Thank you for making #GLYC2014 awesome!

We've been digging ourselves out from under the inevitable wrap up and follow up tasks that come with another year of the Great London Yarn Crawl done. In doing so, we've had a good amount of time to reflect on this year's event and how it really could not have happened without each and every one of you, our wonderful participants, volunteers and supporters of the Yarn Crawl.

John Arbon Paint by Numbers yarn on display at Stitch Up

It started with the feedback you gave us last year on how to make the Yarn Crawl a better experience - more fun, more shops, and of course, doing more for Refuge.

Two of the new shops that joined us this year: Fringe and Stitch Up

It expanded (quite literally!) with the addition of four more wonderful London shops and more zones to travel through. Naturally this also translated into more knitting time!

Caught on Instagram: Team Shetland and fearless volunteer Jill about the catch the bus to shop #4

With more shops it meant that we could have more routes, and that more of you could join us this year. Which also meant the addition of more volunteers - new friends we are happy to welcome to the GLYC team.

The Pom Pom Quarterly girls Lydia and Meghan announce the results of the pub quiz

More sponsors came on board to help us show our appreciation to you - filling up the goody bags and contributing wonderful door prizes, and to the grand prize as well - and helping us to to promote the event and hosting our fantastic after-party!

Look at all those tickets! Grand Prize raffle winner Kathryn knit an awful lot for Refuge - well done!

Lots of happy knitters and fibre enthusiasts knitting and chatting at the after-party

So we're incredibly chuffed to tell you that in our goal to do more with the GLYC this year, it's been a smashing success. We've got some numbers to share with you:

• 9 different sheep-named routes
• 12 shops across 4 travel zones
• 17 volunteers
• 90 participants (thank you for our first sell-out year!)
• 149 items knitted for Refuge

The incredible number of hand knits you helped us collect for Refuge - and this isn't even all of them!

and the best number? 

• £812 raised for Refuge!

We are incredibly thankful to all of you for your support with the event, and for embracing our little idea for kicking off cold weather knitting, while also celebrating the London yarn shops and knitting community, and raising funds for a worthy cause to give back to the larger community too. Thank you!

Finally, we've got some more exciting things planned for Yarn in the City - including next year's Yarn Crawl - so please watch this space! Keep sharing your FOs from your GLYC stash (we love seeing them!), send us links to your blogposts or podcasts if you've captured your thoughts about the event (email us at greatlondonyarncrawl AT gmail DOT com - you can also send us feedback there too!), and save the date for next year - Saturday, 5 September, 2015.

Cheers, and thanks again,

Allison and Rachel xx

With thanks to Helen Stewart of Curious Handmade for capturing this great photo of us on Instagram!