H+H Cologne Round-up

If you follow AYS on social media then you probably noticed a deluge of photos over the weekend. I went to H+H Cologne, which is a large fabric, yarn, haberdashery and craft trade show held at the Koelnmesse in Germany. It was a huge event with lots to see and touch and learn about. I went looking for some new yarn to bring into the shop and boy did I find some gems. Here is a round-up of my trip.

First thing Friday morning I got to check out the new Sweet Georgia Yarn colors for spring while sipping a coffee and chatting with the wonderful Allison Thistlewood. The new colors are a lovely collection of more muted tones to compliment the more saturated palette SGY is known for. They have also added two fantastic new bases; a BFL Lace and Glitterati Sock. Here is the new palette, so if you have any color requests, please let me know:

The rest of Friday was a bit of a blur - I spent quite a bit of time at The Fibre Co. stand with Daphne who walked me through their story and how their yarns are developed and dyed. They have a broad selection of unique fibre combinations dyed in rich, earthy colors as well as some beautiful patterns. I am sold and you can expect to see some of The Fibre Co. in the shop this summer.

I had been drooling over shade cards from Zealana for a couple of weeks already and so you would have thought it would be easy to make a decision once I was at the booth. No, no it wasn’t, as they had some great sample garments on display that made me think twice about what I wanted. But in the end the Air Lace won out as the Cashmere/Possum/Silk blend is too lush to pass up. This should land in the shop in the next couple of weeks, so make sure to stop by for a squish.

I hung out at the Westknits and Ysolda stand for quite a while as well. They had so many great shawl samples on display, they all needed squishing and trying on. They are all the nicest people too and I learned the trick to being able to make anywhere a #placeswhereyoucanknit - it’s a nifty little bag that holds your yarn and can be worn on your wrist. Additionally we talked patterns, design, yarns and workshops - a great stand to hang out at for a bit.

Then there was a stop at Habu… I don’t know what to say about Habu except that it border this beautiful space between art and function - while many of the yarns seem harsh, strange and off-putting on the cone - once they are knit up they become elegant works of wearable art. I was instantly seduced and a small selection is on it’s way to AYS, yay!

I can’t forget to mention Madelinetosh and its stunning wall of color. I stopped by here just to say and take a look at the new colors as they weren’t yet available when I placed an order a few weeks ago. If AYS had the space I would order every color available. To my delight while I was ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ and petting the yarns I got to meet Amy, the owner and driving force behind Madelinetosh. Such a great surprise and such a lovely and inspiring woman.

I could go on and on about each and every beautiful yarns I saw over the weekend but then this post will end up 10 pages long, so I’ll round it out with a few photos of the more crafty and bizarre items that were on display. If you want to see more photos, then check out our instagram feed.

 -Carmen