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Our Own Private Edinburgh Yarn Festival
The social media hashtag is FOMO: Fear of Missing Out.
I’ve got a lowdown case of the FOMO today, as I watch many of my Instagram and Ravelry friends heading off to Edinburgh, Scotland, for the Edinburgh Yarn Festival, which takes place today and tomorrow in Scotland at the Corn Exchange.
The Edinburgh Yarn Festival, or EYF, is only a few years old, but it has really caught on. I first read about it in Knitlandia, the quintessential guide to worldwide knitting hootenannies and jubilees by Clara Parkes. (Which just had its first pub-date anniversary. Congrats, Clara! May Knitlandia stay in print forever, and get bigger with each “revised and expanded” edition, like Let’s Go Europe, whose current edition (its 57th) is a lean and juicy 840 pages.)
Not to make us stay-at-homers more miserable or anything, but take a look at the EYF exhibitors list. So many new yarns, and new friends, to discover there.
EYF is an independent venture, organized run by two knitters, Jo and Mica. Even the website looks different from those of the publisher-organized knitting shows we attend here in the US. I highly recommend a wallow in the image galleries. Gah! Look at the 2016 garment galleries!
Consolation
Let’s make ourselves feel better with an armchair tour of Scottish knitwear designers.
To get us rolling, how about a walk through Scotland, In the Footsteps of Sheep? Seems like quite the hike, and the conditions a bit challenging, but according to Franklin Habit’s review, the journey is definitely worthwhile. The book is a prerequisite for knitters preparing for their first trip to Scotland.
My list is juicy, but short, so please shout out additions (and links) in the comments.
Alice Starmore, whose designs and books have stood the test of decades.
There’s happy news for Starmore fans: Tudor Roses, a collection of iconic sweaters that starts with Henry VII’s grandmother and ends with Mary, Queen of Scots, has just been released in a new Dover paperback edition. My sumptuous fabric-bound copy is great, but sized for a coffee table, not a knitting bag. These sweaters deserve to be admired, certainly, but also to be knitted (as Adrienne Martini documented in her book, Sweater Quest: My Year of Knitting Dangerously, a classic in the genre of Fan Nonfiction).
Kate Davies, who captures and conjures Scottish knitwear traditions with a modern eye.
Davies’s knits nod to tradition while existing completely in the present moment. Her latest books are The Book of Haps, Inspired by Islay, and Shetland Oo. Kate’s books are available at her web shop and also through Fyberspates USA.
Lucy Hague, whose new collection, Illuminated Knits, was inspired by Celtic manuscripts and features gloriously moody two-color knotted cablework.
(I know I say “gah!” a lot, but gah!) My favorite, though, is a single-color cabled pattern, Morvarch, from Lucy’s Celtic Cable Shawls e-book. One more thing: gah!
Di Gilpin. I first encountered Di Gilpin’s work in Rowan’s Shore Lines pamphlet circa 2005, but there’s so much more.
Gilpin is a triple threat: handknitting patterns, ready-to-wear, and Scottish lambswool yarn.
Ysolda Teague. A designer with charm, energy and versatility, fluent in many styles of knitting, and now purveyor of her own line of yarn.
147 patterns on Ravelry. I have long wanted to make one of Ysolda’s colorwork designs, and see no reason why Bruntsfield would not work as a man’s vest.
There. That was exactly like going to Edinburgh Yarn Festival.
Nah?
There’s always next year.
I would love to be going to EYF. Will just have to see it through the eyes of others through blogs, tweets, and Instagram.
GAH!
Old Maiden Aunt yarns – they (she?) has a new book — Coming Home with contributions from Scottish stars like Ysolda.
Also, I’ve been to Scotland — it’s beautiful and magical. I can only regret that it was before I was a knitter.
Hi, who is recording the video at the top of the page?
Deb, thank you for asking this question. I’m mortified that I did not credit Vero Pepperell and have rectified my oversight by adding a link to her wonderful YouTube channel, Along the Lanes, at the bottom of the post just now. Many thanks for letting me know I had lipstick on my teeth. Or broccoli. Or something.
Kay
Ha-I’m just on the lookout for knitting podcasts. Thanks!
And then there is Gudrun Johnston of Shetland Knitting and Brooklyn Tweed fame. Love her patterns too.
Denise Bell and Chris Dykes of Lost City Knits have put together a lovely book of essays, photos and patterns called Ultima Thule: Patterns Inspired by the Shetland Islands, that comes from their travels. I’m going to take a class from Denise at DFW Fiber Fest this year, hoping to hear more about their trip.
You provided a link to the paperback version of Tudor Roses and I would love for you to get the bit of money Amazon gives through links from the blog since I did not know the book was out in paperback until I read it here. My question is how to use Amazon Smile (which is how I do all of my Amazon purchases since a small portion goes to the charity of my choice with that program) while still allowing you to get your bit as well. Help please!
Debbi,
Don’t worry about cutting us in, we are happy you learned about the paperback Tudor Roses from us. What a great way to help your charity!
You are so kind. The Humane Society and I both thank you!
Considering how long we in America have had yarn fests galore while Europe looked on longingly, I’m happy for our British compatriots to now have EYF.
Hear, hear!
(Though of course, I wouldn’t turn down a free ticket to Edinburgh . . .)
Well of course. 😀
The http://www.knockandowoolmill.org.uk and http://www.newlanarkshop.co.uk are worth being mentioned, if you want to experience scottish yarn besides the lovely Shetland yarns.
I only made it about 45 seconds into the video – just to the wall of Wollmeise – before a towering wave of travel-envy washed over me and I had to step back for a moment and remind myself to Love The Yarn I’m With.
Words of wisdom, for sure, Quinn. Thank you for this insight! Love the Yarn I’m With, and the project, and the book, and all the other stuff too. I can lust after the next yarn (and project, et al) without having to accumulate more.
Karie Bookish (http://www.fourth-edition.co.uk/) lives in Glasgow and has lovely designs inspired by her surroundings. And the most recent post on her blog is a guide to EYF!
Also, I saw the picture of Kate Davies on the MDK homepage, and had a moment of real confusion about which blog I was on.
I was lucky to get to EYF for a few hours on Friday, and it was amazing! I tried not to go too crazy, but found some wonderful Scottish yarns (and narrowly avoided the Brooklyn Tweed booth, which I can get easily at home). I was so glad I was able to rearrange some travel plans made before I heard that EYF was happening while I was in Scotland!
For Scottish knit podcasts the gold standard for me is http://www.knitbritish.net by Louise Scollay who is based in Edinburgh from Shetland (voice to die for) and champions locally sourced yarn where ever you live. http://www.knitsonik.com/ by Felicity Ford (she has a background in sound recording so the podcast is of a very high quality) As a local to Edinburgh I’d say COME! in addition to the festival we have 5 local yarn shops, umpteen cafes to knit in and if you are in Edinburgh on a monday night check that my craft group is meeting http://www.grannygreens.co.uk
I was just in London. I could have made a side trip. 🙁
Next year as I will likely be at the same conference.