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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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Home » Tools and Notions » Other useful things

Other useful things

A selection of useful things for yarnsmiths

  • andean plying tool scarlet

    Turtlemade 3D-Printed Andean Plying Tool

    £19.50     Select options

  • Niddy Noddy – 3D Printed by Turtlemade

    £24.00     Select options
  • plum yarn bowl

    Turtlemade 3D-Printed Yarn Bowl

    £40.00     Select options
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Today (November 30th) is the last day to sign up for the Flora & Fauna Fibre Club! I'll be closing the doors at 11pm GMT this evening. There may still be a couple of places left after that, as I have to round up the places to the nearest 10, but it's not guaranteed. ⁠ ⁠ You'll receive a package of delightful fluff inspired by the natural world. Past inspirations have been as diverse as the Aral Sea, the Oriental dwarf kingfisher and the golden poison dart frog. Fibres range from hand dyed top to hand carded batts, and I always try and put a little something extra in there to inspire you. ⁠ ⁠ If you fancy it, head on over via the linkin.bio and sign up! The first instalment is due in mid-January. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠
Whoop whoop! #fashionhistoryfriday is here again. Doesn't it come around quickly? This week it's all about #irishcrochet lace. This incredible collar dates from the 1890s. It's fairly typical of Irish crochet with its mesh background and intricate flower and leaf motifs. For centuries lace was a luxury, worn only by the wealthy. Lace-making made its way from Italy to Ireland in around 1700. Lace making schools were established by nuns and wealthy philanthropists, and taught poor families skills that would help generate income. Lace making is intricate, painstaking work. The Ursuline nuns at a convent in Blackrock, County Cork established a crochet lace school in the early 19th century and were already teaching the much faster skill of crochet lace when the Great Famine hit in 1845. Creating really fine crocheted pieces like the one above kept many families from starvation. It was also useful because it was piece work - the motifs were created separately, tacked onto a calico backing and then connected with the twists that made up the mesh. Once it was all linked, the backing was taken off and ... voila. I had a go at Irish crochet a few years ago, and I really enjoyed it. It's really delicate, but it grows surprisingly quickly. Obviously my attempts couldn't rival work like this, but it's nice to have a feel for how it was made. The design of the flowers and leaves is quite modern-looking and almost understated compared to some of the work I've seen. I wonder who made it. I'd love to know its journey - who wore it and when. Did they go dancing in it or wear it only on Sundays? Was it a treasured part of a trousseau? ⁠ ⁠ Photo courtesy of @metmuseum⁠
I've been busy in the dye studio. A while ago, on my Instagram live with @owlaboutyarn for #TheKitTeaRetreat I mentioned that I had a divine new base that I was really excited about. Well, it's here. It's a downy, poofy, shimmery blend of Polwarth, yak and silk, and it's just SO FLUFFY. I didn't want to stop spinning my test sample. It's an equal mix of three three fibres, and I was interested to see how slubby the final yarn was, given that the yak is so short. It was actually not slubby at all. The yak blends with the other two fibres so easily, it's like butter. The resulting yarn is so luxurious. I wanted to put it round my neck immediately, but I only had about 5 yards of it, so I had to put it aside. I will be spinning this into something scarfy though. It's available in three beautiful colourways - Space Cowboy, Careless Whisper and Pumpkin Patch. ⁠ ⁠ #yakfibre #polwarth #luxuryfibre #catandsparrowuk #handdyedfibre #spinstagram #spinnersofinstagram #spinspiration #handspinning #spindlespinning #spinningfibre #combedtop
Ooh la la! Is this a kit I see before me? I'm getting ready to release my Autumn Leaves hat pattern on 1 December, so I've put together some kits, which are available at a special discount until 30 November. Each kit contains 50g each of a main and a contrasting colour of Superhero DK and a digital pattern (to be emailed). The pattern will be available separately as well, from 1 December, but I thought you all might like to get a jump on the kits. You can choose any colour combo and I can tell you, I had a very hard time choosing. ⁠ @catandsparrowfibres, @fromeyarncollective and I will be running a KAL, and kits will also be available from them. Nicky at FYC will have some delicious hand-dyed Wensleydale, and Cat will be using some lovely hand-dyed Australian yarn. It's a very chilled out KAL. There's no rush to start or finish it, it's just a fun, quick knit. If you're interested, the tags are #autumnleavesKAL, #catandsparrowuk, #catandsparrowfibres and #fromeyarncollective. Comment and share here on Instagram, or on the Cat & Sparrow UK Facebook page. Link to the kits in the Linkin.bio!⁠ ⁠ #hatKAL #knitalong #hatknitters #knittersofinstagram #knitstagram #strikke #handknittersofinstagram #knitspiration #indiedyer #handdyedyarn #hatseason #strandedcolourwork
