Few things made so much an impression on me in school as learning to knit. I revisited the skill in 2009 and have been happily making gifts, finding knitting patterns, meeting like-minded creative people and learning since then. To kick my wool habit off, I joined a knitting group in Cork called ‘Stitch & Bitch’. Basically we sat, we knitted, swapped skills and chatted the evening away with coffee and biscuits. Sound good? You can see how a habit developed. Some group members did crochet, some spun and dyed their own yarn, some were devoted to lace stitches and some like me, loved the feel of the yarn and took it from there.
Textiles are big news in town and city right now. There are knitting and crochet groups in most communities and learning these skills has never been so easy or so much fun. If you and your friends want to explore what Cork has to offer in the line of textiles and wool, look no further than here! We have a great itinerary that can be done as one or two days with accommodation in Cork City, Bantry and Youghal.
In Cork City see a demonstration and have a chat about how to spin your own yarn. This need not be a costly exercise to do at home and you’ll get all the tips. You can visit the alpaca of West Cork and imagine all the things you could do with those fleeces. You have the choice of returning to Cork or to continue into the wild beauty of West Cork and we’ll arrange accommodation in one of our Bantry Hotels. If you decide to take this option be sure to visit stunning Bantry House where traditional afternoon tea served in the library is not to be missed.
Alternatively if you decided to overnight back in Cork, we would suggest a next day visit to the market town of Midleton. If you arrive on a Saturday be sure to take in the Farmers’ Market in the centre of town. This is a very popular market with many excellent producers of meats, cheeses and breads. While there stock up on your wool stash by popping in to ‘Knit’ which is just off the main street.
From Midleton you head to beautiful Shanagarry to visit the Kilkenny Design Centre and you can finish your yarn lovers tour in style with good food, great sights and a wonderful night of memories in the atmospheric medieval town of Youghal.
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