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Judging The Stylecraft Competition

April 25, 2015 by The Twisted Yarn 29 Comments

And… breathe…

Right, so this is my post about co-judging the Stylecraft yarn competition. Settle y’selves, friends, for it threatens to be a long’un. There may also be gaps where I run upstairs to gullibly respond to yet another request from the Toddler Twinnage. (Y’know, twins, I’m not convinced that you’re really scared of the rain any more. Anyway, you’re still in trouble for that water fight in your bedroom half an hour ago that I’ve only just finished cleaning up. Now will you GO TO SLEEP?!)

Whilst I’m gone, you’re welcome to some of that wine but I’ll be honest, it’s not the best.

I’ve been waiting to write this post all week, but all sorts of things have had to come first, such as going to work (Wow, it’s been busy on the ward.) Meanwhile, thank you for your kind comments. And I promise that a skirt post is coming very soon!

So if you entered the Stylecraft competition, you’ll know already that the deal was this: send in something in a shade that you thought Stylecraft should add to its range of Special DK yarns. Could be anything: something painted, your toenail clippings, anything. (Thankfully, nobody did send in their toenail clippings.) The plan was to meet at Spectrum Yarns’ mill (they own Stylecraft) in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire, to judge the entries and compile a shortlist of ten shades to be whittled down to one winner via a vote by YOU. My fellow judges were Sarah Neal (editor of Let’s Knit magazine), Lucy (Attic24 blog), and Annabelle Hill (sales director at Spectrum). Would you like to see us?

Phil (TheTwistedYarn), Sarah Neal (editor, Let's Knit), Annabelle Hill (sales director at Stylecraft), Lucy (Attic24).
Phil (TheTwistedYarn), Sarah Neal (editor, Let’s Knit), Annabelle Hill (sales director at Stylecraft), Lucy (Attic24).

We had a tour round the mill on arrival, but more on that in a separate and over-excited post. And then we settled down to business. Truly, it was hard to know what to expect in terms of entries. There were 350 of them, I think, and I helped open the envelopes with initial trepidation but then increasing fascination at the treasures inside. People sent photos, beads, slips of paper they’d coloured in, little jars of spices, a photo frame, nail varnish, a chocolate wrapper, scraps of fabric, and meticulously-compiled mood boards that must have taken happy hours to compile. They also wrote cards and letters explaining their choices and sometimes suggesting names for the new yarns they were proposing. All of it was fascinating. None of it was dull. It was so varied and imaginative. And there were no toenail clippings.

Stylecraft judges

We laid them all out on a table, and then we were a little quiet for a while whilst we figured out quite how to begin. Can you blame us? There was so much loveliness here, but we could choose only ten. The range of suggestions was, as you’d probably imagine, huge. And yet there were certain concentrations of similar shades, whether reflecting new trends, or definite gaps in the existing range of shades, I wasn’t always sure at first. After all, the range of Stylecraft shades is already large:-

Stylecraft range

We decided to assemble the entries into groups of related shades, and then judge one group at a time, excluding any entries that were too close to existing Stylecraft colours, and debating which colours would work best both on their own and in combination with others from the range. That probably makes it all sound quicker and easier than it actually was, but at least we had copious tea (green, in my case), sandwiches, and cake to fuel us. I’ve definitely worked under worse conditions. 😉

image

It was interesting to notice each judge’s expertise and preferences. Sarah was incredibly thoughtful about colours that work together, and was a source of wisdom on the eternally tricky (apparently) matter of ORANGE. Lucy had clear ideas of bright palettes and combinations that work for her designs, as well as colours that are currently trendy. Annabelle – as you’d expect – had an encyclopaedic knowledge of Stylecraft’s existing range and where its gaps might lie. She wielded the Pantone scanner thingy, enabling us to translate random objects into recognised shades, including Sarah’s cardigan in the process of making a point. (No, Sarah’s cardigan wasn’t an entry.)

image

And me? Well I was thinking about individual shades rather than any overall palette, because different projects demand such different colours, but I was also conscious of the arguable paucity of greens in the Stylecraft range. And I confess, I’m a sucker for a muted red or purple or green or orange: nothing too bright and gaudy, nothing too pale.

