Imagine

Imagine a yarn shop that is a haven for savvy shoppers with discerning taste.

Imagine such a shop belonging to two yarn whisperers who are not only able to match the right yarn to the right project, but who inspire local knitters and crocheters to instinctively know what  yarn wants to become through holding, looking, smelling, touching and listening to it.

Imagine being able to purchase top South African produced plant and animal fibers along global brands such as Rowan and Pierrot. 

Imagine attending various crochet workshops or joining in for a craft share, a cup of great coffee and a piece of cake that is almost too nice to slice.

This is "I Love Yarn" and imagine my luck as I live less than 2 km away from this shop located in the leafy suburb of Baileys Muckleneuk in Pretoria, South Africa.

Imagine, just imagine Stephni and Elaine decide to hand dye and hand ball their own label.

They did!  They imagined a wide range of colours to inspire knitters and crocheters in a fiber that can be used for a plethora of projects.  This is IMAGINE, a 70% bamboo-30% cotton yarn that is hand dyed and hand balled with the assistance of previously disadvantaged South African women. 

IMAGINE just what will be hanging from my hooks at some point!

I bought 21 skeins in colours Guava, French Affair, Butterscotch, Mustard, Windswept, Abyss and Granite.

But first I am making their heirloom blanket (available as a kit from their shop) in my own preferred shades of coal, cement, mud and milk. I bought the kit a month ago and imagine my patience as I will only start working on it next month. 

Lovely crocheted items on display in the shop

 

Where can I find I Love Yarn?

Facebook Page

Website

Pinterest

A blast from the past!

FABULOUS FRENCH KNITTING

Made by my dad 60 years ago when he was a 10 year old kid in Primary School!

Don't you just love it?

The Tween, Teen and I are having a blast in our store room today! 

I just love how different items fascinate me during different stages of my life. I have had all of these items in storage crates for over 20 years and all of a sudden I have the need to surround me with it on a daily basis.

I will need to figure out how and where to display the Maize Sacks and French Knitting. For some reason up-cycling does not inspire me at the moment, I quite like looking at the raw product and am thinking it should stay like this. Putting it in frames for example will not fit with the raw, industrial feel of our home.  I also do not want to bring a scissor near the sacks - maybe 10 years ago cushions would have been a great idea. Now I am not so sure that it would be a good idea to cut up a piece of vintage cloth.

 

VINTAGE MAIZE SACKS 

These beautiful sacks (more than 50 years old) are from South Africa and given to me by my mom.

A Picture is worth a Thousand Words

THE STORY

Moroccan Inspired Throw for my Dad

(Follow Link to previous posting)

YARN:

Vinnis Bambi, 100%  Bamboo, 5 Skeins, 50gr each

Colours: 5 Skeins in total of Clouds, Dark Denim, Denim, Blues Brother, Baby Blue

Vinnis Nikkim Colours, 100% Cotton, 28 skeins, 50gr each:

Stone, Old Gold, Aluminium, Steel Grey, Blue Grey, Blue Bell, Denim, Kingfisher, Baby Blue, Deep Blue, Cloud Blue, Blue Canard, Pale Blue Green

Images: Raw Rustic Pinterest