It's Second Hand September Again

Whilst Second Hand September began in 2019 as an initiative by Oxfam to challenge us to only buy pre-loved clothes for a thirty day period back then, it's now evolved into a global mindset against over consumption of fast fashion.  I personally love second hand clothing, a love probably born in the Oxfam shop in Ayr back in the 1970's when my Mum was chairperson of the local Oxfam group.  Seven years ago I shared some of my charity shop finds in this blog post.

As I've become a more confident garment knitter in recent years, and frequently worry about being too hot or too cold, I've developed a love of cardigans.  

All these cardigans I've made are worn with tops I've bought from charity shops! 

Whilst I love a trawl round my local thrift stores, I'm also a fan of the on-line second-hand retail platform, Vinted, both for buying - and for selling.  Vinted promotes the values of a circular economy and sustainability with the ethos 'to make second hand the first choice'.  Though my retail experiences at first were restricted to clothing, it didn't take me long to realise that Vinted's vast virtual marketplace isn't limited to clothes.  For a crafter like me, there's a tantalising treasure trove of pre-loved knitting yarn for sale as well!

Of course, the intelligent algorithm quickly learns from your browsing history what you've been viewing - so offers you more of the same.  Much more!  So I quickly learned NOT to look at wool (too much) as temptation lurked every time I opened the app.  However.  Sometimes.  Just sometimes. Something appears for sale on Vinted which is no longer available elsewhere.  Yarn no longer being produced  which you know to be beautiful.  And that is worth a look.

Wind the clock back to 2013.  I knit these mittens with a beautiful yarn hand-dyed on the Isle of Skye by Shilasdair, a small business at that time run by Eva and Tony Lambert.  So many shades of purple achieved from natural dyes  The colour is 'blaeberry' and the label description says 'a shade suggested by tiny blaeberry plants growing under moorland heather with dusky blue-purples set off by winy tones in the maturing fruit'.  So poetic.  But it is the mix of fibres I remember best -  10% cashmere, 10% baby camel, 40% angora and 40% merino lambs wool.  Sumptuously soft yet robust enough for garments and accessories.  The generous 100g skein yielded sufficient yarn for two pairs of these fingerless mitts.  I gave them both away as gifts - one pair as a birthday present to my friend, Vicki, and the other pair to my niece, Siobhan, who was about to start university.

When the Lamberts retired in 2016, the Shilasdair business was entrusted to the stewardship of Kirsty Faulds and Simon Wallwark, the new owners, who continue to promote natural dying and champion British wools and fibre today on Skye.

The Shilasdair yarn I'd spotted for sale on Vinted had a label with the same logo as my 2013 purchase.  A blend of cashmere, angora and lambs wool with the colour name 'Summer Loch'.  I couldn't resist.

This precious bundle weighed 300g which I calculated to be around 800m of beautifully squishy wool.  

Oh what to knit?

I knew this wasn't enough for a jumper big enough to fit me - so I opted to knit a slipover (or vest if you're American or a tank top if you grew up in the 70's like me!)  Basically a sleeveless sweater.

The pattern I chose is the Conwy Slipover by Sophie, The Knit Purl Girl, which features smart tailoring and a simple cable allowing the beauty of the yarn to shine.  Clearly written with links to tutorials for any tricky bits, it was a lovely pattern to knit and I'd happily make another.

Shirts by White Stuff and Alice Collins from Vinted

Of course, in the true spirit of Second Hand September, I had to team my new slipover with a pre-loved shirt or two, along with my second hand breeks!

A Summer of Sea Inspiration

My making over the summer has been inspired by the sea and the seaside.

The catalyst for my recent creativity was a fortnight in Fife.  Our first weekend coincided with the Largo Blue Space Festival, a two day community event celebrating coastal conservation and local marine environments around Largo Bay and the Firth of Forth.  It was hosted by local group, The Friends of Largo Bay, and my cousin Stephanie is a very active member.  

Stephanie overseeing my needle felting!

I was so pleased to be able to take part in the drop-in craft session she organised throughout the weekend, to needle felt a seascape featuring the starfish on the group's logo. 

Further along the East Neuk coast from Largo lies the pretty fishing village of Pittenweem and no visit to Fife would be complete for me without a visit to The Woolly Brew!  This beautiful ball of Rico mohair silk yarn reminded me of seashells and I knit the free scarf pattern which accompanied my purchase.  Another ethereal make inspired by the sea.

Continuing to enjoy the seaside on holiday, the Fife Coastal Path provided us with many options for our daily beach walks.

Beach walks gave me the opportunity to search for sea glass.

I took my small haul along to the sea glass art workshop at Jane Keenan Design in Maud last weekend.  It was run by Shaped By The Sea creator, Jane Crighton, and I hoped to include some of my pieces into the picture we were going to make.

I love to see everything laid out at the start of a class.  There was a box frame and laser-cut wooden heart for everyone as well as little pots of sea glass and pottery.  So much potential!

I opened up the pots I'd been given whilst Jane enlightened us about the history of sea glass.  It can take decades, and sometimes centuries, to tumble glass into the smoothed, frosted pieces in front of us and she showed us examples under UV light where additives from early glass manufacture glowed vividly!  

There were lots of extra bits and pieces on the table along with sweet treats to go with our tea.

Selecting pieces and sticking them into the heart was both absorbing and therapeutic.  

As my picture progressed, I was mindful of Jane's instruction to use finger protectors as the glue dried quickly!  It also created a shiny glaze when painted over my completed glass, pottery and shell composition.

I finished by adding some wee wooden hearts and these words - a dream is a wish your heart makes.

I'm pleased with my sea glass art and am happy I could use some I'd collected in Fife.  Displaying my picture at home will keep the happy holiday memories alive as well as reminding me of fun times by the sea.

Thanks, Jane, for a wonderful workshop!

A Fashion Foray into Antwerp (featuring some fancy French floof!)

In May, the Belgian city of Antwerp became the destination for our latest mother/daughter mini-break.

We travelled by Eurostar from London to Brussels then took a local train, arriving at Antwerp's magnificent art nouveau Spoorwegkathedraal, or railway cathedral, as the stunning station is known.

It was a joy to wander around the safe, clean and compact city centre, taking in historic sights, fountains and statues as well as quirky architecture, colourful graffiti and famous sculptures.

Whilst the Danes are famed for their pastries, Belgians also love a baked good or two, with waffles smothered in chocolate a treat we just had to try.  

The main reason for our trip, though, was to visit to the exhibition currently showing at the MoMu Fashion Museum Antwerp entitled The Antwerp Six.  It celebrates the 40th anniversary of the international breakthrough of six iconic Belgian fashion designers who all studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.  They put the city firmly on the world fashion map!  The wonderfully curated exhibition placed the designers Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten,  Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee into a visually entertaining contextual timeline then showcased their respective designs whilst highlighting their individuality.

But no holiday to a new city would be complete for me without a visit to a yarn shop!  

Less than five minutes walk up Nationalestraat from MoMu is Julija.

With a door at either side of the shop, light is able to flood into the airy interior.  Inside, it's spacious and laid out in such a way that the yarns, threads and fabrics, needles and notions are uncrowded and clearly displayed.  I loved that so many samples were on show, from adult garments to cute crocheted amigurumi animals.

At first I was drawn to Julija's own hand dyed yarn and chose this soft blue, green variegated hank of aran weight merino.  It will undoubtedly become a hat sometime in the near future.

Then Maddy spotted the perfect pink to match her hair!  Soft clouds of mohair and wool around a strengthening core make up Fonty Ombelle, and I bought one ball from Julija herself, whilst pondering which pattern to knit.  I knew of the French brand, Fonty, but it's seldom seen for sale in the UK.

Julija at her lovely yarn shop in Antwerp

There's been a trend in the knitting world for some time to hold a strand of wool alongside a strand of mohair yarn to make garments and accessories.  The combination creates a warm, yet lightweight, fabric with a gorgeous fluffy halo, but double the yarn can make costs soar.  As Fonty Ombelle already combines the wool and mohair into a sport weight yarn, it can be held alone and still create the same desired effect. 

I checked out Instagram to see what other knitters had made with Fonty Ombelle and, with Maddy's approval, settled on the Djohnny Cardigan by French designer Mauriciette C.  It's simple but elegant with a round neck and cleverly fashioned button band that you knit as you go along.  Once we'd chosen the pattern, we popped back to Julija's yarn shop to purchase the additional five balls of floof I reckoned I'd need.

Djohnny cardigan pattern by Mauricette C.

As soon as we returned from Antwerp, I knit my gauge swatch and got cracking!  

The cardigan took me about a month to knit and I found the pattern was well written and easy to follow.  I chose size XS for Maddy and knitted it pretty much as stated, but with slightly longer sleeves, as I still had additional yarn left after completing the body to the prescribed length.

On a trip to Fife in June, I found these pretty wooden buttons at The Woolly Brew in Pittenweem.  Maddy rather liked the idea of them being mismatched.

Here's the completed cardigan which was even softer to touch after a wee wash and block.

I'm so pleased that Maddy and I were together in Antwerp to choose the materials and pattern for a garment she wants, and that I was able to use this wool so soon after purchase.  However, with the heatwave continuing in London, where Maddy lives, there's no saying she's going to be wearing it anytime soon!

Madrid Minibreak featuring Miss Kits

In late November 2025, we visited Madrid with our best buddies, Dave and Caroline.  I think we had our first holiday with them almost 30 years ago!

We'd had a lot of fun together on our Porto trip back in January and our love affair with cities of the  Iberian peninsula continued in a similar vein.

Delicious tapas,

Cultural excursions (including Museo Reina Sophia and the Museum of Romanticism),

Strolls through parks and the botanic gardens, vibrant with late autumn colour,

The added bonus of blue sky days to enjoy the great outdoors,

La Dama del Manzanares sculpture

And, of course, a yarn shop!

I'd established before leaving home that Miss Kits was the closest yarn shop to our holiday apartment, just a 10 minute walk past many inviting independent boutiques.  Behind the door was a light, bright space comprising an airy interior lined with colour-filled cubes.  I was free to wander at will whilst staff were on hand if I needed help.  Where to start?

