PREPARATIONS are in full swing for this year’s 11th festival of yarn and woolly creativity Yarndale at Skipton Auction Mart.

People from as far away as Australia and the US are already sending in beautiful knitted or crocheted triangles which will be used to decorate the entrance to the mart and welcome the event's thousands of visitors.

Due to take place over a weekend in late September, the show will comprise an array of exhibitors bringing their beautiful yarns, fabrics, textiles and accessories for all knitting, crocheting, weaving, spinning, felting, dyeing and stitching needs.

Yarndale's annual creative project - in the months before the big weekend - invites knitters and crocheters from all over the world to follow a specific pattern to produce yarn creations which are then included in the striking visual displays that greet visitors as they arrive at the event in the autumn.

The large scale yarn installations are now an integral and much-loved part of Yarndale, bringing a heart-warming celebration of colour, community and creativity to Skipton Auction Mart, as well as raising awareness and much needed funds for the event's charity partners.

In the past, the Yarndale community has created hundreds of dishcloths, beautiful flowers, creative hearts and stunning mandalas to name but a few. Last year more than 5,600 chain bunting links were sent in and used to decorate the auction mart in celebration of the show’s 10th anniversary.

The 2023 challenge is to create colourful crocheted or knitted triangle bunting featuring individual appliqué capital letters to be joined together to form set words which encapsulate the Yarndale experience, such as ‘crochet’, ‘wool’ and ‘sheep’.

Knitters and crocheters are also being invited to improvise and come up with their own ideas to include the words that reflect how Yarndale and making makes them feel.

Yarndale team member, Emma Sandoe said: “For us, setting the creative challenge and hearing the enthusiastic response from everyone who joins in is one of the most exciting parts of Yarndale each year.

“We really enjoy seeing and sharing people’s creations and we love the connections and friendships that are made along the way. We’ve had a really positive response to this year’s challenge and we’ve already received triangles from as far away as the US, Australia and Europe.

“It’s also been wonderfully heartening to receive words such as ‘happy’, ‘love’ and ‘smile’ as a reflection of their particular Yarndale experience as this is what the show and our community initiatives throughout the year are all about.”

This year’s Worldwide Creative Project will support OXFAM, the global movement of millions of people working together to end poverty.

Skipton Oxfam will be at Yarndale running its Bag Crèche and Yarn and Craft Amnesty. Representatives of the charity will collect any unwanted yarns or haberdashery, which they will sell in their shop to raise funds.

Knitters and crocheters are being encouraged to not waste any little bits of yarn they may have from other projects but to use them for the Worldwide Creative Project and donate any remaining leftovers to the Oxfam team.

Visitors to the show will also be able to leave their bags and coats at their stall for a small charge with the funds raised going to Oxfam’s work of saving lives and making a fairer world.

Those already signed up to take part in this year's event include Woolly Mama Yarns, from Manchester; Wool is the Answer, specialists in hand dyed caked yarn; UK Alpaca, and Truly Hooked.

Others include the Peak District's The Old Horizons, which includes patterns for babies and children, and Grassington's Gam Farm Rare Breeds. The farm sells wools and yarns from its rare breed sheep at a shop at the farm.

Celebrating the joy of yarn in all its forms, Yarndale is a 'vibrant and inspirational' festival which has taken place at the end of September each year since 2013 bringing together around 200 exhibitors under one roof who are all passionate about their beautiful yarns, threads and textiles. The show supports and showcases a creative mix of retailers, manufacturers, craft workers and artisans who travel to Skipton from across the country and Europe.

The event is an important feature in Skipton’s cultural offer and has a significant impact on the local economy, with more than 7,500 visitors regularly travelling from across the UK and around the world to spend the weekend in Skipton.

Since 2020 there is now also an online offering, Yarndale@Home, for those who wish to participate from the comfort of their own home. The online version of the festival was launched during the coronavirus pandemic, when attending events in person was banned.

Yarndale raises both awareness and substantial funds for many local and national charities each year and has achieved great acclaim over the last decade, winning several awards, such as the British Knitting and Crochet Awards for Best Knitting Show / Event for three years running.

In 2022, it was a finalist in the category Event of the Year at the Yorkshire Post Tourism Awards.

Yarndale takes place on September 23 and 24. To take part in the worldwide creative project, visit the Yarndale website for a knit and crochet pattern for the individual triangles, as well as two 'make along with' videos to guide the way. Visit: www.yarndale.co.uk.