Friday 6 January 2012

A Woolly Yarn


I often go on nostalgia trips in these posts, remembering the ‘good old days’, but this one’s different. I was out with a knitting-loving friend and we popped into the wool shop. I prepared to glaze over but...



Wool has been born again. There were balls containing sequins, balls made of ‘rag rug’ pieces, balls of thick flat yarn that fanned out to create lace scallops. Using needles that resemble frankfurter sausages, a scarf can appear in a single evening. How different from Mum’s fine needles and even finer wool, click clack click clack. Every few months a garment would emerge and next day there’d be different coloured wool and, click clack click clack, she’d be off again.



Life today is all about quick and easy, like the microwave. You can make a delicious steamed pudding in three minutes, no spluttering saucepan with string and cloth covered basin rattling around for hours. Grandma would never have believed it.

And then there’s the computer. Can you remember when you had to type out a manuscript or document with carbon paper for your copy? If you made a mistake near the end of the page you had to type it all over again and it’s not that long ago!

Those who know me well will be amused to hear that I was seduced by that wool shop. I’m knitting a chenille scarf, one of those ‘knit up in an evening’ ones. I’ve been on it for three days now. I’ll let you know if it’s ever completed! 

For those who would like to buy some of this amazing wool, the shop is called Craft Corner Knits. It's at Thoresby Courtyard. Here is the link to their Facebook Page. and this is the link to Thorseby Courtyard.