Marmalade Yarns

New Season

2012-01-19T09:35:00.001Z

Rowan subscribers have been enjoying the new summer magazine for a while and we have had it in stock for almost a week. I usually find the summer edition a bit less inspiring than the winter version, not this year!

This summer, Magazine 51 is amazing. It has a new glossy cover and the contents are so desirable, wearable, knit-able, crochet-able.....you get the drift.
Pop over to the website and browse the patterns at : knit rowan

Other exciting news: we now stock Rooster Almerino dk. A wonderful blend of 50% baby alpaca and 50% merino. Beautifully springy to work with. There are 14 delicious colours and new ones coming soon. I hate to be predictable but I feel a crochet blanket coming on.

SALE

2012-01-03T20:00:00.001Z

It's sale time again.

This year we have a lot of luxury yarn reduced for special New Year cut price projects.

Is that a basket of Noro Kochoran? Yes it is and there is Debbie Bliss Aran, Rowan pure life, Adriafil venezia, Artesano Hummingbird and a lot more so if you dare brave the weather; see you soon.

Advent!

2011-11-29T14:15:00.001Z

This year the window is very difficult to photograph, we have magic flying reindeer and a (very laid back) Santa Claus, surrounded by fabulous knitted baubles.

The reindeer appear from the back of festive crochet....

Here is a close up of one of the baubles from Arne and Carlos' book. We used Regia xmas for the red, a bit of sparkle. I am planning to spend the whole of December knitting these.

For the full experience pop along and visit us. We are open for the Artisan market this Sunday 4th Dec and late night shopping on Saturday 10th December.

100% WOOL : WOVEMBER

2011-11-10T12:21:00.001Z

As any good wool shop should we stock a very wide range of yarns from 100% acrylic through all the mixes to 100% wool and lots of other fibres too: cotton, bamboo, alpaca, silk, mohair, angora and even sugar cane. We realise that when customers ask for 'wool' that is not always what they actually want or require for the project they have in mind. We try to guide our customers to the best yarn for their specific needs, 'wool' is a widely used misnomer which can be excused in our day to day shop life.

However in the case of labelling of textiles, calling any yarn 'wool' is unacceptable. I am a great fan of Kate Davies who has written an eye opening blog post, Wool 0% highlighting the misuse of the word 'wool' in labelling of textiles and garments.

She is campaigning to have 'wool' labelling clearly defined and anything less than 50% pure wool to be labelled 'wool mix'. I am shocked that this is not already the case and thank her for bringing this to our attention. In association she has launched Wovember where you can sign a petition of support, so please read her posts, follow all the links and sign the petition,
Thank You

WE LOVE A STITCH IN TIME

2011-11-03T14:06:00.000Z

Look at the fun we had last night

LOVING the book

Susan brought every item from the book, they are even more stunning in reality and the temptation to knit everything...

Seeing everything close up and admiring all the details, especially the real vintage buttons.

We all had fun trying on various garments and accessories.

We could have stayed all night,

however, I positively sprinted home to put on my pyjamas and curl up with the book.

Stitch in Time 2 LIVE!

2011-11-01T21:07:00.000Z

We are very excited here at Marmalade Yarns, tomorrow evening (Wednesday 2nd Nov) Susan Crawford is coming. It's true, her beautiful book has arrived and she is bringing some of the garments and signing the books.

The book is gorgeous, full of 'must knit' projects, beautiful photography and top tips for vintage knitting. The box of books arrived today, I could hardly tear myself away to serve the customers.

So if you are in the Frome area, treat yourself and come along to the shop, there will be drinks and nibbles and Susan will be here from 6.30pm - 8.30pm.

See you there!

Webshop Open

2011-10-19T05:57:00.001Z

After months of work, I am pleased to announce our new Webshop is open, you can now purchase yarn, needles, patterns and kits online.
It would be impossible to show everything we stock so there is only a selection but I will be adding new items.
Please have a look and remember I am new to all this so any comments/feedback will be gratefully received.