I've just done my pre-Christmas stock check and put some fibres on sale. I'm either discontinuing them or revitalising them, so they may not be around in the future. If you'd like to check them out, follow the link to the Sale page in the bio. You could grab a proper bargain!⁠ ⁠ #catandsparrowuk #handdyedfibre #spinnersofinstagram #spinstagram #shopsale
I'm making pomegranate cordial today. I am not normally such a domestic goddess, so my family is suitably astonished. I had to take a picture because the colours are so delicious. As soon as I've finished the cordial I'm going to go out to the dye studio and try and recreate it. I think Polwarth/Silk would be good, because the silk will drink the rich colours and the Polwarth will work for the gentler hues. Any suggestions?⁠ ⁠ #indiedyer #colourinspiration #spinspiration #dyersofinstagram #handdyedfibre #catandsparrowuk #pomegranates
I've just written another blog post! If you are just itching to know more about #Wensleydale sheep and the characteristics of its wool, look no further. Head over to Cat & Sparrow and feed your noggin with useful stuff. ⁠link in bio! ⁠ #fibreinfocus #wensleydalesheep #wensleydalewool #woolblog #catandsparrowuk #spinstagram #spinnersofinstagram #handspinning
#fashionhistoryfriday rolls around again! Yay! This photograph was published in British Vogue, September 1969. I'm obsessed with it. The creation of Italian designer Angelo Tarlazzi, it looks like crochet and knitting met at a REALLY wild yarn party and this is the hangover they had to live with. Up until this point, Tarlazzi's speciality had been haute couture ball gowns, but he focused on ready-to-wear styles for a number of houses from the late 60s onwards. I can see the ghost of a ballgown in these ... coats? The more I look at them, the more I find to be amazed at. I kind of love them. I bet they're super warm, and you'd never be bored, or ignored, in one of these. You'd have to own your sartorial choice - no half measures. What do you think? Would you wear one, or refuse to even be buried in one? #knittersofinstagram #crochetersofinstagram #crochetersofig #hautecouture #pretaporter #knitwear #woolistheanswer #winterwoollies #loveitorhateit #knitstagram #knitters #lovecrochet #igknitters #crocheting
#fashionhistoryfriday rolls around again! Yay! This photograph was published in British Vogue, September 1969. I'm obsessed with it. The creation of Italian designer Angelo Tarlazzi, it looks like crochet and knitting met at a REALLY wild yarn party and this is the hangover they had to live with. Up until this point, Tarlazzi's speciality had been haute couture ball gowns, but he focused on ready-to-wear styles for a number of houses from the late 60s onwards. I can see the ghost of a ballgown in these ... coats? The more I look at them, the more I find to be amazed at. I kind of love them. I bet they're super warm, and you'd never be bored, or ignored, in one of these. You'd have to own your sartorial choice - no half measures. What do you think? Would you wear one, or refuse to even be buried in one? #knittersofinstagram #crochetersofinstagram #crochetersofig #hautecouture #pretaporter #knitwear #woolistheanswer #winterwoollies #loveitorhateit #knitstagram #knitters #lovecrochet #igknitters #crocheting
Coming soon! This hat is being test knit at the moment, and it will be ready for launch in time for a 1 December KAL. It's a quick knit so makes an ideal Christmas present, or just a lovely hat for yourself. I'll be running the #KAL in partnership with @fromeyarncollective, who will have kits available on her site in gorgeous hand dyed Wensleydale DK. I will have kits available in Superhero DK, and @catandsparrowfibres will also be running the KAL over in Australia with her own hand-dyed yarns. It'll be a knitstravaganza. There will be prizes! There will be chat! There will be plenty of fun times! Are you up for it?
Look what came in the post yesterday! I love these yarn bowls so much. One got snaffled before it even made it into the shop. They're 3D-printed by #Turtlemade and feature an adorable sheep bas-relief motif around the edge. They're light, sturdy and pretty much unbreakable. I also got some lovely new #turkishspindle colours and more #plyingtools, which I'm adding to the shop this afternoon. #catandsparrowuk #shopupdate # #knittersofinstagram #igknitters #knitstagram #knittersofig #knittersoftheworld #knittersgonnaknit #crochet #igcrochet #crochetlover #crocheting #instacrochet #yarnbowl
This is She Sells Sea Shells, a mix of soft neutrals that was inspired by the shells and pebbles on an Irish beach while @catandsparrowfibres and I were at #woollinn last year. The #wool is squishable, sumptuous #BluefacedLeicester from flocks bred in Devon and processed and sorted by @jarbontextiles. It's some of the finest #BFL I've ever worked with. Looking at this brings back the tang of salty lips and fresh sea air. 🌊🐚🍥
I’m so excited about this book by Claire Wilcox, Senior Curator of Fashion at @vamuseum. Their collection of clothes and accessories is extraordinary and their exhibitions are so inventive and engaging. I suspect she is a woman with an extraordinary mind, and I can’t wait to dive in. #bookstagram #vamuseum #fashionhistory #fashionation #patchwork @c.laire_wilcox
