As you will know, a new lockdown has now been put in place in England, meaning that we have had to close from now until it is safe to re-open. Whilst it is for a vital reason (to protect people now so that it is safe to loosen restrictions at Christmas) it was also a hard piece of news to hear. Fortunately, you can still get yarn from us in a range of ways. Today, I will go through all the different ways you can access us online.

If you are reading this, you can already access our stock in just a few clicks! Once you have read this, have a look by clicking on "online store" on the top bar. Then you should be able to see different folders that our stock is organised in, such as Chunky, Double Knit and Stylecraft. Click on the one you want, then pick your yarn, colour and quantity and add it to your cart. Once you have found everything you want, click on "cart" and click "checkout." Here are my personal favourites on the online shop:

• Spirit Chunky - so many amazing colours!
• No1 DK or Chunky - it's really good to work with and not too heavy to wear.
• Rico Design Light and Long - I have never worked with it but have been given a top made of it and it feels amazing. 

If you are looking for something a little cheaper for whatever reason, we do also have two eBay accounts. To find them, put either "ebay avicraftwool2015" or "ebay caitlnew0" into Google or any other search engine and have a scroll through to see what we have on offer.

If you cannot find what you want or are looking for a specific colour or feel rather than a brand, feel free to give us a call on the number 020 8290 1238. Between the hours of 10am and 1pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays, you will get through to us, but you can still call us outside of these hours and leave a message with your question and your phone number so that we can call you back. You can also email us at avicraftwool@gmail.com.

That's all from me for now. Until next time, happy crafting!
Caiti

There's only a couple weeks until Remembrance, with Remembrance day on Wednesday 11th November and Remembrance Sunday on the 8th. As it may be harder to buy poppies this year with Coronavirus, you could make some instead to commemorate the lives lost. Today, I thought I would take you through a few different ways to make poppies.

 To make a crocheted poppy, you need:

• Double knit yarn
• An appropriate sized crochet hook - the looser your tension, the thinner the hook. I will be using 3.5mm
• Scissors
• A sewing up needle
• A black button

If you are already an experienced crocheter, click here to find the instructions in short, where you can also find the instructions for knitted poppies and Christmas decorations.

To start, create a slip knot. Below are some photos to show you how to do that. For a written explanation, click here.

Then, do a chain by wrapping the yarn around the hook once and pulling this loop through the original stitch. Do this three times.

After that, you need to attach the two ends of the chain together to create a circle. To do this, insert your hook into the beginning of the chain, wrap the yarn around the hook once and pull this loop through both stitches, leaving just one loop on the hook. This stitch is known as a slip stitch.

Doing this should create a ring with a small hole, a bit like a tiny doughnut. For the next stage, you will need to start by putting your hook through the centre of this ring. Next, wrap the yarn around the hook once and pull this through just the ring, not the other stitch. You should be left with two stitches. After that, wrap the yarn around the hook again and pull this through all the stitches. This whole process is called a double crochet.

Do ten more of these into your ring, then do a slip stitch to attach your last to your first. This should create a circle that looks a little like this.

**************************************************************************************************
Then, chain two. This should make the ball look like it is hanging with string, a bit like a Christmas bauble (it is never too early to think Christmas!).

For the next stitch, you will need to wrap the yarn around the hook before going into your first stitch, wrapping the yarn around the hook again, pulling through one stitch, wrapping again, pulling through two, wrapping once more and pulling through two stitches, leaving only one on your hook. Now, this may sound very complicated but in reality, it is a lot easier than it seems. Here are some photos to help break down the steps.

This process is called a treble crochet. Do two in each stitch for four stitches. Then, do two chains and a slip stitch in the bottom of the last stitch. 

Well done - you have crocheted your first petal! This is what it should look like.

Now, repeat from the line of *s to here two more times to create two more petals. Once you have done that, cut off the yarn leaving about 10cm and thread this through your final stitch to tighten. It should look something like this

Finally, sew in the ends and add a black button to the middle. 

