Auf nach Schottland! Let’s go to Scotland

Jedes Jahr im März strömen Strickerinnen aus allen Teilen der Welt nach Edinburgh, um dort das Edinburgh Yarn Festival zu besuchen – ich selbst war schon zweimal dort und war sowohl von der Stadt, dem Festival, den vielen tollen Ausstellern und dem Organisationstalent der Veranstalterinnen Mica & Jo mehr als beeindruckt! So viel tolles Garn, so eine schöne Location, so eine freundliche Stimmung. Und Edinburgh mit seiner magischen Altstadt ist immer eine Reise wert!

Im Jahr 2013 fand das Edinyarnfest zum ersten Mal statt, denn Mica & Jo wollten endlich mal all die tollen Garne, die sie auf Ravelry gesehen hatten, live befühlen. Die Resonanz war so groß, dass die beiden sich entschlossen, das Festival nun jedes Jahr zu veranstalten, und zwar in der schönsten Ausstellungshalle der Stadt, dem historischen Corn Exchange. Es gibt genug Platz, um gemütlich bei einer Tasse Kaffee zu stricken und zu plaudern, alte und neue Freundinnen zu treffen und deren handgestrickte Werke zu bewundern.

In diesem Jahr öffnet der Woll-Marktplatz an 3 vollen Tagen seine Pforten (15.-18. März), und es werden wie immer die besten und aufregendsten Färberinnen und Garnhersteller der ganzen Welt dabei sein. Außerdem findet man dort großartige britische Garne von kleinen, feinen Herstellern, die ihre Schafe noch selbst züchten, scheren und die Vliese zu individuellen Hanstrickgarnen weiterverarbeiten (hier ist die Liste aller Aussteller).

Tickets für das Edinyarnfest 2018 sind ab dem 15. Januar um 19 Uhr online erhältlich. Trag dich in die Mailingliste ein, um diesen Termin nicht zu verpassen!

Auf Instagram findet Ihr das Edinburgh Yarn Fest als @edinyarnfest.

Every March, Mica and Jo welcome knitters and yarn lovers from all over the world to their gorgeous city to take part in Edinburgh Yarn Festival. It is truly the most beautiful and best-organized yarn festival I have visited so far: There are knit nights, get-togethers and meet-ups — far-flung old and new friends meeting for a celebration of what they love: knitting! And crochet too: „Anything to do with yarn is all right with us!“

The festival began back in 2013, when knitting friends Mica and Jo realised that all the lovely yarn available was passing them by in Edinburgh. They knew so many people who were dedicated knitters, designers and yarn collectors, but who didn’t have much access to the international array of yarns they could see on Ravelry: „You need to see and touch yarn, right?“ So they decided they would shake things up a bit locally and put on a one-day show in a local hall. The response was astounding: „We were really heartened by how many people shared our love of great yarn!“, Mica says.

The marketplace, which will be held over 3 days this year (15th to 17th March) is without a doubt one of the very best and most inspiring in Europe. It showcases some of the finest hand-dyers at the top of their game: you’ll find luxury fibres in a huge range of styles and colours. They also feature amazing British yarns from small producers: people who perhaps raise the sheep and shear them, process the wool and turn it into a gorgeous product that is becoming ever more popular. If you’re looking for something interesting and original in the world of yarn, this is the place to come to. The full, amazing, vendor list can be found here.
One of the great businesses in our line-up is Blacker Yarns, who sponsor Edinyarnfest’s popular Podcast Lounge. It’s an area where you can come and relax, meet podcasters, and talk WOOL with the lovely Louise Scollay of the KnitBritish podcast as your host. A Photo Booth with a fabulous sponsor will be available all weekend to capture moments of our happy get-together.

Since those early days Edinburgh has gone from strength to strength in terms of its yarn profile: The city has some brilliant local yarn stores and no shortage of inspiration. Mica & Jo moved the Festival to the best exhibition venue in town, where each year we’ve grown in size and stature. In 2018 they will be building a marquee extension to the Corn Exchange venue, and will have a huge area for people to socialise, meet old and new friends, and admire the beautiful hand-knits. With the extension they will have around 800 spaces to socialise and meet fellow yarn enthusiasts from all over the world. And in the evening, there will be dancing!

Tickets for EYF2018 will be going on sale on 15th January at 7 pm. Be sure to sign up to our mailing list if you don’t want to miss any details about tickets and opening times! EYF is a really welcoming event, and the joy and enthusiasm from the visitors and the exhibitors alike is wonderful to be part of!

On Instagram you will find Mica and Jo as @edinyarnfest.