Giveaway | Win tickets for The Stitch Festival

Posted in Competitions, Crochet, Outings, Sale / Special Offer, Yarn Show by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

EDITED: Giveaway now closed, congratulations to; Ann C, Tracey L, Charlie P, @Catherinecrochets and @shearsfiona

How would you like to win some FREE tickets to The Stitch Festival which returns to the Business Design Centre, Islington, London from 23-26 March 2023?

London’s hottest event for contemporary stitchers is back! The annual four-day creative extravaganza is a ‘must go’ for craft fans, with more than 230 hands-on workshops hosted by top tutors, designers and makers.

Dressmaking, upcycling and slow fashion are a major focus for The Stitch Festival, with a dedicated Dressmaking Studio (sponsored by Brother), an overlocker workshop programme, and a Dressmaking Competition that shines a spotlight on the skills and talents of home dressmakers. Open to sewists of all levels, there are categories for Eveningwear, Loungewear, Childrenswear, Knitwear and Crochetwear, Upcycled or Repurposed garments, and new for 2023, Menswear.

Two ladies looking at different fabrics at The Stitch Festival — © The Stitch Festival 2023

Eagle-eyed judges from the worlds of fashion and textiles (past judges have included Esme Young, Lisa Comfort and Nerrisa Pratt) will be looking for excellence in technical skills, stitching and creative flair. With prizes for category winners, a Janome Sewing Machine worth £650 for ‘Best in Competition’, and a Finalists’ Fashion Show on Sunday 26 March, Stitch Festival visitors can expect some exciting highlights. Competition entry submissions must be made by Friday 24 February 2023. For full entry information, visit www.thestitchfestival.co.uk/dressmaking-competition/

Portrait of Katie Jones, Crochet Designer surrounded by colourful crochet samples and yarn — © The Stitch Festival 2023 – Katie Jones (Photo by Rachel Manns)

There are yarny things to look forward to too at the Festival. This year crochet designer Katie Jones has designed The Stitch Festival’s Crochet Lounge where she will be hosting crochet lessons and book signings. There are also so many workshops, just search ‘Crochet’ for a list of all the hooky ones – or try your hand at a new craft. In terms of crochet they include sessions on Mosaic crochet, Tunisian Crochet, Broomstick crochet lace and Freeform crochet to name a few.

Textile artist Jen Cable’s project, Knitted Lives, will be a celebration of contemporary knitting, exploring the lives and stories of everyday knitters, while best-selling author and craft entrepreneur, Isabella Strambio, will be inviting Festival goers to awaken their creativity as she shares her passion for macrame.

Image of Knitted Jen Cable by Sophie Hoare — © The Stitch Festival 2023

Looking for inspiration for new projects? The Festival’s Stitch Stage features free demonstrations, presentations and Q&As with some favourite faces from the knit and stitch world. On Saturday 25 March, the Instagram Makers’ Catwalk features garments made and modelled by talented Insta makers, supported by independent pattern makers and fabric companies.

Last but not least, there’s shopping, with more than 150 specialist retailers under one roof and special Stitch Festival deals to be had, plus all that vibrant Islington has to offer with its stores, restaurants, bars and cafes. Hot and cold refreshments are available throughout the venue, with seating areas for picnics.

Although I can’t make it to this particular show, I’ve enjoyed the visits to these Stitching Shows in the past. If you fancy a read about those experiences you can read about them here and here.

So on with the bit you’ve been waiting for! The giveaway details! I’ve got FIVE pairs of tickets to giveaway hurray!!! I’m giving away THREE pairs away here on the blog and TWO pairs away on Instagram.

GIVEAWAY

All you need to do to enter the giveaway is either leave a comment on the bottom of this blog post about why you’d like to go to the show or do the same over on my Instagram post.

The competition closes on Wednesday 1st February at 7pm (GMT). Winners will be contacted via the email supplied from their comment or by DM on social media.

Tickets are valid after 10am on Thursday 23rd, Friday 24^th, Saturday 25^th or Sunday 26^th March. The organisers will not issue paper tickets. Winners will be emailed a link to register online with a unique code per pair of tickets and will receive e-tickets by email. When entering this competition you must be therefore happy to provide me with a your email address for this purpose, your email address will not be used in any other way.