Anyway, we did it! No fur (or yarn) flew and no vows of eternal enmity were sworn: pretty much a success, I’d say. (The other three judges were lovely, in case it’s not obvious that I’m being flippant in that last sentence. I had dinner with two of them the night before, which confirmed my impression that judging was going to be both interesting and enjoyable.) Actually it felt like an honour to be sorting through the fruits of so many people’s creativity with three other colour/yarn-addicts. The hardest part was narrowing our initial selection of about sixteen possibilities down to the requisite ten… and even when we’d managed that, we decided that we weren’t happy with a couple of the ten after all, and had to backtrack a bit.

So…. ten (wonderful and quite diverse) shades have been selected. Want to see them? Well I’m afraid that I’m not allowed to share them with you for a few more days yet. But I will as soon as I can, I promise, and then we can talk about the next stage of the competition: how to vote for the final winner.

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Filed Under: Yarn Tagged With: attic24, colour, competition, crochet, knitting, Let's Knit, Lucy, stylecraft

« Stylecraft Competition, Yorkshire, Internet Friends, And Champagne.
Distracted From The Knitting By Cake »

Comments

  1. pomegranateandchintz says

    April 25, 2015 at 10:59 pm

    Why a wonderful day. I certainly don’t envy you the choosing task, but the company and comestibles sound perfect. Looking forward to seeing the results.

    Reply
  2. arlingwoman says

    April 25, 2015 at 11:00 pm

    The suspense! And was that the skirt???

    Reply
    • The Twisted Yarn says

      April 25, 2015 at 11:01 pm

      Yes! 🙂

      Reply
      • arlingwoman says

        April 25, 2015 at 11:26 pm

        Maaaahvelous!

        Reply
  3. salpal1 says

    April 25, 2015 at 11:46 pm

    sounds like a lot of fun work! And the skirt looks great. 🙂

    Reply
  4. nicolaknits says

    April 25, 2015 at 11:51 pm

    I envy you. Sounds like a perfect way to spend a day. And well done for getting the skirt finished in time.

    Reply
  5. Born To Organize says

    April 26, 2015 at 3:07 am

    What an enjoyable day. I love color immensely so I’m pretty sure I would have had an equally fun but challenging time as well. They do have an impressive array of colors, all so rich and diverse. I liked seeing bits and pieces of people’s story boards. Such creativity!

    Reply
  6. Roe's Cottage says

    April 26, 2015 at 6:03 am

    I’m hoping for a nice soft but strong green!

    Reply
  7. lovelucie1 says

    April 26, 2015 at 7:14 am

    How lovely to be part of something like that. Amazing what our craft can lead to.

    Reply
  8. limesorbet2014 says

    April 26, 2015 at 8:18 am

    That sounds like a very fun day, immersing yourself in colour. 🙂 And the skirt looks wonderful!

    Reply
  9. corine24 says

    April 26, 2015 at 10:39 am

    That must have been a lovely day!

    And I really love, love your skirt. It made me start to knit again, after 35 years (!) not knitting (’cause of a childhood-knitting-tauma) …

    Reply
  10. Aisha says

    April 26, 2015 at 11:31 am

    The skirt looks great! Well done for getting it finished. I imagine that the yarn shortlist will be an interesting mix of summery seaside and muted autumn – looking forward to it!

    Reply
  11. Amy at love made my home says

    April 26, 2015 at 5:14 pm

    It looks and sounds as though it was a really interesting time! I am so with you on the greens, so I am hoping that the winner will be a really great grassy kind of green! xx

    Reply
  12. pamsyarns says

    April 26, 2015 at 7:56 pm

    Congratulations on finishing THE SKIRT! I agree about the inclusion of another green in Stylecraft’s range. Fingers crossed. Looking forward to seeing the winners

    Reply
  13. pollymacleod says

    April 26, 2015 at 10:44 pm

    Sounds like you had a really good day. Your skirt looks lovely, glad you managed to finish it in time. Looking forward to seeing the winning colours.

