In case you hadn’t noticed I went to the H+H Cologne trade fair last Saturday and I had an absolute blast. Trade fairs are amazing and this one is the biggest in Europe for hand crafts – three floors of the enormous conference building in Cologne jam packed with yarns, fabrics, threads and everything in between. This time, I had actually made appointments to see people, which meant that I was more focussed than the last time I went, but I had plenty of time in between to wander the stands.
My first appointment was with Lang Yarns. Lang is one of the biggest companies in Europe and I love their enormous range of yarns, from the everyday to the wildly fashionable. This year the predominant colour they were showing was purple (one of my favourite colours). But they are also launching new colours of old favourites and brand new ‘fashion’ yarns for the Autumn/Winter season. I drooled over everything but eventually decided to take new colours of some of the yarns we already stock and to bring in a couple of new ranges, in particular a winter chunky called Mosaic, a lovely variegated sock yarn, Move 6ply, and a gorgeously soft wool/cashmere blend called Fortuna. We are also going to be bringing in a sparkly yarn called Astra, which can be held together with any other yarns to add a touch of glittery luxury to your knits.
Next up was the company which supplies me with undyed yarns for hand dyeing. They are based in Yorkshire and it was great to catch up with them and see the new ranges that they are planning, including a wonderfully soft wool/mohair blend in an aran weight. Their specialism is British yarns and it was interesting to chat with them about their processes and their ranges. I have vague ideas about having my own brand of yarn at some time in the future, but I think it will take some work and planning so am trying not to get too excited about it.
My final appointment was not knitting but embroidery related. I currently stock DMC Mouline Cotton embroidery threads and Appletons crewel and tapestry wool, but have wanted for a long time to stock silk embroidery threads. So I arranged to meet with the French company Au Ver a Soie. They stock amazing colours and varieties of silk and gold threads, some neatly packaged up in kits. They also have some beautiful embroidery kits. I am very much looking forward to making my first order with them.
As well as these pre-arranged meetings, I visited the West Yorkshire Spinners Stand and saw their new ranges for 2025, including some new colours in Signature 4ply, themed around butterflies, a new range of pure wool 4 ply called Solstice and, what I found most exciting, a new range of pure wool DK called Morris which has been created in collaboration with the William Morris Museum in Walthamstow, and with Debbie Bliss. I also got a sneak peek at their Christmas Sparkle – Mulled Wine. Pleasingly the stand was absolutely mobbed. It felt really good to see a British company doing so well amongst all the European ones. I do think that West Yorkshire Spinners have got better and better in the last few years.
Another British company I visited was Baa Ram Ewe. I stock their Skipper 5 ply and wanted to see what else they might have on offer. The yarn that I liked best there was a Donegal Tweed, a blend of Irish and British wool that they have developed in some really lovely tweedy colours. I met a very nice Dutch man who sells pure wool felt, which I think I might start stocking for the crafters who keep coming in to ask me for it. I have not been able to source pure wool felt here, so it was good to find it. I dropped into the stands of other familiar brands, Katia, Filcolana, Isager Yarns, Rico, Opal sock yarns and admired their products. I got to try out the new Forte interchangeable needles at the ChiaoGoo stand (wonderfully light to handle and they fit with all the ChiaoGoo cables). I was glad, to be honest, that we do not do fabrics as I think that would have needed a whole separate day – there were some amazing things on offer in the quilting and dressmaking bits of the show.
I was exhausted by the time I left, but buzzing with new ideas and so many plans, not only for the Autumn/Winter season, but for the long term. And then I had the pleasure of walking back in the sunshine across the Rhine into the centre of Cologne to catch my train. I am already planning to go again next year if I can.