However if you want some tickets now scroll down for an exclusive special offer!

SPECIAL DISCOUNT

Advance adult tickets for The Stitch Festival are £16.50 from Thursday to Saturday (concessions £15, children aged 5-18 years £7.50) – transaction fees apply. Full ticket information is available at The Stitch Festival website www.thestitchfestival.co.uk. Visitors are encouraged to book in advance to avoid disappointment. Opening hours are 10am-5.30pm on Thursday-Saturday and 10am-3pm on Sunday. Visitors are encouraged to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

But if you want your ticket RIGHT NOW I’ve also got a special discount for you! Just quote: CROCHETON23 to get £2 off advance adult tickets /and concessions.

Please note that the discount ends at 23.59pm on Wednesday 22 March 2023.

I’d like to say a big thank you again to the shows organisers for offering this special deal to my lovely KCACO.UK readers!

Good Luck everyone!

Stay connected

I’d love to stay connected with you so please do sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, giveaways, special offers or new pattern releases are available.

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

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2Nov2022

Win tickets for The Knitting & Stitching Show Harrogate

Posted in Competitions, Crochet, Outings, Sale / Special Offer, Yarn Show by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

EDITED: Giveaway now closed. Winners have now been chosen, congratulations to Suzanne, Jill C and Julie here on the blog and @sarahreedscrochetadventure and @made_by_skoo on Instagram!

How would you like a giveaway to win some FREE tickets to the The Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate? If the answers a big woolly and heartfelt yes please – then keep on reading…

The Knitting & Stitching Show is back in Harrogate this year from 17 – 20 November held at the Harrogate Convention Centre.

Meet up with like-minded crafters, discuss ideas, learn new skills and shop for your annual craft supplies all under one roof – it’s the ultimate day out for craft lovers. If craft supplies are on your Christmas shopping wish list, there are hundreds of specialist companies under one roof, selling haberdashery, fabric and patterns, sewing machines and equipment, thread and yarn, craft kits, accessories and more, with on-stand demonstrations and show offers to enjoy.

Whether you’re a knitter, quilter, embroiderer or needle felter, The Knitting & Stitching Show promises inspiration and ideas for every style and stage of stitcher, from complete beginners to experts. Top tutors will be hosting more than 220 hands-on workshops and demonstrations, with a dedicated dressmaking programme and festive, seasonal makes like knitted Christmas gnomes, felted wreaths, fabric baubles and embroidery Robins.

Spectacular galleries by internationally acclaimed textile artists and groups are a highlight of The Knitting & Stitching Show each year. This year’s show is no exception with exhibitions by Aran Illingworth (Hanging on the thread: Portrayal of Poverty), Archana Pathak (Mapping Transience), Maggie Scott (Five Times More), Marcia Bennett-Male (Moments to Myself), The 62 Group at 60 (Essence), Vivienne Beaumont (Seeds, Flowers and Flowing Hair), James Fox, The Quilters’ Guild Collection and Jess Blaustein, the 2022 winner of The Fine Art Textiles Award, supported by The Open College of the Arts. A gallery of winning quilts from The Festival of Quilts 2022 competition includes the stunning Handi Quilter Best in Competition Award winning quilt, Impresión. Tramonto en Venecia, by Inmaculada Gabaldon.

Sure to put a smile on visitors’ faces is the Hawes Yarnbombers’ Knitted Shrek. The group’s members meet every week at their local pub to knit “without being disturbed by husbands, family, work, household chores or the rest of the world” (their words!). After a great deal of hard work, and with a different theme every year, they have created a collection of delightful characters from the popular movie to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Swaledale Mountain Rescue. Hawes Yarnbombers will be encouraging other knitters to give yarnbombing a go to raise money for charity while having fun, and will be on hand with some top tips for first-time yarnbombers.

Although I can’t make it to this particular show, I’ve enjoyed the visits to the Knit and Stitching Shows in the past. If you fancy a read about those experiences you can read about them here and here.

