Our marketplace is always the most anticipated feature of The Scottish Yarn Festival; the place to find materials and inspiration for your future crafting projects, the chance to meet and talk with the makers behind your favourite independent brands, to indulge in a little celebrity spotting.
Famed as the yarn event for discovering and supporting up-and-coming fibre businesses since 2016, you’ll also find veterans of our community who have travelled the length and breadth of the UK to converge in Perthshire for our annual celebration.
This year we are delighted to bring you:
AMOyarn
AMOyarn started with Beki and John creating bold and bright colourways inspired by; things we love, our Scottish environment and of course from our children’s input. We love to bring a spark of colour across our bases and currently we are mixing up new exciting colours. Our name AMO comes from our clan motto and translates to ‘I love yarn’. This offers us the opportunity to work together as a family, offering small batches of colourways, often one of a kind with some repeated favourites along the way, in our family home on the west coast of Scotland.
Annfield Farm
Annfield Farm was started out of our love for Angora goats and our desire to see local and natural yarns make a comeback to Scotland and the UK. We are entirely no-kill, all our goats get to live their whole natural lives on our farm, only grazing and producing fibre.
We started with our unique Mohair and Shetland blend and have since expanded to pure Shetland and pure wool ranges. We hand dye all our yarns ourselves in our kitchen using only British made dyes to reduce our carbon footprint.
Artisan Yarns
Artisan Yarns are based in beautiful East Lothian on Scotland’s East Coast. With inspiration taken from the beach and sea, stunning countryside, and woodlands, Sandra has been hand dyeing yarns for over a decade, with a wide selection of yarn bases in her range – from lace to chunky.
In collaboration with a farm close to Hawick, Artisan Yarns is home to Easter Midburn Single Farm Yarn with undyed and sweater quantity packs available.
While their bricks and mortar base is Chandlers, in North Berwick, their WoolSchool channel was established in 2022, aimed initially at beginner knitters, with free knitting, crochet, and macrame tutorials on offer. A selection of kits to complement these tutorials will be available at The Scottish Yarn Festival.
Balmerinoâ„¢
We are a family run farm in Fife producing luxuriously soft yarn from our Scottish Merino sheep. We farm in an organic and nature-friendly way – enhancing biodiversity and encouraging wildlife to flourish on our farm. Our sheep are shorn on our farm and their wool is scoured, combed and spun by experts in Yorkshire.
BalticKnits
BalticKnits offer knitting kits to craft traditional Latvian mittens. Their patterns are based on several centuries old traditions, adjusted to modern day knitter’s abilities. The wide variety they offer allows any knitter to work with their kits – from beginner to highly experienced. All kits are presented in a reusable box with coloured pattern, step by step instructions, and yarn in a range of shades. BalticKnits also have mini skeins of wool in different colours for those who prefer to create their own palette.
Bobble and Badger
After working in a local yarn shop and being inspired by my crochet loving auntie, I decided to start experimenting with hand dyeing my own yarn, and Bobble and Badger is the end result. I love colour and have a soft spot for bright pastel colourways, taking inspiration from my own favourite TV shows and films as well as nature.
Bow Fiddle Yarns
Louise from Bow Fiddle Yarns has a passion for colour which is showcased in the myriad of hues that she creates. She also has a selection of Knit Pro needles and hooks, hand made stitch markers and patterns to showcase her hand dyed yarn.
Buzzinyarns
Buzzinyarns is a small independent business, trading since 2019. Karen dyes in small batches and her inspiration comes from almost anything, music, books, films, and nature. She loves playing with colour and nothing makes her happier than when people love her yarn as much as she does!
Caithness Yarns
Caithness Yarns offer high quality, often unique yarns from High welfare flocks up in the “True” North of Scotland (including shepherd Graeme’s own.) Their range has a series of yarns from the old fashioned style of hill sheep here in Caithness and Sutherland, these demonstrate the greatness of the wool you can get if you breed for it and focus relentlessly on sheep health and welfare. The other strand to Caithness Yarns are their “Rare Breed” yarns.
