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Cat and Sparrow UK
Cat and Sparrow UK

beautifully crafted fibres and yarns – made in the UK, shipped worldwide

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@catandsparrowuk on Instagram

Oh, I do love a bit of colourwork. I'm relatively new to it in the grand scheme of things, but it's addictive. This is a detail from a new pattern I've been working on, that will be released at the end of the month, predictably called the 'Autumnal' hat. Here it's knitted in #catandsparrowuk #superheroDK in Crushing It and Dormouse. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #knitweardesign #hatknitting #fairisleknitting #colourwork #strandedknitting #knitstagram #knitspiration #knitallthethings #yarnstagram #indiedyer #dyersofinstagram
Meet these two gorrrrgeous new colours - Zephyr and Flamingo - dyed onto #alpaca, #seacell and #silk combed top. They're amazing together, and just as lovely apart. This is such a magical blend to spin - the alpaca is super soft and warm, with a beautiful fluffiness. The silk adds depth of colour and lustre, and the seacell is dye resistant, creating a beautiful marled effect. It's also super strong. I absolutely love this for shawls and cowls - perfect for this time of year! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #catandsparrowuk #handdyedfibre #spinningfibre #feltingfibre #spinstagram #spinnersofinstagram #spindlespinners #combedtop #semisolid
Check out these jewel-toned silk hankies. I absolutely love the gold and the berry colours together. Silk hankies are just so much fun to play with as well - you can knit, weave and crochet with them as they are, use them in felting projects or spin them into beautifully slubby, luxurious yarn. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #mawata #silkhankies #silkfibre #silkspinners feltersofinstagram #makersgonnamake #needlefelting #handspinning
Look at my gorgeous new stamp! I've been stamping everything made of paper in the house that my husband hasn't hurriedly removed from my reach. We're branded to the max. Seriously, though, I was so impressed by @getstampeduk. They turned this around in 3 days, and it's made from responsibly sourced oak and rubber and they plant a tree for each custom order. All their packaging is totally plastic free as well. Looooove. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #getstampeduk #sustainable #responsible #ecofriendly #catandsparrowuk #logostamp #rubberstamp #littlethings
This is my #yorkshireyarnfest exclusive colourway, dyed onto #SilkHankies and #RomneyCombedTop. These two fibres take colours so brightly and with such clarity - I just love how they almost glow, like the light on one of those crisp autumnal days that inspired it. Don't forget you can get 10% off all orders today if you use the code yorkshireyarnfest. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #autumncolours #fallenleaves #autumnleaves #catandsparrowuk #handdyedfibre #spinstagram #spinnersofinstagram
It's #yorkshireyarnfest today, and I'll be doing a little live video at 16:40 BST this afternoon (19th September). The theme is autumn leaves, and I coincidentally have some lush autumnal colourways in this super-squishy single-ply Dk in #superwashmerino. These three colours (Making Hay, Tequila Sunrise, Nebula) are made for each other! #autumnleaves #autumncolours #handdyedyarn #knitstagram #knittersofinstagram #crochetersofinstagram #makersgonnamake
I'm so excited to relaunch this yarn. #lonerangerDK just absorbs colour and flings it all back out into the world. It's the most squooshy, delectable single-ply merino that knits like a dream. The stitch definition of this yarn is amazing - it's perfect for cable patterns because they just show up so well. There are several gorgeous colours live in the shop now (back orders will be fulfilled within 10 working days). I'm also really excited because it features in the new #ormesweater by @ewefeltything, which I knitted in Faded Glamour. I love it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #cableknitting #knitstagram #squishyyarn #yarnstagram #knitallthethings #knittersgonnaknit #merinowool #yarnspiration #knittersofinstagram #crochetersofinstagram #crochet #hookit #catandsparrowuk #handdyedyarn
I'm fascinated by the use of knitwear in fashion through the years. I find it so hard to believe that hand knitting is generally viewed as a nana-zone dedicated to the creation of itchy sweaters when there are pieces like this out there. The first slide is a picture of Marie Helvin, modelling a design by Kansai Yamamoto. This is one of a number of incredible knitwear pieces he designed. The top is #intarsia, the bottom quilted satin. Yamamoto designed many of David Bowie's outfits for Ziggy Stardust including the 2nd slide - a bonkers one-legged knitted lurex catsuit with wrist and ankle rings. I absolutely love these flamboyant, extraordinarily joyous creations. (Photo 1 by Hiroshi Yoda, Photo 2 courtesy of @vamuseum). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #fashionfriday #kitwearhistory #knitspiration #notjustfornanas
These colours! More #silkhankies. These will be going live in the shop tomorrow. Whoop!! #boldandbright #handdyed #silk #catandsparrowuk
This is my exclusive colourway for the #yorkshireyarnfest on 19th September. The festival theme is #autumnleaves, and as my favourite kind of autumn day is the bright, slightly crisp kind I wanted something bright and happy. I do love a bit of autumn. I was all ready for it to get started so I could break out my knitwear, and then this little heatwave came along. It's on the way though, and I can't wait. Soon it'll be October, and then it's only a short haul to the mince pies. Crikey. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This is dyed on some absolutely luscious Romney I got from #johnarbon. I've been waiting for the right inspiration as it really takes colours so beautifully, and this is it. #Romneywool has a lovely open character and spins fine yarn really beautifully. I get these colours would look fantastic in a pair of boot socks. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #spinnersofinstagram #igspinners #feltersofinstagram #wooladdict #yarnspinnersofinstagram #handdyedwool #handspunyarn #spinspiration #handspinnersofinstagram #handspinners #igspinners #spinnersofinstagram #spinnersofig #spinnersoftheworld #spinning #spinningfiber
