If you can travel to Nottingham, do please come along to the West Park Leisure Centre in Wilsthorpe Road, Long Eaton NG10 4AA. This year our show is on Sunday 5th April. The centre is about a mile and a half from Junction 25 on the M1. When you come off the motorway, take the exit to Long Eaton onto Bostock’s Lane. After about half a mile, at the junction with Longmoor Road, turn right onto the B6002. The road bears left and becomes Petersham Road. Continue along the B6002 into Wilsthorpe Road and the Leisure Centre is along this road on the left.
We have lectures which we hold upstairs, but there are stairs and a lift, so access is easy for everyone. A new cafe has been built downstairs in the Leisure Centre, with an excellent choice of hot and cold snacks and drinks. For those who like to bring a packed lunch, we’ll make tables and chairs available in the hall so there’s sufficient seating for everyone.
Happily, most of our exhibitors join us year after year and our 2020 show includes Andee Knits and Andrea brings her shop to the show. She had machines and accessories, books and patterns, spares and yarn plus DesignaKnit. Arnold Bennett (the Button Man) has the most amazing buttons at rock-bottom prices. Sue Booth is known to everyone in machine knitting for her gorgeous designs and club talks. She always has lots of patterns and rails of her beautifully knitted designs. Sue is one of our Guest Speakers this year, talking
B Hague & Co need no introduction to machine knitters for their linking machines, winders and twisters, knitting accessories and much more. Bill King had his machine and lots of samples to show you what to do and how to do many of his Masterclass techniques. Rob Fountain had used machines and accessories plus spares, bits and bobs. Jason and David Hampson bring The Wool Cabin to the show with not-to-be-missed bargains on packs of quality yarns at knock-down prices.
You’ve seen their name in the magazine, so come and meet Yarn2Cone for the first time at the show. Their beautiful yarns are suitable for knitting, weaving and rag-rugging. They’ll bring a selection of hanks and cones of their current yarns and we’ve also asked them to bring some of their long socks. Made from 90% British wool and 10% nylon, they come in various colours and sizes from 4-7 and 8-12, so are perfect for inside wellies!
Another newcomer and one of our Guest Speakers is Claire Newberry, who is a knitwear designer and DesignaKnit expert. It will be Claire’s first visit and she’ll bring her laptop, answer every question you may have on DesignaKnit. She lectures, runs a knitting school and teaches everyone from beginners to experts. She’ll have her laptop and answer any questions you may have. Hazel Green lives in the area and is well-known for her love of the craft and many contributions to the GMK. Her diverse display includes superb samples of all things knitted and worked by hand with yarn and it was much appreciated at last-year’s show. Pam Wigglesworth was a tutor at Metropolitan before it closed last September. She’s now running her own courses and she’ll be demonstrating the LK-150.
As we’re in Nottingham, we always welcome the Framework Knitters Museum as well as the Spinners, Weavers and Dyers. Patricia and friends set up their spinning wheels and have a warm smile and welcome, as we chat whilst they spin. Mapperley Knit & Natter Club play an even bigger part this year. As our local branch of the Knitting & Crochet Guild, Mapperley will fly the flag both for the club and the Guild. Their displays are wonderful and they demonstrate on a machine throughout the day, surrounded by lovely examples of members’ work. Last, but by no means least, Nick Traylen is often the first port of call for visitors collecting their pre-ordered yarn and accessories from Uppingham Yarns. No-one can walk past his huge selection of coned and balled yarn without finding something new for their stash, including Editor Anne! She’ll be there with Machine Knitting Monthly current magazines, back issues, binders and Anjo Patterns.
Nina Miklin will launch a new design at this year’s show. It’s knitted in Maestro and Cesari, lovely blends of Cashmere and Merino Wool. The design needs five colours and Nina is making special yarn kits, to include the 400 grams of yarn needed. For a limited period and at the show, there’s a saving of £27 on the kit! There are two patterns, both with detailed step-by-step instructions. Pattern 1 (£4.50) uses an intarsia carriage and includes detailed, perfect finishing. Pattern 2 (£7.50) is knitted without an intarsia carriage. Lots of photos show how to knit, finish and join panels perfectly. Nina’s recent Book No.4 in the Knit To Finish series is available as PDF email attachment at £14.50. For those with no computer, she’ll have a few printed copies for £18.50 along with some special bargains for kits and reduced end of dye-lot colours.
Watch this space as we update the details until the show.
Is there parking near the venue.. Janet
Yes, there is parking at West Park.
Is this show still scheduled to go on with the new Covid-19 strain etc?
I would like to attend however, I don’t want to try to book a flight, hotel room, etc from the United States to England if this event is possibly not going to go on.
Hi Susan
Sorry, you’ve picked up details of last year’s show, which was cancelled because of Covid-19. As we’re probably in lockdown until 31st March 2021, there will be no Nottingham Show in April 2021.