It’s The Little Things…

I’m left-handed.

I have passed this superpower on to my eldest granddaughter.

When I asked my grandmother to teach me how to crochet, she informed me that left-handed people couldn’t crochet. It was only 9 years ago that I discovered she hadn’t been truthful with me, and a wonderfully patient lady called Jo showed me I could in fact crochet. The revelation was a turning point for me and, long story short, Kraft Work Yarns was born.

One of the things I’m most proud of is that we have had a constant stream of beginners, wanting to learn how to knit and crochet, often having to add names to a waiting list. This tells me that these wonderful skills are just as relevant today as they were hundreds of years ago. We are keeping history alive, and recently traditional patterns are having a resurgence. Aran cables, Gansey designs and my current passion, colourwork. I’ve spent far too many hours researching traditional Fair Isle designs online (Pinterest is fatal, hours can be lost down that rabbit hole). There’s always something new to learn.

So, if my granddaughter asks me to teach her to crochet, I shall do so with pleasure, and left-handed power will continue on in the next generation.

Did you know you can get a left-handed tape measure. It’s a silly thing but I’m so excited. Being able to measure the way my brain wants to measure is a game changer.

In other news, it’s almost time to launch Serendipity Designs by Kraft Work Yarns – a project that Clare and I have been working on for the last 6 months or so. Fuelled by tea, coffee and a plentiful supply of biscuits, we have batted ideas back and forth, trialled prototypes and possibilities, and knitted large amounts of samples.

Thank you Mr KWY for the endless tea and biscuits

We played with several ideas, but not all of them made the cut. Some designs looked great on paper, or in chart form, but then didn’t work so well when it came to knitting the samples. Other designs didn’t look much on paper but sprung to life when we knitted them up.

Fade to Grey

I’ve become a bit of a whizz when it comes to hats and cowls, so we’ll have plenty available to buy, either in the shop or on our website, after the summer. Let’s face it, the weather currently doesn’t exactly scream chilly weather gear, but then we don’t exactly suffer heatwaves like the current one all that often. And I for one am extremely thankful that I live somewhere woolly accessories are more the norm. 🥵🥶

We have two workshops planned over the summer months for simple wrist warmers, and we do have capacity to add further dates. Places are very limited, so keep your eye on our social media and book onto the workshops as soon as possible.

We can’t wait to share Serendipity Designs with you, and we hope that you’ll love them as much as we do.