BREATHTAKING LACE

2011-10-01T05:20:00.000Z

One of the best things about being in our shop is seeing the beautiful projects that our talented customers produce. Every so often we see one which takes our breath away.

This was most definitely one of those occasions. When Claire pulled this stunning shawl out of her bag I was blown away. I could hardly speak but my first question was, what is this yarn?

The picture doesn't do justice to the soft mohair effect with gentle sparkles in the red and the perfect striping.

Of course, the striping is from 2 balls of Noro Sekku, only Noro can give effortless beautiful colour stripes.

The extra special, breathtaking quality came from blending with kidsilk haze! Not just a colour wash throughout but lovingly changing colours of kidsilk to compliment and match the changing colours of the Noro laceweight. The soft sparkle? From an old ball of kidsilk night.

This illustrates the importance of your wool stash. Never underestimate how much you need to hang onto those special bits and pieces of yarn. One day you will have a brilliant idea and bingo!

GRANNY WINNER

2011-09-14T17:43:00.000Z

If you look just behind the second picture of the white cushion there is a tantalising glimpse of this divine Granny Square Blanket. It was made by Sue who helps with our crochet classes and makes beautiful things. If you look closely you can see there is a texture to the stitching, it is not just a plain granny square. The wool is King Cole anti tickle merino dk. We began to stock this a while ago as we liked the colour palette and it has turned out to be a crochet winner.

It is very exciting in the shop just now, lots of new stock and customers all twitching to start knitting again.

More pictures soon...

CROCHET FEAST

2011-09-10T12:42:00.000Z

I know I have mentioned the talents of our crochet group before. We didn't meet in August so when we got together last night the delights that everyone had to show were breathtaking.
I don't need to say much more, look and feel inspired.......

There was one knitted object, this cute rabbit, waiting for a blanket to be finished then sent to Aberdeen to her new baby owner.
You have no idea how hard it is to get these photos with no hands in the way stroking and fondling the work but that's what crochet is for.
Looking forward to next month already.

Iceland

2011-08-26T15:13:00.002Z

Yes, we are still here and working hard. The web shop is taking a lot longer than I thought and the summer holidays haven't helped the situation.

Did I say 'summer' ? I was using the word loosely as we haven't had much evidence of summer this year.

I couldn't believe it when 2 large boxes were delivered this week, MORE wool? We can hardly move for the stuff and now we have MORE?

However, I soon forgot about space issues when I saw what was in the boxes: Icelandic Lopi Wool and some delightful patterns.

I have mentioned the fact that I am mainly working on UFO's this year but still allow myself to start a couple (or several) new projects. Just now I am working on the delightful 'Owls' by Kate Davies. This is the 2nd jumper I have knitted in the round and I think this is the best way to make a jumper. Very satisfying. For this reason I can't wait to start one of these toasty icelandic projects.
Now I don't care if the weather is less than summery, bring on winter, I've got jumpers to make.

Working hard...

2011-06-14T17:06:00.005Z

Just a quick note to apologise for the lack of postings. I have had so many things that I wanted to show you but we are in the process of setting up an on line shop which is consuming all of my computer time.

I thought you might like to see the exciting new adriafil wools which have just arrived, yes we hope to have them available on line soon.

I really want to be sitting in the sun with my crochet, not inside on the computer. That is my incentive to get on with the job before the weather turns.

Hope you are all sitting in the sun with hooks or needles.

KNITTING DOGS

2011-06-06T11:29:00.006Z

As all of you know, every knitter has a long list of 'projects for the future' stacking up either mentally, on ravelry or as a physical pile of books and patterns. Or as in my case in all 3 areas. High in my list of 'must knit' are several of the adorable dogs in this book:

I love the Westie on the front cover and the red setter, afghan hound and bulldog are delightful. However, this weekend we were visited by a very special wee dog who attends a knitting group and patiently keeps her owner company. An adorable miniature dachshund called Bronte. She is booked onto a course with Alison Crowther-Smith, who is a dachshund lover herself.
She was well admired while visiting a we hope to welcome her on one of our courses soon.

