway been plentiful, and this year was no exception. But I wanted to scope out some alpaca yarn to match handspun in the stash. That’s as good an excuse as any!

I also find it all a bit….peopley. Like all events of this nature there are crowds of enthusiastic makers, all determined to get exactly what they wanted, plus things they had never even dreamed of. And, honestly, they lose their minds a little. And their manners a lot.

Knowing this it still felt like the right time for a revisit. And I’m glad I did. Whilst my main goal was the alpaca, I had in mind to buy a sweater’s worth or two, and maybe a couple of treats too. No distractions into single skeins of loveliness, or obscure tools that would sit in a drawer never to be used.

And that’s exactly what I got.

The beautiful blue and grey Ulligen was purchased from Midwinter Yarns. They had a stunning sample of confetti knitted up in the colours that I purchased that I just couldn’t resist. It’s the perfect colourway to fit in my wardrobe and become an everyday sweater. It ticked all my boxes so it came home with me.

This yarn is recycled from yarn which has been reclaimed from the clothing industry. Sustainability at its finest. And at £5 for a 50g ball, it doesn’t break the bank either.

The second sweater’s worth of yarn is from Erika Knight. I had the pleasure of chatting with Erika on the stand. I found her to be totally delightful. This pale blue yarn is my favourite colour and again I was swayed by the sample on the stand.

Mostly at the moment I knit simple. I’ve been time poor all year and, honestly, I haven’t felt well enough to tackle something so intricate. But this pattern spoke to me. I’m working on reducing my commitments to the minimum and boosting my health to the maximum. This sweater will be a symbol of that change.

Socks were the final temptation. I couldn’t leave behind that combination of colours of Socks Yeah! from Coop Knits. I don’t often knit socks for myself, but these are definitely for me. The pattern book is jammed from cover to cover with covetable cosy toes. An easy purchase.

Last up was Mason Dixon’s Wanderlust. It has been on my wishlist since it was published. It will add some sparkle to my husbands sock drawer. But I wanted it in hard copy, so it leapt into my bag without hesitation from the stand of the lovely Arnall-Culliford ladies

What I didn’t get was the Alpaca. But I know where I’m getting it from. The project isn’t top of the list. The yarn is readily available online. It seemed senseless to get it until I’m ready.

By the time I’d purchased this bag full of goodies I’d had enough of the pushing and shoving of marauding knitters (although I have to say it was a boisterous minority this year. Most folks were delightful and happy to discuss the pattern and yarn selections they were wearing.) A quick cup of tea with my Coven chums, oohs and ahhs over purchases, and it was time to head home feel faintly smug at my restraint, but delighted with the goodies in the boot!

Yarndale 2019 was a triumph. I wonder if it’ll be another 6 years before I visit again?