Blog: News
Bessie May Studio | Holiday Closure | 23 Dec to 2 Jan 22
Posted on - 15/10/2021
The Bessie May Studio will be closed for the holiday season from 23 December until the New Year.
Downloadable products will still be available on purchase, but other products will not be dispatched until the New Year.
With best wishes for the Holiday Season, to all our lovely customers, and for the New Year that will come very quickly now….
Happy Knitting x
WELCOME 2021 | We Are Open ……
Posted on - 06/01/2021
Welcome to 2021 and unfortunately a further lockdown.
We continue to be open and are as busy as ever posting parcels of lovely yarn to their new homes.
Postal services were really strained before Christmas and are still running slower due to reduced staffing and opening times at some distribution centres and on some rounds, but yarn is still getting through at yet another critical time for those who just have to have a new project to keep themselves busy and allow some peaceful time to create and enjoy designing.
We send best wishes for this year to all our lovely customers, and please don’t let anything put us all off our secret pleasure of knitting and crocheting.
Best wishes xxx
WE ARE OPEN | Please Contact Us With Any Queries!
Posted on - 29/03/2020
We are open, and planning to continue to send out orders, ensuring safety as we do.
A confirmation message of order completion will be received to let you know your order is on its way. Postal services may not be as quick as normal in some areas, but you can be assured that once confirmed your package is on its way.
Knitting is good for stress ~ so many locked up stashes will be bursting free at the moment for sure and creative ideas for new projects. Pattern Downloads are available as normal, and are downloadable immediately on payment completion, so if you are looking for ideas take a peak at our pattern collection.
We send best wishes, and thoughts to all our customers.
From us at the Bessie May Studio xxx
Weavers ~ Sacred Valley Peru
Posted on - 29/05/2015
Sorry we have been quiet for a while, we have been exploring Peru, and all things colourful ~ woven, knitted, embroidered, by so many amazing crafts men and women
We shall be sharing some of our experiences and pictures to boost our memories, and share some amazing traditional crafts still in use on a daily basis.
Here are some hand loom weavers, working on different scale looms, using Alpaca Wool, or Cotton. No patterns in use, the intricate designs are passed down from generation to generation, and all stored in the memory. When I get confused which is stockinette stitch, and which is garter stitch, this is amazing to watch.
All wearing traditional dress, which is worn as a norm in the Andes in the Sacred Valley where these ladies live in small farming communities.
The Sacred Valley is at 2,792 metres high, so for most europeans a challenge to breathe let alone farm and travel the Inka trail, but worth all the challenges to see such beautiful craft ladies in action.
Many of the men in tribes in the Andes also weave, always creating bright colours for themselves to wear, often with the yarns hand spun and dyed with natural dyes.
Here are four pictures of different styles of looms, but there are many more.
All in all a special experience to witness x
WindUp Steyning | Sat 7 Feb | 10am-2pm
Posted on - 29/01/2015
We can’t believe that January is nearly all done, but are pleased, as it means WindUp Steyning 6 is scheduled to arrive on Saturday 7 February, from 10am to 2pm.
We have some great knit and stitch vendors with beautiful stands scheduled to join in, with of course ourselves.
Please bring your latest creations to share, and what is currently on your needles to try and do while, chatting, eating cake, and generally relaxing.
Everyone is welcome, as usual, entrance is free.
Please note the venue has changed as of this month to: The Steyning Centre, Fletcher’s Croft, Steyning, BN44 3XZ.
This is found at the front of the large car park behind our last venue of Penfold Hall, where most people tend to park who come by car.
We look forward to seeing everyone there. x
Radio 4 | Enjoy 13 Programmes about Knitting
Posted on - 22/01/2015
What a perfect thing to take a listen to whilst knitting. Radio 4 have just released 13 programmes all about knitting.
Enjoy x
Thanks & Pics | Christmas WindUp Steyning
Posted on - 23/12/2014
Happy Christmas to everyone, from us at Bessie May x
Christmas WindUp Steyning was full of atmosphere on Saturday
Lots of talk about the holidays, whilst enjoying a get together over knitting, mince pies and mulled cranberry juice. It can’t get better than that
We also enjoyed live music ~ which could just be heard above all the chatter
Some lovely purchases made for that special present, which I am sure are all wrapped and under the tree, or busily being knitted and stitched up
All in all a lovely event, with lovely people
Thanks to everyone for coming x
Show & Tell | WindUp Three
Posted on - 24/11/2014
There were some amazing designs brought to WindUp Three for the Show & Tell table, which soon got christened the Shontelle table, which seemed funny at the time!
Here are some items that were shared, and admired.
Thanks to all who brought their designs for sharing, & hope to see more in December.
WindUp Three ~ 22|11|14 ~ all Welcome
Posted on - 19/11/2014
Well WindUP Three is here this Saturday ~ 22 November, 10am-2pm, and preps are under way.
As shared before we have a couple of new Stash Busters joining us, and we can’t wait to see what they are bringing ~ Mike, from Pots of Mike with beautiful ceramic yarn pots he has made especially for WUS, as well as Mo, who is a Fibre Goddess.
Some of us you have seen before will of course be there ~ Bessie May with our yarns and designs, Textile Garden with the best button and haberdashery collection you will ever see in one place, and YAK with beautiful yarns and notions which you just have to stroke.
We are hopefully also having a guest visitor from France who is a crochet expert, so really something for everyone.
As we are moving well through November, and as many stayed for the full four hours last month, and had to disappear and buy sandwiches, as donuts were good, but not enough to sustain all the frantic knitting, this month we are cooking Leek and Potato Soup, so come prepared to be warmed inside and out.
Here is the recipe we will be using if you love it and fancy having a go. All home made, but not chicken stock being used as it suggests, just veggie, to let the veg do the talking.
Oh and I nearly forgot to say ~ there will be cake for those who fancy a sugar burst, and of course loads of usual caffeine supplies!
Hope you can come and don’t forget that project on the needles and any finished designs that you can share on the ‘Show & Tell Table‘ ~ new this month ~ a chance for everyone to admire each other’s creations, as can guarantee there will be just loads of talent in the room x
Yarndale 2014
Posted on - 01/10/2014
We wanted to say thanks to everyone who came and saw us at Yarndale, Skipton over the weekend.
A lovely event, organised by a lovely Yarndale Team, and lovely visitors from around the world.
We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did