I have recently finished Sandra Polley's Milly, for my son. He loves it, maybe she needs a few friends!

SPRING

2011-05-14T12:52:00.004Z

We always love to see the amazing projects our customers have completed. Look at this unique, stashbusting shawl, all different textures, including some ruffles! Fantastic. I loved the random yet harmonious colours.

Spring always brings tea in the garden, while you knit in the sun and listen to the birds...

or look at the flowers.
We hope you are all choosing a lovely project to keep you busy in your deck chair.

For inspiration, you know where to come.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE

2011-04-21T11:33:00.008Z

They're all here:

A Royal Footman

William and Kate,

The Queen and Philip,
Charles and Camilla,
Archbishop Rowan Williams,
The Ring....A huge thanks to the very talented Pauline who confessed to enjoying every minute of creating The Royal Wedding Party for our window. The detail is amazing so if you are in the area please come and have a closer look.

SAPPHIRE BLUE

2011-04-07T10:57:00.004Z

I can't possibly do this yarn justice on line. It has to be seen to be appreciated in it's full glory.

Fyberspates Limited Edition Royal Wedding Yarn:

It is the most beautiful sapphire blue merino, silk and royal alpaca with silver sparkles. Individually boxed in tissue paper with a certificate.

To die for.

We have a few for sale, if we can bear to part with them.

RED WHITE AND BLUE

2011-03-27T21:26:00.002Z

With the Royal Wedding looming we have started small with a corner devoted to all things red, white and blue.

The crown tea cosy is truly a work of art, every day I resist the urge to wear it (I know, I am losing the plot). It is definitely not for sale, display purposes only.
However, the Royal Garden Tea Cosy is for sale as a kit. Start knitting now and you will have it in time for the big day.

TRULY SCRUMPTIOUS

2011-03-11T18:48:00.004Z

It has been a very exciting few weeks for deliveries at Marmalade Yarns. Firstly we became proud stockists of the divine hand dyed yarn from Skye; Shilasdair. Lambswool, Angora and Cashmere mix in dk and 4ply and you can knit a top with only 3 hanks of the dk. Luscious.
Using these seductive adjectives is easy when you are fondling exquisite yarns however, our newest addition has it's very own adjective and highly appropriate moniker : SCRUMPTIOUS...

No more needs said, except for LOOK at it gleaming on the shelf! We have the dk in stock and 4ply to follow soon. The supporting patterns are lovely and I can't wait to try one (dare I add another WIP to my long list.)

The long anticipated Rico Can Can arrived this week and has been as popular as ever

A few weeks ago we held a fairisle workshop and much to our delight everyone was very quick to learn. Very quickly we received this photo:
Isn't it fantastic! Another lady brought her beautiful alpaca creation but I didn't have my camera. The next workshop on Thursday 31st March is cable and bobble, so if you would like to turn your hand to a new skill just give us a call.

CROCHET HEAVEN

2011-02-14T11:33:00.008Z

I had planned to write about some things Maxine and I are making but on Friday evening we had our monthly crochet get together (knitters are welcome too).

Well, as usual we spent the first half hour with a show and tell, gasping and coveting the delights that our group creates.

The girl who made this kept coming in for cream Rowan pure wool dk and we couldn't imagine what she was making, however it is stunning.....

As usual, black works so well as a crochet background.

Just to prove that knitting is always appreciated too, look at this duffel bag, a gift from a knitting sister, now that is sisterly love!

VALENTINE'S HEARTS AND LITTLE FLOWERS

2011-02-02T17:43:00.005Z

Now it's February Maxine can reveal the pink heart selection she has been busy knitting.

Inside the sofa is looking inviting but there is so much to do, we never seem to spend much time on it knitting.

Meanwhile, the tapestry wool is popular, lots of lovely colours.
And new in, Crystal Palace KidMerino and Little Flowers, you can have a look at the Free Patterns for inspiration.Now, for valentines day start dropping hints to your loved one that yarn lasts longer than flowers.