Starting with their own flock of Castlemilk Moorit sheepies, they offer one-off, unique small batch yarns mostly undyed and unbleached. As a matter of good ethical business practice Caithness Yarns use a concept for sourcing the fleece that makes their yarns what they call “Living Value.” This means they set a respectful value for fleece when they buy it that better reflects the hard work and care that good farmers and crofters lavish on their stock.
The Cocoon Tree
I have been sewing for over 50 years and I’m lucky enough to have made this my career, making Irish dance costumes as my day job, as well as having worked abroad in the clothing industry. It was suggested to me by my niece, Amy Palko (of the Meaningful Stitch Podcast), that I should try making project bags in my spare time, and two years ago the seed of The Cocoon Tree was planted. I will be bringing a curated selection of my project bags, pin cushions, and stitch markers back to Scotland for The Scottish Yarn Festival.
Debonnaire
Debonnaire provides the most luxurious yarns with a mission to inspire creativity. Using a classically inspired palette and innovative dyeing techniques, Erica creates unique and vibrant colourways on a wide variety of yarn weights and textures. Our yarns are hand dyed in small batches and our process is focused on the exploration of colour. We strive to create yarns that are not only beautiful but versatile and hard wearing and suitable for a wide range of fibre arts projects. While we offer all weights of yarn, Debonnaire has a particularly large selection of lace yarns.
DuckyDarlings Yarns
DuckyDarlings is a hand dyed yarn business run by a husband and wife team from the beautiful Derbyshire Dales. They cover it all from 10g mini skeins to full sized advents, and even have hand-cranked sock tubes in their delightful colourways.
Dystopic Fibre
Jon is the dyer behind Dystopic Fibre, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Dystopic Fibre references a wide range of mushroom species in it’s colourways, paired often with apocalyptic-themed narratives from pop culture.
Eden Cottage Yarns
Hand dyed in Yorkshire; inspired by nature. Established in 2011 as a one-person operation, Eden Cottage Yarns is now a small team producing the best quality yarns that they can; using beautiful materials designed to be a joy to work with and wear… and practical too.
Get Yer Hook On
Abi McIntyre from Get Yer Hook On is a crochet designer and textile artist, specialising in overlay mosaic crochet designs. Based in Kirkintilloch, Abi is inspired by the Scottish landscape, Celtic origins and intricate patterns found in nature. All patterns can be purchased from Ravelry or Etsy, and there are many free patterns too to get you started. All of her patterns are beginner friendly and help you to easily understand the mosaic crochet technique, enabling you to create your own very intricate pieces.
Ginger Twist Studio
Ginger Twist Studio is a big and beautiful shop in Edinburgh selling yarn, fabric, and haberdashery. Brought to you by owner Jess, it is stacked to the ceiling with books, buttons, wool, notions, dressmaking materials, patterns and more! Ginger Twist moved into their gorgeous new space less than a year ago, and it is also home to Ginger’s Hand Dyed. This is their range of in-house luxury hand dyed yarns in bases ranging from lace weight all the way up through to chunky.
Hellebore Handmade
As a long time collector of vintage fabrics and an avid sewer and knitter, Louise has combined her passions to create a collection of project bags for crafters. Made from curate vintage fabrics and linen her bags are soft in your hands and gentle on the environment.
Hodgeheg Creations
Hodgeheg Creations is a small creative business based in Edinburgh selling handmade items for knitters and the wider world of crafters. The majority of products are nature inspired and use lots of floral and animal prints. Each fabric choice or charm becomes small batch items such as project bags, stitch markers, tote bags and glasses cases, making every one special.
