Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show

Last weekend we flew to the UK to spend two wonderful days in Harrogate at the Knitting and Stitching Show. It was great to see old friends, meet new ones and walk around in amazement at the sheer volume of creativity and artistry on display.We stayed in the Travelodge right across the road from Leeds Bradford Airport. It seems an unlikely location for a view like the one below from your room window but that's what we saw when we woke up on Saturday morning! I love sheep and the soft, green/grey countryside of Yorkshire. Amazingly, it was also completely quiet...except for the howling winds on Sunday! Weather at it's most exciting!I was excited to see everything at the show but especially to see the Loveday crewelwork piece all framed. The Nicola Jarvis Studio exhibition was just around the corner as we came into the hall and the William Morris red and olive wallpaper caught my eye through the crowds of people outside, before I could see any of her stitched pieces.So many of her students and friends have stitched her designs for this exhibition and it was just stunning! The exhibit was set up like a living room, complete with a fireplace, a settee, chairs, bookcases and, of course, pillows, fire screens and pictures all in Nicola's designs.Nicola's partner Dave (taking the photo) and her good friends Jeff (on the left) and my husband Steve (on the right) helping in the exhibition space to answer questions and popping into photographs when least expected! It was a fabulously fun day and a half! Brian, one of Nicola's students, came along to stitch pieces during the weekend and he kindly let me have a go on a different colour combination of the Loveday piece. It was such fun meeting and talking with people, all of whom had lots of questions!Inside the International Centre there is a gorgeous theatre and the organisers kindly opened it as a space for all the visitors to sit down, enjoy a cup of coffee and a sandwich.  I got to meet Mary, a long time reader of The Unbroken Thread, and we had a long, long chat in one of the stalls you can see on the right.There were so many different and interesting companies, large and small, selling kits, threads, fabric, buttons, leather goods, scissors,  frames...the list goes on and on. One stall that caught my eye as I came around the corner was Ann's Orchard Needlework. It isn't often that you glance at an exhibitor's badge and see the title "Dr." before their name. I had to ask and found out that she is a geneticist with a specialisation in potatoes. However, the research has moved to the USA and she has children, so Ann has directed her considerable talent and creativity into her needlework business.I especially admired her packaging and graphic design. It turns out she does that as well! I purchased one of the Clutch Bag kits in green and can't wait to begin stitching it! I'm going to use coloured threads in addition to the white that is provided for the bag, as you can see she has in the red example in the photo below.In addition to projects using thread she has kits using beadwork that are simply charming! I like the Golden Crowned Thrush  and the Rambling Briar Rose. She also writes a blog on which she has written a very funny article comparing balls of yarns to those lovable creatures from Star Trek called Tribbles! If you remember that program, you will smile as you read this!One of the most lovely surprises happened on Sunday when Sarah Rakestraw came over to Nicola's exhibition to talk with me and presented me with gifts to share with you, dear and loyal readers! Watch for my next post!Sarah is one of the owners of the gold work company based in the UK called Golden Hinde. They sell all manner of metal threads, tools, fantastic kits, beads, frames, silk, cotton, leathers...if it's for metal thread embroidery they have it!One of the best things about Golden Hinde is that they sell in small quantities to embroiderers who don't need huge amounts of one thread. Their web site is well organised and easy to navigate with good quality photographs so you know exactly what you're getting when you order. And, most importantly, Sarah herself is delightful! She has so much enthusiasm for metal thread embroidery and was full of ideas and suggestions for every customer who stopped by at Harrogate.Her father is in the photo below and he is equally as helpful - they make a great team. Her mother is always stitching at the shows I've attended and watching her work (if you can see through the ever-present crowd around her!)  is inspirational.Meeting Sarah also had a personal impact on a future project that some of you might be interested in; a goldwork Trevelyon's Cap! I've had quite a few current and future students ask about a different design for a cap in gold work as a course on "With Threaded Needle". I wasn't sure which design to use, how I wanted the finished piece to look and what threads and techniques I would use. Well, after spending time with Sarah, I now have it figured out and am getting ready to begin the cap so I can offer it to all of you as a course!At events like the Knitting and Stitching Show it's always the people you meet and the ideas you share that are invaluable, not the things for sale.I feel so very lucky to have become part of this world of textile artists - they're every bit a fabulous as musicians!