This past November, you probably saw the launch of Knit With Attitude’s 10th anniversary book of knitted and crocheted designs. If you have not, I will give you a little background information first. Knit With Attitude is a yarn shop based in Stoke Newington, London, that specialize in ethical and eco-friendly yarn. Owner, Maya Bing, started the business over ten years ago and wanted to mark the occasion with a special collection.
Read moreAlpaca Tweed at Loop
Summer is slowly starting to creep into London. We've had a few incredibly nice days lately, even though the temperature still drops and becomes quite chilly at night. I know around this time most knitters change the yarn preferences to cotton and linen and cast summer projects onto their needles. I fear I am the opposite. As much as I would love to knit some linen tops for myself, the urge is never strong enough. Instead, I am always counting down the weeks until autumn's first frost. I tend to work with heavier and warmer blends all year round. So when I heard the news that Loop would be carrying The Border Mill's Alpaca Tweed, I was ecstatic!
Photo Credit: @looplondonloves
Photo Credit: @looplondonloves
Alpaca Tweed has been one of my favourite yarn discoveries since moving to London. If you've flipped through Take Heart: A Transatlantic Knitting, you've probably read about how much I love this yarn since finding their stand at Edinburgh Yarn Festival in 2015. At this year's festival, they were number one on my list of businesses to visit. I was pleased to see the new yarns they've been developing since last year too. Loop in London, is stocking their Alpaca Tweed in a special range of colours for the shop. Now that this yarn is within arms reach, this is very, very dangerous for me.
Photo Credit: Sophie Scott for Loop Knit Lounge Blog
To anticipate the arrival of the twelve new shades, I collaborated with Loop's owner, Susan Cropper, to design a fun floral themed bunting for the shop. I'm so thrilled to see that the bunting pattern is now available as a free PDF download. You can find Blossom Bunting on Loop's blog here. Loop's resident blogger, Sophie Scott, transformed the shop's window to display the new colours and bunting. I also knit up my Chester Basin set from Take Heart for the shop which you can now see in person when you stop by to visit. I used Hydrangea Dream for the main colour and Where Breezes Begin as the accent. I love this new combination and how different it feels from the original Night Sky and Distressed Oatmeal used in the book. Also, just a friendly reminder, there has been an errata posted on Pom Pom's Errata Page about this pattern. If you're purchasing Alpaca Tweed from Loop or The Border Mill directly, you'll need two skeins of the main colour if you're planning to knit the larger set. One skein of each colour is still sufficient to make the small or medium set. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Renegade
This past weekend marked my first introduction to the London craft community as Fiona Alice. I was lucky enough to participate in Renegade's London Holiday Market at the Old Truman Brewery. It was a pleasure to be surrounded by extraordinary UK crafters and to socialise with lovely customers. Thank-you to everyone who stopped by for a chat and to try on my knitwear.
Photo Credit: Renegade Craft Fair
Hampton Court
Here's a day where I visited Hampton Court Palace around the end of September. There were lots of gardens, ominous clouds and unicorns to take in. I originally went to see the Handmade Fair which was held in the palace's gardens, a stunning backdrop for the fair to be set against. After roaming the stalls, I ventured into the palace itself for a touristy afternoon.
September
The sights of September have been fantastic so far! Pom Pom participated in the Royal Horticultural Society's Secret Garden Sundays on September 7th. Here are a few shots of the gorgeous things I was surrounded by all day. I left with fresh produce for dinner, handprinted cards and a few bottles of apple cider.
Monday, September the 8th, was my twenty-fifth birthday. So I decided to take myself out sightseeing again with Tally Ho! Cycle Tours. These pictures are from their Old City Tour. The weather was gorgeous and the cider was sweet. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
Last week, Naho Izumi of Temaricious, stopped by Pom Pom Headquarters to tell us all about Temari. Temari is a form of traditional Japanese folk art which is the process of making thread balls. Originally, they were for children to play with. Now they are just mainly for beautiful decor. Naho and her team also naturally dye the cotton threads used to make the temari balls.
