From the purple dyeshed...

"Wow!" about sums up Woolfest 2013.  What a show.  We were so busy on the stand that despite having both Dorothy and Lizzi helping me none of us really had a chance to go and have a look around the rest of the show.

We set off for Cumbria on Wednesday, and were able to relax on Thursday morning before the stand set up began at 2.30pm.  In fact we were so relaxed chatting to Dorothy and Lizzi in our little cottage which we'd rented for the 4th year that we didn't realise that the starting time to set up had passed, but fortunately the cottage is only 5 minutes from Mitchell's Auction Mart where Woolfest is held each year.

Once Stevan had put the sign up:

[caption id="attachment_6538" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Dorothy and Lizzi making sure they're in the right place[/caption]

he was sent back to the cottage to dog sit and nurse his thumb which he injured rather badly last week trying to get our temperamental generator started ..... but that is another story for another day - suffice it to say we're under doctor's orders to go to Raigmore Hospital tomorrow to get it x-rayed.

Once the basic layout of the stand was settled, the hard work of stacking the shelves began:



And work did not stop until all the shelves were groaning under the weight of yarn:





And once the doors opened at 10.00am on Friday morning Dorothy, Lizzi and I hardly drew breath!  The support from customers old and new was overwhelming.  When I looked around the stand on Thursday evening after we'd set up it was hard to believe that every single hank of yarn had been dyed by me in my tiny shed in the garden.  And yet it had, and judging from the response of visitors to the stand people loved it.  It is always a worry before an event like Woolfest - you start to doubt yourself and your ability to choose and mix colours, and yet by 5.00pm on Saturday evening those hanging shelves in the photograph above (and all the other shelves too) were looking very empty.  It was so gratifying.  Apologies if I had to cut some chats short - the stand got so hectic at times that it needed 3 of us to keep things ticking over.  Oh, and will the person who asked about Hi Arts and their new guise please get in touch.  I know I promised to let you know the details of the new organisation but I've forgotten who asked me!

So .... thank you's ......

Firstly, a HUGE thank you to Dorothy and Lizzi for being such dear friends.  You know that you share the responsibility for my success.

Thank you too to all those who came to Woolfest - without you all it wouldn't be the event it is.

And of course, thank you to the organisers for putting on such a brilliant event.  While I've no idea of what it takes to put together such a big event, I know that the effort has to be huge! And the whole of Wool Clip doing it with such grace and good humour.  Thank you.

Thanks have to go too to Anne-Lise Maigaard and Peter for coming all the way from Sweden to see what all the fuss was about and with whom we spent a lovely evening.  Anne-Lise designed Desert Veil (which you can read about here) and there are further collaborations in the pipeline, so watch this space!

The cottage we rent is always an interesting experience .... you have to get used to being slightly off balance most of the time and once you get used to the kitchen table sloping downhill you're fine - but I'm not putting a link in as it is our secret hideaway!  But thank you to Melissa for having us to stay again.

Thank you too to Chris and Les Smith who came to my aid by bringing me a supply of Yarn Pals after all the stock I had on Friday sold out.  Les was still taking them out of his backpack when customers were lining up to whip them out of his hand, and I've come home with a long list of folk wanting them once I have them back in stock.  The design Les came up with for these clever little devices is much admired by all those who have one.  I know that Chris took supplies from her own shop (A Fine Yarn in Darlington) in order that I could have some at Woolfest - so thanks Chris!

Once I'd taken the final photograph above, I didn't get a chance to take any more!  So apologies for the lack of photographs of the event as a whole.  Suffice it to say that there were many interesting and varied stands this year, and if you've never  been to Woolfest, try and get there next year.  It will be the 10th anniversary of the event, and while I can't say I'll definitely be there (applications for stands always outstrip the stands available so it is never guaranteed that you'll have one), I can certainly guarantee that if you're interest in yarn/fibre of any sort you'll have a grand day out.  More and more visitors are planning to spend 2 days at the show to give them time to look more closely at the stands, otherwise it can feel a little overwhelming.

I very much hope to be back in 2014.   Make a date in your diary now!  27th and 28th June 2014.