Hot and cold refreshments are available throughout the venue, with seating areas for picnics. Harrogate town centre also offers a wide range of cafés and bars to enjoy, including the famous Betty’s Café Tea Rooms (yum!).

GIVEAWAY

All you need to do to enter the giveaway is either leave a comment on the bottom of this blog post about why you’d like to go to the show or do the same over on my Instagram post.

The competition closes on Monday 7th November at 5pm (GMT). Winners will be contacted via the email supplied from their comment or by DM on social media.

Tickets are valid after 10am on Thursday 17th, Friday 18^th, Saturday 19^th or Sunday 20^th November 2022. This year the organisers are not issuing paper tickets, winners will be emailed a link to register online with a unique code for one pair of tickets. Winners will then need to register online, enter their codes and they will receive e-tickets by email. When entering this competition you must be happy to provide me with a your email address for this purpose, your email address will not be used in any other way.

SPECIAL DISCOUNT

Standard adult advance tickets for The Knitting & Stitching Show, Harrogate are £17.00 (concessions £15.50, children under 18 £8.50) with VIP ticket packages starting at £36.00. Full ticket information is available at The Knitting & Stitching Show website www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/harrogate/. Visitors are encouraged to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

But if you want your ticket RIGHT NOW I’ve also got a special discount for you! Just quote: KEEPCALM22 to get £3 off advance adult tickets (and there’s £3.50 off advance concessions!). Please note that the discount ends at 23.59pm on Wednesday 16th November 2022.

I’d like to say a big thank you again to the shows organisers for offering this special deal to my lovely KCACO.UK readers!

Good Luck everyone!

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

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8Feb2022

Win tickets for The Stitch Festival

Posted in Competitions, Crochet, Outings, Sale / Special Offer, Yarn Show by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

It’s been AGGEESSS since my last giveaway hasn’t it – so I’m quickly going to rectify that now! How would you like to win FREE tickets to the The Stitch Festival at the Business Design Centre, London?

You’d love the chance – well awesome! Just keep on reading…

The Stitch Festival, formerly known as The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show, is the ultimate day out for craft lovers. The Stitch Festival champions creativity with hundreds of workshops, demonstrations, fashion exhibitions, textile installations, as well as exhibitors selling specialist craft supplies.

Highlights of this years show include the fabulous TOFT’s exhibition Making Women Who Made History, which marks International Women’s Day. The exhibition is a celebration of inspirational, brave and talented women, all made in amigurumi. TOFT launched its first design, Emmeline Pankhurst, on IWD in March 2020. I love TOFT yarn and characters so I bet that’s going to be awesome! And there are going to be over 100 other specialist retailers who will be selling yarn, crochet equipment and craft supplies…swoon right!

Although the The Stitch Festival showcases all stitch crafts like sewing, knitting, if you are just there for the crochet there are a range of crochet workshops which include:

Tapestry Crochet: Flower Power Coaster / Diana Bensted
Mosaic Crochet / Diana Bensted
Crochet an Amigurumi Easter Egg / Diana Bensted
Beginners’ Crochet / Debbie Harris
Crochet your own Perfect Sock / Diana Bensted
Freeform Crochet Scumble / Diana Bensted
Crochet a Granny Square Cushion Cover / Debbie Harris
Make a Mini Crochet Shawl / Diana Bensted
Crochet a Spring Inspired Pen/Pencil Holder / Eleonora Cugin

Excitingly this year they also have The Stitch Festival Dressmaking competition is open to all contemporary dressmakers who want the opportunity to share their creations. And it’s not just sewing there is a crochet / knitwear outfit category sponsored by Stylecraft. Basically it could be a chunky knit jumper or a fine knit cardigan, a dress, a scarf or other accessories. Anything goes, but you haven’t long, the entry form with photos must be submitted online by Midday on Friday 11^th February.

Although I can’t make it to this particular show, I’ve enjoyed the visits to them in the past. If you fancy a read about those experiences you can read about them here and here.

It’s so wonderful that craft shows are coming back, I’ve really missed them, but if you are at all concerned or have questions about how the show will work in COVID times The Stitch Festival hold visitor safety as paramount and you can view Immediate Live’s Covid commitment if you have queries about attendance.