SHIMMERING SUNDAY

2011-01-24T10:08:00.005Z

What a fabulous day we had yesterday:

The lovely Alison Crowther-Smith came back to show us how to knit the beautiful Shimmer Stole, which she is modelling here, from her new book, Lacy Knits, available this spring.

Alison came in October to run her famous 'Knitting with Kidsilk Haze' workshop. Everyone had such a good time they begged her to come back again and they all came on this course plus a few extra. We were bulging at the seams.

We then spent a whole day knitting, chatting, eating cake and being inspired by Alison.

We started by knitting a sample swatch of the stole then we all enjoyed choosing our own combination of kidsilk haze and shimmer to start the main project.

I chose the sky blue and silver shimmer and was so excited I carried on knitting when I got home. I have so many WIP/UFO's and had promised to finish some before starting anything new but have already started a ripple crochet blanket which I am LOVING and now this gorgeous, addictive project.

Once again Alison has been begged to come back so we have her booked for a shibori felted, twirly, beaded scarf workshop. We can't wait. There are VERY limited places left on this course so watch out for it on the website soon.

RUDOLPH

2010-12-24T11:49:00.003Z

For those of you who can't come in we thought you would like to see us sporting our trendy Christmas jumpers. for a christmas joke visit Marmalade Yarns Facebook.

Have a lovely Christmas and we will see you in the new year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-15T00:18:00.004Z

I think you might have had a glimpse of our fantastic Dickensian Mice on the website. My camera is in the camera hospital and looking pretty terminal however my lovely friend Chris agreed to come and take some photos so you can see our award winning window.

No, I am not making it up, Maxine's vision of mice and christmas food hamper was another triumph and we scooped the Christmas window prize. The mice were knitted by a lady we know who has a wonderful talent and they look fantastic, every day we are asked if they are for sale.

However cute the mice are, my favourite is the turkey. To add to his Christmas worries, he seems to have been impaled by some artviva needles.

We would like to wish all our customers a Merry Christmas and hope you finish all your knits in time for wrapping.

2010-11-04T18:13:00.004Z

HALLOWEEN ON THE HILL

I know Halloween is officially over and it is bonfire night but I wanted you to see some of the fun we had on the hill on Sunday night. My camera is a bit broken but the pictures on the St Catherines website are wonderful, so click on the title above to have a look.

And here's a big spider to scare you:

More knitting next time...

2010-10-10T15:30:00.003Z

Last year we had to make do with 2nd but this year we managed to scoop the carnival window trophy, when I say we, Maxine arranged the window then I got my photo in the paper holding the trophy:

We think the clincher was our carnival queen with ladies in waiting, knitted by one of our talented customers. Behind her you can see some of the 7 dwarves knitted by another of our fabulous customers.

Here is a glimpse of the cupboard which used to house the sofa. We have gained numerous shelves but much to our surprise are still struggling to fit everything in, which of course is a sign of how many different, lovely wools we are trying to squeeze into our small shop.

The sofa is being well used now it is out in front of the window and it is lovely to sit there with the light behind you while you knit.
Another new display area is our 'Noro Shrine'

It is British wool week and one of my favourite knitting blogs has several related links

Glitty Knitty Kitty . So click on the link and have a browse, while there you can admire her talents.

Frome Show

2010-09-18T08:13:00.004Z

Well, it is over a week since we packed up our Hummingbird and Mini mochi and took it for an outing to Frome Cheese Show.

We arrived (very) early and set up before the crowds. I had delivered the dresser the day before then had a flat tyre on the way home, but that is another story.
We tried to make our pitch look homely and lots of admiring customers, both new and well loved regulars came for a chat.

Our friend Eileen opened the shop which meant we could both be at the show all day. This gave us some opportunity to browse but instead of photos of the AMAZING knitted handicraft entries, I have a picture of veg, just as amazing and very colourful.
We had a lovely day and we learnt a lot, next year we will know what we are doing and I might remember to take some photos.
As if organising the Cheese Show wasn't enough, we have revamped the front of the shop. The couch has a new and we think, more useful position. Our customers now stagger in the door and flop gratefully straight onto it.

