Yesterday was the first day of Yarndale 2016, the 4th year of this fabulous yarny festival.

I joined the local coach trip, as travelling by coach is so much more relaxing than driving and getting stuck in traffic, as well as being very green!   There was traffic – this year seemed to be more busy than ever and although the coach made good time it was very slow as we got close to the venue and by the time we arrived the venue was already busy:

But this did not deter me.   I had a plan of action.  The first part of the plan is to go around alone; whilst it’s great to share with friends it’s a lot more efficient on your own as you can go at your own pace and get in and out of exhibits easier.   You can even get to take some good photos by squeezing in just the right spot – so I managed to get some lovely photos of the main producers of natural fibres:

The second part was to buy what I wanted when I saw it (which I failed in, and ended up a tad disappointed!).  The third part was to meet up with friends at lunchtime and take the trip on the Red Yarndale Bus into Skipton, this is a great chance to escape the busiest time at the show and to swap notes about what others have seen and bought.  The fourth part was to try and go around the show twice so that I had the opportunity to see things I may have missed first time.   And the last part was to have a coffee break mid afternoon, which I succeeded in by finding two of my friends who had the same idea at exactly the same time!  So I stuck to the plan and it worked well.   I visited all my favourite exhibitors and caught up with several yarny friends.  And I spent way too much

Two of the exhibitors from Cheshire Fibre Festival were there – Yarns from the Plain and Jenny Barnett, and their stands looked splendid – you are in for a treat next week !

Happy knitting and crocheting xxx