News

My last fair of 2013 has been and gone and I have decided to take a break from the craft fair scene as Baljaffray Handknits for a while. I am therefore not booking any events in the New Year at this stage. I need to concentrate on our Janet & John business and may do some Spring fairs under that umbrella, where my knitting will be available alongside the work of the many other artists and crafters we have the privilege to stock. Baljaffray Handknits is not likely to return to craft fairs in its own right until Autumn 2014.

In the meantime, I'm still knitting! My work can be found in Janet & John, The Magpie's Eye Gallery in Govan and a limited range can be found in the gift shop at the New Lanark World Heritage Site. I hope to return to the Loch an Eilein Gallery on the Rothiemurchus Estate next year(Easter - Oct), but this has yet to be confirmed.

Thank you to all my customers who have supported me in 2013. If you're in Glasgow, come and see me in Janet & John.

New Location For The Magpie's Eye Gallery

The Magpie's Eye Gallery in Govan, Glasgow, has moved into much larger premises in the Govan Cross Shopping Centre next to Govan Subway Station.  As well as having a section for local artists and crafters to display their work, the shop also has lots of furniture at very reasonable prices and also specialises in vinyl records and books.

I will be restocking the gallery with Baljaffray Handknits later this week.

Loch an Eilein Gallery Closed for the Winter

The Loch an Eilein Gallery on the Rothiemurchus estate near Aviemore is now closed for the winter.

Janet & John Opens Tomorrow

So, as well as a hand knitter, as of tomorrow, I'm now a gallery/shop owner in Glasgow's West End. You can visit the Janet & John website to find out more and also the shop Facebook page.

My knitting forms only a small proportion of the arts and crafts available to buy in Janet & John.  Here are some pictures of Baljaffray Handknits items in the shop:

Price & Kensington teapots sold with cosies

ipod/mobile cases of various sizes

Antique towel rail 

My largest display is on an antique towel rail that we found in a shop near Aviemore a few weeks ago. It currently displays bags, stoles and baby blankets, but they will be replaced by scarves as Winter approaches.

Janet & John Opens On August 1st

Our little arts & crafts shop/gallery opens on August 1st, upstairs in De Courcy's Arcade, Cresswell Lane, Hillhead, Glasgow, G12 8AA.  You can find out more from our website or Facebook page.

Janet & John will stock a variety of arts and crafts, including Baljaffray Handknits.

Vintage Yarns

I've been using some amazing vintage yarns lately.  I got a massive bag for just £1 from The Magpie's Nest in Govan a few weeks ago.  The shop is next door to The Magpie's Eye, which is one of the shops that stocks my work.  Admittedly, some of it's contents were unusable, but there were also some real gems.

Among other things, I have been combining many of the DK, 3ply and 2ply yarns from the bag to make unusual colour combinations.  By using 6mm needles and a mixture of yarns that equate to super chunky when combined, I was able to produce a number of items including Kindle cases and purses.

I sourced a variety of vintage buttons to complement these.  These seem to have become scarce locally, so I ended up using a company on ebay.   For others, I used hand-made buttons from Laura Wilson Designs and Made By Aleks.

And then on Saturday, I went to the Oxfam DIY shop on Byres Road, close to where our new arts and crafts gallery is opening on August 1st.  There I found four 1oz balls of the most amazing yarn I think I've ever knitted with.  At first, I wasn't even sure it was vintage, as it's in such a good condition.  It's called "Moon Gold" and was made pre-1983 by Bernat Klein in Scotland.  I used just over half of it to make this rather special slouchy hat.

The yarn is a luxuriously soft mixture of cashmere, wool and rayon, with an amazing gold lustre.  Bernat Klien pioneered these kinds of natural/synthetic mixtures in at his factory in Galashiels between 1970 and 1983, at one time employing 250 local hand knitters to test his yarns and accompanying patterns.

I thought such special yarn needed a simple lace pattern to show it off to its best advantage.  This version of my slouchy hat has 3 rows of eyelets nestled between 4 rows of plain stocking stitch.

I'm Opening A Shop

My husband John and I are planning to open a small arts and craft gallery/shop early in August.  It will be on the first floor of De Courcy's Arcade (Eli Handmade, which currently stocks some of my work, is on the ground floor of the same building).

As well as selling some of my knitting, we will be stocking many other artists' and crafters' work on a commission basis.

More details to follow, both here and (more frequently) on my business Facebook page (see link on the left of this page).

This photo is quite an old one off De Courcy's Arcade's Facebook Page, and there's no longer a flower seller at the entrance.  Follow the link to find a useful map.