The Finest of Threads

The Christmas season is in full frenzy now, with just under two weeks until the biggest gift giving day of the year. It can be easy to be swept away in it all, but two new arrivals at Loop have the power to make us pause and meditate on the small, special things in life. Often at this time of year, knitters and crocheters can think of nothing but the chunkiest of wools for whipping up quick projects (more on that next week!), but it turns out that the perfect gift you’ve been looking for might be the one made of of the finest, tiniest threads.

Just in time for those of us who might not have had the chance to make handmade gifts this year, at least not made by our own hands, are these stunning rectangular shawls by Sophie Digard. Crocheted and embroidered with the most delicate of threads, these are one-of-a-kind gifts perfect for those who appreciate the value of handmade.

And as if by magic, these unbelievably beautiful threads from Temaricious have dropped into Loop, where we are lucky enough to be their first and only stockist. They are naturally hand-dyed cotton, their original purpose being for the wonderful Japanese pastime, Temari. Temari is an ancient art of embroidering on to what were once toy balls, and are now beautifully decorative baubles, often given as gifts. While you may not be able master this art in time for Christmas gift-giving, Temari might just be the perfect project to experiment with over the Christmas period, while spending quiet days with family.

This gorgeous book, while written in Japanese, offers wonderful inspiration for using these very special threads. (There will also be a Temaricious workshop at Loop in the spring! Email us to be notified when it is scheduled.)

We think these threads would also be perfect for fine crochet, if you’re feeling inspired by the Sophie Digard wraps – use a tiny crochet hook like these ones for a similar effect.

You could also use them for embroidering a special message on to a freshly knitted gift, for the ultimate personal touch.

Whether you’re a maker, or whether you’re looking for a thoughtful gift for the handmade aficionado in your life, we can’t help but think these beautiful specimens of painstaking craft are just the thing to make you stop and contemplate the wonderful “little things” this time of year.