A Cornish Knitting And Rambling Retreat, With Raw Wool.

After a spring thunderstorm, this beautiful rainbow arched over the bay as I walked home last Friday.

As I walked down to Knit Group today, I felt the first true warmth of spring sun on my face, whilst on Saturday I met with a wonderful bunch of knitters who braved the blustery showers to walk along the coastal paths to knit on the beach. In short, Spring Time has truly arrived in Cornwall, and one of the best ways to celebrate was to hang out with the gang who were enjoying the Cornish knitting and rambling retreat with The Raw Wool Company.

Knitting retreats have often passed me by, as in truth, I can’t sit and knit all day. I am too fidgety, and the most amount of time I would knit in a weekend is a couple of hours a day. When I enjoy my days away from the writing desk, I make plans to meet friends for walks and beach visits, often getting out my knitting projects when we arrive at the local pub for chips and a pint. So when Anton started telling me about his Raw Wool Retreat ideas last spring, my ears pricked up; meeting new knitting friends over a weekend of coastal walks, pub knitting and trips to see the sheep that produce his yarn?! Sign me up! 

Anton and his very bouncy Spaniel, Moose, enjoying the spring weather.

Anton has a passion for connecting people with the nature that surrounds us here in West Cornwall, and it is the inspiration for both his knitting patterns for Raw Wool, as well as his personal knits (I have often seen his colour choices mimic the country that surrounds us). So it was with no surprise at all that his dream knitting retreat would be creating a space for people to be welcomed in the stunning surroundings of the Bosveal National Trust home on the banks of the Helford Passage. Just 20 minutes west of Falmouth and hosted over three days, knitters would be able to visit the farm where his flok of sheep are shepherded, enjoy lunch in the iconic Ship Inn at Porthleven, and learn about the history and design of the Gansey sweater as they created their own versions. Between walking around Durgan, knitting by the living room fire, and pottering down to the small coves on the banks of the river to cast on a new project on the beach, I knew that it was going to be a retreat to remember. It was so very Anton, and therefore so very Raw Wool! 

Braving the weather as we climbed the hills by Bosveal House, West Cornwall.

After putting all his plans in place, with a healthy dose of anticipation, and the support from Jonathan Days, the retreats were launched in October of last year. The first was such a success (and just a week after my move down here), that the March dates were published soon after, and I was delighted that I was able to join the group for part of it this past Saturday. 

It was fantastic to meet so many passionate knitters from all over the globe. Each brought their own love of natural fibres, joyful patterns, and vast knowledge on the subject of knitting lore. I learned how one knitter’s passion for bird watching inspired their own Gansey pattern, with the seed and bar stitches representing the steps they walked down during the weekend to watch the birds take flight. An American woman told me stories of how she and her husband took their motorbikes around Colorado as they sought out new yarns, as well as her passion for the country of Wales. The stories of how the English coast brought comfort to all of them through childhood memories, and their later life adventures, my feelings of happienss to be living here were renewed.

As we walked up the hill as the wind blustered around us, the view of the river flowing into the sea was simply breathtaking; waves chasing themselves up the Helford. After catching our breath and taking a walk around the 400 year old church, we headed east towards Mawnan. With the rain and sea spray dancing through the air, we made time to sit on the beach and knit a few stitches whilst Moose, Anton’s spaniel, ran rings around us. (I swear that dog did more than double the miles we completed that day!)

After we headed back to the house for a wonderful cream tea, we sat down to knit next to the fire. I cast on the Kintra Sweater that I have been gauge swatching for the past couple of weeks; the perfect sweater for late spring and early summer when the wind can still be a little chilly in the evenings. Listening to the chatter whilst the scones were baking in the kitchen, I felt the tension I had been holding over the past week simply slip away. To be warm, comfortable, surrounded by the gentle peace that knitting offers us, after a stunning walk, is the best way to spend my day. 