We had a trip to Ikea, Maxine has been painting and papering, I built furniture and we spent a day moving things. Now although slightly disorientated, we love the change. More photos soon...

NORO LACEWEIGHT

2010-07-29T17:30:00.004Z

This week has seen the arrival of Noro Sekku, the new laceweight by the masters of colour.
We have 8 different colours begging to be knitted into their fabulous rainbows.

Durung the Frome festival we were one of the hosts for "Frome Writers in Residence". I was very excited to have an author in the shop using the surroundings to inspire a short story which had to contain the phrase " I wondered if the magic was still there"
We had a lovely lady called Jackie Eliot who worked very hard. She started in our window and decamped to the knitted and crocheted sofa. We hjad about 5 different photographers come and take pictures of her as she worked but I can't find any on line. However......
SHE WON FIRST PRIZE so instead of a link to a photo of her writing I can link you to a page where you can download the story and read for yourselves. WOOL GATHERING
We were honoured when she presented us with our own copy in a knitted cover which is now "Book in Residence" on our sofa.

I love the title and found the story very touching.

Maxine and I are both off next week but our friend Eileen will be there to welcome our customers.

Jack Sparrow?

2010-07-21T06:48:00.013Z

Johnny Depp has come to Catherine Hill and is sitting in our window!

He has landed on the beach in a pile of knitted coral

and found some mermaids to play with.

More exciting than our summer window is the new yarn we now have in stock. Keeping the mermaid company is some fabulous 4ply superwash merino from Knitcave

Helen lives in Bath and produces some beautiful hand dyed yarns which we are priviliged to be able to stock. If you think the sock yarn looks good you should have seen the gorgeous laceweight which has sold already!

We hope to have some more soon, perfect for light summer knitting.....on the beach.

Summer Savings

2010-06-28T09:47:00.005Z

SUMMER SALE NOW ON

We have several of our beautiful summe yarns on sale including the Louisa Hardings amazingly soft Aimee and delicate Willow Tweed.

The subtly shimmering Venezia from Adriafil has also been reduced along with several other yarns so come along for a browse and a bargain.

Then you can run home and start knitting in the dappled shade.

The mini mochi socks in progress are mine but the beautiful deck chair and garden belong to my friend!

Calling All Football Widows

2010-06-13T20:28:00.004Z

We had a lovely day on Saturday with several friends turning up to knit in the street........and chat lots too

We met Zoe who came to join us, a new resident in Frome with a wonderful tatoo.

My Scottish friends should look away now.

We have bowed to the masses and have a football section in the window, but have a message for any one who doesn't want to spend the following weeks watching the telly:

WWKIP

2010-06-09T17:17:00.006Z

This Saturday, 12th June, is World Wide Knit in Public Day.

If you would like to bring your needles or hooks and latest project along to Catherine Hill we will have chairs outside the shop with tea and cake available.

There is also another event in Bath at Green Park Station from 2 - 4 pm just turn up, ready to knit.
Information about your local events can be found at the WWKIP website.

Looking forward to seeing the streets filled with happy knitters.

FOXY!

2010-05-12T13:40:00.002Z

I know this has nothing to do with knitting or the shop but thought you would like to see our temporary visitor.
He was smaller than our cat and lost. He has been rehomed to a wildlife sanctuary where he can't kill any chickens.
Next time something more woolly...

CELEBRATION

2010-04-19T15:06:00.002Z

This week we are a year old!

We can hardly believe it. It has been a busy year with steep learning curves and a lot of hard work but we have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Thank you to all our loyal customers who have supported us through this year and we hope you will stay with us as we continue to learn and grow with the shop.
What better than a knitted birthday cake? No calories and no fire hazard.
Well that's enough health and safety, I'm off to make a real cake!

HAPPY EASTER

2010-03-17T15:33:00.005Z

At last, the Easter holidays!

Despite the wintry weather we have a very spring like and Eastery window, our friend Hilary has done a lot of knitting for us and we are very happy with the primula and chicks.

The spring green tea cosy has been sold and shipped to a new owner!

