Oops I just realised I haven’t done a yarn stash update for last month yet. Better get on with it!
Stash used this month: 1.25
Total stash used this year: 36
Stash additions: 2 or 4 (do I count the yarn the boyfriend bought for his socks? I can’t decide)
Stash remaining: 325.75 (or 327.75)
I spent so much time darning socks last month that I hardly got through any stash. But that doesn’t seem so bad when I look at the pile of socks I can now wear again.
I did finish one pair of shortie socks and made a good start on another, which is where the tiny bit of yarn was used up.
All of my factory-made socks are fixed now so this month I can get back to knitting, crocheting, and busting some stash!
My boyfriend is an ennabler. We were in Aldi picking up snacks when he spotted some packs of yarn.
Of course I had to have a look, even though I definitely don’t need any more and was NOT going to buy any. I stroked the velvet yarn and squished the blanket yarn and turned my nose up at a giant pack of black acrylic (if I’m going to suffer with black yarn, it is not going to be acrylic).
Then I spotted them. Cupcakes. With pompoms!
My face must have lit up like a Christmas tree because the bf asked which was my favourite and, when I instantly pointed at a yellow/green/blue/pink combo, chucked it into his basket.
I know I’m supposed to be focusing on the baby Flax Light, but this little cupcake was just too tempting and I cast on for a hat the next day.
I meant to follow the pattern on the ball-band, but that isn’t exactly happening. Firstly, it’s for straight needles, and nuts to that; my general knitting motto is ‘why use straights when you can use a circular?’. Also, it calls for 134 stitches, but 100 looked enough for me so I left it at that.
Flax Light did get a bit of a look in this week, and I learned a stretchy cast off for the bottom of the ribbing (having learned the hard way by snapping the cast off on my own Flax the first time I wore it. Damn these hips.), and now it looks like a proper little jumper and I just need to get on with the sleeves.
So now there’s been visible Flax Light progress, my WIP list has grown, I have a new awesomely colourful project to work on, and I know that I definitely want to keep this boyfriend š
Last Saturday was suuuuuuuuper busy, but I still found time to celebrate Local Yarn Shop Day with a visit to I Sew 2 and Sealy MacWheely.Ā They’re not the most local-to-me yarn shops, but they are definitely the friendliest I’ve ever visited so it was more than worth the time and effort to get across and support them.
First up was Sealy MacWheely, which had been re-stocked since my last visit so I was really spoilt for choice. Mothy and The Squid won out this time, when I spotted some Leaf Green Rainbow.
I had already seen (and fallen in love with) this colourway on Instagram so there’s no way I was going to leave without buying some.
Then my eyes were irresistibly drawn to this pretty:
It’s called Peacock Flower. Of course my camera can’t handle the reds properly, so that photo is just a hint of how vibrant and warm and beautiful the colours are. I really can’t wait to get this wound up and start making something with it.
And while I was distracted by the oodles of beautiful yarn, these earrings just jumped into my hands! What’s a girl to do?
Of course I bought them.
As it was a special day I also got a free cupcake, blanket pattern, and pin badge. I thought I had a photo of the badge but I can’t find it right now, so hopefully I can get that added later.
Then I popped across the road to I Sew 2. They were starting to wind down and pack up for the day, so I had a quick look around and settled on some coordinating fat quarters.
This one is my particular favourite:
A more accurate picture of the colours
So many pretty, pretty things to play with, I just don’t know where to start! We’ll see what calls to me when I get a proper stretch of crafting time.
Well I’m spoilt in my new job. I not only have I Sew 2 just 5 minutes away from the office, it turns out I also have Sealy McWheely! Right across the road from I Sew 2 so I’ve no idea how I never noticed it before…
Sealy MacWheely’s fun shop sign
The shop is closed Mondays and Tuesdays so I had to wait until yesterday for a visit and boy was it worth the wait.
Yarn, yarn everywhere!
They stock a small selection of Indie dyed yarns, as well as all the fluff you could ever need for felting and spinning, plus some ready-made goodies for sale ranging from earrings to greetings cards to natural bath products.
Pretty soap bars
When I visited during my lunch break there was a one-on-one tutorial session going on, but Katie paused it for a second to welcome me to the shop and explain where everything was, plus a quick plug for the Knit ‘n’ Natter nights.
