A Festive Weekend with Friends: La Bien Aimée, Laine, and Loop!
The wait is nearly over for our long-anticipated weekend with Aimée Gille of La Bien Aimée and Sini Kramer of Laine Publishing, taking place next weekend on Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May. There is so much to celebrate — new books, great yarns, beautiful patterns, distinguished designers — and we are getting more excited every day!
We have been looking forward to this weekend for so long, and we are so glad that pandemic delays and planning are behind us and we can get to enjoying each other’s company and creativity. Starting today our Special Edition Loop Bag with La Bien Aimée & Laine (pictured above) is available to purchase through Loop’s online shop. The bag was designed by Laine Magazine using La Bien Aimée’s signature yellow, encapsulating all the beautiful books, yarn, and talent this weekend will bring together. Be sure to get yours to remember this wonderful weekend!
On Saturday we’ll celebrate the release of ‘Worsted – A Knitwear Collection‘ with Aimée, Sini, and Worsted contributing designer Sylvia Watts-Cherry. On Sunday we’ll host a book launch for ‘Contrasts – Textured Knitting‘ with Sini. It’s with great joy that we can be together again to celebrate the launch of these wonderful books. Read on for more about these lovely publications and details of our weekend-long celebration!
‘Worsted‘ is a gorgeous book curated by Aimée and published by Laine Publishing with contributions from 10 amazing designers. The idea for the book came after Aimée guest-edited the Winter 2020 issue of Pom Pom Magazine. “I wanted to make a companion book for Corrie Worsted that would allow me to collaborate with friends and peers from the industry,” she says, and that’s just what she did. The project became a source of inspiration for Aimée: “It was the continuous contact we had over the year we worked on the book that really anchored me and drove me in my work through the second year of the pandemic.” The yarn itself holds a special place in her heart as well, as it is the first yarn she developed “from A to Z”.
Colour is at the root of everything Aimée does: “I’ve always had a love for colour, even when I was working in jobs where it didn’t necessarily require me to think about colour. I was always paying attention to colour trends in fashion, though I didn’t care so much about the clothes.” When she moved to Paris, Aimée was unable to find many of the yarns she was accustomed to. She decided the only thing to do was to start a knitting shop herself, the beautiful L’Oisivethé. Along the way she learned more about different fibres and how they take colour and eventually founded La Bien Aimée to develop her own bases and colours.
For her part, Sini knew instantly that ‘Worsted‘ was going to be a hit. “When Aimée approached us with the idea for what later became ‘Worsted’, we instantly knew that this collection and book would become an absolute beauty and set new standards when it comes to knitting books. Aimée’s unique eye for style and colours is present on every page.” And Laine Publishing is not alone in seeing the beauty in this lovely book. Sini says the reception so far has been incredible. “It makes us incredibly happy that so many knitters around the world have fallen in love with this book and also that it was chosen as one of the most beautiful books of 2021 by the Finnish Book Art Committee.”
Sini says Meiju K-P’s debut collection also ‘Contrasts – Textured Knitting‘ jumped out at her straight away. “When we started to work on the book, it immediately became clear that this collection would be exceptional.” Meiju’s clever designs look stunning without being overly complicated to knit. “I adore the clever way Meiju plays with texture,” Sini says, “the elements are often quite simple but the result is absolutely stunning”. It would be impossible to choose a favourite among these patterns, but Sini points to the Long Road Pullover as one to watch: “It is in my eyes a born classic. I’m dreaming of a dark blue version.”
Sini and Aimée are both so looking forward to returning to Loop and London after not having visited since before the pandemic. London is one of Sini’s favourite cities and she is looking forward to spring flowers, meeting knitters, enjoying delicious food, and long chats in the shop surrounded by yarn and knits. Aimée is looking forward to catching up with Amina sweater designer Sylvia Watts-Cherry and sharing 28 samples from her book with all you lovely Loopettes!
Time to get down to brass tacks: Our special Saturday morning session with Aimée is sold out, but don’t worry if you don’t have a ticket! The shop will be open to the public as usual and Aimée will be around to meet and greet whoever stops by. She will be in the shop from 11:30 am to 1 pm to share stories and samples from the book and discuss her favourite topic: colour! From 3pm to 5pm Aimée will be joined by Sini and Sylvia to sign books and chat about all things knitting.
On Sunday, Sini will host a book event for ‘Contrasts‘ from 1 to 4:30 pm. This event is open to the public and there is no need to book, so just turn up with all your burning questions about this lovely book and peruse the samples Sini will have with her! We will have 35 pre-signed copies for sale in the shop on the day, so it’s the perfect time to get your copy if you haven’t yet.
There are so many more beautiful things to see from Laine and La Bien Aimée while you are in the shop. We are the UK stockist for La Bien Aimée and we have the full range of Corrie Worsted, as well as a special limited run of Corrie Worsted Confetti in the colour ‘Greybow‘ and two bespoke colours — Bisous de Loop and Flora — of LBA yarns Cashmerino, Merino DK, Merino Singles, Merino Sport, Mohair Silk, and Tough Sock. Many of our kits also use La Bien Aimée yarns, including On the Spice Market, Tiny Tassels, Knitprovisation, Siren Song, and Pop Spots Shawl Kit. We also stock many more amazing publications from Laine Publishing including their quarterly magazine.
We are so looking forward to seeing many of you in the shop next weekend!
The latest issue of ‘Making Magazine‘ is out today and this one is just gorgeous. As usual, Carrie Hoge has managed to pull together just about every craft you can imagine (as well as some you probably never thought of) in the pages of this independent magazine. This issue, titled OUTSIDE, plays with all things outdoors: bounces of light, gentle breezes, adventures in nature, and the things that connect making to the land. With sewing, knit, crochet, and dyeing projects, this magazine is sure to keep your hands busy wherever your plans take you this summer.
Pre-Order ‘Traditions Revisited’ by Aleks Byrd
As if Laine hadn’t already given us enough, they’re also opening pre-orders for a gorgeous new book this week. Aleks Byrd explores her Estonian heritage and links traditional knitting techniques with modern designs in ‘Traditions Revisited – Modern Estonian Knits‘. We just love Aleks’s work — her Roosimine and Baltic Braid workshops at Loop last autumn were truly special — and we can’t wait to read more about these beautiful techniques and the stories behind them. Pre-order your copy today for shipment when the book is released on 20 May.
Happy crafting!
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