For this you will need:

• A milk bottle
• Scissors
• Acrylic paint in green, black (optional) and one other colour of your choice
• A felt tip or biro
• Stapler or glue

To start, get rid of the plastic label and cut off the top and base of the milk bottle, as you will not be needing any of these. The bottle should look something like this.

Then, cut a straight, vertical line in the tube to make it more like a rectangle.

On this circle, draw and cut out one circle and two leaves. If you wish, you could cut a few small triangles around the edge of the circle.

Then, paint your poppy and leaves. I chose to make my first poppy black to represent how people of colour were treated in the World Wars and my second poppy multicoloured to represent a range of groups. Finally, once it has dried, staple or glue your leaves to your poppy. If you wish, you could also give your poppy a centre using a circle of black paint or a painted bottle lid.

Whilst making poppies is a great way to remember, it is important to help the modern day Poppy Appeal as well if possible. The Poppy Appeal, led by the Royal British Legion, supports war veterans both financially and socially. With COVID-19, it is now more important than ever to look after people's mental health and wellbeing, as lockdown has made it that bit harder for people in this situation to reach out when they need to. So, if you can, please do donate to the Royal British Legion by clicking here. This link allows you to donate a monthly amount or make a one-off payment.

That's all from me - happy crafting!
Caiti

I can't believe it's October already - it doesn't seem all that long ago since I was having to wear shorts and sandals, but now it's freezing! The weather may be a little less pleasant, but being able to snuggle up with warm projects is definitely a perk. Also, today (10th October) is National I Love Yarn Day, so I thought it would be the perfect day to share some the projects I have been working on recently.

Remember the 80s inspired jumper that I started in April? Well, I have finally finished it! I completely love it, and although it is made in double knit and is a little short, it still keeps me very warm. I'm a bit obsessed with the colours too. Here's a photo - what do you think?

Also, I've been doing a lot more crochet lately and have started working on a hat. At the moment, it isn't looking the best but the colours are so pretty - here is a photo.

It is made using a merino yarn that unfortunately, we do not stock. However, we do stock some other merino yarns. Personally, I don't find it too hard to work with but it is important to make sure that moths to not come anywhere near or it is much more difficult. I recommend buying some wool wash (which we do stock) when buying any pure wool and washing your garment with it once you have finished making it.

Yesterday, I started working with one of our new-in yarns, Stylecraft Softie Chunky. I'm making a waistcoat using one of the new patterns and I love it. Because of the way the wool is spun, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for first-time knitters; however, it is immensely soft. At the moment, I haven't got far enough into it to take photos, but I'll show you some as I go on and am super excited to see how it goes!

That's all from me today - the projects beckon me! Until next time, happy crafting,

Caiti

Now that we are slowly getting back into our normal lives, things are starting to get pretty busy again - already I am being set science tests, language quizzes and lots of homework. Fortunately, I don't mind too much because I like to have things to do, but it does make me wonder, how do we even get time to craft with everything that goes on in our busy lives? For me, crafting is really important as it helps me to wind down after a long day or prepare me for the beginning of one, but I haven't had a chance to do a lot lately. Are any of you feeling the same way? Recently, I have started thinking about ways to work crafting back into my life, and I thought I would share a few of these with you.

When you're in a rush, working on a huge jumper  or an adult-size blanket isn't always a good idea. Whilst it is rewarding to finish a big project, it can be hard to get into one when you have a lot on your mind. I have to admit, the knitting and crochet projects that I have on the go at the moment are not doing me many favours when it comes to this, but once I have finished them, I plan on making some smaller things out of the wool I showed you last week. I'm not sure what though - do leave a comment if you have any ideas!

Even simpler still, I have been doing a fair bit of scrapbooking and collage. At the moment, I'm working on a happiness book, which I'm really enjoying because I can pick it up and add stuff to it whenever I like. Mine is pretty cheesy - it is almost all rainbow stuff, memes and inspirational quotes - but working on it or even just flicking through it lifts my spirits without making me feel guilty for taking a break.