GIVEAWAY

All you need to do to enter the giveaway is either leave a comment on the bottom of this blog post about why you’d like to go to the show or do the same over on my Instagram giveaway reel post.

The competition closes on Monday 14th February September at 7pm (GMT). Winners will be contacted via the email supplied from their comment or by DM on social media.

Entry is for any one day on any of the dates of the show (3 – 6 March 2022). This year the organisers are not issuing paper tickets, winners will be emailed a link to register online with a unique code for one pair of tickets. Winners will then need to register online, enter their codes and they will receive e-tickets by email. When entering this competition you must be happy to provide me with a your email address for this purpose, your email address will not be used in any other way.

SPECIAL DISCOUNT

Advance adult tickets for The Stitch Festival are £15.50 (concessions £14.50, children aged 5-18 years £7.50) from Thursday to Saturday. VIP tickets start at £40. Full ticket information is available at The Stitch Festival website www.thestitchfestival.co.uk. Visitors are encouraged to book in advance to avoid disappointment. In the event of pandemic-related cancellation, ticket holders will be offered the choice to transfer their booking to 2023 or receive a refund. Transaction fees will be retained.

But if you want your ticket’s RIGHT NOW I’ve also got a special discount for you! Just quote: KCACO22 to get an adult ticket for £12.50! That’s £3 off advance adults (and there’s £2 off advance concessions!). Please note that the discount ends at 23.59pm on 2^nd March 2022.

I’d like to say a big thank you again to the shows organisers for offering this special deal to my lovely KCACO.UK readers!

Good Luck everyone!

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

21Jan2020

Votes for Kisses | Unravel Design Competition

Posted in Competitions, Crochet, Crochet Accessories, Designing, From the Stash, Inspiration, Tah-Dah, Yarn, Yarn Show by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

Did the title get your attention? Want to know what it’s all about – well I shall tell you, because I’m looked for help from my lovely blog readers! Excitingly I’ve had got a brand new pattern that’s been shortlisted in the Unravel 2020 design competition called The Waverley Kisses Scarf…

There’s nine designs now up for a public vote to pick a winner which will be launched at Unravel as part of their show guide during the festival on 21-23 February 2020.

Unravel is a three day yarn show in Farnham Maltings in Surrey. There’s over 80 exhibitors, craft shops and workshops and all the other lovely things you’d expect at a woolly festival! I’ve never actually had the opportunity to attend yet but I’ve heard only good things about Unravel!

You know me, I do love a bit of a crochet challenge, so when I saw the call for designers to enter their design competition on Instagram I thought I’d give it a bash!

My idea for the scarf comes from my own, and I’m guessing many other’s experience, of yarn shows. You know the times where you see some gorgeous yarn that you fall completely in love with so you have to take it home with you. But you didn’t have a plan when you bought it and now you don’t know what to make with just one skein!

Such as this gorgeous handyed skein that I had of Devon Sun Yarns … That’s where the Waverly Kisses Scarf comes in!

This lovely and organically shaped wave scarf includes a fun crossed stitch in the design which creates a lovely subtle texture that you just want to run your hands over. Combine that with some beautiful yarn to make a winning combination scarf that everyone is sure to admire whenever you wear it.

FAVOURITE WAVERLEY KISSES ON RAVELRY

I’m really chuffed with how this design turned out. It was one of those that just worked from conception to completion just how I wanted it too and I love everything about it.

So here’s where I need your help! The voting started at 5pm today and will run until 11:59pm GMT on Monday, 27 January. The person with the highest vote at the end will win.

Supporters can vote once per day and will need to enter a valid email address. You can choose to opt-in to receive emails from the yarn festival but of course that is not mandatory to vote! 📷

I’ll be doing reminders on all my social media but the link to vote is below:

xx VOTE FOR WAVERLEY KISSES SCARF xx

I’m asking for your votes not just for me, but crochet is at stake (against knitting) and it would be great for it to have a feature!

There are so many amazing designs from inventive designers that have been shortlisted and I’d like to wish the best of luck to all the designers taking part! … now go vote for Waverley Kisses!

Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends x

P. S If you share on Instagram on your stories be sure to let me know so I can send you some kisses back!

11Sep2019

Win tickets for Stitching Show at Ally Pally!

Posted in Competitions, Crochet, Outings, Sale / Special Offer, Yarn Show by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

It’s been AGGEESSS since my last giveaway hasn’t it – so I’m quickly going to rectify that now! How would you like to win FREE tickets to the Knitting and Stitching Show at the Alexandra Palace?

You’d love the chance – well awesome! Just keep on reading…

If you’ve not heard about the The Knitting & Stitching Shows before, and are wondering if you want to enter or not, they are the UK’s biggest textile art, craft and design events. Events are run in various locations usually four times per year and there are LOADS of exciting features for crochet fans!

But if you dabble in other crafts, alongside crochet, there are things for needle felting to embroidery to dressmaking – in fact pretty much covering every textile craft imaginable. And the show is great for complete beginners, experts or folks somewhere in between, as there are demo’s and workshops to try, or you can just fill your boots looking at all the crafty and yarny goodness!

In fact for this show, in The Creative Living Theatre, there are going to be free, 30-minute demonstrations to inspire future crochet projects including Tapestry Crochet: Fair Isle Techniques with Diana Bensted.

And for those visitors wanting to learn new skills, The Knitting & Stitching Show’s Learning Curve workshop programme is extensive! Offering over 250 workshops with top tutors where crocheters could have the opportunity to learn how to make seasonal snowflakes, Christmas baubles and mini amigurumi monsters or baskets, owls, scarves and fingerless mitts.

And there are over 350 specialist retailers who will be selling yarn, crochet equipment and craft supplies…swoon right!

I’ve attended different shows, and really enjoyed each visit, so I feel that I can tell you about them with experience, but if you want to read my FULL experience of the shows (you may want to get a cuppa before hand) then you can check out when I visited London Olympia earlier this year here or the time I went to the show at the Ally Pally here.

I was excited to see that Italian textile artist and contemporary crochet designer Luisa De Santi, will be showcasing her amazing work again at the Ally Pally.

I was amazed by her extraordinary exhibition when I saw it earlier this year. Magical Crochet Spells features colourful three-dimensional artworks, soft sculptures and jewellery that is just amazing and inspiring! Her work really is something to see – I also got the pleasure of meeting her in person too and she was lovely!

Unfortunately I’m not going to be able to make the show on this occasion, as I already had family plans on this date, but just because I can’t go doesn’t mean that you have to miss out because I’ve got FIVE pairs of tickets to giveaway hurray!!!

Giveaway

The tickets are for redeemable any day except Saturday 12th October for the Knitting and Stitching show at the Alexandra Palace which runs from 10th – 13th October 2019.

All you need to do to enter the giveaway is to leave a comment on the bottom of this blog post about why you’d like to go to the show.

The competition closes on Wednesday 18 September at 7pm (GMT). Winners will be contacted via the email supplied from their comment.

Special Discount

But if you want your ticket’s RIGHT NOW I’ve also got a special discount for you! Just quote KEEPCALM19 and you can save £2.50 on advance adult ticket price (£13.50 instead of £16.00 adult advance/£13.00 instead of £14.50 concessions), plus £1.95 fulfilment fee per transaction (£2.50 for posted tickets).

This discount is for advanced bookings only and can be redeemed before 23:59pm (GMT) on Wednesday 9 October. Tickets can be booked online here or by calling 0844 873 7343 and quoting the discount code. Full Terms and Conditions are available on the show website. Information is correct at the time of writing.

I’d like to say a big thank you again to the shows organisers for offering this special deal to my lovely KCACO.UK readers!

Good Luck everyone! Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

2Feb2019

Five Years Blogiversary Giveaway!!

Posted in Competitions, Crochet, Giveaways, Sale / Special Offer by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

EDITED: GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED, congratulations to Leonie! You are the winner!

Five years ago (er…well the day before yesterday) I hit PUBLISH and my life changed! I’ve now been blogging for FIVE whole years! And because of my blog I’ve had some amazing opportunities, got to know some fabulous people and worked with some amazing companies – for which I am so very grateful!

