AFTER months of planning and organising, unravel has once again whizzed by in a whirlwind of woolly delights.

With its most expansive programme to date, the ninth unravel festival had record-breaking attendances with the Farnham Maltings’ building welcoming more than 3,000 visitors over the three days.

This year’s burgeoning marketplace stretched across the building and featured leading exhibitors from the UK and Europe featuring and selling yarn and related products.

With workshop leaders including the internationally-renowned Nancy Marchant and Yarntelier’s Louisa Harding, it is no surprise that 111 people took part in the nine workshops on offer over the weekend.

The free talk programme featured insights into the different realms of the yarn world including Francesca Hughes on designing knitwear, Rachael Matthews on ‘The Mindfulness in Knitting’ and two special unravel live podcasts by the team at Pom Pom, one of the UK’s leading knitting magazines.

A new addition to the unravel programme this year was the Knit Aviary. Situated in the glass box entrance to the building, donated, crochet, knit and felt birds were displayed and then sold to raise money for the local young peoples’ charity, Step by Step.

Due to popular demand, the bird display has now been relocated to the Maltings shop with a number of the birds still available to purchase via the box office, with all proceeds going to the charity.

The festival’s co-ordinator, Gemma Curtis said: “We are so grateful to the wonderful exhibitors, speakers and tutors who have delighted the thousands of visitors to the festival.

“We are extremely proud to have put on such a much-loved event in the knitting and craft calendar. Thanks to all who came and made it such a special weekend.”