Shall we have a giveaway? Wa-hey, let’s have a giveaway! Start sharpening those typing fingers in order to enter, because details are coming later in this post.
This is the third and final part of my triptych* of posts about the exciting Yorkshire/Stylecraft/Blogstars shenanigans. (Previous parts: the mill tour, and the first evening.) But it’s very hard to produce an even mildly amusing post when absolutely nothing about the experience was catastrophically disastrous or weird. The closest I came to problems was when they interviewed each of us on camera (yikes! …with a side order of yikes!!) and I stupidly sprinted down and then up several flights of stairs at the mill immediately beforehand (mills are tall), thus ensuring that 103% of my attention (I have a lot of attention) was on trying to look as though I wasn’t hyperventilating, leaving a mere -3% of my attention for the questions that were being asked. Please forgive the number of sub-clauses in that sentence. And don’t expect to see me anchoring the six o’clock news any day soon after that bumbling on-screen performance.
Anyway. Yes. Right. T’was was the morning after the night before, and those of us from the previous day plus a few more assembled again at the mill, although the weather was no longer as shiny as in this picture:-
In addition to the nine of us I showed in my last post, I should tell you about the other three Blogstars who seem to think that things like living-on-the-opposite-side-of-the-planet-whilst-just-this-very-second-having-given-birth constitute an adequate excuse for non-attendance. 😉 Allow me to introduce Angela of Get Knotted Yarn Craft, as well as Emma Varnam, and Jane Crowfoot. They were there in spirit, at least. Here again are the rest of us (excluding me, because, well, camera).
So, those of us there in person got to attend the most delightfully colourful meeting ever (and I say that as someone who’s attended a lot of meetings in the past two decades). Imagine a meeting where you walk into the room and there are bowls of yarn laid out for you to squidge and squoosh, and you’re positively encouraged to knit/hook throughout. Oh well, if you insist:-
Annabelle and Juliet told us all about forthcoming developments in yarnery** in general and at Stylecraft in particular. (Sock yarn! I want to tell you about the sock yarn!)
See those shelves full of yarn in the background? That’s Yarn Stories, the gorgeous 100% merino and merino-alpaca blend range that I’ve written about before. It’s made here at the mill. Shall we take a closer look?
Anyway, back to the meeting. Concentrate, Twisted, concentrate. Colour trends are identified a year or more in advance. Want to know what we’ll all be knitting soon? Well autumn/winter 16/17 in yarn is all about the “World Marauder”. Here’s a mood board:-
See those luscious, rich colours? Get your needles and hooks ready to maraud, folks.
And coming soon after, a cluster of colours and loose, unstructured shapes termed “The Humble Labourer”:-
I lurves these soft, natural shades.
There are professionals whose sole reason for crawling out from under the duvet of a Monday morning is to go and forecast the colours, shapes, and styles that folk will be buying 18 months or more down the line. Their expertise can be bought by companies designing clothes, homewares, and in this case yarn. I guess these forecasts become self-fulfilling prophecies, but they’re still interesting.
So how does this translate into the bundles of fluff that’ll be available in your local yarn shop? Well, in keeping with World Marauder, Stylecraft has just this moment launched Batik, a DK-weight range of 16 intense shades of 80% acrylic, 20% wool, recommended needle/hook size 4mm. They wanted to develop a yarn that was suitable for crochet as well as knitting, so Batik has quite a high degree of twist, meaning it hooks up rather nicely. Look!
They gave us a ball of each shade. Mine seem to be settling in quite happily at home:-
I’m thinking a fairisle scarf, after which I’ll write a proper review. The list price is £2.15 for 50g, in case you’re wondering. Available now.
And coming next month is A RANGE OF SOCK YARN! Hurrah! 75% wool, 25% polyamide, named ‘Head Over Heels’ as it’s good for shawls as well as socks. I won’t lie – I’m properly excited. Stylecraft make high-quality acrylics but it’s good to see them also going in a more woolly direction, especially with yarn produced in this ol’ Yorkshire mill.
We adjourned to the very top of the building for lunch.
The day was greyer than its predecessor:-
And then far, far too soon, it was all over, although the blow was softened somewhat by the generosity of the goody-bag they gave us, with many treats including the whole Batik range and an interchangeable set of my very favourite needles (Knitpro Karbonz). Here’s some – but by no means all – of it:-
And at the end of all this fun, after the goodbyes? Well before beginning the long drive south towards home, I met up with my friend who lives but a few miles from Slaithwaite. We sat in a wine bar by the river, sipping green tea, knitting, and talking feminism and politics. It was very good to see her. She’s dyed her hair bright red and it looks AWESOME.
So, do you want to know about this little giveaway?
Well, one of the treats in the goody bag was a fat bundle of vouchers for money off Stylecraft yarn, intended for you, dear readers. So let’s get on with giving out the first four. (There’ll be more to come, later.) Each voucher is worth £5 off any Stylecraft product(s) AT BRICKS-AND-MORTAR SHOPS ONLY, NOT ONLINE, and two lucky people will win two each (i.e. £10-worth each). Now – and this is where you need to pay attention – these vouchers are only spendable in the UK and I’m aware that more than half of you live elsewhere and I really don’t want to leave you out, so two lucky readers from outside the UK will each win two Stylecraft bags like the one in the photo above (perfect for projects or for shopping) and one pink Stylecraft keyring.
