PASSIONATE wool and yarn enthusiasts were in for a treat when Yarndale 2021 was held at Skipton Auction Mart after a year’s forced break through Covid.

Despite a successful online show last year, visitors were thrilled when the colourful event was able to take place again and visitors and exhibitors were happy to be back together again in Skipton to chat, browse, learn new skills, meet new people and shop to their heart’s content.

While the timed entry slots introduced as Covid 19 safety measures did mean a quieter show some exhibitors reported an increase in sales with one particular exhibitor commenting it had been their most successful Yarndale in the nine years of attending the shows.

Visitors were able to admire and follow the “Rainbow of Hope” - hundreds of crocheted and knitted squares which had been lovingly made by the Yarndale community, to guide the way from the station, through Aireville Park to the Auction Mart.

Over 180 exhibitors took place in this year’s show, with the “Best Stand” accolade awarded to Dusty Dimples for its beautifully presented, well organised and accessible stand featuring wonderful hand dyed yarn.

There were also workshop sessions, inspirational talks and exclusive Yarndale Nigel Yarn produced in collaboration with West Yorkshire Spinners. And as part of Yarndale’s Worldwide Creative Project where knitters and crocheters from all over the world had come together to create dishcloths, over 2,000 of their beautifully made cloths were on display and sold over the show weekend to raise money for Martin House Children’s Hospice.

To ensure that Yarndale could be as inclusive and accessible to everyone as possible, the team also included an online element, Yarndale@Home, for visitors to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes.

Yarndale@Home will be available to the public until the end of October

Kate Beard from the Yarndale team said: “We’ve been completely overwhelmed with the positive feedback and comments this year. We really wanted to support our exhibitors during these challenging times and provide some joy to our dedicated Yarndale community by bringing people together and we’re so happy that the weekend was such a success.

“We’d like to thank all the exhibitors, team members, staff and volunteers for helping make Yarndale 2021 possible and we’re looking forward to September 24 and 25, 2022 when we will be celebrating our 10th Birthday”

Applications for exhibitors will be open in January 2022. For more information: www.yarndale.co.uk