As I drove home, awash with tea, I knew that I had to arrange my diary to book in for the full retreat this coming autumn. Although I had only been there for a few hours, it felt as if I had enjoyed a magical time of rest and relaxation that I simply would not have had at home. Looking at the cast-on I did for the collar of the Kintra, I now also know that I will need to take my simplest stocking stitch projects, as I still have not mastered the art of chatting and following a pattern; my rib is wonky and my stitch count is off! 

I think there is a knitting retreat out there for everyone. From spa based knitting time in Bath, cruises around the Shetlands, and ranch style dying weekends in the Rockies, there is an experience to suit you and your textile interests. I am blessed not only to be able to be here in Cornwall and take full advantage of Anton’s friendship over coffee time at the Falmouth Bookseller on a regular basis, but also to witness his love of the countryside that embraces us whilst he shares it with us.

For myself, I think my ideas around textile retreats has changed from one of not quite knowing why I would go on one, to one of curiosity. I would like to explore natural dying, spinning, quilting, and different sewing techniques, and I think retreats may be a great way for me to gently travel and learn from experts in a relaxed environment. We shall see where I go next, but one thing is for sure, in the autumn you will find me back at the Helford, with Moose running amuck, surrounded by welcoming and warm-heated knitters. 

Raw Wool's beautiful mini yarns, and their wooden gauge rule.

The Joy Of Small Knitting Festivals.

Finchley, keeping me cozy with my now abandoned Beechmast, whilst I had flu.

‘Knitting Flu’ has to be one of the worst kinds of miasmas. Like a cloud, it creeped into my home, hanging low in my living room for the best part of two months. It sucked the joy out of my projects, so much so, I simply walked past my yarn basket without thought. 

It started to emanate when I had actual flu over Christmas as I tried to cast on the ‘Beechmast Pullover’ in the John Arbon yarn ‘Fallen Leaf’; a combination that I had been looking forward to since October. In fairness, I couldn’t even make a cup of tea at the time, so why I thought I could follow a cable pattern is now beyond me. But even the second attempt ended in catastrophe and I had to call my lovely friend, Sarah, and fog it with her on the phone as I was so despondent.

I also hadn’t been to my regular knitting group for a few weeks due to work. (I’m not going to lie; a Tuesday morning knitting group from 10:30 - 12:30 kind of kills a working day!) The regular encouragement that I receive from the kind hearted knitters at Stitches and Cream have helped me a lot over the winter, and not seeing them was felt. 

Spring Daffs.

All of this to say that I wasn’t really in the mood to go to YAFF, the Kernow Yarn And Fibre Festival, when Bron invited me to go with her, but looking back at it now, I am so pleased that I did.

I confess that until I moved to Cornwall, I had not heard of this local festival. YAFF is co-run by Gorgeous Yarns, who are based in Helston, and a wonderful team who want to highlight the talented dyers, spinners, weavers and felters in the South West of England, and they gather at The Royal Cornwall Showground in Wadebridge, (between Plozeath and Newque). It is a joy of a small knitting festival, and I am so pleased that I found it.

Sunday was what I like to call a ‘proper Spring day’. Daffodils bobbed their heads in the breeze, and clouds were skudding over a blue sky. As I drove past the farms, the first vibrant greens in the fields could be seen, lighting up the horizon that had been brown the week before. As I steered into the show-ground, I could see the cheery yellow flags guiding us in, and I was happily surprised to see how busy it was in the parking lot, as well as the presence of The Cornish Coffee Van!

Surprisingly, Sarah had got in touch with me the evening before to say that Yarn Food would be at the festival, and I happily offered to be the go-between for them both as Sarah was looking forward to welcoming the yarn wash into her shop; The Knit Lounge. I really had not understood Sarah’s enthusiasm for these particular soap suds until I met Helene and Oliver, and then it all fell into place. 