We also had a quick chat about which particular fibre arts I’m addicted to. Obviously I couldn’t have her full attention with a lesson going on, but I still came away feeling like I’d had a really friendly chat in a lovely place. I wonder if that’s a Kirkintilloch thing!
I was more sensible about it all this time. Obviously I’m incapable of leaving a yarn shop without buying something so I may as well plan for it. Rather than set a monetary budget (having no idea of the price ranges) I decided to Marie Kondo it; I was allowed to buy one skein that sparked joy for me.
Buttons!!
When I recognised Mothy and the Squid yarn before even seeing the labels I figured that was my one skein sorted, but then across the shop in the little workshop room I spotted this utter beauty.
Neon rainbows are the best rainbows
This didn’t just spark joy, it set off a whole firework display! I did look at all the other yarn and there are some real pretties, but nothing quite as good as my neon rainbow. So I bought it and spent the rest of the day smiling to myself.
Of course I didn’t set any budget for all the other goodies in there, so I also came away with a needle gauge (no shame because I’ve been wanting one for months) and a little knitting brooch.
Sheepish needle gauge
Teeny yarn and knitting needle brooch
The bath products smelled amaaaaazing so I’ll probably be back for some of those when my current stuff runs out.
Oh and did I mention there’s a loyalty card as well?
I was doing some research on West Yorkshire Spinners yarn for a blog post, and found myself accidentally clicking on the āStockistsā link and searching for Scotland. Completely by accident, you understand.
And it just so happens that thereās a stockist a mere 5-minute walk from my work! Thatās close enough even for my measly 30 minutes of lunch break (yes I am still a bit miffed that I donāt get an hour any more), so that very day I paid them a visit.
I Sew 2 is a cute little shop on Townheadin Kirkintilloch. With a real bell on the door! I love those.
TheĀ light would NOT let me get a good photo
Thereās not masses of stock, as about a third of the space is set up for workshops and socials, but theyāve still managed to cram yarn, fabric, ribbons, buttons, and notions in there; enough to fill up my lunch break no problem.
The owner is super friendly and chatted the whole time I was there, but not in a sales-y way.
We talked about knitting and crochet (obviously), setting craft budgets and sometimes sticking to them, the pros and cons of knit/crochet groups, patchworking, sewing machine techniques, and all the events that run in the shop.
I will definitely be going along to the Crochet Chaos social at some point, and Iām all booked in for a 3D needle felting workshop this week.
Something I learned from the leaflet the owner gave me is that they also work in conjunction with SiMBA, a charity that creates memory boxes for parents who have lost a baby, either pre- or post-natal. The boxes contain a knitted or crochet blanket, butterfly, and stuffed toy – all made by volunteers. There are monthly sessions in the shop to create these donations, which were during the day but after I asked about it they started an evening session as well.
Back to my visit – I naively planned to just have a look around, see what was on offer in case I ever needed some yarn faster than Love Crochet could deliver it.
Silly me! 20 minutes is clearly beyond my limit for being around crafting goodies without buying some, especially when thereās a bargain bucket and the words āof course we take cardā are involved.
One gorgeous skein was very clearly calling my name and I was powerless to resist as it jumped into my hands. Itās like fuzzy Autumn.
And then I just had to have this bundle of fat quarters.
Luckily for my bank balance I stopped with those two, but oh I could have spent so much money in there. If I ever get a working sewing machine again Iāll definitely be back for some of the beautiful fabrics, and in the meantime I get the feeling Iām going to become a regular at the Crochet Chaos socials.
Remember I decluttered my blanket yarn to Rebecca? Well she sent me some super AWESOME yarn in return, and I finally had time to collect it from the Post Office, so I thought I’d have a wee unboxing.
First up, a couple of skeins in this really interesting colourway.
It makes me think of Autumn evenings all snuggled up to keep warm, so these cakes will probably end up as a cowl or scarf.
Then there’s this lovely blue grey purple skein.
No plans for that one yet.
Some spangles
And then these two.
As soon as I pulled these from the box I knew they were destined to be together. The grey is just too neutral for my liking, and the pink kind of burns my eyes, but if I put them together they balance each other out perfectly.
It’s really interesting to me; if I had seen most of these colourways in a shop I don’t think I would have gone for them (I tend to be distracted by bright, jewel colours), but looking at them now I actually really like them.
It’ll be fun to work outside of my usual colour palette, which never would have happened if I hadn’t gone for swapsies. It really is good to try new things sometimes!
Quiet Water Craft 
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