Whilst some kinds of craft can take a while, not all of them have to be this way; in fact, it is much easier to work a bit of craft time into your day than you would think. Think through your day: your morning routine, work/school, your evening routine and everything in between. Whilst it may be pretty choc-a-block, there are probably some points in your day where you don't have quite as much going on. I can think of three main ones in my life: when I'm travelling, after dinner and just before bed. Those may only be ten minute gaps on some days, but ten minutes is plenty of time to do a few rounds on a sock, colour in a few sections on a mindfulness colouring book or to sew up a few seams on a sewing project. Today, I finished one of the fronts of the cardigan that I am working on and plan on casting on the back later tonight!

Now, this probably isn't something I would recommend doing every day but, once in a while, perhaps it would be good to meet up with someone (most likely virtually at the moment!) and craft with them. Not only will you have a set time planned for crafting and a commitment to make, but doing your hobby with a like-minded friend could make the experience even more enjoyable and beneficial. 

This one is much more aimed at students, particularly those in secondary school. Do any of you get set tasks that are quite ambiguously worded, such as "revise" or "display what you have learned in today's lesson in a format of your choice?" I know I certainly do! When I started secondary school, I often had no idea what to do when asked to revise, but now I have found the perfect way - through the medium of craft. Take mind maps. Teachers seem to love mind maps and I completely get why: they are such a simple and fun way to display everything you have learnt, and summarising information in this way can really help it to sink it. Alternatively, you can use them to organise your day, your feelings and so much more. Mind maps can be whatever you want them to be, whether that is a simple spider diagram or something that looks a bit more like an art project, thrown together with photos, fun stationary and lots of love. Here is one I have made for my upcoming biology test.

There really are so many ways to fit crafting into your everyday life, whether that is through finding small projects, using your time wisely or even using craft as a tool to help you in your busy life. That's all from me for now, but until next time, happy crafting!

Caiti

This week has been a major week for me and many others across the country - it was my first week back at school since March. At first, I was really nervous to go back because of Coronavirus but, actually, the experience was better than I had expected.

At my school, not a lot has changed; we are still able to sit next to our friends and have different teachers for different subjects, but we now also have to sanitise our hands as we come into school, keep our distance from teachers and stay in a set area of the school, away from other year groups. We also have the option to wear face coverings and have time at the beginning of the lesson to clean our desks if we wish. Whilst I wouldn't describe it as perfect, I do feel safe, and when I have asked people to keep a bit of an extra distance to make me feel more comfortable, people have respected that. Overall, I'm happy to be back.

However, this isn't the only thing that has made going back to school a little different for me. This year, I have started the GCSE curriculum. Again, I was prepared for it to be a hugely stressful thing but it really isn't - in fact, I'm actually enjoying it. At the moment, we are mostly just revising and building on what we did a few years back. Of course, I am having to do more revision and homework than before, but because I don't have to do any subjects that I particularly dislike, I do want to put the effort in. At the same time, downtime is very important too, and I have still had plenty of time for that.

Remember last week, when I mentioned that I was having a bit of a clear-out of my craft stuff? Well, through this, I have found so many amazing art supplies and balls of wool that I completely forgot I had! I'm not sure what I'll use it all for, but I'm starting to get a few ideas. Here are some photos of the things I have found:

Also, I am continuing to work on the Creative Smile cardigan that I mentioned a while ago. Attached is a photo of how it knits up - isn't it pretty?! I'm a bit obsessed...

That's all from me today! I hope you have all been getting on well back at school or work too. 

Happy Crafting!

​Caiti 

Now that September is here, many of us will be going back to work or school and whilst this can be exciting, it can be daunting too, particularly if you live with someone who has been shielding or have been shielding yourself. Also, workplaces and schools will look a little different, and that change can be enough to bring anyone down, whether they have pre-existing mental health conditions or not. As I have mentioned many times before, crafting is an amazing way of dealing with stress, anxiety and even depression. But how? Today, I will explain a few ways in which you can use craft as a tool to help you with your mental health.

