Hi, y’all! Today I’m going to share one of the most fun things I did in 2018 – when the Scheepjes Bloggers went to Yarndale for Bloggers’ Days!

Every year, the blogger group meets for an event called Bloggers’ Days where we get pumped about what we do, and discuss yarny thangs. While being very helpful to us as designers to keep our creative juices flowing, it is also an event that fills our hearts because all of the bloggers (we are from around the globe!) get to see each other again. For me, this was super special because I haven’t made it out to a Bloggers’ Days yet, as the first year I was a blogger, my family was in Disney World, and the second year, my city was under water…

So, I have a treat for you all today! I have about a zillion photos from the trip, but I want to share with you all just a few of them. Come along with me to see my trip from Texas, USA all the way to Manchester, England.

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Crochet Art Featured in the Philadelphia International Airport

My flight to England had a layover in Philadelphia, so I had some time to explore the airport, and to my amazement, there was a huge exhibit of beautiful crochet flowers on display. The artist’s name is Jessica Curtaz, and this exhibit is called Outside In.

Those incredible flowers are taller than I am! Aren’t they stunners? I adore the dramatic colors and all the texture.

The installment below is called “It’s a Wrap” and is located in a different area of the airport. I stood way back and took this photo as the yarn-bombing is absolutely massive.

My Airport Layover WIP…

I may have brought a Happy Little Tree WIP with me to work on during down time – which I had plenty during this layover! – and I actually ended up finishing this project before I even got to England. Here is Happy Little Tree, and the photo features my amazing BQueen Collection hand carved crochet hook.

[Related: Shop the yarn to make Happy Little Tree (affiliated)]

Mega tip: if you are travelling and you can’t bring scissors, and you don’t want to use the dental floss cutter trick, you can use your trusty Scheepjes yarn cutter necklace (affiliated).

Okay, it’s like they knew I was going to be there that day, at that exact moment, working on my WIP… A rocking chair! And there were loads of them actually. How great is that?? I totally went and got a Starbucks coffee and just grandma’d out.

More Yarn Bomb Action at Philly Airport

It wasn’t just the awesome flower exhibit – it was also a bunch of the rocking chairs that were covered in yarn. And the airport support columns too.

I got a ton of yarn bomb pics, but I figure y’all are here to read about Yarndale!! So I just selected two photos, and we’re moving on to the fun stuff. England!

The Old Swan Hotel

First, the hotel we stayed in in Harrogate was absolutely beautiful. Take a look at The Old Swan on Wikipedia… It has a rich history. One of the neat things I learned about it was the Agatha Christie scandal. Read an excerpt from the page:

Agatha Christie’s disappearance

In December 1926 the author Agatha Christie suddenly disappeared from her home. She was missing for a total of eleven days, during which the police conducted a major manhunt, and there was speculation that she had committed suicide. The disappearance even drew other crime writers Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy L Sayers into the search, Conan Doyle’s interest in the occult prompting to take one of Christie’s gloves to a medium. After about ten days (having checked into the Swan Hydropathic Hotel under the assumed name Mrs. Teresa Neele) she was recognised by one of the banjo players at the hotel.

We got to crochet and knit outside in the sun, all sitting in a circle – as you do. So fun!! This may have been my favorite moment of the whole trip if I’m honest!

 

Then we settled in and had some tea and finger sandwiches while working on our WIP and discussing upcoming yarns and designs. Okay, maybe this was my favorite moment…

Check out Nerissa from Miss Neriss, Tammy from Canadutch, and Tatiana from Lilla Bjorn Crochet in the photo below. So surreal to be surrounded by all this talent!

In the evening we were treated to a beautiful menu at a small restaurant near the hotel. It was so cozy, and the meal was delicious.

I feel I am sitting with the cool kids – Carmen of New Leaf Designs, Christina of A Spoonful of Yarn, Dedri of Look at What I Made, Kirsten of Haak Maar Raak, and Tatiana of Lilla Bjorn Crochet. It turns out we are all a bunch of cut-ups though hehe – so much more in common than I ever knew! It was really sweet to meet everyone. Maybe this was my favorite moment.

Yarndale!

Okay, it’s the moment you are waiting for! Yarndale pics!

The famous hall of bunting

And the mandala contributions as well. Just amazing how Yarndale has a huge impact on the crafty community. Beautiful!

Our Yarny Stand

Here’s how the Scheepjes stand looked. Check out all the fantastic samples we gathered from among the Scheepjes Bloggers, and a few from designs outside the group. Peep Martin Up North’s incredible One Step Beyond blanket – the blue, white, and yellow one at center.

Of course the current Scheepjes 2018 CAL is hanging there. Dedri Uys’s Ubuntu looking gorgeous. And of course all of the lovely yarns. It was a blast to hang out with the yarn 🙂

And look! Here’s Dedri herself!

Another yarny pic, because why not! Soft and squishy, I was in love with those colorful cubbies.

PS – do you see that rustic floor? The venue for Yarndale normally houses sheep and cattle – they clean it all out for the event! So unbelievable, right? And everyone kept telling me that I must be used to that livestock smell, since I’m Texan… Well okay, they aren’t wrong – but hey I only smell it during Rodeo season! haha

A super neat moment – When Matt from A Boy and Bunting got to spin on the Wessex Woolcraft stand.

Here’s Matt, spinning away with the most lovely lad – he was such a nice guy. I spotted Matt learning a bit of spinning while I was walking up and down the Yarndale stalls, and I couldn’t help but snap a pic.

Janie Crow is Awesome

And on my Yarndale exploration journey, I met the one and only Janie Crow! She was so down to earth and pleasant, and when I first stepped foot in her stall, I immediately felt like I need to step up my design game. She is just amazing! I know she and I are very different designers, but I have so much respect for her thoughtful designs.

Look at this beauty – “Royal Garden” – what a stunner!

She even had packs made up from Scheepjes River Washed (affiliated) for the piece. How neat is that?

Some Hand-painted Yarns Came Home with Me

I knew I wanted some super indie yarns, and when I saw (and fondled!) Quirky Paintbrush yarns, it was like a match made in heaven. So I got eleven hanks – as you do – and stared longingly at them for the rest of the trip since they weren’t wound or anything. With the exception of the baby blue, which will be used for testing pattern designs, I will use the ten hanks to make a new blanket. Look at that green – omg. So this is how I ended Yarndale with the Scheepjes Bloggers! With a bagful of hand-painted yarns and a heartful of new memories with my friends.

More Airport Hooky – Going Home Edition

Here is one rendition of the lacy hexagon motif I might be using for the ten-hank blanket. This was so fun to make up on the seven hour flight back to Philly. (Trust me, on the short three hour flight from Philly to Houston, I totally slept).

I even got to join three motifs! But I don’t think this will be the design I end up using. It’s pretty great! But it’s just not the one…

Anyway, that’s the end! I cannot express enough my gratitude to Scheepjes Yarns for the opportunity to visit England (my first time!) and meet all of the blogger team. What a dream come true! I hope you all enjoyed seeing the photos, and hearing about the little moments we got to experience. I still don’t know what my favorite moment was, but I’m pretty sure it may have been the entire thing, start to finish.

Side note: So much creativity was cultivated during this trip, and I can’t wait to share more about all of it!

Stay tuned – and of course, Happy Crafting to you!

Rachele C.