With me so far? Good.
To enter, leave a comment at the end of this post, stating whether you’re entering the UK competition or the non-UK competition. For an additional entry, ‘like’ the ‘Yarn’s Facebook page and leave a comment (UK or non-UK, AND some way of contacting you if you win, eg Ravelry name) on the Facebook post about this competition.
The competition is open from… ready, steady…. wait for it… NOW, until noon GMT on Sunday 14th August. After this, two UK winners (£10 in vouchers each) and two non-UK winners (two bags and a keyring each) will be randomly selected, and prizes despatched. Good luck, and may the gauge consistency be with you.
∗I know, the panels of a triptych should be attached by hinges. This one is a little more… unhinged.
** I shall not rest until I make the word ‘yarnery’ happen. My friend works on new words at the Oxford English Dictionary – on my to-do list is asking her whether she’s accepting bribes…
Tanya Bentley says
Uk please 🙂
julie swift says
UK fantastic prize ?
Elizabeth says
Oh my goodness! That sounds like THE BEST meeting EVER!!!!! You lucky thing, you!
I am not in the UK, although often wish I was. <3
P.S. The Batik is just so gorgeous.
Jane says
Fantastic blog. Goodies lovely and can’t wait to try the new Batik wool. Have not succumbed to knitting socks yet but that might have to change! (UK)
Helen McLean says
Ooh fab read!
UK please x
Jennifer Clarke says
UK please ☺
Judith Clarke says
I love a prize draw! UK for me please.
mamabobSharon says
UK please
Alison Rimmer says
UK! Thanks.
Mary Jarvis says
I’m in the UK. Thanks
Rose Scott says
A non-UK entrant. Thanks so much.
Diana Italiano says
Non UK entrant .Thank you
Janet Brown says
UK please.
Tracey Pinny says
Non UK entrant. Fingers crossed.
Helen Irwin says
UK please, liked the fb page too.
Rachel McKinney says
non-uk. thanks so much for telling about the batik yarn, sounds and looks like fun. The sock yarn is exciting too.
100Creations on ravelry
Kate Conkey says
Non UK please and thank you!!! =)
Karen Conkey says
Sorry, auto correct changedo my name…it’s Karen, not Kate! lol!
Kat Ellis says
UK please
Christine lydon says
UK please
Cramtele on ravelry
Danielle Kane says
Uk please
Nella Butera says
Non Uk please.
Caroline Mackey says
Non UK please and thank you ?
Janice B says
Not in the UK. Great blog!
canuckeh on rav.
Joanne Kenyon says
U.K. Yes please x
phillipsnora says
Yes please. UK. Love the batik yarn and look forward to the sock yarn.
saraelin says
Oh my! I never win anything but I enter all the time!! I’m in the UK.
Louise Roberts says
Love Stylecraft, it’s my yarn of choice! I’m from the UK
Angela Wallis says
I live and knit in the UK. Great competition.
Angela Wallace says
UK please
Sue Feichter says
UK please
Susan Månsson says
Great site and a nice give away In a Non UK
Jane Wooders says
UK, please – what a fantastic day out and a beautiful goody bag (looking forward to seeing the Batik worked up!
Jill Noble says
Uk please, and I think I am in love with the new batik range!
Vivianne says
UK, please 🙂 What a wonderful time you had 🙂
Angelika Uluebekare says
Not UK and thank you??
Jennifer Eagles says
UK please.
Andrea Flower says
Looks like it was a lively trip to the mill – so fun! Please may I be entered for the UK draw 🙂
Tracey Moncrieff says
Non UK.
Sounds like a heavenly meeting to be invited to.
myrna conlon says
non UK please. sounds like a lot of fun. wish i was there. 🙂
Pam Zipperer says
I am non-UK in sunny Florida, USA
Brianna says
Non UK please!
Louise says
The new Batik yarn looks lovely, This could be used in my next project!
UK please.
kristen.wise@gmail.com says
What.a lovely giveaway! Non-UK in New Hampshire, USA 🙂
SherryG. says
Outside of the U.K. Thanks so much for the chance, sherryglover1 on RAV.
Jennifer Ashbridge says
UK please, what a lovely prize!!
Patti says
Non uk entry
OcianeKnits says
Your blog rocks! I do wish we readers got to ask you questions sometimes though, I get really curious… 😛
Non-UK entry, thanks!
The Twisted Yarn says
Ask away! (Oh gawd, I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?!)
Thank you for your kind words, by the way.
Sue Plantinga says
What a wonderful giveaway! Non-UK please! Ravelry name SusieQ100
Dani says
Lovey giveaway, and such a fantastic recap of your fun 🙂
Non-US entry, please
FirelightSpinner on Ravlery says
Much luck to you! Those 1st mood board colors are amazing; so muted-70s, yet with a flair from a much,much older era…classy, and almost reminded me of a wayward trip to India. The 2nd, very earthy and subtle; like paradise as seen through a farmer’s eyes. A nice contrast between boldness and undertones
Non-UK entry
Thank you!