HRYC

Day one of Handmade was super duper awesomely amazing! We're here all ready to go for day 2, pumped full of coffee and excited about hanging out with everyone. 

Here's a few highlights:

Belinda created a new group of keen knitters 

Our knit lounge was filled with knitters and crocheters...

Today we'll be spinning and drum carding and eating chocolate and drinking coffee. If you're around, feel free to come down and join in the fun - and you can still book classes for today. We had a great time at Pecha Kucha last night - for just $10 you can hear a bunch of great people talk about what they love.

If you aren't in Wellington - I hope you are having a lovely crafty weekend. 

There's a whole heaps of activities you can join in on at the Knit Lounge at Handmade this Queen's Birthday weekend. We'll be bringing along loads of yarn, needles, and treats to play with. You'll find us along with half the shop's stock on the third floor of Te Papa - just follow the signs. And don't worry - the shop will also be open if you're in town for the weekend and feel like a leisurely squish and fondle.

The Ashford Joy spinning wheel will be there for you to try...

As will an Ashford SampleIt Loom...

And our wee instax camera - wear something you've knit and we'll add you to the Wall of Fame...

Also, the super popular giant knitting needles will be back! 

Add in the chance to make super speedy pom poms to create a swathe of pom pom garlands & it'll look like yarn exploded all over the third floor of Te Papa.

On Saturday we're having a Ravelry and Twitter meet-up from 1pm - 3pm with free Ravelry badges. Sunday sees us spinning away from 1pm - 3pm - bring along your wheel or spindle for some fun with fibre. If you fancy hearing yours truly speak for 6 minutes about craft stuff then head along to the Pecha Kucha sessions - an absolute bargain of a fun time for only $10. 

See you this weekend! It's going to be an absolute blast!

When Libby from Ashford visited me last year, I was treated to an early squish of the brand new version of Tekapo. Safe to say in a previous life I really wasn't a fan of this yarn - I found it coarse and scratchy and the colours mighty average. 

That we now have it on the shelves is testament to what a different yarn this now is. Lofty, bouncy, squishy and inifinitely softer than it once was. We ordered in 11 colours to start with in 12ply, but will be adding to this selection very quickly. The great thing is with Ashford being based in New Zealand, we can order this in anytime we please! If you need more, or fancy a different colour, it's no problem at all for us to order it in for you. It's also a fantastic alternative to the only other 12ply we usually stock, Cascade Eco (which will be returning to our shelves soon).

Ashford Tekapo 12ply comes in generous 100g balls, with 134m each. It is hand wash and comes in a glorious range of 29 colours.

It's pretty gosh darn perfect for a few of our favourite bulky yarn patterns:

Owls by Kate Davies

Aidez by Cirilia Rose

and

Hemlock Ring Blanket by Jared Flood

The hemlock ring blanket is the most likely project i'll first knit with Tekapo, as it's been lingering in my queue for ages. Already it's gone off to new homes intended for man hats and slippers - and keep people cosy and warm this winter. We've got it up for sale online if you can't make it into the shop for an in-person snuggle. We promise you won't regret it!