I was really struggling with what to write for this week’s blog, partly because I have had a difficult week, what with sick dogs and children having troubles and so on, but then I realised that today is the end of February and March arrives tomorrow and lo and behold I can look forward towards the craziness that is next month with you. Is it me or has February whizzed by? Perhaps it is just to do with getting older.
March is a very big month for us here, mostly because of the East Anglia Yarn Festival which currently seems to be occupying all our thoughts. We have already been packing stock, putting together kits, ordering random things for display purposes and generally feeling anxious about the fact that we have taken a bigger stand this year. We are launching our own brand of hand dyed yarns, and are bringing in two new yarns for your delectation and delight. These are a small selection from the wonderful Qing Fibre of amazingly coloured yarns on a variety of bases, and fourteen colours of Devonia 4ply from John Arbon Textiles. None of these will be one the website until after the Festival, so if you want some, you will have to come and see us there!
I think the main reason for my anxiety about the Festival is that I am taking the weekend before off to visit the huge H+H Trade Fair in Cologne. I went two years ago, and this year I am more organised and have actually made appointments to see some people. Obviously I will be visiting Lang Yarns to drool over their new offerings for autumn/winter, but I have also arranged to see Au Ver a Soie, because I would like to expand the range of embroidery threads that I offer and they have the most amazing silks. I will be dropping by Malabrigo’s stand of course, but I also hope to see Isager Yarns, Novita (because of my Moomin sock obsession) and many more. There are three whole floors of textiles and yarns for me to visit. I am exhausted just thinking about it! I am combining the trip with a bit of a holiday in Brussels and Bruges as well, having visited neither place. I have always longed to see Bruges, which was a major centre of textiles in the late medieval period.
Because of all this, we do not have any workshops or courses this month, but our weekly Social Stitchers sessions are still on and will be on the following dates:
Tuesday 4 March 11am to 1pm
Tuesday 11 March 2pm to 4pm
Saturday 22 March 2pm to 4pm
Tuesday 25 March 7pm to 9pm.
If we do not see you before, I hope very much that I will be seeing some of you at the East Anglia Yarn Festival – do come by and say hi. In the meantime, enjoy the beginning of Spring!