Hooked By Design
Carole describes herself first and foremost as a ‘maker.’ She first came across the craft of yarn hooking about 30 years ago and has been ‘hooked’ since! Hooked by Design is a collection of hooked kits to inspire others to have a go at this wonderful craft. Each kit contains the hessian with the design outlined, all the wool, a custom made hooking tool, hooking instructions, a colour swatch, and a handmade calico tote bag.
HotButterYarns
Having taught art and design, fashion, and textiles for over 30 years in academic settings Jaki Bogg is now a knitwear designer who also dyes her own range of yarns. She has created an extensive range of colours which she uses like a painting palette in order to interpret an idea of certain feelings: heat, pleasure, relaxation, colour, history, landscape and texture.
Jeanette Sloan Design
As a child Jeanette was always drawing, stitching or doing something creative and her Mum taught her to hand knit at the age of 7. Her fascination with yarn, texture and colour led her to study for a degree in textile design where Jeanette specialised in hand and machine knitting, learning to crochet, bead and embroider along the academic journey.
Colour is very important to Jeanette and her design process often begins with a search for an intriguing stitch that will inspire creative juices to flow or a decorative detail that will add a stylish, contemporary edge. Jeanette has worked as a freelance textile designer and tutor teaching both machine and hand knitting and as an accessories aficionado has written several books on hand knitting. Much lauded in the Industry, Jeanette is consulted by some of the best hand knitting brands in the UK and her designs are commissioned in several UK knitting magazines including The Knitter, and Knitting Magazine. She is also a columnist for Laine and was awarded a British Empire Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Journey Through Yarn
Rebecca is a knitter, knitting podcaster, and emerging knitwear designer from Scotland. You can find her on YouTube as @JourneyThroughYarn where she shares all her makes.
Rebecca learnt to knit as a child, taught by her very patient Nana Irene (although she didn’t get much past a garter stitch scarf.) Knitting came back into her life during the 2020 pandemic and she hasn’t looked back. For Rebecca knitting is a mindful and relaxing process and has truly become a way of life. Her first sweater pattern was released in March 2024 and she has since followed this up with a vest and shawl.
Lammermuir Wool
Lammermuir Wool is home-grown, single-farm wool which is 100% Shetland wool. The wool comes from their own Koru Lammermuir Flock who graze peacefully in the Lammermuir Hills, East Lothian. Guardian of the flock, Suzie, believes that well-tended land and loved sheep makes for superb wool.
This fine, soft wool is hand-sheared and mill-spun into a range of practical weights from single-ply to Aran weight; available in a palette of natural and hand-dyed hues which reflect their origins.
Low Auldgirth Steading
Low Auldgirth is a small organic farm that works in harmony with nature. Using traditional methods and heritage breeds we farm the land in a way that enriches the environment, allowing us to produce quality farm products that capture the passion and heritage of the place it was grown. It’s a slow grown quality that you won’t find anywhere else.
Our wool is produced purely from our own flock of Ryeland and Gotland sheep who spend their days grazing on rich Scottish meadows in the heart of Dumfries and Galloway. This regenerative way of working creates high quality fibre that’s truly sustainable, raised the good old way, the way nature intended.
Lynsey Walters Jewellery
Lynsey Walters creates colourful, eye catching jewellery that is light weight and easy to wear. She has been designing, making, and selling her own work for almost 25 years. Her work is created using beautiful, sustainable, biodegradable wool.
Midge Porter Designs
My name is Miriam (Midge Porter Design). I am a freelance textile designer and my motto is NATURAL – SUSTAINABLE – TRACEABLE. I am passionate about working predominantly with natural dye sources and yarn that is traceable, wherever possible, to small-scale UK farmers and producers. As well as producing hand dyed skeins of yarn, I design knitted and crochet patterns and kits. I also hand dye embroidery thread and design embroidery kits with a modern, quirky slant that is based upon historical Blackwork and cross-stitch techniques. Additionally, I sew complimentary items such as craft project bags and organiser wallets based on rural themes.
