After our mini Yarn Crawl around Edinburgh at the 2015 retreat, many of you told us that you’d like to see something similar with the 2016 retreat in Farnham. We were worried that Farnham was just a little too far from London to make a Yarn Crawl possible. Happily, after consulting with ‘the experts’ we are excited to be able to add a custom-tailored mini Yarn Crawl to this year’s retreat.
In addition to being the organisers of the annual Great London Yarn Crawl, Yarn in the City are also the authors of the London Craft Guide, a resource with over 30 profiles of yarn, fabric and haberdashery profiles around London – so they know all the best places.
The mini Yarn Crawl to London will take place on the Saturday afternoon while the vendor market is still ongoing at the retreat. Don’t worry, you can do both!
Here’s how it will work:
Check out the vendor market from 9am to around 11:30am. At 11:30, mini Yarn Crawl participants will start meeting up for the walk over to Farnham rail station. Yarn in the City will let you know a list of handy things you might want to have with you, but don’t forget your knitting! At 11:45, you’ll head over to the rail station to catch the 11:58 am train straight into London Waterloo.
Once you’re in London, you’ll have just over five hours to check out the shops, but that has to include your travel time from one shop to another. Luckily, Yarn in the City have done this before and they’ve put together a great route.
Central London (The Village Haberdashery, Loop, I Knit London)
It’s a quick hop on the Jubilee line from Waterloo to get up to The Village Haberdashery – which by November should hopefully be moved into their new location even closer to the tube station! TVH has a huge range of beautiful fabrics from around the world including popular Liberty, Cotton + Steel and Nani Iro. They also have great yarns! The Fibre Co., Blue Sky Fibres, Malabrigo and more are all here.
From The Village Haberdashery we’ll make the 45 minute trip over to Loop. Located in charming Camden Passage in Islington, Saturdays are usually busy with a market on right outside Loop’s door! Loop are known for their posh and hard-to-find yarns (such as Wollmeise) but they have plenty on offer to suit a variety of budgets.
Last stop on Option 2 is I Knit London, located a stone’s throw from Waterloo station. They also have a fantastic sofa and knitting circle if we feel like there’s time for a little knit and natter before catching the train. Handily, they are licensed if you’d like a beer or a glass of wine with your knitting! I Knit stocks a wide variety of yarns well known British brands such as West Yorkshire Spinners and Fyberspates to their own in-house brand I Knit or Dye. They’ve also recently started carrying Wollmeise!
Once we’ve had our fill of I Knit, Waterloo station is a 10 minute walk, making it easy for us to grab a quick bite and our train back to Farnham.
To participate in the mini Yarn Crawl with Yarn in the City you must book this as an add-on to your retreat. The cost is £16 and includes your guided tour of London yarn and haberdashery shops by Yarn in the City. The payment is due within 72 hours of our sending out your invoice to you.
Please note that you must arrange your own rail tickets between Farnham and London Waterloo, as well as an Oyster or travel card. We’ve left this up to you in case you have a railcard you want to use or already have an Oyster card or Freedom Pass.
Because the yarn crawl is on public transport, there may not always be step-free access. For people with mobility issues, we recommend having a buddy that you can yarn crawl with to assist you.
Any food, drinks or yarn-y purchases at any of the stops on the mini Yarn Crawl are also your own responsibility. There is also no obligation to purchase anything in any of the stops on the mini Yarn Crawl!
If you have any questions or problems, just send an email to us at GeekyPuffinKnitPalooza AT gmail DOT com.
Happy Knitting!
C.C., Dami, and Sam
