MORE than 6,000 visitors shared their love of knitting at the third annual Yarndale held at Skipton Auction Mart.

"It was extremely successful and it felt like a party," said Yarndale organiser Lucy O'Regan. "There were so many happy people sharing their love of yarn. It not only brings together people from Yorkshire, but people from around the country and around the world."

"We had well over 6,000 people, and the visitors were very pleased with the event," said Carole Rennison, another organiser. "It was an absolutely fantastic day."

Yarndale was launched in 2013 and in its inaugural year, 6,500 crochet bunting triangles were on display. Last year 1,162 crochet mandalas decorated the auction mart and this year, the crochet triangles and mandalas were joined by knitted flowers.

Carole said: "The crochet of knitted flowers was a fantastic display set up to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society."

The knitted flowers were meant to be sold for the charity, but Lucy said: "The display was so stunning, people didn't want it dismantled and so they put money in the collection bucket instead."

However, she said the knitted flowers will eventually be made into items, such as brooch pins or bags, which will be sold to raise funds for the charity.

"This will be an ongoing project throughout the whole year," said Lucy.

Yarndale also provided the 195 exhibitors with the chance to display and sell their wares. One of them was Jane Ellison, a hand knit designer and owner of Purl and Jane Design Studio and Knitting Emporium in Skipton.

She launched the first product line under a new brand of yarn – Yorkshire Yarns. Malham Mule is a super chunky yarn made from the mule sheep that graze on the hills of Hill Top Farm around Malham.

She says the yarn has Yorkshire running through every fibre, from the Yorkshire sheep that produced it, through the Yorkshire spinners who spun it to Purl&Jane.

“I have always wanted to work with local farmers to take the beautiful fleece I see in the fields and make it into something wonderful," said Jane. "The process of creating Malham Mule has gone back to the traditions from our heritage using care, skill and creativity at every stage of the process to produce something special for yarn lovers everywhere.

“Yarndale has been such a successful and inspiring event since it launched in 2013 and it’s the perfect place to introduce this brand new yarn to the knitters who flock to the event from all over the country."