Our Covid Guidelines for Safe Workshops

Posted on 25th September 202029th September 2020 by Esther

As we’re now launching our new season of workshops, we wanted to let you know how we’ll be making them safe for you and our staff.

It’s important to note that when you book onto one of our workshops, you are agreeing to follow these guidelines.

Please do not attend if you are unwell (particularly a high fever, continuous cough, or loss of sense of smell or taste).

The shop will be closed to the public on workshop days.

The rule of 6 will be observed; 1 member of staff, 1 tutor and 4 attendees.

The chairs, tables, doorknobs and toilet facilities will be sanitised prior to your arrival and again at lunchtime. Please assist us by not arriving too early on the day as we will be preparing the shop for the workshop.

The teacher may (or may not) ask to take your temperature before entering.

The seating will be 1m+ apart, this means the workshop will be spread over two rooms.

You can choose where to sit but this will be your seat for the day, no swapping!

There will be a sanitised plastic box in which to place your personal belongings.

Unless exempt for health or disability reasons, everyone will wear a face covering except when eating or drinking. A visor can be made available to you on the day should you wish.

Please use the hand sanitiser on entering the shop and throughout the day.

Your details will be kept for 21 days after the event and then securely disposed of in line with NHS Track and Trace.

In the event that updated government Covid guidelines mean we have to cancel our workshops, you will be refunded in full.

Sale Yarns are now available online!

Posted on 8th May 20208th May 2020 by Esther

During the UK coronavirus lockdown we’ve made our sale yarns available to browse and buy online.

Most are greatly discounted – they are all yarns which we won’t be continuing to stock at Spin a Yarn, so snap them up while you can!

Please be aware that there are only certain colours left – please click into each product listing below to see what we have.

We’re still taking orders and posting out roughly twice a week, plus we can arrange ‘socially distant’ pick-ups if you’re local.

If you prefer to buy over the phone, don’t hesitate to call us on 01626 836203.

Pompom Magazine 28 – The Botanical Issue

Posted on 13th March 201913th March 2019 by Esther

The gorgeous new Pompom Magazine is now here and we wanted to share with you just what a lovely crop of patterns it contains – especially as the theme of this issue is ‘Botanical’ – and we know how many of you are inspired by nature and your gardens!

As you can see there are some lovely patterns from contemporary designers such as Emily Greene and Kelly Ordemann.

One of our favourite things about Pompom is that you’re not just getting a pattern collection – this issue also features Anna Maltz’s musings on plant-based fibres, Rebecca Lawrence’s method for botanical-infused gin, and Paula Goosen’s tutorial for making your own floral lotion bars.

It costs £12.50 which is great value for 9 patterns! You can enquire to buy it here, or just call 01626 836203 or pop into the shop browse it with a cup of tea.

All About Shetland Hap Shawls

Posted on 11th February 2019 by Esther

You might have seen that we have a workshop on Knitting the Shetland Hap Shawl coming up and wondered to yourself…‘What’s a Hap Shawl anyway?’

Well, we thought we would do a little post all about this wonderful slice of Scottish knitting heritage.

Firstly, what exactly does ‘hap’ mean? Well, according to blogger KnitBritish in her extremely informative post, hap means “to cover, wrap or keep warm” and was “a traditional shawl of everyday wear for Shetland women”.

You can see a variety of charming vintage photographs of these warm, practical shawls in everyday use at the above blog post, but here are a few from there and from other archives:

These shawls originated as a practical garment for keeping the Shetland weather out while working and out and about on the islands – usually constructed as a garter stitch square with a old-shale lace border around the outside. As you can see from the first photo, they were equally as useful as baby blankets as wrapped around the wearer’s body against the elements.

Recently, knitting designers such as Kate Davies and Gudrun Johnston have revived this traditional shawl style and taken it into the 21st century, playing with different shapes, yarns and styles. A quick search on Ravelry turns up many lovely designs – here is just a small selection:

As you can see, once the basic techniques are mastered this is a style which you can adapt to your own preferences – working with rustic tweedy yarns and natural shades, or more bright and contemporary yarns.

Anniken Allis will be teaching a workshop on how to knit her own version of a Shetland Hap Shawl (pictured below) on Wednesday 13th March. The workshop costs £59 for the day and materials will be supplied (plus we have plenty of gorgeous suitable yarns to choose from when you decide to make your own afterwards).

To book either visit the listing on Eventbrite or call 01626 836203.

With thanks to the beautiful and informative information found at these blogs, click through to read more if you’ve really got the ‘hap bug’ and to view even more fascinating historical photos: KnitBritish, Jamieson & Smith and Kate Davies.

Come and stock up in our amazing new sale

Posted on 20th August 2018 by Esther

The business handover is finally complete and Trish is celebrating by throwing an unprecedented sale! This will also help make way for some lovely new Autumn yarns.

We will have up to 50% off many of your favorite lines, including: Debbie Bliss, Louisa Harding, Rare Yarns, Discontinued Rowan, Manos Del Urugauy, Lorna’s Laces, Lotus Yarns and Navia.

The sale runs from Thursday 23rd – Saturday 25th August and includes many patterns, buttons and haberdashery items too. We even have some patterns and magazines going free!

The discounts are only available in the shop on in-stock yarn…we’re anticipating that with such exciting discounts these yarns will not hang around for long so if you want to get the best bargains do come in sooner rather than later. We should add that due to the amazing discounts there won’t be any further discount on sale items for Loyalty Card Holders.

Breezy Summer Lace Knitting

Posted on 19th April 2018 by Esther

Well, after all that snow this Spring the sunshine has finally arrived here in Bovey Tracey!