WANT TO SEE WHERE IT ALL BEGAN? CHECK OUT MY FIRST POST!

Each blogiversary is a huge milestone and my 5th birthday is no exception. What started as a complete experiment is a large part of how I evolved into a working crochet designer, but I blog because I enjoy writing, I love to share my passion for all things crochet, and I love to hopefully inspire you.

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do – Rumi

The past five years have been full of highlights and new experiences for me. Here’s just a few (of many!):

Having a design appear on the front cover of LGC Knitting and Crochet Magazine in 2017
Being part of the Stylecraft Blog Tour in 2016
Being the guest designer for The Crochet Sanctuary in 2018 (can’t wait to go back this year!)
Designing the mascot for Yarn Shop Day 2018
Being invited as part of the press in 2017 gang to The Knitting and Stitching shows (again really looking forward to going again at the end of this month!)
Starting a yearly Crochet-Along , having Scheepjes sponsor the 2018 CAL, and seeing all your projects grow and develop!
The opportunity to interview some fab fellow designers that I admire and who definitely inspire me! Like Dedri Uys, Lucy Ravenscar, Kerry Lord, Irene Strange and Eleonora Tully (definitely want to try and do some more of these this year)
Having the whole design supplement with Granny Square designs for Simply Crochet Magazine in 2018.

And I’m so appreciative to all the awards my little blog has received over the years!

You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. ― Octavia E. Butler

I was looking at some stats about blogs in general and was really surprised to learn that almost over 80% of blogs do not make it past the first three months – so I’m going to take a little moment to say go me! I’m still here – as are so many of you!

Just in case I don’t say it enough I want to say a big THANK YOU to you all that read my ramblings! I really appreciate the time you each take to visit my blog and especially when you leave me comments and feedback. I’d also like to thank you to those of you that have shared my blog your friends and family too.

LET’S CELEBRATE MY 5TH BLOGIVERSARY WITH A GIVEAWAY!

I’ve actually got double cause to celebrate at the moment because as well as blogging for five years my Facebook page recently hit the mahoosive milestone of 15 thousand followers! Just amazing! So I’m going to do a giveaway here on the blog, a different one on Facebook and another little one on Instagram because I like hanging out there! So that’s THREE different prizes up for grabs starting with this one!

So what do I have on offer as prize here on the blog for my blogiversary? Well one winner will receive the following:

5 x Keep Calm and Crochet On UK crochet patterns of your choice
1 x Dear Ewe Monochrome Maker Mug in the ‘Yarn’ design
1 x Dear Ewe Medium Project Bag ‘Make Something Amazing’ design
1 x 100g / 225m skein of ‘Firey Sands’ 100% Suprima Hand-dyed Cotton by The Mermaid Purse Yarns (purchased by me)

Here’s how you can enter:

To enter, leave a comment at the end of this post telling me which 5 patterns you’d pick as part of the prize – to gain an extra entry maybe you might like to sign up to my newsletter.

The contest is open from RIGHT NOW until 8pm (GMT) on Wednesday 20th February 2019. The winner will be selected using a random number generator and I will need to be supplied with a full postal name and address to send out the prize. If efforts to contact the winner remain unsuccessful after a week, an alternative winner will be randomly selected.

This giveaway is open WORLDWIDE!

Thank you my loyal friends and followers for your everlasting support and encouragement! Without you, I would serve no purpose!

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

24Jan2019

Win tickets to The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show 2019

Posted in Competitions, Crochet, Days Out, Getting Crafty, Giveaways, Life, Outings, Sale / Special Offer, Yarn Show by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

EDITED: GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED, congratulations to Heidi Bradshaw, Sharon Bowles, Candida Carvalho, Cristiana Alexandra Ferreiro do Vale, Jackie Walter and Michelle Smith!

Hey folks, would you like a chance to win some FREE day tickets to the Spring Knitting and Stitching Show at London Olympia?

I’ve got FIVE pairs of tickets, most generously donated by the shows organisers, for all you lovely readers – plus they’ve also set up a nice discount on ticket prices for anyone that doesn’t win (more about that in a moment).