    Reply
  14. cricketfox says

    April 27, 2015 at 1:47 am

    sounds like fun

    Reply
  15. Gillian says

    April 29, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    Sounds like a really fun day. I would love to have there.

    Reply
  16. Gillian says

    April 29, 2015 at 2:03 pm

    Ooops … would love to have been there.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Skirt Post | the twisted yarn says:
    May 3, 2015 at 9:56 pm

    […] to elaborate. I decided on a whim to design a knitted stranded skirt and a crocheted bag, ahead of judging the Stylecraft competition. It seemed like a good idea. And whilst the bag was done in plenty of time, I ended up restarting […]

    Reply
  2. Competition! The Knitting & Crochet Guild | the twisted yarn says:
    May 19, 2015 at 10:29 pm

    […] here are the serious bits. Happy, but serious. First, do you remember the Stylecraft competition that I co-judged with Sarah from Let’s Knit magazine and Lucy from Attic24? Well, I’m […]

    Reply
  3. Just What I Need: Another Crazy Idea | the twisted yarn says:
    June 14, 2015 at 12:14 pm

    […] voting is now closed for the Stylecraft colour competition. All of the shades that we shortlisted were in their own ways scrumptious, but now that the poll is […]

    Reply
  4. Stylecraft Competition Winners | the twisted yarn says:
    July 11, 2015 at 3:06 am

    […] may recall from earlier in the year my cheery chatterings about co-judging the Stylecraft Special DK colour competition up in beautiful Yorkshire, with Lucy […]

    Reply
  5. 254 Roses. | the twisted yarn says:
    August 15, 2015 at 11:04 pm

    […] Now, this yarn is a limited edition multipack of all the shades we shortlisted for the Stylecraft colour competition. How wonderful is that?! I’m just checking on its availability so that I can pass the […]

    Reply
  6. In The Yarn Garden | the twisted yarn says:
    August 19, 2015 at 9:45 pm

    […] about yarn. A few of you asked in the comments about the limited edition Stylecraft packs of the 10 shades we shortlisted for the colour […]

    Reply
  7. The Stylecraft Giveaway: It’s Coming! | the twisted yarn says:
    September 21, 2015 at 9:38 pm

    […] perfectly photographic memory back to Stylecraft’s competition to select a new shade of yarn, which I co-judged along with the editor of Let’s Knit magazine and Lucy from Attic24. So gorgeous were the ten […]

    Reply
  8. The Carnival Bag, And The Stylecraft Giveaway! | the twisted yarn says:
    September 29, 2015 at 6:08 am

    […] of anyone who is new round these ‘ere parts, (hello at the back, there), a few months ago I co-judged Stylecraft yarn’s competition to find a new shade for their range of Special DK. With me were the editor of Let’s Knit […]

    Reply
  9. What? Another Blogiversary Already? | the twisted yarn says:
    October 23, 2015 at 8:45 pm

    […] listening to you all, I love your wisdom). The column for Simply Knitting magazine. The fun with Stylecraft yarns. The patterns I’ve put out, including on Ravelry. The hope that I’ve passed on at least […]

    Reply
  10. In Praise Of Petrol. No, Really… | the twisted yarn says:
    February 25, 2016 at 10:53 pm

    […] DK yarn at some point. There are 80-odd shades in the range, increased since the competition I was honoured to co-judge last year. The thing is, they now want to increase their aran and chunky ranges too, and they need […]

    Reply
  11. Blogstars | the twisted yarn says:
    July 18, 2016 at 8:38 pm

    […] met Lucy (Attic 24) before when we co-judged the Stylecraft yarn competition at the mill last year, but I’d never met the other bloggers, so it was fabulous to chat to […]

    Reply

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Progress.
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@novitaknits
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Progress.
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@novitaknits
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#steek #knittersofig #knitspo #knitspiration #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting #fairisletechniques #fairislefriday #fairisleknitting #fairisledesign #Fairisle #nevernotknitting #knitdesigner #knittingdesigner
...