The blackbirds and chickens are waving at passers by from their precarious plank, the pink rabbit is a bit out of his comfort zone and holding on tight.

But best of all is the fabulous spring wreath, please could we have the weather to match.

HAPPY EASTER.

Take A Peep

2010-03-12T16:26:00.008Z

At the risk of looking more like an animal lovers blog than a knitting one, I thought you would like to see Scarlett, one of Maxine's trio of chickens, Nancy and Heidi are equally handsome, they have all settled in well and are laying eggs already.

William wasn't going to be left out and started posing for a photo, just loke the marmalade cat in our shop.

Maxine's Mum kindly knitted her this beautiful yellow Kid Silk Haze tank top. Luckily it is still too cold to wear it so it is in the window teamed up with the beautiful Opal wrap from Winter Blooms by Kim Hargreaves. This one is knitted in Noro Silk Garden Sock,

but, prolific as ever, Maxine has also made one in Kidsilk Aura which the pattern was designed in.

We have recently started to stock Crystal Palace yarns and now have the divine Panda Silk which is a summer weight sock yarn with bamboo, merino and silk. One of our talented customers, Sue Harrington , has made these beautiful striped socks for her lucky son.

Check out Posh Ted, he is now proudly wearing a Knitcol jumper, although I get the feeling he thinks he should be sporting a monocle and cravat.
I thought I had better redress the balance and put in some knitted chickens. We have gathered a small army of these chocolate egg chickens.

Now, I am sure 'army ' has never been used to describe a collection of chickens before: a flock, a brood or a clutch would be better but my favourite : a peep of chickens.

New Spring Stock!

2010-02-26T21:42:00.004Z

Our deliveries normally arrive in a cardboard box, today was different.
I promise you, I am not as confused as I look.
The first lamb was breach but no2 arrived as he should.

Just what we had feared, 3! They were a bit reluctant to get going. 'Look, some future Debbie Bliss' said Duncan, he thinks he knows a bit about wool now but then spoilt it by saying... 'or silk kid super hair'

At last, they all had their heads up but Mum was bleating, 'I only have 2 teats you know'

'Oh no, I'm next' Our only pure breed is a Wiltshire Horn called Chloe. She didn't look too amused.

Just a footnote to say all the photos are courtesy of my 6 year old. Thanks.

Spring Stock

2010-02-09T19:39:00.004Z

I thought the winter stock arriving would be the highlight of the year but surprisingly, I have been very excited by our recent new stock:
Crystal Palace Mini Mochi, a basket to rival Kidsilk Haze........

Crystal Palace Taos which is a soft aran wool:

We also have Panda silk, a bamboo based sock wool and this fantastic beaded 'Chakra' by Mango Moon. It is multi coloured with beautiful beads and sea glass, really special.

We are loving the Rowan Revive, not only is it made from recylcled clothes,the patterns are fantastic and it can be combined with regular double knit.

Last time I promised something for the crochet fans, we now have proper crochet cotton and

some amazing crochet patterns from Leisure Arts..................

A lot of new colours in cotton have been arriving. The weather is not very spring like so
to cheer myself up I have been looking at the cottons and dreaming of sunshine while hugging the radiator. Perhaps I should knit myself a warm jumper.

My Heart's In The Highlands

2010-01-26T07:31:00.003Z

Well, did you guess? Action Man does not look too pleased with his kilt, I think it is the oversized ruffles and tammy that really upset him, that sporran looks a bit dodgy too

We just managed to get him in place on Monday in time for Burns Night.

As it is nearly February we teamed him up with hearts on tartan ribbon and we both heaved a sigh of relief to get the messy boxes out the window and a new display which makes the passers by stop and smile.

The sale is still on and I haven't taken a picture of our poor couch which is groaning under the boxes of bargains. We have a beautiful new crocheted blanket to put on the couch when that corner of the shop returns to normality.

Meanwhile Maxine tidied up the stock room and I was in raptures over the organisation (sad but true) :

The tidying was necessary as we have done a stock take and are eagerly waiting some exciting new stock. Crochet fans watch this space...but don't worry we have a few things coming for you knitters too.