Immediately drawn to all the colours, I found Barcelona based Katia Yarns well represented in-store including this sweet array of mohair/silk, cubby holes of cotton blends and sparkly spools of sequined threads.

Casasol is a Spanish brand I'd not encountered before.  As well as knitting yarn, the company has been making rope and twine for agriculture since 1803, with a more recent move into hemp and jute for espadrilles.  Again, a variety of Casasol yarns were stocked at Miss Kits including more fluff and more sparkles.

Most intriguing to me was this Casasol Cotton Candy.  There's a popular current knitting trend for holding a strand of mohair/silk together with another yarn, often merino.  Whilst the resulting fabric has the airiness of mohair and the strength of silk with the softness of wool, it can be quite costly buying multiple balls.  Especially to create a garment.  The Cotton Candy combines a cotton strand with mohair, ready wound into a large 800g spool.  Sadly, not very suitcase-friendly for my carry-on bag!

In search of a suitable souvenir skein, I spied luscious jewel-toned skeins enticingly labelled "Madrid Yarns Mohair" (which I believe is produced by Casasol for Miss Kits) and it was nice to see, and squish, exclusive Parisian hand-dyed brand la Bien Aimee.  The extensive range of Spanish fibres at Miss Kits also included raffia and these Musa cones would be perfect for a crocheted summery bag.  

However, I resisted all these beauties and moved on.

It was when I reached the dLana section of the shop, I knew I'd found what I was after.  A woolly wool from Spanish sheep, grown and spun to the North of Madrid.

D'lana is a family firm placing value on a natural product and the environment.  Their wool is untreated and spun in the firm's own mill. Animals and nature are respected and rural employment is promoted. You can even visit their factory to learn more about their sheep and the production process.  I love knowing the provenance of the sheep and wool I'm using.

I purchased a skein of Aran weight D'lana La Castellana in ice blue.  The wool comes from Castellana sheep reared by El Navazo Livestock Farm in the Castile region, which promotes the breed.  It's plump and lofty, perfect for a hat.  I knew it was going to be nice and warm when knitted up.

Back home, Christmas happened then I broke my wrist slipping on ice.  My knitting had to be put on hold as I healed but that gave me time to select a pattern for my precious holiday purchase.  

Despite it now being March, I chose to knit The October Hat (a pattern generously provided free on the Kelbourne Woolens website).

As I'd hoped, the lightly spun dLana wool created a wonderfully squishy fabric with beautiful stitch definition to show off the cable pattern.  I added an oversized white pompom to complete my hat.

Though March in Scotland can allow a glimpse of Spring, predominantly chilly days mean I still need to wear my woollens when I'm out!

Miss Kits yarn store can be found at C. de Atocha, 31, Centro, 28012 Madrid, Spain

Weaving a willow wreath

I'm unsure now how or where I first met Marguerite Fleming.  A warm spirited Irish lady, crofter and crafter, Marge is a powerhouse - one of those people you think must have 48 hours in every day!

Along with husband, Frank, she manages Westfield Croft, home to hives of bees, fields of rare breed sheep, a multitude of poultry, a large willow coppice and Marge's search and rescue dogs.  

We probably first met chatting about her wool at a local yarn show or maker's market.  I've knitted with her beautiful Blue Faced Leicester wool...

 and Spangle, our kitten, loves the cat mat Marge wove on her peg loom.

Recently I spotted an ad for an autumn wreath weaving workshop run by Marge.  I signed up right away and took my pal, Vicki, along with me.  Held locally in a former school repurposed as a community space, we were welcomed with refreshments and greeted by tables laden with dried flowers, cones and teasels, whilst additional floral art materials lined the walls.

There was lots of willow too, with different coloured stems, all grown at Westfield Croft.

As the class gathered, we had the chance to see what we were going to make by checking out Marge's sample wreaths.

To begin with, Marge showed us how to take some of the thicker willow branches and bend them by hand, one at a time, encouraging them into a circle shape.  We had to do this well away from each other so we didn't accidentally catch our classmates with any errant whippy stems!

After building up the ring until we were happy with its shape, we trimmed away unwanted leaves and ends.

Then it was time to chose our decorations.  I was drawn to the soft yellows whilst Vicki chose these muted pinks and greys.

There was wool to wind round our wreaths and wire to stabilise the delicate strawflowers.  We used florists wire to secure the cones, grasses and flowers to our designs.  They can be easily removed in future to repurpose our willow wreaths for Christmas.

In the meantime, here's how my autumn willow wreath looked at the end of the class.

The two hours had flown by in such an enjoyable way, thanks for Marge's patient tutelage, and we were soon admiring each others handiwork.  

There was just time for a class photo with Marge before Vicki and I headed out for lunch.

Once home, Vicki sent me a photo of her wreath hanging up.  It's so pretty against her painted door.

When I got home, I decided to replaced the wool wound round the top of my wreath with a bow fashioned from this rustic ribbon.

Thanks to Marge for a lovely instructive workshop with great company. 

To hear about future workshops with Westfield Croft, 

keep in touch through the website, 

FaceBook 

and Instagram.