Often, we are encouraged to talk about our feelings; however, this can be really stressful and upsetting in itself. Having said that, getting negativity out of your system is so important too. This is where craft comes in - through craft you can express your feelings without using words and without feeling forced to share anything embarrassing or upsetting with anyone else. It could be something really simple, such as a blanket, jumper or stuffed toy that you specifically use when you are feeling down. Alternatively, you could make something to help you feel uplifted, such as a funny collage or vibrant scarf (particularly if it is red, yellow or green as these colours, in the correct amounts, have been proven to boost happiness). I have been gathering a lot of art materials so that when I am back to school, I can do some crafting to express myself. I'll let you know how I get on!

Also, when it comes to knitting, crochet, macramé and other crafts that use your hands, there is another way to let your emotions go - through your tension. Naturally, I'm a very loose knitter and my crochet tension isn't a lot better; however, if I'm upset, stressed, or even just watching a good drama on TV, it becomes a lot tighter. Whilst this isn't great if you are doing something that needs to be particularly neat, taking my aggression out on a more experimental project does help sometimes!

One of the worst aspects of many mental health conditions are the hard-to-block-out negative thoughts. The only true way to keep these feelings at bay is to engage your senses, and craft is perfect for that. The sound of your knitting needles gently clicking or scissors snipping, the soft texture of the wool (particularly if it is chenille or silk), watching the project grow and the ball shrink, reading through the pattern, even the smell of the wool - yes, some wools do have a smell! All that leaves is taste, but a warm, comforting meal, a cup of tea or a slice of cake can easily fix that. I don't know about you, but all that this scene needs to make it my idea of heaven is good boxset or movie. Ahh, bliss!

On a more serious note, it is important to pick the right pattern if you plan on using one - it must be challenging enough so that it does distract you but not so challenging that it brings on more stress. I would recommend learning the basics of your craft of choice on a good day then picking a pattern that describes itself as "beginner" or "intermediate" (most patterns state their difficulty level on the front or inside the pattern itself). Personally, I recommend socks as these have enough challenge and they are also portable, meaning you can work on them whenever you need.

Another key aspect of many mental illnesses is feeling low on self-esteem, perhaps feeling like you are no good at certain things, or that people do not like you. I definitely can relate to this one, but whenever I give my friends and family homemade gifts, the feeling disappears for while and seeing them use the present afterwards makes my day. Now, you may be thinking "What if I make something for someone and they don't like it? That will make me feel so much worse." That is true, but seeing as craft has such a broad spectrum, it is a lot harder to go wrong. Below are a few things that I make as presents that people almost always love:

• Jumpers - pretty much everyone I know loves a baggy jumper (in fact, I am wearing one right now). If you know your friend's favourite colour, then go for it but if not, blues, blacks and greys are a pretty safe bet for all genders. At the same time, don't go too dark, particularly if you are a beginner, as it is really hard to see. I have been knitting on and off for about eight years and, to this day, the darkest colour that I have worked with is grey.
• Scarves - again, these are very popular. What's more, these are much quicker and cheaper to make. Maybe, you could even work in a pop culture reference, such as using Harry Potter house colours or making it look like The Doctor's scarf.
• Face masks - at the moment, almost anyone will be grateful to receive a face mask because it shows that you care about their safety at this time. To make it more personal, you could use a fabric containing a colour or pattern that you know you friend loves. Below are a few of the different kinds of fabric we sell. We sell our fabric at a range of prices.

Also, even making things for yourself can boost your self worth, as by making your own clothes rather than buying it from someone, you are helping the environment, particularly if you use natural materials.

Whilst we still cannot meet up in large groups, social media and group calling services are still there to allow us all to connect virtually. Why not arrange a virtual craft club between friends? That way, not only can you see friends again if you have not already and can craft together, you can also use the time to talk about your mental health, worries or whatever is on your mind. If you don't know if your friends are into craft then ask them. Even if they are not, they will  appreciate you reaching out and may want to give it a go.

