Next Saturday (20 September 2014), I’ll be taking part in the Great London Yarn Crawl: a wonderful woolly day out around London, visiting various yarn shops on a planned route with other knitters, all on public transport.

The founders of the GLYC, Rachel and Allison, hoped that the event would build a community and introduce people to shops they might not already know, as well as raise money for the charity Refuge, which helps victims of domestic violence across the UK.  You can hear Rachel and Allison talking about the event and how the idea grew in an interview in Episode 64 of A Playful Day’s podcast (which I highly recommend if you aren’t already a listener).

I was lucky enough to go on the first ever Great London Yarn Crawl last year.  I had a fantastic time, meeting some lovely people and visiting some yarn shops I love, as well as some which were new to me.  Fibre enthusiasts came not only from London, but from all over the UK.

This year, the event has grown, with a total of 12 shops in London welcoming nine teams of yarn crawlers through their doors in aid of Refuge.  The shops are mainly yarn shops, but some also focus on crafts such as weaving, spinning, sewing and quilting.  I’m looking forward to joining my team mates next Saturday on the Cheviot route (the routes being named after different breeds of sheep).  Each team will be visiting four yarn shops around London during the day, and then all the teams will meet up for a party hosted by Pom Pom Quarterly.

If you’re going, I look forward to seeing you.  If you want to go but haven’t yet got a ticket, there are still a couple of last-minute tickets available as I press ‘post’ at the GLYC ticket page.  Go, go, go!