Are you a #thrower or a #picker? I've always knitted English style, throwing the yarn around the needle with my right hand, but I taught myself to knit continental style, picking up the yarn held in my left hand with the needle, so that I could do stranded colourwork. My tension is definitely tighter when I pick, so I tend to just settle back into my comfy throwing ways. It's not fast, but it's knitting for joy of the process, rather than speed. It's nice to know that I have continental up my sleeve if I need to knit fast though!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This #WIP is a hat design I'm working on. It's knitted in #catandsparrowuk Superhero DK in Dormouse and Crushing It (my new favourite pink). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #knittersgonnaknit #hatknitting #fairisleknitting #knitweardesign #wipwednesday #Englishknitting #knitallthethings #iamarealknitter #slowfashion #strandedcolourwork
I'm really delighted to be taking part in this month's @yorkshireyarnfest on 19th September. I'll be presenting a wee 15-minute video on Instagram, and showing you some of the wonderful fibres and yarns in stock. I'll be launching my @lonerangerDK on Friday as part of the run up, and I'll also have an exclusive colourway on several fibre bases inspired by the festival theme of #autumnleaves, not that it's particularly autumnal this week (chugs iced tea). #spinnersofinstagram #igspinners #weaversofinstagram #feltersofinstagram #wooladdict #yarnspinnersofinstagram #handdyedwool #handspunyarn
I’ve loved test knitting the #ormesweater by @ewefeltything. I’ve finished it, and now I just need to weave in the ends and block it. It’s super squishy and warm, and I love the detailing down the side. It’s so flattering! This is knitted up with #lonerangerDK in #fadedglamour, which is coming to the shop for 19th September - #yorkshireyarnfest. 😍😍😍😍#catandsparrowuk #knitstagram #sweaterknitting
I love pottering about the internet looking for interesting bits and pieces about the history of knitting and spinning. This amazing book is in the @vamuseum collection and was published in 1838, and gives a very rough recipe for knitting stockings and socks. There's no gauge information and no specified needle size. There isn't even any foot size information. #Sockknitters working from this book would have had to figure all that out for themselves. I can knit myself a pair of vanilla socks without referring to a pattern these days, but these instructions totally flummox me. Do you reckon you could knit a pair of socks from this chart? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #knittedsocks #knittinghistory #handmadesocks #knitterofinstagram #knitstagram #knitallthethings Photo courtesy of #victoriaandalbertmuseum.
I've had a shipment from @jenkemery of #turtlemade, who makes the most fabulous 3D-printed tools for spinners. I've got midi #turkishspindles, Andean plying tools and mini niddy noddies, all in fantastic colours. If you've not tried these spindles, they really are fantastic - well balanced and sturdy. I love the niddy noddies and plying tools as well - they're so handy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #shopupdate #catandsparrowuk #spindlespinners #handspinning #andeanplying #niddynoddy #spinnerstools #fibretools
This is Hocus Crocus, dyed onto the most beautiful blend of Devon-bred wools - #BluefacedLeciester, #Wensleydale and #ExmoorBlueface. This was one of the first colourways I ever dyed, and it was inspired by the a patch of crocus I saw in a churchyard one extremely cold and miserable day just after my daughter was born. I was suffering with post natal depression, and felt dreadfully alone. I was really struggling, and then this flower poked its head out of the soil and suddenly the world was brighter and more manageable. It's a gorgeous blend of bright gold, soft lilac and grey and it still takes me back to that moment whenever I look at it. The colours work so well together. How does it make you feel?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #catandsparrowuk #spinstagram #spinspiration #handdyedfibre #indiedyer #dyersofinstagram #colourinspiration
Flora and Fauna #fibreclub sign ups are open until midnight tonight! If you fancy a bundle of delicious fluff on your doorstep every month for the next three months sign up today. You'll receive one custom blend, one hand dyed fibre and one hand carded batt inspired by the amazing natural world. Each month there are fun extras and a fact sheet about the inspiration and ideas for using the fibres. It's loads of fun!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #catandsparrowuk #floraandfauna #fiberclub #spinningfibre #feltingfibre #spinnersofinstagram #spinstagram #makeallthethings #feltersofinstagram #makersgonnamake #spinspiration
I've been playing with this new custom blend - Kite Flying - and it's just gorgeous. It's a beautifully textured blend of Corriedale and Merino in rich blues and greens, topped off with bright pink flax. It's a delight to spin, and the flax adds pops of colour and texture which are really fun to draft and make the resulting yarn sing. I absolutely love it. It's available now in the shop. It's pictured on my beautiful #enidashcroft #turkishspindle. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #catandsparrowuk #customblendedfibre #linenblend #linenfibre #spinnersofinstagram #spinstagram #handspinning #spindlespinners
Have you ever wondered why staple length is important when you're spinning fleece or fibre? Wonder no more! I have written this article for this month's @plymagazine which look in detail at what staple length is and why it is such a key part of yarn structure. This issue of #plymagazine is all about the basics, so if you're new to spinning or fancy a refresher, it's ideal. It covers twist, worsted and woollen, joins, consistency and colour. It's available digitally from Ply's website now. #handspinning, #spinningyarn #spinnersofinstagram, #supportthespinningcommunity #catandsparrowuk #learntospin
It's been a while, but I'm delighted to say that the Flora and Fauna Fibre Club is open for sign ups until midnight on 31 August. You'll be signing up for three months' worth of fluffy goodness through your door - one each at the end of September, October and November. Colours and textures are inspired by the natural world, and as always, lots of information and fun extras will be included. The club is a mystery, so it'll be a complete surprise until it lands on your doormat. We could all do with a nice surprise these days - this is a lovely thing to look forward to. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #fibreclub #makersgonnamake #catandsparrowuk #spinstagram #spinnersofinstagram #feltersofinstagram #spinningfibre
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