I’ve been trying to find the time to post this for over a week – ever since I found myself slightly over-excited in Bristol’s newest yarn shop – Beshley’s Wool Shop – on it’s opening day, 21st June.

Beshley had the idea to open a yarn shop about 5 weeks prior to opening (I know!), and then says she went shopping for yarn a couple of weeks later.  The shop is well situated in Clifton, off Whiteladies road in Alma Vale Road.

Beshley’s USP is that all the yarn she stocks is British (whoopee!) which is fantastic news for us in Bristol.  The city as a whole is quite eco-conscious, and it’s great to see a new shop supporting the yarns grown, spun and dyed in our Isles. Stockists so far include Erika Knight, Jamieson and Smith, Woolyknit, West Yorkshire Spinners, Artesano, Donegal Yarns, Blacker Yarns and John Arbon Textiles.  I also spotted a few books by Kate Davies on the shelves.

The shop itself looks fab; all the artwork drawn by Beshley’s illustrator boyfriend, including the logo and prints decorating the walls.  The space itself is large, but not stuffed, leaving room to breathe and move around, and the mixture of modern and vintage furniture adds a homely touch.

The yarn you can see here is West Yorkshire Spinners, who process Bluefaced Leicester, Shetland, Wensleydale and Clun Forest yarn. This is on my list to try!

 
I worked with Erika Knight the last few years and I’m excited that her yarns are now readily available so close to home.  They were all grown, spun and dyed within something like 2o miles of eachother, which makes the whole collection really special.  The British Blue Wool shown above is gorgeous to work with, 100% Blue Faced Leicester, so soft and available in 25g balls.  The idea is that you can grab three of any colour and they will always compliment eachother – it works too!

I’ve yet to try Jamieson and Smith but I’m told that once I do there is really no going back.  Based in Lerwick, they are enhancing the profile of Shetland wool to raise the price paid to local wool producers.

As if that wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, we found Lily and Boo’s Cupcakery just around the corner! Who could resist?