It’s so grey and miserable outside today but this little corner of my kitchen is giving me joy (and inspiration). I love these rich colours together. It’s little things sometimes that lift you out of the gloom. 🌧🌈🌟 #colourinspiration #catandsparrowuk #cosykitchen
It's #fashionhistoryfriday again! I absolutely LOVE this cover from the April 1937 edition of Home Arts Needlecraft magazine. I had to do some research into what the hell was going on on top of her head, but apparently it's a perm machine. The perm started life in the late 19th century, with the Marcel Wave. Think Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night, or Betty Boop's kiss curls. In the early 20th century short hair on women was considered to be acceptable if it was feminised by the creation of soft waves. Don't you just love the patriarchy? I have short hair because my threshold for hair maintenance is extremely low (it's non-existent), but if I were ever to have a perm, I'd like to think I'd take a good, chunky knitting project with me. I just hope she has all her knitting bits and pieces to hand. Can you imagine being in that situation, and suddenly finding you need a stitch marker or a measuring tape that is just out of reach? Just thinking about it is making me anxious. Anyway, this photo made me happy for lots of different reasons. I hope you enjoy it too! ⁣ ⁣ #vintagemagazines #marcelwave #knittingmagazine #fashionhistory #hairstylehistory #alwaystakeyourknitting #catandsparrowuk
There's a lot going on at #catandsparrowuk at the moment. I've been a busy bee sourcing new products to put in the Tools and Notions section of the shop. This Notions Collection bundle allows you to put together your own notions pouch, and add to it what you like. You'll even get a discount if you buy three or more products together. What's not to love? ⁣ ⁣ I totally love notions pouches. I have several, and like to have one in each project bag. Usually they contain a tape measure, scrap yarn, a tapestry needle, some scissors, multiple stitch markers because they always fall down the back of sofa, a yarn gauge, a row counter .... What do you keep in your notions bag?⁣ ⁣ #notionsbag #knittingnotions #stitchmarkers #yarnsnips #tapestryneedle #coolstuff #knitstagram #instacrochet
There's a lot going on at #catandsparrowuk at the moment. I've been a busy bee sourcing new products to put in the Tools and Notions section of the shop. This Notions Collection bundle allows you to put together your own notions pouch, and add to it what you like. You'll even get a discount if you buy three or more products together. What's not to love? ⁣ ⁣ I totally love notions pouches. I have several, and like to have one in each project bag. Usually they contain a tape measure, scrap yarn, a tapestry needle, some scissors, multiple stitch markers because they always fall down the back of sofa, a yarn gauge, a row counter .... What do you keep in your notions bag?⁣ ⁣ #notionsbag #knittingnotions #stitchmarkers #yarnsnips #tapestryneedle #coolstuff #knitstagram #instacrochet #
Just a quick update - the Namaste Train Case is back in stock! There are only four left, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to get more. I love them, so I will be stocking them again in the future, but in the meantime if you're interested you might want to snap one up.
The last round of the #floraandfaunafibreclub sold out, so I'm really pleased to announce that the next round is open for pre-order. It will run from January to March 2021. After a lot of thought I decided that trying to order the fibre in time for a December dispatch would be too risky with the shipping and the increased demand the mill always sees just before Christmas. Instead I'll be bringing the dispatch from the end fo January to mid January, so you'll have something lovely to look forward to in the new year. Single and double doses are available for shipping all over the world. The pre-order will end on 30 November. As always it will be a mystery, with a combination of batts, blends and hand dyed fibres, but they will all be unique and a little bit special. ⁣ ⁣ #catandsparrowuk #fibreclub #spinstagram #⁣ #spinnersofinstagram #indiedyer #handspinners #handspinning #wemakeyarn #spinspiration #spindlespinnersofinstagram #feltersofinstagram #needlefelting #wetfelting #felting #woolfelt #feltcraft
I've added some really beautiful hand-made notions pouches to the shop. I went a bit crazy for fat quarters a while ago. My local shop had the most gorgeous selection of fabrics and I just couldn't help myself. I had plans to make them up into pretty bags, and they are finally here. You can bundle them together with some other new products I have in the shop - mending hooks for dropped stitches, yarn needles and some delectable, tiny snips. If you want to have a look at all the new things, there's a link in the smart bio in my profile. What do you keep in your notions bag/s?⁣ ⁣ #catandsparrowuk #notionsbags #needlesandnotions #knittingnotions #littlethings #wemakeyarn #iamarealknitter #knitstagram #instacrochet #instaknit
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