There really are so many ways to use craft as a tool to boost your mental health, whether that is through letting your feelings out, taking your mind off of your worries for a while, making presents to boost your self-esteem or even using craft to connect with others. If the thought of trying craft does seem daunting then remember, craft can be whatever you want to be; it can be as simple as doodling and making collages or as complicated as making a wardrobe and filling it with homemade outfits.

That's all from me today. Until next time, happy crafting!

Caiti.

Crafting has been proven to have many benefits - it can help you feel relaxed, allow you to express your emotions in a different way, give you a great sense of achievement and so much more. But where do you start? At the moment, we are not offering lessons; however, there are so many other ways of learning new kinds of craft.

Over the past couple months, I have mentioned the instructions that are on the Great Community Sew website and towards the beginning of lockdown, I shared my instructions on how to make fingerless mittens on this blog. The main reason I like written guides a lot is because anyone can make them and access them, whether that's in the form of a blog post like I did or just a few bullet points to help a friend. Also, whilst written instructions can be difficult to understand sometimes, particularly if pictures or diagrams are not used, you can take your time with written instructions without having to make the effort of rewinding a video or asking someone to explain themselves again. I find written instructions particularly helpful when sewing because I often use up a lot of space and would not have room to prop up a computer or tablet that is playing a video, whereas written instructions don't need to be in plain sight in the same way so are much more practical for this sort of thing. Additionally, I am quite new to using sewing machines so I need to go slowly and take extra care at the moment, which is hard to do when you are trying to follow along with a video.

Another popular option for learning how to craft is using video tutorials. YouTube is a great place to look; you can find tutorials on pretty much anything, not just craft. In the past, I have used it for computer programming (I am a huge computer nerd!) and general studying but, otherwise, I haven't had much experience with video tutorials, particularly not with crafting. So, to get a better understanding, I had a go at Macramé using this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-JUjQ-15ZE. I must admit, I wasn't the greatest at it but that was probably because I didn't have quite the right materials rather than due to the quality of the video. In fact, I felt that this video explained the steps really well and would love to try it again but with better materials. Below is a picture of what I made using this tutorial.

Personally, I do like video tutorials; it can be really helpful to have the steps played out in front of you and to be able to pause and replay certain steps as and when you need. The only reason I use them so little is because my parents know a lot about crafting, so I can always go to them for help.

However, everyone has a different style of learning and teaching, so you do have to experiment and find the right videos for you. When I was learning Macramé, I did come across one other video but I found it a bit harder to understand because it seemed to be quicker and it also had no voiceover (sounds fussy, I know, but I just find it so much more helpful). When looking for videos, I would recommend looking for ones that have lots of views or likes or ones that have been made by a verified account (an account with a tick next to its name) because this often means that the video/account is good quality and that many people have found it useful. At the same time, if you do find a popular video confusing, it does not mean that you are stupid or wrong; it just means that you prefer to learn in a different way. Also, it's pretty important to make sure that the video you are using comes from the country that you live in rather than abroad, which may sound strange but it is necessary because different countries use different terminology and it can be confusing.

In my opinion, patterns and magazines are not necessarily the best for learning new things as such but I do like to use them once I have learnt a new craft to expand my ability a little. For example, before lockdown, I knitted a lot but rarely crocheted. I had been taught when I was younger and had picked it up again but I could only do double crochet, which, let's face it, can get very boring, very quickly. This was until I was given a granny square book. The book itself didn't actually teach me the stitches so I had to look into that myself, but it taught me how to combine the stitches to make cool patterns such as bobbles, clusters and popcorns, which I later used for other things. Below are a few pictures of the crochet stitches that I learnt over lockdown.

If you want to try working with a pattern, we sell knitting and crochet patterns for £4.00 each or £3.50 if you buy it with the wool.