If you love a good craft show, which of course I do, and you aren’t familiar with the Knitting and Stitching Show then you are really missing something. These shows are the UK’s biggest textile art, craft and design events and the Spring show will open its doors to thousands of crafters for FIVE whole days at London Olympia on Thursday 28 February until Sunday 1 March 2019.

You may remember I went to one of the shows back in 2017 with my lovely mum and we had a blast (you can read about that visit here). So we are going back down to the show together again this year for more crafty fun!

Any hoo, if you want to go straight to the details on how to win tickets scroll to the bottom of this page, if you’ve got a few more minutes I just want to tell you about another couple of things that’s happening at this years Spring show…

I for one am extremely excited to see the amazing work by Italian textile artist and designer Luisa De Santi who is bringing her extraordinary knit, crochet and embroidery work to the Spring Knitting and Stitching Show. Her exhibition called Magical Crochet Spells sounds like something not to be missed out on! I’ve seen some of the photos of her work and it’s just so intriguing!

Lucia creates complex and colourful 3-D modular structures that are amazing and mind-boggling, weird and wonderful all at the same time and I can’t wait to see them in the flesh!

I’m also looking forward to seeing The Fashion and Textile Museum who are hosting a 50 Years of Fabulous. They are doing a showcase with a collection of garments from its forthcoming exhibition celebrating iconic British designer Zandra Rhodes’ 50th anniversary. Although I don’t sew I do admire those that can (and I LOVE The Great British Sewing Bee) so I bet that’s going to be a whole lot of fabulous fun to see!

dame zandra rhodes. photograph by simon emmett. copyright zandra rhodes ltd

I also can’t wait to see the stunning Enchanted Wood – an elaborate scene of
knitted and crocheted magical creatures created by the Louise Hamilton Knit and Yarn Group and Norfolk Knitters and Stitchers. It looks so amazing doesn’t it!

Ooo the more I’m writing about it, the more excited I’m getting! As well as all these exhibits there’s going to be over 150 exhibitors selling specialist craft supplies (including yummy yarn that needs to come home with me), and there’s going to be hundreds of workshops and demonstrations too. I’m still looking at the full workshop list deciding what to do as there are so many I just want to do!

Spend a day re-stocking your yarn stash, learning to knit, mastering the art of tailoring and just so much more. There has never been a better excuse to go to a show – it’s been designed for us to enjoy to the max!

Right enough enthusing from me, I think you get that I’m quite excited about going, let’s get on to how YOU can win tickets to the show…

Giveaway

I’ve got FIVE pairs of tickets to giveaway and the tickets are for redeemable any day except Saturday 2nd March. These tickets are only for the Spring Knitting and Stitching show at the Olympia London which runs from 28th February until 3rd March 2018.

All you need to do to enter the giveaway is to leave a comment on the bottom of this blog post about why you’d like to go to the show. The competition closes on Thursday January 31st 2019 at 7pm (GMT) with the winners being announced later that evening here on the blog. Good Luck Everyone!

Special Discount

But if you want your ticket’s RIGHT NOW I’ve also got a special discount for you! Just quote KCACO19 and get £2 off any advance adult ticket or £1 off any advance concessionary ticket. This means that tickets will be £12 instead of £14/£13 (please not there is a £1.75 fulfilment fee per transaction).

This discount is for advanced bookings only and can be redeemed before 23:59pm on Wednesday 27th February. Tickets can be booked online https://www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/spring/ or by calling 0844 581 1319 and quoting the discount code.

I’d like to say a big thank you again to the shows organisers for offering this special deal to my lovely KCACO.UK readers and maybe we will catch up with some of you at the show?

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

7Mar2018

Big Blue Yarn Giveaway Winner

Posted in Competitions, Giveaways by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

And so that’s that! My four weeks of giveaways is now over – I hope you’ve enjoyed it! All that’s left for me to do is announce who has won the Big Blue Yarn giveaway.

And the winner is…

Yay congratulations Sharon! I’ve sent you an email for your address details so I can get your prize out to you.

