Casting off the year

2014 was quite a year, wasn't it? As usual, we've been looking back at what we got up to at This Is Knit, and it was a bumper year. We've got some highlights to share with you, so why not pop the kettle on and join us for a spot of nostalgia. A very happy event happened early in the year. Keen-eyed blog readers had noticed that a lot of baby items had been appearing in these pages. Of course: we were getting ready to welcome a splendid little chap called Oisín, born to Lisa and Ronan in February. (Image courtesy of Emmylie Cruz Photography) He slotted right in to the This Is Knit team, turning up to greet you all at events like the Yarn Dating and at the Knitting and Stitching Show. Welcome once more, Oisín! And there was knitting - oh, so much knitting! In fact, this year we had two Knit-Alongs. After the success of Color Affection, we chose another striped shawl for the first: Stephen West's Daybreak. Here's just a few of the lovely FOs that resulted! The second Knit-Along was the Hap-Along - following Kate Davies' lead, we dived straight in to the world of Shetland shawls. So much garter stitch and feather-and-fan - oh my! We had lots of giveaways and competitions, and had the most fun with our WWKIP Photo Scavenger Hunt. We had workshops, too, from inspiring teachers and designers like Carol Feller, Ysolda Teague and Woolly Wormhead. We'll be having more this year, of course, so make sure you keep up with our news. Sometimes events book out in an hour or so, but you can find out fast, on Facebook and twitter (we're @ThisIsKnit) and through our newsletter. Back in August, our hopelessly romantic side came out when we invited you all to our Yarn Dating! Up in the Powerscourt Theatre, we hosted a night of unabashed glee over the new stock we'd chosen for Fall/Winter 2014. There were lovehearts and cheesy music to accompany the yarn and patterns, and so many new fibery offerings to choose from. Indeed, lots of lovely new products appeared on the shelves during the year. Townhouse Yarn, dyed by our very own Jenny, was an immediate success (that's Chatham Lace in the very first picture above). Woolly Wormhead gave Grafton 4ply a terrific boost when she used it in her annual mystery knit-along (the pattern turned out to be Sophora). S-Twist Yarns is as local and distinctive as you possibly wish: handspun a couple of miles from This Is Knit from native Irish fleece, it's a unique product. Late in the year, after its debut at the Yarn Dating, we piled the shelves with Juniper Moon Findley and Herriot. And there's so much more too, new offerings from established producers and exciting newcomers! It's no wonder we had to rearrange all the storage in the shop to fit it all in! Speaking of shelves full of yarn, we returned to the Knitting and Stitching Show in the RDS in October as the exclusive partner of Malabrigo Yarns. As well as old favourites, we got to show you new goodies like Mecha, chunky, superwash and purest merino. And in the midst of all this excitement, you gave us an award! Nominated by some of you, and then voted for by more of you, we were named Best Local Independent Yarn Store in the Ireland category of the British Knitting Awards. Thank you so much - lots of things made 2014 for us, and that was one of the best! Well, here's to you, 2014! It's time to cast you off, fold you up and put you away. 2015 is ready to get onto our hooks and needles, and who knows what it'll turn out to be....