EYF 2017

EYF 2017, my third time as a vendor & the most elated exhaustion I’ve experienced post show!  The run up to EYF 2017, alongside my usual preps for my Dorset Button stand & running Dorset Button workshops, saw my TJFrogWool delivered 2 ½ weeks before, my Dorset Button fabric bags picked up on the day of setup and my first podcast episode go live 1 ½ weeks before.  A little mad to say the least especially since I had not anticipated such an incredible response to the podcast and the enormous number of messages I would receive.

It’s taken me a week to sit down & write this blog and it seems I not the only one suffering in the aftermath of EYF.  Reading social media posts from longer established business owners and more experienced show vendors so many are mentioning just how tired they are feeling.  Downtime, especially, knitting downtime, is much needed!

What about you as visitors?  So much to see and do.  Sensory yarn overload and an amazing line up of vendors.  I’m sure you are all having your own post EYF 2017 wind down, whether that be casting on a new project, ‘playing’ with lovely new yarns as you decide on their destiny or delighting in your new accessories.

Friday saw me deliver two Dorset Button workshops in support of the Teapot Trust and consequently the day flew by.  I love spreading the word about Dorset Buttons and everyone was so enthusiastic to learn.  A huge thanks to all of you who attended one of the workshops, I thoroughly enjoyed them and hope you will go on to make many more Dorset Buttons for your own projects.  As I was very remiss at taking any photos please do share your Dorset Buttons on my Instagram, Facebook or Twitter feed.

It was great to see Julia again who from one of my Dorset Buttons kits has gone on to make some Dorset Buttons with hand-spun Jacob and she brought them along to show me.  It’s always very special when people do this.

Lizzie, helping out on Ripples Crafts stand, turned up to say hello wearing the same dress as me!  Well what can you do other than admire each others taste in clothes!  In fact it seemed to be a popular dress as I saw a couple more people in it too!!!

Another visitor to the stand was Fay of The Crochet Circle podcast and owner of Knit It – Hook It – Craft It.  We met last year at the Caithness Craft Collective retreat in John O’Groats and it’s so lovely that events like EYF bring people together again.  Fay delivered some of her stash to me, which I will talk about in my next podcast episode, and she went off with a couple of skeins of TJFrogWool Shorelines & Strata 4ply and has a design in mind!  Watch this space!

The light by my stand gave my yarn a green hue, as did my lime green boxes painted by my lovely friend Jo on Skye.  The yarn is grey although getting some dyed green is definitely on my agenda.

What Fay also did on her whistle stop day trip to EYF was bring some homemade food goodies.  I can tell you by 4pm on Day 2 this extra sugar kick from the chocolate cake was much needed and very much appreciated.

The TJFrogWool, Shorelines & Strata, will be getting a blog post all to itself.  Suffice to say it was amazing to meet Steve and Rachel from Croft 29, whose Hebridean sheep contributed their fleeces to my wool!

I managed a quick visit to Ripples Crafts stand to say hello to Helen & to see the Anthro cardigan she’d knitted in her Na Dannsairean 4ply Blueface Leicester & Donegal Nep yarn, which I had made 10 Dorset Buttons for in the same yarn.  I’d only seen a photo of a couple of the buttons on the cardigan beforehand so I loved finally getting to see it for real, all with a Dorset Button finish.  ‘A handmade finish for a special handmade project.’   I’m so loving the colours in this!  I might have to make myself one!

The TJFrog Dorset Button fabric DPNs/Crochet & Project Bags went down very well too and another order will be going in soon for more fabric, new colourways and additional items.

I do have an EYF 2017 haul albeit I’ve yet to unpack it so will leave that for another day.

I’m sorry I have so few photos of the day, and not more representing the vibrancy of the festival.  With my mobile having the app to support my credit card I didn’t really have my phone on me as such so forgot to capture moments.

Massive thanks go out to Jo & Mica for giving me the opportunity to be part of such a special yarn festival and for asking me to deliver the two workshops in aid of the Teapot Trust.  Thank you to all the visitors returning and new, who came to seek me out, to say hello, to catch up, to comment on the podcast, to make purchases and to enable me to put faces to names on social media to fellow yarn lovers.  My parents also made a special trip up from Dorset to see me on Day 2 and it was great to see friends who made it up and seemed to be enjoying their first EYF experience.

Finally big thank you to TJFrog Staff – my Hubby!  He did a sterling job on my stand chatting to many of you & explaining everything.  He is well trained & has made one Dorset Button, a record he is determined to maintain!!!

For now I’m finally getting to knit with my new wool.  The Dorset Button kits made with Shorelines & Strata will be in the online shop by the end of March and there are one or two other forthcoming projects I’m very excited about which will remain under wraps for the time being.

Bye for now.