Mothy and the Squid
Mothy and the Squid is an artisan dyer specialising in ethically sourced premium yarns. Each skein is inspired by nature and hand dyed in small batches using techniques to minimise waste and environmental impact. We focus on unusual and beautiful species including sea life, flowering plants and colourful insects.
Mrs Lam Yarns
Mrs Lam Yarns and Ka Lok Shek Ellen were born at the same time with a passion for playing with colour and sewing. The inspiration for the hand dyed yarn has a focus on the Chinese heritage which spans from literature, music, and special occasions. As a crafter, there are never enough project bags so we started to make some to suit all types of projects with an eye for attention to detail.
Needle and Fred
Needle and Fred hand dye yarns that spark the fire in your creative soul. Libby creates deeply layered tonals and variegated colourways, curated in a moody, muted yet vibrant palette. Our ethos goes beyond just making pretty things; supporting British wool is a core value, with Bluefaced Leicester yarns a staple for Needle and Fred, alongside squishy non-superwash blends and delightful fluffy alpaca.
Nervus Fibre
Nervus Fibre was born from my love of creating, Colour is something I have found everyone can enjoy, and I find so much inspiration in peoples individual styles and palettes. I take a lot of inspiration from the natural world, and also the landscapes and characters in the books I read.
Knitting and crafting isn’t just an enjoyable past time for me, it allows me to settle my endlessly busy brain, and give my fidgety fingers something to occupy their wanderings. I love soft, quiet colourways and beautifully tactile yarns.
New Lanark Spinning Company
New Lanark Spinning Company is situated in the heart of New Lanark World Heritage Site in Scotland’s beautiful Clyde Valley.
All our New Lanark Yarn is produced to the highest quality on our 19th century machinery which is powered by renewable energy, generated on site by our water-powered turbine to keep our environmental impact to a minimum.
New Leaf Designs
Carmen Jorissen is a Dutch knitwear designer now living in Inverness, Scotland. After studying Mandarin Chinese for 5 years, she discovered her true passion lies in developing creative knitting patterns and to share her love for this craft with others. Carmen is known for her in depth knitting tutorial videos, especially regarding sock knitting and stranded colourwork. You might know her from the Sassenach cushions from the Scheepjes KAL 2022.
Quack Yarn
Hatched in 2020 Quack Yarn was created out of a love of crafting and colour, and every small batch of yarn is dyed by Fiona in her small garage workshop at home in York. With Quack Yarn you will find no shortage of bright and expressive colours, glowy midnight tones, and even an occasional neutral. The inspiration for Quack Yarn colourways is drawn from all facets of life but, as a Scottish dyer living in England, a particular favourite is taking the colours and atmosphere of Scotland and translating them onto yarn.
The Scottish Yarn Festival
Our own custom yarn will be available at the Scottish Wool Producers Showcase. We’ll be launching a new ‘clan’ to the existing range of 10 colours and 3 natural blends – all of which are available in 4-ply and DK – and we’ll be introducing Baird and Tait in Aran.
Slow grown from Scottish provenance Shetland and Cheviot fleece before being worsted spun in Yorkshire, our yarn yields outstanding stitch definition to cables, colour-work, and lace.
Sealy MacWheely
Sealy MacWheely is Kirkintilloch’s Local Yarn and Fibre Shop and stockist of Majacraft, Kromski, and Ashford spinning wheels and looms. In-house dyer, Katie, has a passion for all things woolly and colourful and creates a range of beautiful squishy fibres for spinning and felting as well as a selection of stunning hand dyed yarns.
Shearing Crafts
I am a sheep shearer covering Aberdeen and Moray, specialising in pets and small flocks. These fleeces – which I collect all summer – are the raw materials for my wet felted rugs. They look like traditional sheepskins but are 100% wool, made by hand using soap and water. They are sustainable, eco-friendly and washable. I will also have local raw fleece and carded batts.
theforthstitcher
In 2022 life took a new direction for me and I rediscovered a love for sewing. “theforthstitcher” was born out of this and my life long passion for knitting. What could be better than sewing beautiful bags and organisers in which to store my (many) knitting projects and tools?!
