If you were at The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in October then you may have come across a new UK yarn brand called Yarn Stories who launched their new collection of yarns at the show.
I am really excited about this 'new kid on the block' for 3 specific reasons, the first being that the yarns are spun in the UK, the second, that the yarns are outstandingly beautiful and the third, that the brand's focus is on independent designers and cutting edge design.
If, like me, you have a passion for colour then you too will love their palette. The shades are vibrant and rich, with strong colours like deep red and fuchsia, a lovely cobalt blue and a deep dark purple. Because of the quality of the yarn the colours really sing out from the shade card and make me want to knit or crochet with every single one!
If you haven't visited the Yarn Stories web site already then you really do need to take a look - its a great site with lots of interesting stuff to look at - like the story behind the making of the brand, sourcing the yarns, choosing the palette and designer profiles as well as behind the scenes images and stories.
The current design collection features stories such as 'Grace' and 'Metroscape', 'Pioneer' and a 'Gifted' story which is appearing over the next few days ready download in time to make special gifts for Christmas.
There are some really lovely garment patterns ready for download from the site, but of course it is the blanket and cushion designs which get me the most excited. The cushion below is by Sasha Kagan:
If you want a bit of fun you could choose to make Peter and Percy - designed by Eline Oftedal. I think these are really fab and look pretty easy to do.
I am really excited about this 'new kid on the block' for 3 specific reasons, the first being that the yarns are spun in the UK, the second, that the yarns are outstandingly beautiful and the third, that the brand's focus is on independent designers and cutting edge design.
If, like me, you have a passion for colour then you too will love their palette. The shades are vibrant and rich, with strong colours like deep red and fuchsia, a lovely cobalt blue and a deep dark purple. Because of the quality of the yarn the colours really sing out from the shade card and make me want to knit or crochet with every single one!
If you haven't visited the Yarn Stories web site already then you really do need to take a look - its a great site with lots of interesting stuff to look at - like the story behind the making of the brand, sourcing the yarns, choosing the palette and designer profiles as well as behind the scenes images and stories.
There are some really lovely garment patterns ready for download from the site, but of course it is the blanket and cushion designs which get me the most excited. The cushion below is by Sasha Kagan:
The 3 cushion covers above have been designed by Amanda Crawford. I think these are just great and I really love the stitch detail - the herringbone one looks like a woven fabric don't you think?
The blanket below will be my first design to feature within the collection. It's called Rothko and the pattern will be available to download from next Tuesday within the 'Gifted' story via the Yarn Stories web site.
If you're a fan of Facebook and Twitter then you should definitely follow the yarn brand as they do lots of giveaways and competitions. I would also suggest you get yourself a shade card. The yarn is available on line only at the moment and choosing yarn shades on the internet can be difficult, especially as colours on screen are always more blue than they are in reality. Having a shade card to hand when choosing your yarn means you won't be disappointed with your colour choice when your yarn parcel arrives in the post.
If you have a little spare time during the madness that is the last few weeks before Christmas and you fancy a quiet cup of tea and a peruse of the internet, then I think you should make your first stop the Yarn Stories web site, problem is that you might well end up spending a little more time and a little more money than you thought!
