Trend Spotting at Ally Pally October 2010

(The Rowan Stand)

I wasn't going to go, but in the end, I couldn't resist Ally Pally.

This year, there seemed to be a lot more companies selling undyed yarns (although not many companies selling dyes). And the Rowan Stand was full of their "purelife" etc yarns.

Still plenty of colour, though, which is always good to see.

(Habu)

The place seemed to be more about "stitch" than "knit" this year - if I see another patchwork quilt, I may weep.

The best/prettiest yarns were from The Knitting Academy. Their stuff is on the pricey side but looks and feels absolutely fab.

The black sheep jumble sale was there (but I resisted) as well as all of the usual spinners (large Colinette stall, Rowan, Sirdar etc).

Some obvious folks were missing (Get Knitted for example), and there weren't as many book sellers as previous years, but generally, it was a good show.

And it was absolutely packed with people - I think it was the busiest I've seen it. Which, of course, means that it was incredibly hot, as many were there in their best knitted items!

The student shows were inspiring, as ever - here are a couple of my faves.

Time for a lie down in a darkened room, now.