event

Isogashi, isogashiiiii….!! 🌍

Yzzy Mitts & Cowl
~ Jimi ~ Leave a comment

Isogashi (Japanese) = busy.

New Releases

Pattern: Capel Cross

“Finally!” I hear you say! Yeah, I’m inclined to agree. It was a journey, I must say. Being such a perfectionist where my patterns are concerned means that I’m never knowingly putting out rubbish! I’m slow at this and I know it, but I’d rather be slow and be sure that I’ve produced the best work that I can. I really enjoyed knitting this – so much so that I made three! I’m looking to knit a fourth soon! ❤️

Click here Capel Cross pattern: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/capel-cross

Capel Cross Cardi
Capel Cross Cardigan in Blue and Pink

Pattern: Yzzy Mitts & Cowl

A collaboration with Ysolda, launching their new yarn base called Moss DK: BFL/Masham – a gorgeously soft and lofty yarn that has the power to retain heat and the light/airiness in weight to not overwhelm you. Perfect for fingerless mitts, cowls, scarves, shawls and definitely jumpers.

Check out Ysolda’s website for the Yzzy Mitts and Cowl Kit pack – ideal gift for any occasion: https://ysolda.com/collections/kits/products/yzzy-cowl-and-mitts-kit

Also…

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JimiKnits Special Offer:  BOGHOff! (aka. Buy One Get Half Off)

BUY YZZY MITTS PATTERN AND GET YZZY COWL HALF PRICE! Just add both patterns to your shopping cart in Ravelry.
Offer ends 31 Dec 2019.

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Yzzy Mitts & Cowl
Yzzy Mitts & Cowl. © Photo by Ysolda.

Cosy Knits Book Launch – Dublin, Ireland. October 2019

I had the opportunity to take part in a book launch for Carol Feller’s latest pattern book: “Cosy Knits” at This Is Knit in Dublin. It was exciting to finally meet a designer whom I’ve admired since I took one of her workshops back in 2011. It was that year that I decided to embark on pattern writing and she guided us through all the maths (and it was a LOT of maths!). As you know, my shawl pattern, ‘Terrain‘ is in Carol’s book, so it seemed fitting that I should turn up to support her. The purpose of the event was to talk to a small audience about the pattern and how it’s constructed and to explain my design ‘process’ (personally I call it ‘madness’, but let’s keep it PC, huh?) and also talk about the creative thinking behind it. I’m not gonna lie, I was bricking it – I’m not used to speaking in public, or to any crowd beyond 5 people! I was definitely out of my comfort zone. I think I got away with it…! It was times like that that I wished I could sing and tap dance!

It was an absolutely fab day! I met some wonderful people, drank my first pint of Guinness (oooh!), ate loads and laughed and cracked jokes until it was time for bed. If you’re in Dublin, check out This Is Knit! It’s an amazing yarn store, filled with a large range of yarns and you’ll always be welcomed with a warm, Irish “Hallo, there!”.

Coming up next…!

Waltham Abbey Wool Show
Come see me at Waltham Abbey Wool Show!

Put it in your diaries: Sunday 19th January 2020 – The Waltham Abbey Wool Show, Waltham Abbey, Essex, UK. I’ll be holding a stand and showcasing my work. There’ll be patterns, knitted samples, books and other goodies! Stocks will be limited, so come early! 😘

Buy your tickets for the show: https://www.walthamabbeywoolshow.co.uk/

See you soon! x

The Wool Monty – Sheffield June 2019

~ Jimi ~ Leave a comment

The lovely ladies: Rosie, Mand and Debbie invited me to attend The Wool Monty Show, Sheffield’s first yarn and fibre crafts event. As you can imagine, I was delighted and said, YES, YES YES!!

There were ‘firsts’ for everything here: my First event stand; launching my First book and taking part in Sheffield’s First yarn show. I was super-excited, but at the same time bricking it, because I had never seen a show where the vendor was only selling patterns and not with yarn! The debate here was will I have enough patterns to sell? If I didn’t, I wasn’t sure that my tap dancing and singing was going to cut it, somehow! 😝

About the Event

The organisers were absolutely lovely – they were incredibly helpful and kind. The whole event was organised really well – the layout was carefully thought out, the vendors were well selected, offering amazing variety, as well as something different from other fibre fests.

The show was held at the FlyDSA Sheffield Arena – it’s huge! It’s a perfect venue for this type of event because it offered ample free parking for ticket holders and it was close to other amenities (shops, supermarkets and an IKEA!). It was also perfect for people with mobility issues, offering easy access in and out of the building, as well as lots of space to manoeuvre around the stands.

I particularly loved the little sofas they had dotted around the floor space, great for when you want to take a break, sit down and knit! Just what is needed in an event like this.

Being it’s first ever show, the turn-out was probably as expected. But saying that, people came to spend money, and they did! This bodes well for next year’s event if the organisers decide to do one. I hope they do!

See the gallery below:

I was too busy with my stand to take many photos, but I did take some during the set up hours.

Conclusion

I would highly recommend this event to anyone who is interested in yarn and fibre crafts. It offers a diverse spectrum of people, craft skills and geography – not the same old names of the more established events. There are some hidden gems here and you’d be pleasantly surprised. The Wool Monty is offering something new and something fresh. Plus, the people of Sheffield are warm and chatty – what’s not to love? 😊

I’m looking forward to the Wool Monty Show next time! ❤️

 

NYS Sheep & Wool Festival (aka… the knitter’s pilgrimage!)

~ Jimi ~ Leave a comment

OK, I’m saying this in a tongue-in-cheek manner, but this really is one of the most talked-about yarn-related events in the Knitting community. It’s like (dare I say it) Mecca for knitters!

As a resident in Britain, very few of us have heard of the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY, USA. I first heard about it when I subscribed to a great knitting video podcast called “Lets Knit2gether”. Cat, the presenter would go to this event every October and report back her findings. It looked and sounded so exciting, filled with independent yarn artisans, crafts people – and of course, sheep! There were plenty of things to see and do for the whole family. On the strength of that, I decided that I wanted to go too! The podcast hasn’t had any entries for a while, but you can still visit the website and check out past videos: http://letsknit2gether.com/?s=rhinebeck

No need to say too much, I think the pictures speak for themselves! Suffice it to say, I had a ball!

Surprisingly, I didn’t go out on a major yarn-bender and blow my life savings on a ton of yarn. I very carefully selected my yarn purchases, based on the following criteria:

  1. Do I have a project in mind for it?
  2. Is it something I cannot buy in the UK, nor easily ship to the UK?
  3. Is it rare or unusual?
  4. Can I get it in my suitcase?!

A big thank you to my husband and daughter for letting me have the time of my life! 🙂