It’s been a fun few weeks in social media terms. A glitch or some kind of random spanner in the works meant that I found myself locked out of my own Instagram account for a few days. That wouldn’t have been too bad in itself but I was trying to let people know about a flash sale I had going on - thanks Meta.

Luckily, my trusty email newsletter meant that most people were aware of it anyway - let’s face it - Instagram reach is so poor these days that we consider ourselves lucky if anyone sees our posts at all. This is a great reminder though, if you aren’t already, to sign up to my email newsletter (and that of other people you follow on social media for that matter).

We never know when the Instagram gods will decide to pull the marketing rug out from under us, so email is really the best way of ensuring that we can stay in touch and you don’t miss anything vital. And if you did miss the sale - huge apologies - I’ll do another one shortly so keep an eye on your inboxes.

I was grumping slightly that I wouldn’t be able to share my post yarn show haul online thanks to the IG ban but then it dawned on me that I have this - my very own if slightly neglected blog.

So with my Instagram grumpiness fresh in my mind you can expect to see a little more blog action from me moving forward and a little less reliance on the capriciousness of Meta.

East Anglia Yarn Festival 9-10 March 2024

If there is anything that brings a smile to a knitters face faster than the prospect of a yarn show, then I don’t know what it is. The thought of a few hours, happily squishing yarn, chatting with friends and generally being among people who ‘get it’ is one of the nicest ways I can think of to spend a few hours on a rainy afternoon in March.

This was my second visit to the East Anglia Yarn Festival and it’s definitely one of my favourite shows to attend. Masses of parking, lots of space to move around and really well organised. It’s a real treat to attend and I always end up spending far more money than I originally intended.

It’s always nice to attend a yarn show where the vendors are genuinely enthusiastic and happy to be there. Everyone was very relaxed and it just generally made for a lovely chilled out afternoon.

My husband came with me for a change and he commented that it was a long time since he had seen quite so many smiling faces in one place. He’s a non-knitter (but a very appreciative receiver of handknit socks) and even he enjoyed the yarn fume filled atmosphere.

So, without further ado let’s cut the chase.

The obligatory post yarn show, on-the-bed haul photo. Actually when I spread it out properly it doesn’t look as big as I thought. And there definitely seems to be a colour theme running through it.

Clockwise from left:

• Medium project bag from Eldenwood Crafts

• Notecards from Tilly Flop Designs

• 2x Lamberton High Twist sock, The Little Grey Girl

• 2x Titus 4ply, Old Jeans, Eden Cottage Yarns

• 1x Merino silk fingering, Twilight, The Wool Kitchen

• 1x merino nylon fingering, Skyfall, The Wool Kitchen

• 1x merino nylon & sparkle fingering, Fritillary, Madrigal yarns

• 1x BFL DK, Ombrolivia, Madrigal yarns

I also managed to score a skein of the beautiful Folk yarn - the special, limited edition yarn produced entirely within East Anglia. I’ve no idea what I will make with it (or any of my haul to be honest) but I’m going to have fun dreaming of it’s potential.

I intended to buy some more DK to balance out my stash but what can I say, I fell for all the pretty 4ply yarns. Always a weakness.

And of course, as we all know - sock yarn never really counts as stash anyway.