All the products I stock are designed and created by me, with the needs of a yarn crafter at the heart of the design, making them functional, and of course, beautiful.
I live and work in Scotland, beside the Firth of Forth. I believe in supporting businesses local to me and, where possible, I source my materials from them rather than a faceless online market place. There are only a small number of any item made in any one fabric, and many will be completely unique due to variation in the elements used to create the product.
Trava & Wool
Hand dyed yarn, fibre, and second hand textiles dyed with plant extracts, flowers, and other natural materials. Hand embroidered project bags and quirky knitted toy kits. Some handy patterns to keep us warm and happy.
Uan Wool
Uan Wool is a family run artisan business based in the Braes of Angus on a traditional working hill farm. Alongside supplies for needle felting, we have developed a range of wool pillows with our own grown wool and can also make bespoke to suit individual needs for injury or self-care. Superior comfort and temperature regulation. From sheep to sleep since 2015.
Uist Wool
Uist Wool runs a spinning mill and wool centre on the island of Grimsay, North Uist, in the southern part of the Outer Hebrides. We buy fleece and fibre directly from crofters and farmers and specialise in spinning natural tonal blends of yarn for knitting and weaving. Provenance is a key part of our story. All the production processes are done at the mill on Grimsay by our small team of dedicated staff who care about creating yarns that are true to origin and showcase the exceptional qualities of Scottish wool and fibre.
Unaroo Designs
Founded in 2021, Unaroo Designs is an indie yarn dyer based in the heart of the Cairngorms. Specialising in earth friendly and 100% British wool, Alex draws the inspiration for her colourways from the natural world and the joy of everyday life. She will also be bringing her very own 100% Scottish wool.
Wee County Yarns
Wee County Yarns specialise in Scottish-spun yarns and our own exclusive designs. We also stock a wide range of needles and notions to support these. Our 10g Miniballs come in 100 colours and are supported by dozens of patterns with a strong emphasis on colourwork. Our Kinross 4ply and Kinross Lace is spun in Kinross just down the motorway from Errol Showground and is a beautifully soft lambswool.
Westfield Croft
Our craft business has two strands: wool and willow. Wool for yarns and handwoven rugs is supplied from our own flock of Scottish rare breed sheep and by collaborating with friends who have small flocks of sheep or alpaca. Our yarns are 100% Scottish wool or alpaca, in small batches of hand spun and larger selections of mill spun. Our yarns are predominantly in natural, undyed hues. This year we have added a collection of hand dyed yarns to complement the natural shades we already produce, with colours inspired by our croft.
We grow, harvest, and weave with willow from our coppices on the croft producing useful and beautiful handmade baskets.
Wool Decanted
We create small batch blended British wool. It’s natural, traceable, sustainable … and it’s soft! Our latest blend, vintage 23, is a deliciously soft blend of wool fibres from Polwarth, Romney, and Black Shetland sheep.
The Woolchemist
The Woolchemist is a small batch artisan dyer based in Central Scotland. Roni specialises in hand dyeing extra fine merino wool and wool blend yarns suitable for sensitive skin, from lace all the way to chunky. Her unique colourways are inspired by mythology, music, literature, and nature.
Wooliecottage
Our ethos at Wooliecottage is to inspire wool crafters by enabling them to spin stunning yarns to knit, crochet, and weave with. We only source our raw fibre materials from small UK businesses, including British farmers and hobby breeders, to ensure top quality products. We also 3D print spinning accessories using bio corn starch than can be recycled.
The Woolly Tangle
The Woolly Tangle brings luxury hand dyed yarns, in shades inspired by the natural landscape of North Wales. Tanya also hand makes project bags, zipped, drawstring, and unique waxed cotton bags in several sizes. You can also find cute tins of stitch markers for both knitting and crochet.