I seem to have gotten over my brain fog (at least for the moment). It was no doubt helped by a trip to the Scottish Wool Producers Showcase in Perth over the last weekend.
This is my third year to visit the festival, and for sure, one of the best parts of this show is meeting up again with old friends. A few I was hoping to see didn’t make it this year, but it was really exciting to see so many new and really great vendors focusing on Scottish makers and Scottish sheep.
It also didn’t hurt at all that this region of Scotland is about 6 weeks ahead of Massachusetts in spring blooming. Traveling to Perth from Edinburgh there also were many fields with fat sheep ready to produce new lambs any day now. I was just a wee bit early to see the darlings.
The crocus did pop up (below) while I was away, but no flowering shrubs or daffodils here yet.
The vendors…
I actually met Jon of Dystopic Fibre (@dystopicfibreyarn) at the Fleece to Fashion symposium in Glasgow in 2022. At that time I was doing a cruise around the booths, and had promised him I’d be back shortly. That was about the time that the fall-down-the-stairs-OMG-I-have-Covid hit, so I unfortunately didn’t make it back.
Jon dyes on a base of British BFL from his Glasgow studio, and produces lovely limited edition yarns. I wasn’t there in time to score one of his sock sets (you can see one at the lower right edge with grey and contrast cerise for toes and heels). Of all of his yarns, these sell out very quickly. I was, however, able to snap up a single skein of Purpleheart, a skein with jewel tones and a kind of Gothic undertone.
It took me more than a half-hour to get past all of the buyers, to the color wall at Wee County Yarns. I just needed to pick out five mini-balls for their pattern Harold Fatmus.
The brick and mortar shop northwest of Edinburgh has a full range of yarns, but they are perhaps best known for their patterns and kits for small colorwork designs. For their kits, the amount of yarn provided is just what you need without having to purchase full skeins. Their own line includes locally produced yarns, either spun and/or dyed nearby. I’ll try to keep the mousie on my desk, but Sofi and Lyla may have something to say about it.
Chocfloch is one of the vendors I was really looking forward to seeing and they did not disappoint. Their yarn is a 50/50 blend of Castlemilk Morrit (the lawn ornament sheep) and Shetland, produced by The Border Mill. The Chocfloch tag line is: Get creative with a native.
They market the yarn to both knitters and weavers, and also have kits for tapestry work. This is pretty unusual for a knitting yarn, but appears to hold up really well being worked through canvas without shredding. I shouldn’t be surprised, as Castlemilks produce really tough, dense wool. The one piece I knit with pure Castlemilk wool (a shawl) is far too heavy for daily wear, so I need to figure out how to either re-knit or salvage it another way. It currently graces a mannequin in my studio, which is sufficiently in-my-face to guarantee I can’t ignore it forever.
Chocfloch markets their 4-ply yarns in 20-gram balls reasonably priced to encourage you to try them for a small project. They also sell some very tempting designs. I’m not sure how I’ll use these 8 colors yet, but the color range is very inspirational, so I’m sure it won’t be an issue. I already can tell that the blend is quite soft and I’m guessing the base yarn has sufficient density to produce good stitch definition. Color work, certainly, but I’m thinking some cables are in order for the test knit.
There is more yarn to talk about, but in the interest in getting this post out, I’ll wait for the next one to talk about the remainder of my samples. However, I can’t end here without a shout-out to Eva Christie, founder of the Scottish Yarn Festival and Scottish Wool Producers Showcase. As always, she did an excellent job of bringing together local yarns and designers, once again selling out tickets and giving vendors a great opportunity to show off their wares. It was a successful and fully exhausting day, so I hope she took the opportunity to chill with a pint of ice cream in front of the TV on Sunday. She certainly deserved it!
Meanwhile…
It goes without saying that knitters are not single-minded. In fact, all of the ones I know tend to do other fiber things (spinning, weaving, dyeing, crochet, etc.), but in addition, they all tend to be readers. I just finished a book I’d like to share because it really captivated me. The Cloisters, by Katy Hays grabbed my attention not only because it takes place primarily in a museum (and one of my favorites at that), but also involves a slowly unfolding mystery. Hays also doesn’t hesitate to take a dig (actually several) at academics and the ivory towers that surround them. Just about the time I had developed an actual sympathy for the main character, the story took a chilling turn, and that happened in the last few pages. It left me surprised and just a bit aghast. I kept trying to slow it down, but this one’s a real page turner after just a bit of a slow start.
So until the next time, stay calm and craft on.