And I have to finish off this celebration of four years of blogging by saying again that I want to thank you for visiting my blog and enjoy reading your wonderful comments. I’m very grateful to each and everyone of you and I hope we can continue for many more years enjoying our crafts together!

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

28Feb2018

We have a winner!

Posted in Competitions, Crochet, Giveaways, Yarn by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

CELEBRATING MY 4TH BLOG ANNIVERSARY

WITH 4 WEEKS OF GIVEAWAYS!

So we need a winner for the lovely Wulla Yarn hooks don’t we! And the winner is….Kate Rowell, congratulations! I’ve sent you an email for your address details so I can get your prize out to you.

Don’t forget there’s still the ‘big blue yarn’ giveaway open until 9 March

Up for grabs is:

10g x Paintbox mini (DK)
10g x Scheepjes Catona mini (4ply)
50g x Drops Cotton Light (DK)
50g x Lang Cotton (Chunky)
50g x Just Yarn Cotton (DK)
50g x Patons Baby Smiles (4ply)
50g x Scheepjes Catona (4ply)
50g x Patons Fab (DK)
50g x Phildar Pilou Plus (DK)
50g x Bergere de France Barisiemne (DK)
100g x James Brett Harmony (DK)
100g DY Choice (DK with Wool)
100g x Paintbox Simply Aran
100g x Stylecraft Special (DK)
100g x West Yorkshire Spinners Essential Aran

That’s a whopping 920g of yarn up for grabs which is a nice amount to feed any hungry stash! For your chance to win enter here.

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

25Feb2018

Keep Calm and Crochet On U.K’s 4th Blog Anniversary Celebration | Final Prize

Posted in Competitions, Crochet, Giveaways, Yarn by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

CELEBRATING MY 4TH BLOG ANNIVERSARY

WITH 4 WEEKS OF GIVEAWAYS!

So it’s the end of my celebratory giveaways and I wanted to end it with a fun prize from me. My feelings are that you can never feel ‘blue’ when there’s yarn around so I’ve hand-selected some of my favourite blue hues for one lucky winner to play with.

This giveaway isn’t sponsored by anyone so there is a real range of yarn, colours and weights. Up for grabs is:

10g x Paintbox mini (DK)
10g x Scheepjes Catona mini (4ply)
50g x Drops Cotton Light (DK)
50g x Lang Cotton (Chunky)
50g x Just Yarn Cotton (DK)
50g x Patons Baby Smiles (4ply)
50g x Scheepjes Catona (4ply)
50g x Patons Fab (DK)
50g x Phildar Pilou Plus (DK)
50g x Bergere de France Barisiemne (DK)
100g x James Brett Harmony (DK)
100g DY Choice (DK with Wool)
100g x Paintbox Simply Aran
100g x Stylecraft Special (DK)
100g x West Yorkshire Spinners Essential Aran

That’s a whopping 920g of yarn up for grabs which is a nice amount to feed any hungry stash. Plus I’m also adding into the parcel a cute little note book for you to jot down your new project ideas and a fun little basket to store your new work in progress in.

Here’s how you can enter:

Entering is oh-so easy. just leave me a comment at the end of this post telling me if you have a project you’d like to try with one of these yarns or perhaps there’s a yarn that you’ve always fancied playing with...Good luck!

To gain a sneaky extra entry, head on over to my KCACOUK Facebook page, leave a comment under the post about this contest and ‘like’ the page (if you haven’t already). And to gain another extra entry, why not pop over to @KCACOUK on Instagram, become a follower, and leave a comment under the post about this competition.

The contest is open from RIGHT NOW until midday (UK-time) on Wednesday 7th March 2018. The winner will be selected using a random name picker and I will need to be supplied with a full postal address for the prize. If efforts to contact the winner remain unsuccessful after a week, an alternative winner will be randomly selected.

Please note: Due to some international shipping restrictions this contest is only open to readers in the United Kingdom.

I would like to thank all of the people, LGC Knitting & Crochet Magazine, Happily Hooked Magazine, Hook and a Book, Medieval Colours and Wulla Yarns again for their generosity in sponsoring my 4 year Blog Anniversary giveaways.

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx