This week we had a special guest at our Yarn in the Barn group. Emma, who is the Sales Director at Sirdar joined in with the group bringing along a few extra goodies to share (more about this next week). A little bit like a yarn show and tell. Something that we are all always interested in here at Black Sheep Wools.

One of the ladies in the group (Joan) was teaching Emma to crochet with a gorgeous teal shade of Sublime yarn. When I went in with the camera it looked like she was grasping it pretty quickly, as you can see from the photo below.

Crochet really did seem to be the craft of choice at this weeks Yarn in the Barn. I got chatting to one lady (Cathy) who had made a fabulous bag. The pattern was from an old Sirdar book from Cathy’s stash. She chose to make it in a juicy selection of shades from the Sirdar Simply Recycled Aran range. Also adding an extra bit of sparkle with the Louisa Harding Mila in cream. Cathy had pinned a spotty fabric lining in the bag ready to be sewn. A great bag for holidays on the beach!

The second piece of crochet was from a lady called Carole who has been crocheting with the Rico Romeo yarn. I was that mesmerised by the crochet I did actually forget to ask what she was making. However, next time she is at the group I will definitely be asking. Such a pretty stitch which looks and feels lovely. I couldn’t believe how soft the crochet felt. For some reason I saw quite a dense stitch in cotton and imagined it to be stiff, but not the Rico Romeo yarn.

You may remember from the Yarn in the Barn the Sarah Lund cross stitch that was being stitched. Well it is taking shape now, the border is half complete and much more of the face finished. It won’t be long before we will be seeing this pressed and framed!

Sarah Hatton is a well known knitwear designer for Rowan. You will often see her name against many of the beautiful garments in the Rowan bi-annual magazine and in and amongst their fantastic array of pattern books. Sarah has an ever growing selection of books featuring solely her designs, always knitted in Rowan yarns. Her designs are aimed at all levels of knitter from beginners to the more advanced. Not only does she design fabulous patterns Sarah is also a Rowan consultant and teaches many different workshops. We are very excited to be holding Sarah’s ‘Understanding Lace’ workshop here at the Craft Barn in June. There are still a few places left if you would like to book. Read all about the workshop here.

Do you ever wonder what designers get up to when they are knitting? Listen to the radio watch TV? Do they have a favourite yarn? We have asked Sarah Hatton all of these questions and more to get an insight into the life of a Rowan designer.

Who taught you to knit? 

Both my mum and grandma.

What was your first ever knitting project?

I am not sure, I suspect the classic scarf for teddy!

Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

I am very inspired by street style as well as the catwalk fashions.

What is your favourite yarn to knit with?

Boring maybe but a classic 4 ply would suit me well .

Where is your favourite place to knit?

I am not sure i have a favourite but it tends to be on my battered red chesterfield sofa.

Do you ever watch TV or listen to music when doing your knitting?

Yes I watch quite a lot of films and listen to radio 4 or 6.

Do you have a favourite knitting snack?

I try not to!

What other knitwear designer do you admire?

Martin Storey, Kim Hargreaves, Jared Flood to name but a few.

What / who inspired you to become a knitwear designer?

I love the fact that you control so much of the design yourself, you get to create both the fabric and the shape and there are so many way to adapt a pattern how could you not be inspired!

Do you have a knitted treasure? A piece that you could never part with, a gift or maybe something you have made yourself?

I have the Evening Mist shawl I designed for The Knitter issue 28 that I treasure as the knitter has done such a beautiful job, its truly a ‘heritage’ piece.

Do you enjoy knitting for yourself?

When I get the time, yes!

Sarah’s latest books are 10 simple projects for cosy babies and Rowan studio issue 30. Below are images of Sarah Hatton’s books and designs featured inside them!

Have you started knitting your Thread bear yet? Last week Emma brought in her knitting, still fresh on the needles. As you can see from the photo below he is coming along really well. Just one leg to do and the back will be complete. I spoke to Emma today and she said ‘the Rowan Panama yarn is nice to work with and the pattern easy enough to follow, as he is knitted in one piece’. She has now completed his back and is already up to the arms on the front of Thread. It won’t be long now until she is knitted is cute hoodie. The big decision of which shade to go with? To stick with Jem’s colours or go completely different! If you would like to knit your own bear you can download our exclusive Rowan pattern designed by Jem Weston here.

We would love to see your WIP’s (work in progress) of Thread bear. It would be great to share them all here on the blog. Please email photos to amy@blacksheepwools.com. Also if you have any other projects on the go and would like to share the before and after photos please send them in.

Yvonne, who works here in the Craft Barn brought in her super cute grandson Gabriel last week to do a spot of modelling. He was showing off his latest knits by his kind Nana (Yvonne).

Gabriel is allergic to man – made fibres so Yvonne more often than not has to substitute yarns. This can sometimes prove tricky but Yvonne always manages to find lovely shades perfect for a little one. The adorable basket weave cardigan is a Sirdar Supersoft Aran pattern 1844. For this Yvonne chose to use the gorgeous Rico Essentials Merino Aran in the pistachio shade. The perfect outfit with his camel coloured trousers.

Not looking too impressed on this one!

The hat and cardigan set Yvonne has recently completed are also knitted in Rico Essentials Merino Aran. This is a fair isle pattern which Yvonne had tucked away in her stash. He was so well behaved and did seem pretty jolly whilst having his photograph taken.

Would you like to be in with a chance of winning a years subscription to Debbie Abrahams bead club? One lucky person will win just that! This is a great opportunity to sample Debbie’s beautiful beads. Throughout the year you will receive 6 unique knitting patterns designed by well known designers including Sarah Hatton, Sarah Hazell and Debbie Abrahams herself. This is a fantastic prize worth £75. See all of Debbie’s beads now stocked at Black Sheep Wools, both online and in store.

To enter all you need to do is fill out the form on our competition page click here.

A couple of weeks back now a member of yarn in the barn group brought in this beautiful blanket she had nearly finished. Crocheted in  Rico Essentials Soft Merino Aran and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. An absolutely fabulous blanket that is definitely inspiring me to continue with my own crochet projects.

I love the circle shape used continuously throughout. This is a welcome change to your traditional granny square design.

You may have seen the lovely SMC yarns – Rosas and Pertinio and wondered which patterns are suitable for these yarns. The book has now been discontinued but the great news is that we have all the patterns to download for free from our website. Woohoo!

Below are a selection of patterns that we have available to download for free from the Black Sheep Wools website. They are the perfect items for summer holidays and in juicy shades. There are others too, so don’t miss out! (see more patterns here). Both yarns are currently in the sale, SMC Pertinio is now £2.25 a ball RRP £4.50 and SMC Rosas £2.49 a ball RRP £5.25.

Striped top – knitted in SMC Rosas & Pertinio

Block colour top – knitted in SMC Pertinio

Cardigan – knitted in SMC Rosas

Crochet shawl – crochet in SMC Pertinio

Lace top – knitted in SMC Pertinio 

Striped top – knitted in SMC Pertinio

Sleeveless top – knitted in SMC Rosas

Block colour top – knitted in SMC Rosas

Today was the first day of our Craft Barn 10 day mega sale. Paul was out early on the car park directing customers into spaces. A very cold and rainy morning. Not really what you would hope for on a spring day. Many early birds arrived before 10am!

There was a lovely atmosphere in the Craft Barn, everyone eager to find all of our fantastic bargains. This year the yarn dive has been relocated to a spot in the warehouse, which has allowed more space for even more yarn (more like a yarn mountain!). Although it has been a busy day today, fear not there is still plenty of yarn and needlecraft for everyone!

To the yarn dive!

A happy customer out shopping for bargains.

A break in the tea shop before going back on the hunt.

The yarn dive at 4:00pm ready for tomorrow!

We are all busy getting ready for the ‘famous’ Black Sheep Craft Barn 10 day sale. It starts tomorrow (10th May) and finishes on 19th May. I have just had a sneaky peek at the sale list and there are some fantastic yarns on offer. The Craft show favourite, ‘the yarn dive’ will be bigger and better than ever with packets upon packets of yarn. I remember last year spotting one customer sat surrounded with all the packets having a good rummage. For those who can’t make it to the Craft Barn we still have lots and lots of great bargains online. Make sure you always check on our yarn clearance section for the latest. If you are planning on making a trip up here, don’t forget the fabulous tea shop ‘tea bags full’ is now open. Here you can re-charge your batteries with a delicious slice of cake and a coffee (or tea!) and then set off on another expedition around the Barn. There is a chance you might not want to leave!!

For directions to the Craft Barn and store opening hours head over to our Craft Barn page.

Lots of tickets in preparation for tomorrow!!

Have you been busy crafting over the bank holiday weekend? I haven’t done any (uh oh!) not even more of my granny square blanket. It is coming along nicely though. My squares seem to be geting bigger and bigger, especially now I have decided to add a white Louisa Harding Ianthe border to each square! Emma has been busy finishing off her oh so cute ‘Edmund the bunny‘. He is a free pattern available on the Rowan website and is knitted in the gorgeous Revive yarn.

Emma said now Edmund is complete she is ready to begin knitting her very own ‘Thread bear’. I feel a little lost at the moment as I have had (Jem Weston’s original) Thread bear sat along side me, on my desk for the past few weeks. He is now sat in the Craft Barn on display. I may just have to knit one for myself to keep me company!