I am proud to announce
that I no longer have 'Fair Isle Phobia'. Fair Isle knitting is a beautiful
technique where you can use two colours in a row. This is either extremely therapeutic
as you can see a colourful piece appearing before you own eyes or it can lead
to you needing your husband to cut you out of your project :s.
As I realised I was in
much need of new mittens and wanted to face this phobia head on, I decided to
attend a workshop. I found a brilliant workshop at Guthrie and Ghani (www.guthrie-ghani.co.uk/) and
instantly put my name now. This is cute shop located in Birmingham which has a
lovely range of material and yarns. I consider this shop to be a sweet shop for
the crafter.
The workshop was run by Sarah Hazell, who I deem
as a saint. Even though the workshop had 2 tables full of fearful knitters,
Sarah made you feel like you were the only person in the room. She was able to
take the time you needed to calm you down and help you continue with your work.
I loved her style and I would recommend doing a course with her if you get the
chance.
By the end of the workshop, I had a completed
mitten. I did not end up knotted in my work once and I can now knit with 2
different colours with two hands (Yes I a super knitter). I was so please that
I completed the other one in the evening.
No longer to I quiver at the thought of Fair Isle. I am now
happy to embrace it. So happy in fact I am the proud the owner Shetland wool.
As a crafter your holidays are often orientated around where the craft shops
are. I met my sister in Oxford and this is where I can across The Fibreworks in
Oxford (www.thefibreworksoxford.co.uk/). There is a
vast range of natural fibred yarns and every colour of the rainbow. This is where I got my yarn from. I was in
there quite a length of time dreaming about what I could make with these yarns.
The owner was friendly and chatty and helped me selected colours that
complimented each other. This is a skill that I need to develop further. They
appear to have a good range of workshops which if I lived nearer I would love
to attend. 
I visited York which is a
crafters paradise. There is a crafters’ trail which takes you around the city to about 5 different craft shops.
If you are into knitting, sewing or into beading you will not be disappointed.
This is where I stumbled across Ramshambles. This is again a haven for knitters
and crocheters. Here there was a brilliant range of Yorkshire yarns and I have
fell in love with a magical sock yarn. This will apparently form stripes if I
knit it up correctly. I am a bit of a sock phobic……..hhhhmmmmm Guthrie and
Ghani do have a sock workshop in May………
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