Writing funny blog posts is tricky when things go well. It’s easier when your day turns belly-up and you leave your dignity somewhere up a tree in the supermarket car park, but there’s nothing hilarious about things working out as intended.
That’s why I’m finding it hard to write this post about Saturday’s Yarn Shop Day event. I can just about work a World War Two air raid shelter and a Victorian actress’s underwear into the story without stretching the truth, but beyond that, I got nothin’, other than fun, yarn, mint tea, and thoroughly lovely people. See my problem?
Anyway, Saturday was Yarn Shop Day. In my opinion, every day should be Yarn Shop Day, but I suppose there are people whose minds sometimes stray away from the subject of knitting/crochet, and those folk need a reminder to go and show their nearest fibrous retailer some love.
Via the Stylecraft Blogstars program, I was invited to spend the day at Lady Sew And Sew, a yarn and fabric shop in Henley in Oxfordshire. (They have a shop in Marlow, too.) “Hmm,” I said, scratching my chin and making a mental note to tweezer the age-related hair I found sprouting there, “You want me to spend several hours in a place dedicated to beautiful yarn, chatting with interesting, creative, people? I’ll need some time to think about that…”
0.1 seconds later, I emailed back to say YES PLEASE.
I’d been to Lady Sew And Sew (let’s call it LS&S, because typing is tiring) once before with my friend Jo, so I knew it was a good’un.
It’s large and informal and friendly-but-not-pushy, and it’s inspiring and it’s filled with temptations that span the scale from budget to OK-so-I’ll-just-go-without-food-this-month. Down a few steps from the yarn area is a vast room filled with fabric, and quilting/sewing equipment.
LS&S had organized discounts and Stylecraft goody-bags for the day, as well as a colour pooling demonstration and a visit from Erica Pask from Rowan. My job was to try not to scare off too many of the customers. They’d asked me to bring some samples of my knitting/crochet, and things that I’d designed:-
Plenty of people came, and we chatted happily. People told me about what they were knitting/crocheting, and quite a few were wearing some piece of loveliness that they’d made. I spoke to a woman who said she long ago started designing/making a colourwork jumper inspired by Clarice Cliff: I may have been a bit too assertive in my attempt to persuade her to finish it, because it sounded amazing.
People said kind things about my designs, too, especially the knitted pictures of Oxfordshire seasons. They were nice about The Hiking Reindeer cowl as well, and far too often I found myself perching on my soapbox, haranguing them about how they were QUITE WRONG in their assumption that stranded colourwork is difficult. Oops. As I said, my job was supposed to be to avoid scaring off the customers…
The day galloped by, and then suddenly all of the customers were gone and one of the owners was presenting me with a gorgeous bunch of flowers whilst another was querying why we weren’t yet drinking wine. Hang on, I’ll just pop into the kitchen and get a photo…
Judy (one of the owners) offered to show me a bit more of the building so, glass in hand, I followed her down a staircase into the cellar. Despite looking unprepossessing from the outside, the building boasts some history. This is Judy, surrounded by some (!) of the wadding stored ready to be sold to quilters. 🙂 :-
Long ago, this building was a commercial laundry, taking in linen from the big London hotels. A LS&S customer with inside knowledge once told Judy some of the tales she’d heard from the building’s laundry days, including an anecdote about a famous Victorian actress’s underwear…
Below ground, there’s also a WW2 air raid shelter. Heaven forbid it’s ever again needed for its original purpose, but you could at least grab some yarn and a pair of needles as you fled downstairs…
I have no financial incentive for saying this (although I did steal a bourbon biscuit from the staff kitchen because I’d forgotten to bring any lunch), but LS&S is a pretty perfect yarn shop. Not only do they sell the stuff, but they regularly host superstars like Kaffe Fassett and Arne-and-Carlos, who come and offer talks or workshops. Maybe my fickle head was turned by the deliciousness chocolatey-ness of the stolen bourbon biscuit, but trust me: you’d like this yarn shop. 🙂
Thank you for this, as always. Could you possibly tell me who designed the blue jacket in the pic of the LS&S shop? I’m intrigued by the teapots and vases.
Sue
It’s a Kaffe Fassett design. Isn’t it stunning?!
I thought it might be. Can’t think where I’ve seen it before.
I’m not sure here it’s published, but it’s rather impressive.
*where
And your friend Jo is gutted that she didn’t get a day out at one of her favourite places with you!!!
Oops. Sorry. I slightly assumed that even you might get a bit bored after 6 hours in a yarn shop. I’m very sorry. I really should have known better!
Oh what a heavenly way to spend the day, I’d be broke for sure if a shop like that was near me.
Everything was FAR too tempting. My credit card was definitely itching, but I was trying to be good because I spent so much money there the last time I went.
Thanks for your entertaining comments! I enjoyed reading about what’s going on over on your side of the pond as they say. I participated at our local yarn shop on Saturday as well. I spent my share on more yarn that I really don’t need but I want! So many goodies and so hard to choose!
We also were there demonstrating and ready to sign up new members for our Knotty Knitters Guild here in the Bitterroot Valley in Montana. It is a wonderful group and I’m so glad I am a part of it. I just chaired the 22nd annual fashion show and luncheon which was a big success.
By the way, I LOVE Kaffe Fasset fabrics and my son has a sweater that I knit for him 30+ years ago from Kaffe’s Glorious Knits book. His sense of color is devine and I likes colors. Just the other day a friend at my knit group said there was nothing “subtle” about me as I’m fearless when it comes to color.
Your color knitting is so interesting. I might try it one of these days. Keep writing so we know what’s happening in your area. Also I’d like to hear what you and others say about locally grown and spun yarns are available in Great Britain. We are finding more and more here in the US. I can send you a list of what I’ve found here if you like.
Wow, it sounds as though you have a pretty impressive yarny community in Montana. I wasn’t completely sure whether Yarn Shop Day was an international thing, so it’s good to have it confirmed that it is! And yes, I’d be interested to hear about the British yarn brands that are available in the US. I know Stylecraft is there, but what about Rowan?
Omg as a quilter that’s shop is my idea of paradise! Will try to visit as coming to uk in 3 weeks! Can’t wait. My dream is to have a shop just like this in N.Z.
Yes, you must visit this shop! (Failing that, I can recommend the Oxford Yarn Store too.) Have a wonderful visit.
My dear, that stunning cowl… You have actually knitted “Elg i Solnedgang”! Amazing!!! This iconic (and later ultra-kitch, now born-again cool) painting hung in nearly every Norwegian living room in the 60s/70s in some version. Have a google image peek and tell me I’m not dreaming…I LOVE IT! Thanks for brightening my day!
Oh gosh, I just googled and I fear you’re right!!!! I’m not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing…
I had to look up the shop location as lived in Henley as a child. It’s 5 minutes walk from my old home. Which of course is totally irrelevant!