Anyone for a Rummage?

2010-01-17T22:05:00.003Z

This month our double award winning window has taken a downward turn and taken on the 'tatty jumble sale' look.

Where there are usually oodles of quirky knits there are just boxes of wool.

Even the comfy sofa has been downgraded to jumble style wool display.

Needless to say there are several bargains to be had and well worth a good old fashioned rummage.

But, we have not given up on our dear old window and are both knitting like mad for the next display which is coming very soon, here is a preview of the half finished project I am working on....

Any ideas?

Happy Snowy New Year

2010-01-06T16:31:00.005Z

Happy New Year. What a start, just as you think normality is returning...............

Now the kids are off school again and the shop was shut for most of the day. Maxine opened for a couple of hours and was amazed at the invincible spirit of the local knitters who flocked through the door, I suppose if things worsen we could all make do without bread or milk but if we ran out of yarn.... heaven forbid.
Thought you would like to see my 'live' wool, one of them sporting a snow beard.

Hope you are all cosying up by the fire with your needles or hooks, I have a few plans of my own:

MERRY KNITMAS

2009-12-22T08:24:00.005Z

Where has December gone?

It's hard to believe it is nearly Christmas eve. We have vowed to start our Christmas knitting in February next year to avoid the panic knitting in December. However everything is made and wrapped and we are looking forward to our 2 hours in the shop om Christmas eve. We have really enjoyed the sparkly yarns in the shop and despite my grumbles, I will miss the extra lights.

Maxine's cushions have been popular and we could have sold them a dozen times, she refuses to sell them however, I might try to sneak them past her on Christmas eve, they would look good on my sofa.

Remember Charlotte and the dolls with their knitted outfits? Well, she also made this beautiful fairy which we had perched at the top of our tree for a few weeks. I was sad to say goodbye to her and the top of the tree is really bare.

We hope you have all finished your knitted presents and are going to indulge yourselves over Christmas and knit or crochet something special.

See you in the New Year.

Advent

2009-12-02T17:41:00.006Z

Every time I post something I promise myself that it won't be as long before I do another update but things always conspire against me and weeks pass by. This time it was my computer which tried very hard to die. Luckily a fantastic computer surgeon saved it and all the files; amazing!

Now December has arrived and there are so many things I want to show you. I ran down to the shop today with the camera and quickly snapped a few of the Christmas decorations and the stockings which were entered in our competition however, running and quickly snapping are not conducive to producing good pictures so I will definitely have to do this in 2 parts (or more)

So here are the things which I managed to photograph with no wobble or silly angles:

The wreath on the front door, there are miles of garter stitch involved and it took a lot longer than anticipated :

One of my favourites, the Alan Dart Christmas advent tree, complete with decorations and knitted by one of our wonderful customers in aid of Help for Heroes:

and a small part of the window featuring Maxines amazing Christmas Pudding alongside our Noro coffee cosy and you can just see the edge of a pom-pom wreath with Mary and Joseph beside it.

Our window was highly commended in the Chamber of Commerce Christmas window competition and I will try to post an in focus picture soon. I have to admit that being surrounded by Christmas all day in the shop is fun and I am really glad it is December now so I can start to get a few decorations out at home... I said a FEW.

More soon (I hope).

Madness, Mayhem and Mochi

2009-11-07T18:27:00.005Z

We always knew this was a seasonal business and lucky for us we took over the shop in the quiet season. We are now in full flood knitting season and happily, most days the shop is bursting at the seams. I always take some knitting with me to work but can't remember the last time I had a minute to do a row!
We survived half term, Maxine had her first holiday since we opened and brought back some Crystal Palace Mini Mochi for us to play with.

True to form, Maxine now has a pair of fingerless mittens and mine is stashed waiting to be socks, probably in time for my 50th birthday. However, we are so pleased with the wool we have decided to stock some and now have 5 colours. These fingerless mittens/wristwarmers are wonderful and can be made with any wool, a great stash buster and Christmas present ....(sshh don't mention Christmas)

While away Maxine also managed to whizz up a beautiful Kureyon hood, so simple but very effective and cosy.