395 16

thetwistedyarn

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Feb 26

Open
Constellations! Plotting and planning for a new design. 
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#knitdesigner #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting #knitspo #knitspiration #rowanfeltedtweed #fairisleknitting #fairisle #fairislefriday

Constellations! Plotting and planning for a new design.
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#knitdesigner #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting #knitspo #knitspiration #rowanfeltedtweed #fairisleknitting #fairisle #fairislefriday
...

415 11

thetwistedyarn

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Jun 2

Open
Places you can knit: deep underground in a cave!
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#knittinginpublic #knitinpublic #placesyoucanknit @novitaknits

Places you can knit: deep underground in a cave!
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#knittinginpublic #knitinpublic #placesyoucanknit @novitaknits
...

109 0

thetwistedyarn

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Nov 14

Open
Cutting the steek on a swatch. I promise that it's way less scary than some people think!
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#steek #steeking #cuttingthesteek #fairisletechniques #fairisletips #knitdesigner #knittingdesigner #fairislefriday #fairisleknitting #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting #rowanfeltedtweed

Cutting the steek on a swatch. I promise that it`s way less scary than some people think!
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#steek #steeking #cuttingthesteek #fairisletechniques #fairisletips #knitdesigner #knittingdesigner #fairislefriday #fairisleknitting #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting #rowanfeltedtweed
...

276 12

thetwistedyarn

View

Jul 27

Open
Annnnnd breathe. Post-work knitting in the garden. Not shown because I don't have four hands: a large glass of wine and a book.
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#knittingoutside #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting #fairisle #fairisleknitting @stylecraftyarns #stylecraftyarns #stylecrafthighlandheathers

Annnnnd breathe. Post-work knitting in the garden. Not shown because I don`t have four hands: a large glass of wine and a book.
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#knittingoutside #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting #fairisle #fairisleknitting @stylecraftyarns #stylecraftyarns #stylecrafthighlandheathers
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299 13

thetwistedyarn

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Mar 22

Open
Knitting and walking in two colours at once. What could possibly go wrong...
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Yarn is lovely @novitaknits
Merino 4ply.
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#knittingandwalking #knitoutdoors #knitinpublic #knittinginpublic #knitspo #knitspiration #garn #strikkedilla #strikke #virkning #fairisle #fairisleknitting #fairisledesign #knitfairisle #fairislefriday #strandedcolourwork #strandedknitting #strandedcolorwork #nevernotknitting

Knitting and walking in two colours at once. What could possibly go wrong...
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Yarn is lovely @novitaknits
Merino 4ply.
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#knittingandwalking #knitoutdoors #knitinpublic #knittinginpublic #knitspo #knitspiration #garn #strikkedilla #strikke #virkning #fairisle #fairisleknitting #fairisledesign #knitfairisle #fairislefriday #strandedcolourwork #strandedknitting #strandedcolorwork #nevernotknitting
...

423 9

thetwistedyarn

View

Sep 11

Open
New blog post at thetwistedyarn.com (or see link in bio). 🙂

New blog post at thetwistedyarn.com (or see link in bio). 🙂 ...

152 5

thetwistedyarn

View

Sep 10

Open
Knitting the 'spring' colourway of my next pattern. Nearly done. Yarn is @stylecraftyarns Highland Heathers. 
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#stylecrafthighlandheathers #strandedcolourwork #strandedknitting #strandedcolorwork #fairisleknitting #fairisle #fairislefriday #knitspo #knitspiration #knitdesigner #freeknittingpattern #garn #virkning

Knitting the `spring` colourway of my next pattern. Nearly done. Yarn is @stylecraftyarns Highland Heathers.
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#stylecrafthighlandheathers #strandedcolourwork #strandedknitting #strandedcolorwork #fairisleknitting #fairisle #fairislefriday #knitspo #knitspiration #knitdesigner #freeknittingpattern #garn #virkning
...

