Exploring England #34
Some visitors come to the North Yorkshire market town of Skipton to immerse themselves in history; Skipton castle, surrounded by 12th century stone walls, was once the home of the aristocratic Clifford family, while the beautiful Parish Church of Holy Trinity houses their resplendent tombs.
Others enjoy Skipton’s natural beauty or use it as a base for exploring the hills and woodlands of the Yorkshire Dales. On Thanet Canal, pretty houseboats compete for space with families of swans and ducks.
But on one weekend in September, people come from far and wide to see something else altogether – yarn!
Celebrating creativity, colour and “all things woolly”, Yarndale brings together producers, designers and textile artists in a festival dedicated to yarn in every imaginable form.
More than a kilometre of crocheted bunting decorates the ceiling inside Skipton Auction Mart, where exhibitors display their yarns in all the colours of the rainbow.
Beautiful finished works create a collage of colour and texture. It’s an Aladdin’s cave of treasures for any crafter, and the possibilities are only limited by their imagination.
Even the creatures who provide the yarn are represented!
Yarndale 2017 takes place on 23rd and 24th September.
Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Collage
Skipton is a great base to explore the locations in my novel BTW
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I would love to go back and stay for more than a day.
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Love all those brightly colored yarns on your photos especially the first one where the yarn is used to create triangular “flags”. Love the little guy too. What a fun post!
Peta
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The flags are strings of bunting, made by crocheters from all around the world. It looked fantastic. It was an amazing experience to be able to go to Yarndale after reading about it online.
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So many lovely things there – it must have been great to look round and admire all the different yarns and colours and, of course, the talents on display. I love the little crocheted sheep. 🙂
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Elaine, it was almost overwhelming. I didn’t know where to look first. The yarns were so beautiful and I was excited to see some projects I recognised from websites I follow. I loved the socks and would really like to try making a pair.
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This blog earned a Bean Pat as blog pick of the day. Check it out at: http://patbean,wordpress.com
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Thank you. That’s a great compliment. 🙂
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I did used to knit and crochet, in a former life. At least, that’s how it feels. 🙂 🙂 Which reminds me- how is Justin Beaver? And did you have a good birthday?
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I used to knit too, when my daughters were little. I did have a lovely birthday, thank you. 🙂 Poor Justin has been sadly neglected lately. I must get back to his blog soon.
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I have some friends in Yorkshire who attend this event annually and also know of others who travel there especially for this event. It does sound lovely and your photos are the best I have seen of the lovely display of yarniness. Your creations would go well there! 🙂
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Thanks, CC. That’s a great compliment considering the standard of work I saw. The festival is mostly exhibitors selling either their yarn, patterns and designs, or finished items. I didn’t buy any but I was certainly tempted and inspired. Now I have a little. more knowledge, I would love to go again with a few ideas for what I would buy. How lucky are your friends.
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Very lucky indeed ET! Our little craft shows are not quite so inspiring!
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Looks like quite a wonderful find!
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I had read about it online for a couple of years, and when we decided to go to England in September and then put Yorkshire on the itinerary I planned the whole five weeks so we were close by that weekend!
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Looks wonderful. Love the little knitted sheep with their colourful jackets.
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They’re so cute. I really liked the socks too.
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Love this. I never heard of that festival but your photos are great. I believe it would be fun to see. Thanks for sharing.
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Oh Ducks, it was incredible. I’ve never seen so much yarn.
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Beautiful town, handsome houseboats, and I can only imagine how excited knitters got seeing all that beautiful yard. It would be like going to a candy store with that gorgeous selection.
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Judy, it was like an Aladdin’s Cave of treasures. I didn’t know where to look first.
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That sounds right up your street Carol. Great you were there when it was happening.
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Denzil, I planned our whole five week itinerary so we were close by on that weekend! 🙂
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I thought it wasn’t a coincidence!
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You know me well. 🙂
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Aww that is so gorgeous and colourful! Thanks for a lovely start to the morning 😀
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It was such a pretty display, Lorraine.
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My mother would have LOVED this, Carol. She was always knitting and crocheting. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if she actually visited this at one time or another – she often traveled the world looking for unique places like this xxxx
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It’s only been going for a few years Dianne, but there are probably other similar events which have been around a lot longer. She would have revelled in all the beautiful yarns. I’ve never seen so many different ones.
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Lovely!
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It sure was!
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I love colorful textiles, so I’d love this even though I’m not a knitter or a crocheter. Wonderful!
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Just to wander and look at all the exhibits is enjoyable, so you would really have a great day Cathy.
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