I Went to a Wool Show

 and yes, I know I went to Tuscany as well, and reports on that will be forthcoming just as soon as my phone and laptop decide to talk to one another properly so that I can upload my photos all in one go. Meanwhile - the wool show

It was Woolly Good in Edinburgh. This is only the second year (I think) that it has been held and I didn't go last year, probably because we were  in the throes of moving and things like yarn shows just weren't on the radar. I probably wouldn't have gone this year either if a friend hadn't suggested we go together, but she did and I agreed. 

(I still can't  get over the fact that I can get to Edinburgh and back on the train for a fraction over £8. It's surreal) 

So first of all let me show you what I bought. 

A sock project bag from Wildwood Stitches Readers may remember I bought one of her sweater size project bags back at the East Neuk Show last November. The only problem I have with these is choosing as they are all lovely.  I'm very pleased with this bag and I was also impressed that the vendor remembered me from East Neuk; I'd like to think it wasn't only because I had decided against a puffin themed bag on the grounds that it reminded me of Orkney, although she certainly did remember that! 

This notions pouch is a Christmas present for a friend who loves African waxed fabric. The business that makes them is called Soft Accents  and they are all beautiful bags and the vendors are really nice too. The website is definitely worth a look and if you aren't into knitting or crochet and therefore don't need project bags they do packs of fabric scraps for patchwork too and they come with a pattern if you want one. The pin and stitch markers at the front came from Marna at An Caitin Beag - the go-to place for all cat themed knitting related things. 

Obviously I can't go to a wool show without buying sock yarn for the OH; at East Neuk he picked his own skein from this vendor - The Woolchemist. Of these two that I bought from her yesterday the one on the right was for the OH. The other one is for me; it's not as pink as it looks in the photograph and I'm a sucker for dark reds, grey and black in combination. Not sure if I'll make socks with it, we'll see. 

And finally, this is what I mainly went for. It's some DK to knit myself a cardigan from one of my Knitted Kalevala books. Do not hold your collective breaths; it's knitted in the round and then the front is steeked! Eek! and the wool was expensive so I need to take it very slowly and ensure it's a good fit. 

Obviously the stash stats for April are going to look a bit sad ... but as long as I'm  kitting up or otherwise disposing of yarn faster than I'm acquiring it overall then that's  progress. 

As for the show overall it was very much a case of the Curate's Egg. Upside, lots of vendors, some of whom were new to me, or that I only know from on-line/You Tube. I was delighted to have a brief chat with the very talented Tara from Irish Artisan Yarn and to see Skein and the Stitch who , as far as I know, haven't ever come north of the border before. Equally some of my favourite dyers weren't there, which was a shame. The catering, as I seem to be forever saying with regard to yarn shows, was lacking. The main hall, where you could buy light snacks,  didn't have hot drinks, only cold ones,  which seemed ridiculous. It also had live music which I could have done without.. Why on earth would anyone think that was a good idea, when it's somewhere ( in fact the only place) where people could  sit and chat, and make plans about who to see next or display their purchases? Other than that as far as I could see there was a van outside selling bao buns and that was that. The venue was a school and many of the vendors were in classrooms; sometimes four to a room, which wasn't fair either to them or the customers. We deliberately chose to go on Friday because we thought it would be less busy than Saturday, and I'm sure we were right about that,  and we arrived about 30 minutes after the show opened and the place was already rammed. There were many stands where I just couldn't get close enough to the  merchandise to see if I wanted to buy anything. I appreciate it can be a risky thing committing to a larger, and more expensive, venue, but really, if it went well enough last year for a repeat performance  then the organisers must have known there would be more people attending when they did it again and could have planned accordingly. 

Would I go again? If they change the venue, probably yes, but not otherwise. But it was an enjoyable day.