It should seem like a bit of a dream to nestle in amongst all of this glorious yarn, but it's a very real possibility at Ginger Twist Studio in Edinburgh.
Recently, I was very flattered to be asked if I'd like to take part in 'Designer of the Month' at Ginger Twist Studio - of course, I said yes; resulting in a wonderful day spent knitting, drinking tea, chatting to some amazing ladies who popped in for a wee visit, and a serious amount of yarn smooshing.
As some of you know, though most of you don't, I lived in Edinburgh for 5
years whilst attending university. Edinburgh is beautiful; it is
unique, cobbled, romantic, surprising, massive yet tiny, comforting and
awe-inspiring in equal measure. And, as that train pulled into Waverly
train station, a ridiculous sense of joy permeated my being. You may
think, at this point, I'm being melodramatic. I can assure you, I was
genuinely overwhelmed (+/- having some sort of location crisis).
I love Glasgow as well, but for such very different reasons. It's huge,
filled with music venues & art exhibitions, has a character which
can't quite be defined and never fails to surprise me in some way or
other. You CAN be in love with two cities at once.
Jess' store is adorable; perfectly appointed for it's purpose. Along
one wall hangs hand-dyed yarn of all types of colours & fibres. They're hung lengthways rather than skeined to give a better appreciation of colour and texture, creating a dream-like wooly waterfall wtretching wall to wall.
Along the other rests balls of commercial yarns, ripe for picking. Stitch markers and knitting accessories are shelved neatly above the yarns, below rows of knitted items Jess has lovingly put together herself. The smell is one of fibre & tea - cinnamon, this morning.
Jess herself is delightful, welcoming and entertaining, and made me feel right at home. Even little Fox was quite at home with his cup of tea.
Whilst we chatted, some of my designs were on display around the shop, including the newest addition - Braeriach socks (here on Rav), knit from Jess' own hand-dyed yarn. Her mannequin was also very fetching in the Ashton Lane beaded circular shawlette & the Ardence Scarf.
Of course, I didn't leave empty handed and now have two new sets of needles and a ball of yarn to show for my visit...
Apart from in her gorgous little shop, you'll find Jess at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival this March, too.
Have you been yarn shopping lately? What did you buy? I'm desperate to get knitting with this lovely skein from GTS!