161 0

thetwistedyarn

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Aug 15

Open
New blog post at thetwistedyarn.com (link in bio). It was going yo be about knitting, but then I got carried away...

New blog post at thetwistedyarn.com (link in bio). It was going yo be about knitting, but then I got carried away... ...

219 7

thetwistedyarn

View

Jan 11

Open
Knitting in a power-cut. 
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#garn #strikkedilla #strikke #fairisleknitting #fairislefriday #fairisledesign #fairisle #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting #knitspo #knitspiration

Knitting in a power-cut.
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#garn #strikkedilla #strikke #fairisleknitting #fairislefriday #fairisledesign #fairisle #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting #knitspo #knitspiration
...

585 14

thetwistedyarn

View

Jan 23

Open
My long-loved and dear friend @mary_megarry_number452 sent this card two years ago with many warm-hearted words inside. Little did either of us know that in addition to the knitting, the two black cats would also become a reality. Hope to see you soon, Mary. ❤ Artist is Dee Nickerson.

My long-loved and dear friend @mary_megarry_number452 sent this card two years ago with many warm-hearted words inside. Little did either of us know that in addition to the knitting, the two black cats would also become a reality. Hope to see you soon, Mary. ❤ Artist is Dee Nickerson. ...

335 4

thetwistedyarn

View

Jun 24

Open
Thank goodness I'm not a perfectionist. 
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#fairislecardigan #fairisletechniques #fairisleknitting #fairisledesign #fairisle #fairislefriday #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting

Thank goodness I`m not a perfectionist.
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#fairislecardigan #fairisletechniques #fairisleknitting #fairisledesign #fairisle #fairislefriday #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting
...

200 14

thetwistedyarn

View

Aug 15

Open
Met up with three very dear friends today. There was yarn. And gossip. And biscuits. @alicadabara @ruth_underdown @buttonspickles

Met up with three very dear friends today. There was yarn. And gossip. And biscuits. @alicadabara @ruth_underdown @buttonspickles ...

95 2

thetwistedyarn

View

Jul 30

Open
I've done walking-and-knitting plenty of times on here. Time for WALKING-AND-KITCHENER-STITCH! OK, I was only wandering round and round outdoors, not hiking up a mountain in a blizzard, but still. 
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#stylecraftyarns #stylecrafthighlandheathers #walkingandknitting #knittingandwalking #knitinpublic #knittinginpublic #strandedknitting #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #fairisle #fairisleknitting #garn #strikke #strikkedilla #strikstrikstrik #virkning #nevernotknitting #kitchenerstitch

I`ve done walking-and-knitting plenty of times on here. Time for WALKING-AND-KITCHENER-STITCH! OK, I was only wandering round and round outdoors, not hiking up a mountain in a blizzard, but still.
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#stylecraftyarns #stylecrafthighlandheathers #walkingandknitting #knittingandwalking #knitinpublic #knittinginpublic #strandedknitting #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #fairisle #fairisleknitting #garn #strikke #strikkedilla #strikstrikstrik #virkning #nevernotknitting #kitchenerstitch
...

144 10

thetwistedyarn

View

Jul 4

Open
Been a while since I posted some hospital knitting, but today I had a pre-op appointment for my post-cancer evening-up-the-boobs-so-I-don't-list-to-the-left-when-I-go-running surgery. @novitaknits

Been a while since I posted some hospital knitting, but today I had a pre-op appointment for my post-cancer evening-up-the-boobs-so-I-don`t-list-to-the-left-when-I-go-running surgery. @novitaknits ...

220 13

thetwistedyarn

View

Aug 9

Open
There's a new blog post at thetwistedyarn.com. Enjoy.

There`s a new blog post at thetwistedyarn.com. Enjoy. ...

