I hope you are all well and a Happy Autumn to you!  

Since my last newsletter I have been super busy taking yarn to both Yarndale and The Bakewell Wool Gathering.  Both events were fabulous and it was wonderful to have taken part in such well organised and attended shows. It is also so good to meet so many yarn enthusiasts and to see Mamie and Florrie yarn being worn too. Thank you!

I have a couple of smaller events now before Christmas, which gives me  the opportunity to focus on new ideas and collaborations and arrange international shipping. Yay!

For November events, please check out my events page a little further down below.

Your Makes!

One of the gorgeous things about the making community is how we show what we make via social media and email.

The beauty is that we’re not bragging; it’s a collaboration sharing ideas, patterns, fibres, winning colour combos, and a generous sharing of knowledge too.

Here’s some really beautiful pieces that have caught my eye recently using Mamie and Florrie yarn.  And you will see that boucle is such a popular choice of yarn currently.

One for All Shawl by Made with Loops

@knitone_purrone knit Made with Loops “One for All” shawl using Afflecks boucle. I love the simplicity of this free one-skein pattern, it’s a great piece to add to your autumn wardrobe.

Cloudy Nora by Yarnison

It is great to see Cloudy Nora by Yarnison popping up on social media now. From left to right, shawls knit by @lynne's_makes @peterandsharonsalmon and @smoggyknits

I have seen some fab colour combos going to new homes at both Yarndale and Bakewell shows, so I can’t wait to share more shawls with you soon - no pressure at all, knitters, I promise!

Hand Crafted Bags

I have been collecting lots of ideas and adding them to a Pinterest board. Please feel free to take a look; click on the image below to see.

There are so many ideas in there, not just shapes but fibre mixes (hold a strand of 4ply and Yak Fluff, for example, or Jumbo Boucle, Silk Loopy Mohair …) but I have also added new bag frames to my web shop too, and there’s more to come.  Play around with ideas and create your own designs.

You may have noticed Cos and Whistles have jumped on the boucle clutch trend too.

Bags make great gifts for giving and keeping! Jane @created.uniquely made this gorgeous blue bag below using the Paragliders Over Mam Tor boucle and wooden bag frame. @makingbythelake made the stunning metal-framed bag - both with fab linings too!  

Metal frames have been super popular at the shows; little frames make great sock project bags, and larger frames make great knitting bags!

It’s not just about knitting bags; Molla Mill’s book Crochet Crush has some AMAZING crochet bags #addstochristmaslist

Knitted Tops

Charlotte @ceej.knits visited me at Chorlton on Saturday wearing her Camisole 4 by My Favourite Things and bought another skein to make another one, one skein! I really love the shaping in Louise Rasmussen's patterns and have seen my yarn knit into a couple of her designs.  These are super cute and cosy knits and perfect worn under layers in the winter too.  Thank you so much, Charlotte, for sharing your gorgeous photos.

@doriaasmith knit a Ura Ue Plain Vest by Natsuko Lida in “Tracey Emin Says So” super bright pink boucle. I met Dorita at Yarndale, and this flew off the needles very quickly soon after!

New Pattern

Lily (aka The Cumbrian Knitter on Ravelry) designed a scarf using a skein each of my High Twist 4ply and Mohair in Mamie’s House colourway. Lily’s knitting is exquisite, and her pattern has been released on Ravelry. Please take a look. I have been lucky enough to have worn Lily’s sample, and the multiple wraps around your neck in the mohair blend are so soft and warm.

Wrap Like Mamie is available to buy on Ravelry now.  Thank you Lily for choosing to work with my yarn.

Amazing Stash Busting Patterns

New Yarns

I have added a couple of new yarn bases to the Mamie and Florrie range recently, one of which is the gorgeous new Knit by Numbers base from John Arbon.  

The yarn is 4-ply non-superwash 50% Bluefaced Leicester, 50% Merino blend, and it plumps beautifully when dyed.  Mamie’s House and Ice Wind in Reykjavik have been super popular already at Yarndale, especially when combined with yak suri blend fluff for super warm winter cowls and hats. Yak suri blends and silk suri blends are two more new yarn bases being added to the range.  

I have also dyed this base in our favourite colourways.  Have a peek; we all love John Arbon yarns, loving the quality, and appreciate supporting a mill in the UK too.

Geo-Metry Cocoons and Turtles

Treats!

Future Events and Open Days

If you would like to come and visit my little studio, you are very welcome. Just drop me a message to say you are coming.  

My studio is small and on a small industrial estate - very plain on the outside but incredibly colourful and welcoming on the inside!  I can give you directions, and get the kettle on for your arrival, and plump the yarn ready for you, too!  Sadly, I must stress my studio is not suitable for small children. Although out of reach, there are chemicals and heat sources used in dyeing that can’t be mixed with children. Thank you.

Music and Books

Here’s my October “Soundtrack to Dye To”.  It’s an autumnal, warm, and gentle playlist - just what I need at this time of year, and possibly you too?

Book Chat

The book I want to share with you this time is Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.  I actually read this when I went on holiday in the summer and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I am about to start the second book in the series, Tales from the Cafe, and have waited a few months before jumping into the story again, because I loved it so much I didn’t want it to end too soon!

Set in Tokyo, the book tells four short stories about a coffee shop where customers can go back in time. It is very simply written, so I did need to stop and think about the meaning before breezing on to the next chapter.

I will tell you no more except that I loved it and am very ready now to jump back into the coffee shop and meet the characters once more.

I would love to hear what you have been reading recently.  Please let me know; maybe I can share a newsletter recommendation list.

Until next time

Don’t forget to share your makes using the hashtag #mamieandflorrie #mamieandflorrieyarn

It’s wonderful to see your fabulous creativity.