In conclusion, I actually don't have a favourite way of learning to craft as I have had good and bad experiences of all these different types. Having said this, I would, as a general rule of thumb, recommend written instructions if you are the sort of person that prefers to self-teach in solitude, videos if you liked classes or learning in groups before the lockdown and patterns and magazines for further practice once you have finished learning. 

That's all from me today, so until next time, happy crafting!

​Caiti

Now that lockdown restrictions are being eased and we are starting to reach normality, it's important to wear masks where possible so that we can continue to keep everyone safe. But what kind of masks should you wear? There are so many different kinds of mask on offer so today, I will be telling you what I think about just a few of them.

Face masks that have no shaping are made of just two or three rectangular pieces of fabric and do not require any complicated additional features to allow it to mould it to your face. Instead, you just gather the sides before you put it on each time. These masks are a less well-known and less widely available option; however, I would recommend trying a mask like this, particularly if you are a beginner to making masks or you often feel uncomfortable or unable to breath when wearing one, because it is secure on the sides but has much more room inside. I also find that it does mould to my face quite well, but others that I have talked to disagree. Overall, I would say that this kind of mask is a bit like marmite - you will either love it or hate it.

Personally, I have not had much experience wearing or making pleated masks but I have had a couple medical appointments recently and I have had to wear pleated surgical masks for these. I find them a little uncomfortable and sometimes they don't seem to shape to my face fully. As well as this, I do try to avoid the single-use surgical masks where possible because reusable masks are better for the environment, On the other hand, I know that people who have particularly flexible ears prefer the straps that are in surgical masks to regular elastic. Also, these masks are more widely available and are pretty popular with people that I have talked to, so I would recommend trying them.

Our personal favourite in the shop is the shaped mask, which is very quick to make and feels secure and protective without being too restrictive. What's more, if you are a glasses wearer, this is perfect because from my experience, these shouldn't make your glasses steam up much. Because we love them so much, we are now selling them in our shop at £4.00 each, with a flexible wire in the nose for extra shaping. Above is a slideshow of the types that we have on offer at the moment. Alternatively, if you want to make your own, we sell fabric, elastic, thread and other haberdashery items.

As I wrote this blog, I held a vote between friends on what their favourite type of mask is, and the winner was the shaped mask, with over half the vote. However, shaped masks are not perfect for anyone. If you haven't found a mask that is comfortable for you, keep looking. Or, if regular masks are not for you, you can wear scarves, snoods or bandanas; as long as it covers your nose and face and is secure at the sides, it will legally pass as a face covering.

That's all from me today! Happy Crafting!

​Caiti

Now that we are open, many of you can start a new knitting or crochet project for the first time in what felt like forever. I could say that I missed this feeling but, to be honest, I have so many projects on the go or waiting to be started already that I didn't get a chance to! Nevertheless, starting something new can be exciting. That is until you start reading the ball band. There is so much valuable information on a ball band but fathoming it out can be confusing, regardless of your knitting/crochet experience. Fear not; today, we will look at everything you need to know before you start a project and where to find it. I will be using the Creative Smile Super Chunky ball band as an example, but the information is pretty much identical on all ball bands, albeit in a different layout. Below is a picture of the ball band.

This section is the part that bears slightly less importance when you are starting to work with the yarn, but it can be quite interesting to know these details. At the top is the name of the brand that makes the yarn (Rico in this case) followed by the name of the yarn itself (Creative Smile). This may seem stupid and obvious but it is so important that you keep these details in case you need to order in more - you may be sure that you have enough but there is every possibility of the tension being not quite right or the pattern miscalculating the number of balls you need.

Below this is the amount of grams and metres per ball. The amount of grams can sometimes be useful if you are doing a pattern using a different yarn to what it used originally but using the amount of metres is much more accurate because some wool can be very light, meaning you can get a hundreds of metres on a 50g ball, whereas that won't be the case for something thicker and heavier. In my last post, I explained how to calculate how much wool you need to use for a pattern if you are using something different to what it suggests.