The couple have been in the knitting industry for years, and had noticed that wool soaps stripped the yarn of its natural property; Lanolin. Yarn Food incorporates this multi-purpose natural product, adding it back into the wool with each wash. As you don’t need to rinse your knitting after you have washed it, the fibres are not overly agitated. (They also offer a version for plant fibres, adding cotton milk to help protect them as well.) The blocking spray is also a unique development for both steam blocking, as well as a way to refresh for your knits between washes. To see a couple work so well together, and to help celebrate their first day of trading was such a joy! I can’t wait to get my own sweaters dunked into the lavender wash, and my socks into the tea-tree version. 

I then met up with Bron, and we spent a colourful time looking at all the yarns that were there to be enjoyed. I have to say that I was rather blown away with the variety of natural fibres on show, and the Cornish wool on display was some of the best I have come across in a long time. It reminded me that Britain has been known across the world for the quality of our wool, along with our spinning, dying, and weaving. To be at a festival that showcased such high-quality produce from my neck of the woods was a total joy! It was creatively refreshing in many ways. 

As we sat and chatted to friends we had bumped into at the show, we sat outside with coffee and pastries whilst getting a few rows knitted up. We must have been there for an hour, enjoying the warmth of the sun as well as nattering about our projects, before heading back in.

I have wanted to meet Kerry from Ginger Pink Yarns for years, but at Unravel, there was never a chance as it was always so busy, but on Sunday I finally snagged my chance to say hello and introduce myself. I love her colour pallets and the depth that she creates by using natural plant dyes. My eyes were drawn to her BFL/Gotland base in 'Weld', a colour that I was still thinking of this morning as I was looking through my sweater collection; it really needs a pop of deep citron! Based in Frome, Sommerset, Kerry uses British wool as the base for her dyes, and the results are bouncy, smooth worsted skeins that are great for both shawls, sweaters, and accessories. I am very much looking forward to ordering a sweater quantity of her yarns just as soon as I get my mojo back. 

Kernow YAFF was a delight to attend, and as it was the smaller Spring Festival, I will be looking forward to seeing what the larger Autumn one has in store for us in September. However, the Spring show was great to meet new-to-me dyers, as there was enough space to chat with them, see their beautiful yarns and squish all the wool. I shall be following Bluebell Yarns with a keen interest, along with Rosie’s Moments, both of whom have stunning colours running through their yarns that offered a lot of creative thoughts for next Autumn’s wardrobe. (Dartmoor Wool Sheep also gave me food for thought for an Aran sweater from one of my brothers…!)

I am convinced that we only get the best out of our knitting when we knit together, and our community is a rich and thriving one. Connecting back in, meeting new friends, and knitting under the spring sun whilst nattering is better than any flu remedy known to human-kind, and I am so happy that I took a great big dose of it on Sunday. 

I ended the day on Polzeath beach, a place I have not visited for a couple of years, but one where I always feel connected with friends, no matter how many miles separate us. My Knitting Flu has downgraded to a version similar to a bad cold. I am not quite over it, but I am enjoying designing my own V-Neck slip-over. I am using my Camel’s Yarn Comfort DK, in the colour-way ‘Studio Door’. I have had it for ages now, and as I only have 4 skeins due to it being the end of a dye lot, I hadn’t really found a use for it until now. As I start to reemerge and enjoy the spring sunshine, I can sense my mind moving to search out the styles of the coming season; boho dresses, linens and colour. I am looking forward to it, and sharing it all with you. 

Winter Sea Swims With My First Knitted Hot Water Bottle Cover.

My Hot Cosy's First Trip To The Beach.

I am currently in the season of ‘Little Knits’; the projects that fill the gaps between. It is also the season for cosy moments in the depth of winter, as the solstice arrives this weekend.

As I started to embrace the changes both in my knitting and in the environment around me, my lovely friend Sarah (who owns The Knit Lounge) reached out on a small WhatsApp group and invited three knitting buddies to choose yarn for a gift that she wanted to send us. The Maxine Mini Hot Water Bottle Cosy was the pattern of choice, and three personalised colour bundles of 'Pip' Yarn by Baa Ram Ewe were delivered, along with the cutest hot water bottle I ever did see! 

