Looking Back at a Wonderful, Woolly Year
With December drawing to a close, we’re reflecting on yet another year of woolly wonders here at Loop, and we’re finding so much to celebrate.
It’s sometimes only when you look back that you realise how far you’ve come in a year. It’s mind boggling to think it was only this year that we launched our new website, which we are still totally in love with. It has allowed us to really make a home on the web that feels like our shop in Camden Passage. There are so many little corners to stumble across something unexpected.
This was the year we really started to be able to reliably host classes, workshops, and events in the shop again, which reminded us just how important community is. We made new friends and kept the old, welcoming so many wonderful creators. We hosted classes again with Julie Arkell, Jessie Chorley, and more. We celebrated the launch of books by by Dee Hardwicke and Aimée Gille. Celia Pym visited to regale us with stories of the treasured items she has mended over the years. That one was so special we filmed it so you can return to her wonderful stories again and again.
This year saw the arrival of some truly wonderful new knitting patterns. Some of them were just for Loop and designed by some of our favourite collaborators. Dee Hardwicke’s Dreaming of Butterflies shawl was a wonderful journey, and we’re just chuffed to bits that beloved former Loopette Emma Brace decided to launch her Mock Darned Socks as an end-of-year gift for our whole lovely community. Others came to us from the wide world of knitting. Perhaps none has been more popular than the Sophie Scarf by Petite Knit. Beautifully simple, it has been on the needles of so many Loopettes and customers that we’ve lost count.
Despite all the joy and connection we felt, we also know this was a difficult year for so many people in our global community. Between the humanitarian crisis of the war in Ukraine and economic turmoil that has affected every one of us, 2022 has certainly presented heart-breaking challenges. It has always been important to us to give back, and we are proud of what we’ve been able to donate thanks to your contributions and of course your Dove of Peace Project Bag and Schtickle for Charity purchases, which help so many people. Thanks to your generosity (and a few donation-matching days we took advantage of, we were able to give £3,660 to the International Rescue Committee and £700 to the homeless charity Shelter.
This holiday season we will continue to fundraise for Shelter and the Trussell Trust Food Banks here in London, matching whatever money we raise for these deserving and much-needed charities. We are also supporting the Blanket Appeal being run by the UK charity Hope and Aid Direct. They have shared a free pattern for knit and crocheted squares that can be joined up to make a blanket. We’ll be coordinating the stitching process (if you don’t think you can make a full blanket on your own or in your group) and Hope and Aid Direct will be delivering the blankets to Ukraine. All of the details are on our website.
At the end of the year, we stand in awe of all we loved and all we learned and all we had to celebrate in 2022. We also know there’s so much more to come next year, and we can’t wait to see where 2023 takes us.
Our end-of-year, wintery mood is captured so perfectly in this video by Caitlin Hunter of Boyland Knitworks that we just couldn’t help but share it. Whatever you’re up to this season, and whatever your year has been like, we hope you find time to zip around the ice rink and give thanks for all the good 2022 brought.
All hail the new CaMaRose HØST! This yarn is totally wonderful. The secret behind the amazingly airy texture of this yarn is that it’s not spun or plied but “blown” in a process where recycled wool (16%) and organic cashmere (9%) are blown into a hollow tube of organic cotton (75%), allowing the fibres to catch along the sides and keep their fluffiness while providing their signature warmth and cosiness. The organic cotton net is dyed using a spraying technique, which really shows the gorgeous variety of hues that make each tone. With organic and recycled materials, this is the most eco of yarns! And it is incredible to knit with. We love CaMaRose yarns so much and this one is no exception. Perfect for anything from mittens to sweaters.
Like so many of you, we are looking forward to spending some time with our families and loved ones over the next few weeks. We will be closed 24-27 December and 31 December to 4 January. From 28-30 December we will be open from 11am to 5pm. We’ll be open as usual from 5 January!
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