There is strength in unity, fabled Aesop in the 6th Century BC.
"Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results" according to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and Louisa M. Alcott wrote in "Little Women" that it takes two flints to make a fire.
People have been coming together to help each other for many moons and the impact of working for the common good, especially in the time of a global pandemic, cannot be underestimated.
When seven feisty local yarn shop owners from across these isles faced the potentially dire consequences of Covid to their businesses, they decided to band together and form iKnit7 - a unique collaborative yarn experience.
I followed most of these shops on social media at the time, Edinburgh's Ginger Twist Studio and the three London stores - Hackney's Wild and Woolly, Knit With Attitude in Stoke Newington and Richmond's Tribe Yarns - fill my Instagram feed with inspirational knitting and colour. A Yarn Story in Bath was on the itinerary for my planned, then cancelled, mini-break to the city at Easter with my daughter. We really hope to visit in future. I also knew of Emily Foulds in Lancashire, and This is Knit in Dublin, through the knitting podcasts I enjoy whilst stitching. These shop owners have come together to collaborate and support one another as iKnit7.
By taking part in the iKnit7 week of online events in May, I got to know these local yarn shops and the lovely ladies who own and run them, a whole lot better!
It wasn't long before my purchases from three of the stores started to arrive. First was this jewellery kit I bought from Emily Foulds to make a knitted necklace featuring crystal beads.The designer and creator of Mahliqa hand knitted jewellery is Suraya Hossain. I first saw Suraya's exquisite work when she designed this stunning two-piece outfit for Vogue Knitting Live in January. How amazing to be able to create something wearable for myself from Suraya's design! The Maliqa wire kit contained beautiful Schwarovski crystals in colours inspired by the painting L'alcove by Eva Gonzales. Everything I needed was included in the box except needles but my Knitpro Zing double pointed pins were ideal for knitting with the fine, malleable wire. I thought attaching the clasp might be fiddly but I was able to make a pretty neat job thanks to some jewellery pliers we had in the house. Please look at the finished necklace and not my multiple chins!As I always have several projects on the go, I also cast on the wool I received from Milli at Tribe Yarns as soon as it arrived. When Milli showcased the Anica Shawl Kit, I knew the lacey triangle shape was one I'd love to wear. The kit comprised this pattern by Alina Appasova and a skein from Urth Yarns, brought to the UK by Tribe Yarns from Turkey. As well as providing valuable employment for women in their own country, Urth Yarns plant a tree in Africa for every skein created according to the label. Their Uneek Fingering Yarn is a beautiful soft self-striping 100% merino in gorgeous harmonising colours. I chose the earth tones, pictured on the pattern, and also purchased a pretty dandelion sock blocker and some beads from Tribe at the same time. As for my actual knitting - this pretty shawl knit up quickly as the pattern was quite easy to memorise. The beautiful yarn stripes itself and enhances my garter stitch, eyelets and picots no end. So much so, I've knit a second, this time in merino/silk/yak from The Yarn Badger in her beautiful Winter Rainbow. Neither of these is adorning my neck though - I gave the first one to a good pal who'd just had a big birthday and the second shawl has also become a gift, this time from my Mum to send to her far-away friend. You know what that means? I shall just have to cast on a third!Meanwhile, I also had plans for the yarn I ordered from Jess at Ginger Twist Studio. Several birthdays ago my sister gave me the book Botanical Knits 2 by Alana Dakos and I really fancied making the Sunlit Autumn cardigan, especially after I got this White Stuff skirt in their sale! The yarn is Diggle DK by Woolyknit, a gorgeous tweedy British wool and I chose the colour Autumn Nepp (not neep as one of my Insta pals thought, making me laugh as a neep is a turnip hereabouts!)
Anyway, with the current trend for knitting seamless top-down garments, it was a change to go back to knitting all the pieces separately again. It appeared to take me nearly as long to sew up as it had to knit the last sleeve! I blocked my cardigan prior to assembly which helped flatten the curling stocking stitch edges and then added these beautiful flower shaped ceramic buttons by The Irish Handmade Button Company, a gift from Connemara from my sister-in-law following her trip there in 2018.The cardigan has autumnal leaf details on the pockets and at the back of the neck. I had to take all these selfies of my finished garment as I'm home alone again with my husband, Geoff, offshore.So I've knit three very different pieces with the materials I got at iKnit7 in May and I've enjoyed lots of making, both for myself and others in the process. The event was a high spot during enforced time at home. Being able to knit and share what I've made has helped me feel less alone. iKnit7 has brought together more than seven businesses - it's created a welcoming community of shared knitting fellowship.
And the great news is that the ladies are back!
The iKnit7 Holiday Extravaganza is coming in November - sign up for the newsletter to hear about the interviews, features, a treasure hunt and an international knit night happening from the 9th to the 15th November 2020.
Personally, I can't wait!