My reaction to this Christmas gift was deep for two reasons. I had been wanting a mini hot water bottle for a few weeks, but didn’t want to splurge with my Christmas budgets being a little tight this year. Sea swimming in the winter is cold, (as well as being, quite frankly, nuts), and I had started to realise that a small cosy would be ideal for my hands once out of the water. With the theme of the sea in mind for the project, I chose my colours to represent what I see when I swim. The apricot skies of the morning are close to the ‘Bronte’ colour, whilst the seaweed is picked up by ‘Chevin’, and the blue of the sea is represented by ‘Eccup’, which is a deep shade of blue that allows the pattern to pop.

My Baa Ram Ewe 'Pip' Colour Choices.

My Maxine Hot Water Bottle Cover At The Knit Lounge

Baa Ram Ewe was the perfect yarn for this project as it’s 100% British Wool. Wool, for me, is the most impressive fibre, and the more I learn about it, the more I am in awe of its properties. Being weatherproof and insulating, wool allows my cosy to stay warm whilst I swim, and I can hug it close once I am out and shivering, the water on my body won’t affect it. In fact, I noticed that once I had got back home, the wool was pretty dry. Yes, it was drying with the heat of the cosy, but the water had not made it soggy at all, with the structure of the yarn staying crisp. 

‘Pip’ was designed by Baa Ram Ewe as their colour-work option, which is why it is in small 25g balls. Sarah gifted us with 2 balls of the main colour, and one each of the pattern colours. Although I held it double for the project, I was left with enough yarn to make another three hot water bottle covers in different variations of colour-ways. (If you choose to knit the large size, you will obviously be left with less!) ‘Pip’ is a wonderful spin with enough toothy-ness for colour-work, but soft enough not to have an itch factor (on my skin at least, which flares like a firework if provoked). I loved the way that it knitted up, and it did not split once, which is rare for a 4ply. The stitches are clear and uncluttered, which is perfect for small designs like the Maxine Hot Water Bottle Cover. 

Laura Penrose has created a versatile pattern with the Maxine, and one that will be in use for years to come. The fit is perfect, and once you know your stitch count the body of the pattern can be changed to whatever you would like the colour-work to be; you can simply design your own, as the stitch count for the pattern portion is steady without increases or decreases. 

If you have Andrea Rangel’s Alterknit or Knitovation books, you can really go to town with your own designs! I have a lovely friend who has helped me so much with my move to Cornwall, and we often swim together at high tide. Although I don’t knit for other people, I am making an exception for her this year and have decided to knit her a cosy for Christmas. I am going to take a wave pattern from AlterKnit as a memory of our times on the beach.

I also valued that Laura Penrose offers a lot of ways to knit the cosy up. As it is knit bottom up, you have a choice to do Judy’s Magic Cast On, or simply cast on over and stitch the bottom up once you are finished, which was my choice. The number of stitches are set out for both DPNs and Magic Loop, and so there is no pressure to be able to do one style of knitting; it’s left to your discretion, which is wonderful. 

This knit has been precious to me in so many ways; to be gifted this beautiful Christmas present by Sarah was a big hug from a dear friend, and the fact that I was able to choose my own colours was fantastic, as they really made me smile yesterday when I took it for a morning dip. 

These small knits that we make are so often overlooked, but form the backbone of our home. Dishcloths, hot water bottle covers, hats, blankets; we reach for them every day and yet we so often dismiss them as they aren’t sweaters. This always saddens me, as I think they are so beautiful, and they give such character to our homes. 

If you are looking for a lovely little knit for yourself, or gift for a friend, I cannot rate the Maxine Hot Water Bottle Cover more highly, or the ‘Pip’ yarn from Baa Ram Ewe. The two are a match made in heaven! 

We are still enjoying our little WhatsApp group where we share our knitting projects, and it yet again reminds me how beautiful our hobby is, as it’s so much more than ‘just a bit of knitting’. Friendships and communities are stitched together with our knitting, and at this time of year, that means more than I could put into words. 

Until next time, may your needles always bring you joy, and your frogging be rare. 

Jenny xx