But does that mean we stop knitting? Of course not! It just means that we get to enjoy working on airy, openwork lace projects and using the lovely cool cotton and linen yarns which are available to use this year.

To help inspire you we have rounded up a selection of our favourite patterns and yarns to keep you going through what we hope will be a delightfully warm and sunny spring and summer!

Don’t forget, if these patterns catch your eye but you don’t know how to do this style of knitting, we have Anniken’s Easy Lace Knitting workshop on Wednesday 9th May – it still has spaces on so just call 01626 836203 to book.

Anniken Allis has a new pattern available in The Knitter Magazine, Tor Grass, which uses Rowan’s new Fine Denim Lace yarn – a recycled denim yarn which gives a delicate stitch definition, perfect for showing off the intricate shapes of Anniken’s pattern.

Not only is Denim Lace a great choice for summer knits due to the high cotton content and fine, lightweight spin, Rowan also have a booklet of 4 designs available which is FREE when you buy the yarn!

Anniken was sporting the perfect summer garment when she came in to teach a workshop the other day – her lace poncho, Mist on the Moor.

Knitted in Schoppel Zauberball with added beading, this would be an ideal accessory to throw on when the sun goes down and you need a little warmth on your shoulders.

And of course, we are still enjoying the new WYS Florist Collection – these British-spin sock yarns are available in a delicate palette inspired by flowers – perfect if you’ve been spending time in your garden and are loving the colours.

If fine yarns aren’t your thing, we have a silky new linen-blend yarn in a DK weight from Sirdar.

Made with 10% linen and 90% lycocell, a natural, man made fibre made with wood pulp from sustainable tree farms, this yarn is incredibly soft, drapey and breathable, with a gorgeous sheen.

So, don’t put those needles away just yet – pop in and have a play with our summer yarns, a browse through our patterns, and find a project to see you through the heatwave!

Spring/Summer 2018 Rowan Yarns have Arrived!

Posted on 5th February 2018 by Esther

The new Rowan yarns have now been delivered…who wants to find out a little more about them?

First up we have Rowan Denim Lace. This is an exquisitely fine laceweight/2ply yarn made from recycled denim, in a range of 6 versatile shades – from faded denim to jewel-like teal.

The exciting news is that Rowan have made 4 patterns designed for Denim Lace available for download on their website. We particularly love this airy lace shawl and classic cabled raglan jumper.

Next we have Rowan Cotton Cashmere. This new DK yarn offers the best of both words – the softness of cashmere with the crisp stitch definition and breathability of cotton.

It is available in a range of soft shades which will be perfect for summer throwovers and accessories.

If you need pattern inspiration there is a new collection from Sarah Hatton, filled with delicate and elegant summer knits.

We have all these plus the new Rowan Magazine in the shop currently, so do pop in to have a play. The Denim Lace is a limited edition yarn, so don’t delay a visit if you particularly fancy that!

New super-squishy alpaca chunky in for Winter

Posted on 14th September 2017 by Esther

We have a gorgeous new arrival here at Spin A Yarn…King Cole Superfine Alpaca Chunky.

This sumptuous natural Alpaca yarn comes in 5 soft neutral shades, Fawn, Koala, Camel, Charcoal and Grey. We know our customers love natural shades, and we find undyed yarn has a special softness all of it’s own. If you’re planning a trip to the shop, make sure you pick it up and give it a squeeze!

The yarn is supported by a beautiful book full patterns – from Socks, Hats & Scarves to Vest tops and shawls. With most projects only requiring 1 to 2 balls, this book is a fantastic cost-effective way of adding some luxurious natural fibre to your wardrobe. Click here to view the yarn on our site – as usual to order, pop in, email an enquiry through or just give us a call!

Introducing…Sirdar Colourwheel

Posted on 27th March 2017 by Esther

If you pass our shop window your eye might well be caught by our new yarn, Sirdar Colourwheel. This yarn is fantastic value at £11.00 for approx 520m per ball, which includes this free lacy scarf pattern printed on the ball band!

We can also provide the free pattern which is photographed on the ball band, for a pretty lacy shawlette – just ask when buying:

Sirdar have published a lovely collection of one-ball patterns for this yarn, including many in crochet – a real treat for our crochet fans who don’t usually have such a big choice! The yarn is a very practical 80% acrylic/20% wool blend and thanks to the gorgeous colourways will be absolutely perfect for kids knits and blankets as it is machine washable.

How pretty do the different shades look knitted up?

To buy this yarn just pop into the shop, give us a call on 01626 836203 or to read more online go here: Sirdar Colourwheel.

Bigbury Bay Cardigan Pattern – Exclusive to Spin A Yarn!

Posted on 2nd February 20178th February 2017 by Esther

We have a lovely new pattern to share with you today. After designing the Trendlebere Jumper for us, we asked Heather to come up with a cardi design that was classic and versatile. She came up with Bigbury Bay – a cardigan with a timeless look which can be knitted in bold contrasting colours for a contemporary look, or all in one colour for a more subtle effect. You can use any DK yarn to knit it – although it works beautifully in Adriafil Sierra Andina alpaca – you can feel how soft the sample garment is when you next pop into the shop! The pattern also features two different lengths as we know some of our customers prefer slightly shorter or longer cardis.

You can buy a copy of Bigbury Bay in the shop for £3.00, enquire to order it though our website here or it’s available to buy on Ravelry.com here. If you knit it we’d love to see your photos – either share them on Facebook or Instagram (@spinayarnshop).

You can also follow Heather’s exciting design work at her Facebook page: Woolly Minded Knitwear.