Then, below this, it tells you what materials are used. This may not be a priority for you necessarily, but if it is, for whatever reason, then here are a few tips:

• If you are passionate about the environment, then wool, cotton, bamboo and any other natural fibres are great options as these biodegrade very quickly.
• If you want something that is particularly warm and stores heat, acrylic is a good option.
• If you want something that regulates heat and is more breathable, natural fibres are best.

Finally, we have where the yarn was produced, which is pretty self-explanatory. A lot of wool is produced abroad, though if you are trying to reduce your carbon footprint by buying things that are produced locally, I recommend yarns from the brand West Yorkshire Spinners, which we do stock.

Now we will look at the tension and sizing information, which is particularly important if you are following a pattern but not using the yarn that is recommended. The first symbol shows which needle or hook size (in millimetres) you should use when working with that yarn. Next is the tension square. When you are following a pattern, you should check that the tension is the same on both the pattern and the ball you are using. In the tension diagram on this ball band, you can see that, to make a 10cm by 10cm square, you need to cast on 11 stitches and do 14 rows. If I wanted to use this to make something that has the same tension or similar (eg. one more/less stitch or row). Then, to check that your tension matches the tension square, you need to try knitting it up. So, in this case, you would cast on 11 stitches using 8mm needles and do 14 rows. If your square matches the measurements that the ball band shows, your tension is correct and you are ready to start the project. If not, try bigger needles if it is too small/tight and smaller needles if it is too big/loose.

The bottom two diagrams are a lot less complicated and are not too important unless you are not following a pattern at all. These tell you how many grams you need for a certain size jumper. In this case, you need 700g (ie. 14 balls in this case) for a size 14/40inch jumper. Also, do note that not all ball bands have this diagram.

Finally, we have the washing instructions. I won't explain every symbol that exists because there are hundreds of them, but I will explain the ones shown here and a few others:

• The first one shown here tells you the maximum temperature that you should wash it at.
• A triangle tells you that you can bleach it; a triangle with a cross means you cannot
• A square with a circle inside means you can tumble dry it. If the symbol has a cross in it, you cannot.
• A square with a horizontal line means you should dry it flat.
• A picture of an iron means you can iron it, though they can have dots inside which indicates how hot you should be ironing it at. An iron with one dot means you should iron it a low temperature, one with two dots means you should iron it at medium temperature and an iron with three dots means you can iron it at high temperatures.
• A circle with a P inside means you can tumble dry it but must not use a certain chemical, which is indicated by the number of lines underneath this. You can find more detail about this on websites that specifically focus on these symbols.
• A square with nothing inside it means you should let it dry naturally.

​
If you come across one not shown here, you can find it online by searching for images of washing instruction symbols.

And there you have it - you now know how to navigate a ball band! If you have a specific question about a ball band you have, do let us know in the comments!

Happy Crafting!

​Caiti

Today I thought I would go through some frequently asked questions about knitting and the shop in general. 

Personally, I knit and (occasionally) crochet for a range of reasons. Firstly, I love the fact that it is so free and creative; with the range of different stitches and kinds of wool that exist, it is easy to add a personal touch to your home through these crafts. As well as this, it is a great way to unwind and deal with stress. Whilst trying to learn while feeling tense might be a bad idea as it can take a little while to fully get to grips with it, it is easy enough once you know how it works. Some of my friends have found knitting to be very helpful when feeling anxious and for some, such as Irish chef and now author James McIntosh, it has even helped through episodes of severe depression. Sometimes, you can knit or crochet whilst watching TV, making it perfect for people who like being busy in some way. However, I wouldn't recommend this if you are trying a new and/or complex pattern.

bromleyUnfortunately, we can't at the moment because of everything that is going on. However, if it is safe enough, we will consider running classes in the new year. In the past, we have done classes in knitting, crochet, Tunisian crochet and needle felting. We do not arrange any courses until we get enough uptake, so if you are willing to take part in one of these classes, feel free to come in and give us your phone number so we can contact you and arrange a date when enough people have signed up and when it is safe to do so. Also, we are willing to teach children when it is safe but they must be ten years old or over.