145 0

thetwistedyarn

View

Jun 6

Open
There's a new-yesterday post at thetwistedyarn.com (or see link in bio). But just to respond to people's comments on the post, don't worry, I'm not injured or ill! I was just commenting on the universe's general propensity to cause trouble!
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#knittersofig #knittersofinstagram #knittersofinsta #knitspo #knitspiration #breaconbeacons #breaconbeaconsnationalpark #ilovewales

There`s a new-yesterday post at thetwistedyarn.com (or see link in bio). But just to respond to people`s comments on the post, don`t worry, I`m not injured or ill! I was just commenting on the universe`s general propensity to cause trouble!
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#knittersofig #knittersofinstagram #knittersofinsta #knitspo #knitspiration #breaconbeacons #breaconbeaconsnationalpark #ilovewales
...

127 4

thetwistedyarn

View

Apr 16

Open
Kittens sitting in the crocheted garden. By the way, someone pointed out that there's a fake account pretending to be me: it's at thetwistedyarn_  I can't view it because they've blocked me, but if any kind soul would be kind enough to report it, I'd be very grateful. Thank you, my Fine Fibrous Friends!

Kittens sitting in the crocheted garden. By the way, someone pointed out that there`s a fake account pretending to be me: it`s at thetwistedyarn_ I can`t view it because they`ve blocked me, but if any kind soul would be kind enough to report it, I`d be very grateful. Thank you, my Fine Fibrous Friends! ...

301 75

thetwistedyarn

View

May 22

Open
Sunday morning stitchery, fuelled by green tea. Watching insects bumbling about amongst the #nomowmay grass. Enjoying @novitaknits yarn.

Sunday morning stitchery, fuelled by green tea. Watching insects bumbling about amongst the #nomowmay grass. Enjoying @novitaknits yarn. ...

138 3

thetwistedyarn

View

Dec 25

Open
Merry Christmas, people! May the coming year be filled with your favourite yarn.

Merry Christmas, people! May the coming year be filled with your favourite yarn. ...

224 7

thetwistedyarn

View

Oct 31

Open
There's a new blog post in town. See link in bio or explore thetwistedyarn.com.

There`s a new blog post in town. See link in bio or explore thetwistedyarn.com. ...

157 5

thetwistedyarn

View

May 9

Open
My implausibly awesome friend @buttonspickles has just published this sock pattern. This a woman who seriously knows her cables and her socks, so this pattern is worth checking out. There's a link in her bio for purchase.

My implausibly awesome friend @buttonspickles has just published this sock pattern. This a woman who seriously knows her cables and her socks, so this pattern is worth checking out. There`s a link in her bio for purchase. ...

109 4

thetwistedyarn

View

Nov 20

Open
Hairy trouble is afoot. See thetwistedyarn.com or linky in profile for new blog post.

Hairy trouble is afoot. See thetwistedyarn.com or linky in profile for new blog post. ...

212 6

thetwistedyarn

View

Apr 30

Open
Washed ready for blocking... and mysteriously suddenly enormous. The swatch didn't behave like this!

Washed ready for blocking... and mysteriously suddenly enormous. The swatch didn`t behave like this! ...

263 25

thetwistedyarn

View

Oct 31

Open
Corrugated rib. The trickiest bit of this technique is finding a third hand to hold the camera.
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#corrugatedrib #corrugatedribbing #fairisle #fairislefriday #rowanfeltedtweed #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting #advancedknitting #knitspo #knitspiration

Corrugated rib. The trickiest bit of this technique is finding a third hand to hold the camera.
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#corrugatedrib #corrugatedribbing #fairisle #fairislefriday #rowanfeltedtweed #strandedcolourwork #strandedcolorwork #strandedknitting #advancedknitting #knitspo #knitspiration
...

269 9

thetwistedyarn

View

Apr 26

Open
Decent weather for a run. Yes I do occasionally put my knitting down. The colours of this view are a statement, too.
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#running #freedomforukraine

Decent weather for a run. Yes I do occasionally put my knitting down. The colours of this view are a statement, too.
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#running #freedomforukraine
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206 4
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