FEATURE
building site, customers didn’t seem to be put off and
when I said we wasn’t planning on opening I had a lot
of unhappy people! So, we agreed to open the doors in
October. We opened without a big announcement and
were really overwhelmed by the turn out.
What kinds of things does The Foundry Works
offer, apart from what looks like a HUGE
selection of yarn?!
It’s very much a work in progress. We have opened with
bits of everything and will be led by what our customers
would like to see. I never wanted to stock just the big
brands; it was so important to me to have the indie
businesses as well. I want customers to come and be
able to find something new, something different that
they haven’t seen before. I want a friend or relative of
a crafty person to be able to come in and buy them
something without worry. We will also be running knit
and natter groups and workshops as soon as it’s safe
to do so.
Tell us about some of your favourite products!
I’m not sure where to start! I love the sardines4tea
kits, which I fell in love with a while ago. I think
the owner, Clare, was one of the first people I
approached. Having her kits in the shop was a
must, as I love all the hand-dyed yarn. I have to
say, I’ve really enjoyed looking for new dyers
since I opened – my customers have great taste
and have introduced me to some amazing dyers since!
I also love Saffron Blue – she makes the most
gorgeous project bags – and Lana Bou because a
project needs pretty stitch markers and a project bag
needs enamel pins.
Where did your own love of crafts come from?
What do you like to make?
I took up crochet several years ago. I was going through
a rough time in my life and needed a distraction. My
auntie had always crocheted and I thought I would give
it ago. I bought a TOFT book and have been obsessed
ever since. I took up knitting when life got really rough
as crochet wasn’t working as well at taking my mind off
things. It was a trip to Yarndale with some friends that
got me into knitting. My friend Helen had knitted a pair
of socks for the Winwick Mum sock line, and we agreed
that the year after we would return each having made a
pair of socks. I left Yarndale with some West Yorkshire
Spinners yarn in Blue Tit and Helen spent her time in
Knit and Natter teaching me how to knit. That’s where
my love of hand-dyed yarn came from. I now find
I switch between knitting and crochet but TOFT is
always my downfall.
What are you making at the moment (if you have
any spare time!)?
Currently I have about six or seven projects on the
go. I am a serial starter of projects but I’m terrible at
finishing anything; I have projects in every room of the
house. If these get done it will be a miracle!
What exciting plans have you got for 2021?
I am finding it really hard to plan at the minute as
there is so much uncertainty, but hopefully next year
will see us run the shop with no restrictions. We’ll
be able to hostthe Knit and Natter groups and run
workshops. We’ll be holding a first birthday party to
make up for not having a grand opening – I hope it
can really pull the community together.Find out more...
thefoundryworks.co.uk