Today I’m going to be talking about shopping in Totnes. Because who doesn’t love a bit of retail therapy?
While I’m down in Devon (you can find out all about that here), I am doing my best to take advantage of all of the local crafting opportunities that I never knew about as a teenager. Mum took me to Totnes on market day while she went to the hairdresser, and boy did I have a good time.
Creative Crafts and Needlework – Totnes
Like all good researchers do, I had a look on Ravelry to find out what yarn shops were local to the area. This is not an infallible tool – as Creative Crafts and Needlework proved. I was walking up Totnes High Street looking for a shop I had found on the Rav tool, and lo and behold, yarn appeared in my peripheral vision! I scuttled in to have a look and found a really delightful little craft shop crammed from top to bottom with bits and pieces to delight any fibreophile.
I’ll do a proper review soon – but for now just admire what I found in the back of the shop in the felting section! I wasn’t expecting to find any fibre at all, and I have to say I’m thrilled with what I did find. This is inspired by the Great Barrier Reef – there are probably more blues than I would have put in, but you’ll see this in another project soon…
Social Fabric
This delightful shop was on Ravelry. Social Fabric is a proper yarn shop, with all of my favourite commercial yarns (can you say Malabrigo?) and a nice fabric section too. I was inspired by the samples, particularly a shawl which is knitted from Malabrigo Sock in Ravelry Red…a skein that I just happen to have in my stash.
I was particularly taken by a little Debbie Bliss kit – the family is expecting another bundle of joy, and I wanted something that would knit up quickly but be a treasure. This definitely qualifies! I won’t show you the colours I got just yet, but look forward to an FO in the near future!
Sorazora
I wasn’t expecting to find yarn and fibre in Totnes Market, but boy did I! I actually knew about Sorazora already, as my darling daddykins gave me a Himalayan Nettle Shawl from these guys for Christmas. I was ashamed to say that I’ve never worn it, as it’s quite stiff and scratchy…but the man behind the stall (whose name I didn’t find out, bad Corrie) assured me that it will soften up with time, and that I should wear it in.
I wanted to get some yarn to test out, so I bought a ball of nettle yarn. For £2.50 for 50g, this was much cheaper than I was expecting, and I’m excited to try it out. However, I have no idea what to knit with it, and it hasn’t included a yardage on the label or the website…so I may have to get the niddy-noddy out.
Curiouser and Curiouser
I was charging back down the hill to meet mum, looking in windows as I went, and got diverted by the sight of a book. With a strapping bloke on a horse, it could have been anything – until you realise that the bloke is knitting. “The Manly Art of Knitting
I went in to have a look at it, and when the guy behind the till asked me whether I had it in mind for a specific bloke, I told him I simply wanted to review it for my blog. He managed to persuade me to buy it, and the review is coming soon!
Hulu Crafts
I had spent the morning in Modbury with my parents, and went in to Hulu Crafts to say hello to the owner, Vicky, who I interview in Episode Five of the Plutonium Muffins Podcast. You may remember the Dragon Cowl that I spun and knitted this year? I am ashamed to admit I lost it in Sydney, a devastating event that has taken a couple of months to get over. Losing a knitted item is never great – losing a handspun knitted item is the worst.
Vicky still has some Manos del Uruguay roving in the shop, so I picked up a braid of the Bluejay colourway, and will start over.
So, that’s it for my retail therapy! I bought all of this stuff last Friday, but have been busily getting ready for two markets this weekend. I was at Modbury Barrow Market this morning, teaching spinning and selling some fibre, and will be at a Dog Show in Plymouth’s Central Park tomorrow morning…hopefully I’ll report back on Monday with news of many new spinners!
Much love,
Corrie xx
