We have a slightly different plan this year.
I would like to find more time to design patterns, and Andrew @acmidgley would like to find more time to paint...
So we thought we explore Scotland’s coasts a bit more and do exactly that (while we can...we are not getting younger 🤣...and we also know that life is precious and best not to postpone your dreams).
So the plan is to travel in our wee teardrop camper to Orkney, North Uist, Shetland, and also spent some time in East Lothian, our coast close to home.
I would like to design a pattern from each of these places. It feels so good to 'just be' the landscape, going with the flow and finding inspiration and ideas on the way...
We are on Orkney at the moment, so the adventure has begun. I hope you will enjoy our journey as much as we do...more to come soon...
#iolairyarn #adventure #travel #inspiredbynature #lovescotland❤️ #inspiration #design #patterns #painting #art #inourhappyplace #carpediem
#followyourdreams❤️ #knitting #knittersofinstagram #scottishartists #landscapeartists #softpastelart #watercolour
Life is so busy at the moment that I haven't had time to post about lovely @tangledgalashiels.
Thank you to Samira (and helpers) for organising such wonderful, welcoming and warm event 🩷.
Thank you to everyone who came to my stall, for our chats and for supporting my small business. I had lots of big purchases this time - many of you wanted to knit jumpers and cardigans (and I was so pleased that lots of you had a design of one of the issues of @thejournalofscottishyarns in mind) 🩵.
My online shop is closed at the moment, but I will have a big shop update at the end of June.
We are now up north with our wee camper, doing what we love most: being outdoors in the most remote places. This journey is part of a bigger picture, and I will share about our adventures we have planned for this year in the next posts 💛.
#iolairyarn #yarnfestival #tangledgalashiels #tangledgalashiels25 #scottishyarnfestival #ScottishBorders #thankyou #knittersofinstagram #crochetersofinstagram #nonsuperwash
✨️💛 NEW PATTERN 💛✨️
Welsh love spoons are hand-carved wooden spoons traditionally made by young men to express their love, affection and commitment towards someone they care about. They are traditionally carved from a single piece of wood with symbolic motifs, such as hearts (love and affection), keys/keyholes (security or the key to someone’s heart) and knots (unity and eternal love). Part of my family is Welsh, and I quite like this piece of tradition, dating back as far as the 17th century.
The Lovespoon Shawl is inspired by the beauty of the Welsh love spoons – delicate flowing lines and interwoven motifs that mirror the fine carved details of the love spoons themselves.
Each stitch carries the story of love and devotion, making this shawl not only a beautiful piece of art but also a heartfelt gift. With this sentiment in mind, why not wrap yourself in this shawl as a tribute to the timeless symbol of love or give it as a meaningful gesture to someone who holds the key to your heart!
The pattern is available on Ravelry and Payhip now and all my patterns are 20% off as a @tangledgalashiels Special - no code needed!
I know some of you are waiting...thank you so much for your patience.
Everything is (nearly) packed...I am so much looking forward to a lovely weekend at @tangledgalashiels. Are you coming? Do you have your ticket?
#iolairyarn #handyedinscotland #handyedyarn #indieuk ##yarnfestival #scottishyarnfestival #Galashiels #ScottishBorders ##shoplocal #yarnforsale #Llama ##nonsuperwashyarn
🎉Tangled collaporation🎉
I am so happy to finally show you the special, limited, and exclusive festival yarn for @tangledgalashiels - a collaboration between Rachel from @balmerinosheep and myself.
Lots of love and work went into these. The colours are inspired by the Tangled Galashiels 2025 theme: the gorgeous mural in Galashiels.
Rachel gave me the three big skeins of wool, and I could wind 38×50g skeins in total. Such beautiful and soft wool!
I dyed the main colours* of the mural: blue 💙, pink 🩷, yellow 💛, dark 🖤 and light grey 🩶, and then dyed the remaining skeins as a muted combination of these colours 💛🩷💙🩶🖤.
I hope you like them as much as I do. Rachel and I will both have them on our stalls.
*if you followed me for a while, you will know that these are my favourite colours 🤭😂. As you can imagine, I was very pleased when I saw this year's festival theme...
Have you got your tickets?
Only 3 days to go..
#iolairyarn #Balmerino ##handyedinscotland #scottishwool #wool #merino #nonsuperwash #festival ##scottishyarnfestival #@tangledgalashiels ##knittersofinstagram ##crochetersofinstagram #newborn #new wool #mural #madeinscotland
I am very excited about my new shawl design..some of you have already seen one of the samples at @woollygoodedinburgh - and I know you bought the yarn already to knit this.
Not long now, I hope to launch it for @tangledgalashiels next week*.
Thank you Samira @eildonhillsdesigns
for great technical editing.