If one-to-one lessons are more for you, we do have a teacher that comes in once a month. Of course, this has also been put on hold at the moment. If you are interested, do keep an eye out on our social media accounts (@avicraftwoolbromley on Facebook and Instagram) and our websites to see when this starts again.

We are open from 10:00am to 1:30pm on Tuesdays-Saturdays.

Here are a summary of different thicknesses (or weights) of yarn that are available
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• 2ply - 2ply is the thinnest yarn in our stock (whilst 1ply yarn, which is even thinner, does exist, I have not included this because we do not sell any and it is not a particularly popular choice). Our range in this is pretty limited because it is, again, not that popular. However, it is perfect for this weather and would make a great blanket or top for a baby that has been born recently or is due soon. As I am writing this, it is 32°C ! 
• 3ply - This is very similar to 2ply in the sense that it is thin and we have a couple of ranges in this from baby yarn to pure wool.
• 4ply - 4ply is the thickness that is most commonly used for baby garments and socks. It is also the thinnest yarn that we have on our online shop at the moment
• Sock yarn - Whilst this isn't a thickness as such (most of it is 4ply), I thought I should mention this separately as some sock yarn comes in a thickness that is somewhere between 4ply and double knit. Socks are the perfect thing to knit at the moment as they are not thick and bulky, meaning you won't overheat by making a pair, but they are warm enough for you to wear in the winter months.
• Double Knit (DK) - Personally, I would argue that this is the thickness that we have the best range of in the shop. With Special DK and  No 1 covering almost all of the block colours, and Colourwheel, Batik Swirl and Cabaret as multicoloured options, you can create almost anything imaginable.
• Aran - Aran is quite a thick wool, so I would not recommend knitting with it at the moment. However, there is a wide range of colours, meaning that, come autumn it will be perfect for keeping warm and fashionable. As well as this, it is great if you are on a tight budget at the moment, as some of our 400g balls are on discount, and you would only need a few to make a cosy sweater or cardigan.
• Chunky - Like with the DK, we have a great range of chunky wool on offer, though because of its thickness (it is the thickest yarn that we sell on this website at the moment), I would probably suggest that you don't start a chunky project until the end of next week. On the other hand, it is a perfect thickness for teaching kids as it knits up very quicks, meaning that they don't have to wait as long to see the results.
• Super Chunky - Super Chunky is even thicker and even faster to knit up. In fact, I recently started a Super Chunky cardigan and it took just over a day to do a side of it. What's more, this is coming from a person who (a) is quite tall and (b) likes wearing oversized clothes, so for someone shorter, this could take even less time!

 This completely depends on your tension and what you are doing. If you are loose knitter or you are making a toy (which needs to be very tight or the stuffing will show), wooden needles are best as they help to grip and tighten the stitches. Alternatively, if you are a tight knitter, metal is good as it is much more slippery, meaning it cannot tighten the stitches in the way that wooden needles do. But mostly it's down to personal preferance

Acrylic is warmer overall as it is very good at storing heat. However, wool - or any natural fibre - is better at regulating temperature.

You do not need to, but there are a few things you need to check before you start:

• So that you have the right amount of wool, you need to work out how many metres (not grams) are needed for the pattern you have picked. To do this, you multiply the amount of metres per ball of the yarn used in the pattern (you can find this on the ball band or sometimes in the pattern itself) by the amount of balls that the pattern says you need. To check how many balls of your chosen wool you need, divide this total amount of metres by the amount of metres on a ball of your yarn of choice. If this seems a bit confusing, or you think that you may not be able to remember all of this, then do not panic! We are more than willing to help you with this.
• You also need to check that the tension of the yarn that you will use is the same as (or similar to) what is used in the pattern. Again, these details can be found on the ball band.

That's all from me. I hope that this has given you all of the knowledge you need for your next project. If you have any other questions, do leave a comment below. 

Happy Crafting!

Caiti