Hilary Clinton Knits! Kind of…

I’ve been duped, I thought I was going up ‘norf with a power-suited Hillary Clinton, but alas, I was spending the day with Neat PR’s First Lady, Hilary (with one less ‘l’ than the Democrat!) and her very cool customised Stan Smiths-easy mistake to make Mr Starbucks guy!

Leaving the stunning concourse and hustle and bustle of Kings Cross for the rolling hills of Yorkshire to catch up with the lovely Wool Couture gang-two worlds within hours of each other-armed with our usual bag of food goodies enough to feed us and the rest of the carriage, we were on our way.

Two hours on, my usual train WiFi woes and a lots of work later we arrive in Wakefield Westgate, jump in a taxi and off we go for our first visit to Wool Couture’s fabulous new home…in an old converted pub (beer not served…yet!).

The taxi pulled up (and yes, we might have got slightly lost en route, but who cares-we were too busy enjoying the countryside on this beautiful autumnal day) and wow! We had seen pictures, written copy about the new shop and know the products, but our expectations were far surpassed. The second we stepped through the double doors of Wool Couture into an Aladdin’s cave of epic multicoloured yarn, spectacular macrame hangings and gorgeous Christmas decs to send you into mild panic that the festive season isn’t far off – we had both fallen in love.

We toured the workshop and met Rob the maestro and master of giant wooden tools, were welcomed by lovely Ali (Wool Couture co-founder and Director of Ops), we got a lesson in photography and acted as (not very good!) models for the fabulously cheerful Amy, and to top it all off, we learnt to knit!! Well that’s not entirely true…but give us a week or so and we’ll be talking the lingo with the rest of the knitting community.

The ever so calm and patient creative behind the products, Claire (master crafter and co-founder of Wool Couture) got us started-casting the yarn on the knitting needles (not entirely sure how you bind off at the end, but we’ll worry about that at a later stage!!!). And woe betide anyone who doubts our new found skill! Rest assured, Hilary and I are on a mission to complete our task-me a stunning denim-coloured chunky scarf and Hilary, a poncho in her favourite statement colour- purple!

Time was too short, before we knew it we were packing our balls of giant yarn and over-sized knitting needles up and saying our goodbyes.

But don’t worry, we’ve definitely got the bug! We’ll be back soon for a lesson in how to make that macrame deckchair for the summer, a gorgeously chunky lulu blanket for our homes, and who knows, maybe we’ll get Rob to give us a lesson in wood turning and shaping!