colinette yarns

Heike May 16, 2015

knitting retreat diary – day five

The morning of day five greeted us with wind and rain, how wonderful that we are all knitters and have a small selection of woolliness in which to wrap ourselves in to keep warm. Dennis our trusted bus driver was waiting for us and soon we were on our way to Llanfair Caereinion and a visit to Colinette Yarns. I had saved the best for last, and the only thing everyone knew was that they could expect some colourful woolly goodness. If any of you have ever visited Colinette, you will know what awaits when stepping through the entrance…it is simply yarn heaven! There were a lot of joyful outbursts, fondling of yarn hanks and cuddles with blanket or jumper samples. Coffee, tea and biscuits awaited us and we had an informative talk about all things Colinette before spending a good few hours shopping. The highlight was surely meeting Sam, son of Colinette, who showed us around the dying rooms, giving us an insight on how it all works…what a special treat that was.

This was also our last evening together and after another deliciously prepared meal by the hotel kitchen we settled down to enjoy each other’s company one last time. We had a show and tell session during which everyone shared their experiences and project journey, from choosing colours, holding the yarn and incorporating own ideas into the pattern. Claudia and I gave out certificates and everyone received a crochet medal for taking part and doing so well. This was greeted with a loud cheer and immediately pinned on and worn proudly.

I am so so proud of what everyone has achieved, the samples above show what amazing work everyone did and I love every single one of these combinations. The one I totally fell in love with…

…these shades together are simply stunning and my head is full of ideas and possibilities.

X.

Heike November 13, 2014

workshop, friends and many visits

Last week my friend Claudia came to visit me here in Wales. Claudia is the owner of online yarn retailer Wollsinn, the main supplier of beautiful Isager Yarns in Germany. She also organises the Schwabsburger Wollfest every year to which I get invited to teach workshops, lucky me!

We have many things in common, especially teaching other knitters and crocheters new skills, and we are planning a Knitting Retreat to Wales next year (more about that in another post). We decided to use her visit not only for relaxation, but also treat it as a research tour. So here is a summary of our very busy few days…

As I had already planned a workshop for Saturday, Claudia joined in meeting many of my loyal customers and friends. We had a great day learning new crochet skills like Tapestry and Lace Crochet, and everyone left having achieved a great deal during the day.

Sunday we set off for a small tour of some of the possible visits we are planning during our Knitting Retreat Tour next year. First we travelled to Conwy with its towering castle, beautiful little harbour and cute shops and houses.

We drove up the Conwy Valley past green meadows, sheep, Trefriw Woollen Mill (sadly closed that day), more sheep and stopped in Betws-y-Coed for some breathtaking scenery and well earned afternoon tea.

The final day of her visit we spent travelling to Mid-Wales and a visit to Colinette Yarns in Llanfair Caereinion. The shop is heaven to any yarn lover and Claudia was no exception in making all the right noises and fondling the beautiful hanks of different yarn, as each yarn is available in 125 different colours.

Having written many to-do lists we said a sad farewell, goodbye, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu…!

Sweet memories remain…and the excitement of organising our Knitting Retreat Tour together.

What have you been up to this week? I hope you are making sweet memories too!

Enjoy! X.

Heike September 27, 2013

what the sisters did all week

dear diary,

aged about 12 & 7

Many of you will know that my ‘little’ sister came to visit me last week, and if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you would have seen photos of our daily shenanigans.

We had such a great time together from the moment she arrived…

…a day out in Chester with a little shopping at favourite places…

browsing at cath kidston

…time at home doing things together that we both love…

baking – a shared passion

knitting – another shared passion

…a day out visiting the yarn equivalent of a jelly bean shop…

yarn shopping at colinette yarns

…the weather was exceptionally kind to us, with bright blue skies, lot’s of sunshine and warm temperatures; quite unusual for us here in North Wales at this time of year.

…the week flew by and before we knew it we had to say: “Auf Wiedersehen”…

wearing our new shawls

…time flies when you are having fun, come back soon ‘little’ sis.

I am off to Yarndale in Skipton tomorrow and I am hoping to meet up with many friends, take lots of photos and may be…just maybe make a little yarn purchase. xx

Heike September 12, 2013

zig-zag shrug a la made with loops

dear diary,

After a summer filled with crochet I thought it was high time for a little knitting this week, and what better way to get into the mood than a day out yarn foraging with good friends.

A trip on the Welsh Light Railway, an old steam railway operating between Welshpool and Llanfair Caereinion, to visit Colinette Yarns was organised, and last Tuesday four yarn addicts set off for a day of colourful woolliness.

We had a lovely day of yarny goodness with a little nostalgia thrown in, and all came home with a little bit of ‘this & that’. Here is what I bought…

…well, actually I bought three hanks of this, but two have been made into something (more in a moment).

This is Hullabaloo, a 67% wool/ 33% black welsh aran weight yarn. Totally squishy and a joy to work with, it knits up 18sts and 25 rows using 4.5mm needles. It comes in 50g hanks at 75m per hank and is available in the usual array of colours that Colinette has become famous for.

My colour is called Dali shade – Sunflower Susie and I have knitted it into a shrug. The Larch – Zig Zag shrug from the Isis book to be precise. But, as you know me well enough now, I can never make anything following a given pattern, always having to change something…no different this time.

In the book the shrug is knitted using Colinette Isis yarn which I am not particularly fond of, so I changed it for Hullabaloo. As I had used it before, and fallen in love with for it’s beautiful softness and the fact that it contains Welsh Wool, I also knew what to expect when knitting it. I re-worked the pattern: Isis knits using 7mm needles and I wanted to use 5mm, I also wanted to change the arm opening a little to be slightly more snug.

Knitting started on the train ride back, continued over the last couple of evenings and I have enjoyed every moment of it. Holding knitting needles after a summer filled with hooky time has been pure bliss.

Tonight is our monthly knitting group meeting and two guesses what I will be wearing and showing off…

…can’t wait to hear what the ‘girls’ will say.

I hope you are all having a week filled with new discoveries, yarny or otherwise.

Tell me what you have been making, you know I would love to hear from you.

Whatever it is you are doing…enjoy xx