*if everything goes well - I had a bit of a knock-back healthwise recently. I twisted my ankle last weekend and then got a very nasty cold/flu, spending the last days in bed...🤧😪. I am slowly feeling better and have to get ready for @tangledgalashiels now...phew...🙏🤞
#iolairyarn #handyedyarn #nonsuperwashyarn #newpattern #shawl #coloursofscotland #llama #4ply
I am so happy to be a vendor at this wonderful fibre festival again - only 2 weeks (and 2 days...) to go 😁.
Preparations are in full swing!
🌼 I am so excited to dye the skeins of the @balmerinosheep (limited, exclusive skeins as our @tangledgalashiels festival collaboration). The wool is so beautiful, and I have finished my testing to see how the wool takes up the dye... now I have to do the 'real thing'..fingers crossed..🙏😊.
🌼 I am planning to release a new pattern too (I know some of you (who were at @woollygoodedinburgh and bought already the yarn for it) are waiting for its release...more very soon..
I cannot wait to enjoy the warm and friendly atmosphere at @tangledgalashiels.
See you there? Have you got your tickets?
#iolairyarn #tangledgalashiels #yarnfestival #scottishwool #scottishyarnfestival #handyedinscotland #handdyedyarn #nonsuperwashyarn #naturalyarn
Thank you all so much for your orders while I was away.
During my lunch break, I walked from the studio to the post office (via the harbour). I love this walk. It always feels a bit like I am on holiday 🤣..and my favourite fishing boat was in the harbour too...bonus...
All orders are posted now and should be with you very soon.
#iolairyarn #shoplocal #smallbusiness #portsetonharbour #cockenzie #studio #studiolife #handyedinscotland #handdyedyarn #knittersofinstagram #crochetersofinstagram
🌟 NEWS 🌟
🌟 I am so excited to share a new collaboration with @balmerinosheep🌟.
It was so lovely to chat with Rachel of @balmerinosheep at @wool_gathering_at_winton, where we decided to produce an exclusive, limited hand-dyed yarn for @tangledgalashiels, (we are both vendors at this lovely yarn festival).
Rachel sent me 3 big skeins of her wonderful Scottish merino wool, and I spent the whole day today winding them, first into balls and then into skeins
(I cannot move my arms anymore 🫣😂, but it is so worth it).
They are all ready now (36 skeins in total), and I cannot wait to see how the wool takes up the dye.
I am taking the 'tangled galashiels colour theme 2025' as an inspiration, but if you have some colour ideas, let me know?
Cross the fingers all goes well (I am always a bit nervous when I am trying out a new base).
I will share more of the progress soon.
In the meantime, do you have your ticket for @tangledgalashiels?
#iolairyarn #@balmerinosheep #tangledgalashiels #collaboration #scottishyarnfestival #scottishwool #scottishmerino #merino #handyedinscotland #handdyedyarn #indieuk #indiedyersofinstagram #knittersofinstagram #crochetersofinstagram
@woollygoodedinburgh ❤️ - I am still recovering...🤣. And - as usual - I only took a couple of pictures and none were of my stall 🫣.
I feel very happy and lucky to be part of the @woollygoodedinburgh team: you are fabulous @knitrospective, @mooritmag, @thejournalofscottishyarns, @zakamiyarns.
Thank you @acmidgley, @sarahd4vis
and Petra for looking after my stall - I couldn't do it without you.
And getting to know more and more people of this wonderful crafty community - thank you for finding me, for telling me your stories, for showing me your projects and the yarn you bought - thank you so much for supporting my small business 🤗🥰!
A special mention of @maryannlouiseknits & @shonamair
- you know why - thank you!
Picture 1: @maryannlouiseknits is showing her version of the 'Common Blue Shawl' in issue#5 of @thejournalofscottishyarns, knitted in the Woolly Good kickstarter yarn from last year (Gigha) and Luing mini skeins.
Picture 2: (I forgot to ask for your name 🫣) - but a lovely version of the Hebridean Sea Beanie, knitted in Vatersay base.
#iolairyarn#handdyedyarn #nonsuperwashyarn #indieuk #woollygoodgathering #scottishyarnfestival
#yarnfestival #commonblueshawl #hebrideanseabeanie #knittersofinstagram
💜 Mini skeins preparation for @woollygoodedinburgh...
🩵 They were so popular last year at Woolly Good that I thought I do more: new colours and new combinations - I hope you will like them as much as I do 🙏.
🩷 I guess, this is my answer to advent calendars (as I have not done any yet).. 🫣🤣
💚 The Yarn that I will take with me to Woolly Good next week will dissappear from the website today. I cannot take them all, so some stay and you can still order these, but I will not post them until the 14th April, as I will have a wee break afterwards. Thanks so much for your understanding.
💛 If you are coming, I am looking forward to seeing you next week.
#iolairyarn #handyedinscotland #handdyedyarn #nonsuperwashyarn #4ply #miniskeins #yarn #alpaca #cashmere #silk #yarnfestival #woollygoodgathering #scottishyarnfestival #shoplocal #supportsmallbusiness #knittersofinstagram #crochetersofinstagram #knitting #crochet
