Crafters from absolute beginners to innovative experts feed their hobby at Railway Yarns, a friendly, independent shop sourcing knitting wools from quality suppliers around the UK and beyond.
Opening the shop was a dream come true for Gillian Orford after she moved back to England from Australia in 2012. Gillian has been a knitter all her life and loves the range of yarns that enable her and her fellow enthusiasts to create a dynamic range of handmade clothes, toys and accessories.
At Railway Yarns, Ledbury, customers can find anything from the natural wool of Shetland sheep to luxury silk, from merino to alpaca wool and many, many more varieties, in a sumptuous range of colours, blends and textures.
Gillian has a crafting room where she holds classes to get people started in knitting, crochet, quilting, patchwork and needle felting. She also rents out the space for other people to hold their own classes or crafting get-togethers, and she plans to relaunch a ‘Knit & Natter’ group as soon as COVID restrictions end.
“Knitting is a very social, sharing kind of hobby,” she says. “We all learn from each other and there is usually cake involved.
“It is a very tactile hobby. The pleasure comes not just from the end product but from the whole process, touching, feeling and working with the yarns.”