This has started a Noro love affair and even the cafetiere has a Kureyon cosy. This only takes one ball and dare I say, another great present.

This brings me back to the painful truth that I have to face, not only am I now in retail where Christmas starts in October (silent scream), my business partner thinks this is great and wants to do everything with extra lights and more glitter, I have already hoovered up bits of tinsel from trees that are lined up waiting to make an appearance. I am taking lots of deep breaths and trying to get in the mood.

We have a lovely customer who has kindly brought us some festive coloured cotton from America. Our first thought was to make some Christmas bunting in the style above but if any of you creative bloggers have better ideas we would love to hear them.

I am off to knit a Christmas present. Teeth are gritted...

Having Kittens.

2009-10-12T10:14:00.002Z

My favourite comment this month came from a customer who looked at the Kidsilk Haze and declared 'Oooh it's like a basket of multicoloured kittens!' I love the stuff even more now. Our subsequent customers fall into 2 camps when I tell them this story; those who agree and go all misty eyed and start stroking the individual balls and those who stare and seem to be resisting the urge to run from the shop muttering 'nutters!' under their breath.

We have completed our first 'Learn to Knit' class and embarked on the 2nd 'Learn to Crochet' class which we are hoping will go as well as the first one. We had a crochet get together with our graduated crochet group, who are all now better at crochet than we are. Everyone brought along amazing things including this fabulous blanket, it has such a vintage feel to it.

Another customer popped in with their King Cole cushion, it is even better in real life than on the pattern.

However, this pair of immaculately dressed dolls have been causing the most fuss. Their outfits are perfect, complete with school ties, wee shoes and the boys cap. They both have satchels with buttons and the reason they are causing a stir? They were knitted by a 10 year old girl! She brought them into the shop in a double buggy and we have had them on display ever since. I am sure we have a future knitwear designer.

Sticky Position

2009-09-24T22:13:00.004Z

Guess what?
We were runners up! I was thrilled 'til I realised we don't know how many entrants there were.........2?
But look at our trophy and we get a photo in the paper, well worth 200 hours of knitting and 5 minutes dusting.

More exciting than that we proudly introduce our very own, organic, hand dyed, double knit wool in a range of jam and preserve colours : Chutney, Blueberry, Greengage, Damson, Sloeberry, Raspberry and of course Clotted Cream to top it off.

These are available in the shop or by mail order; telephone or e-mail through our website.

Autumn Glory

2009-09-18T15:51:00.004Z

Frome has been a very busy town since the children have gone back to school. Last Saturday was the Cheese Show, there is a lot more there than just cheese and the kids liked this future woolly jumper.

On Thursday we had the start of the 6th stage of the Tour of Britain, we had a very exciting evening on Wednesday which included a race up the cobbles of Catherine Hill. Then we had the privilege of seeing all these young cyclists in lycra, there was even a 'marmalade' team.

We have been busy in the shop too and had our first crochet get together and are now running our first ever 'Learn to Knit' class which is fun.
Maxine has been knitting her fingers to the bone and asking all passers by to help in order to get our autumn/carnival window ready for judging this Sunday.
Barbie has been kitted out in her Halloween jumper:

The glorious King Cole sunflower wall hanging has been created:

Various fruit and veg and a bag have been knitted and crocheted:

Seasonal teacosies:

and above them all some mittens and pumpkins hanging on the washing line!

We hope the judges are impressed.

My contribution? I dusted the windowsill and said WOW!

Gogos in the wool.....

2009-08-31T16:29:00.000Z

Here are the lovely Coldharbour Aran colours, we love having locally produced wool in stock ; we have more plans in that area...........

As promised before here are a few of the wonderful projects brought in by our talented customers. I should have had more photos but I reluctantly relinquished the camera to the rest of my family when they were on trips this summer, so a few amazing projects appeared that couldn't be photographed but I was pleased to have the camera when this perfect baby cardigan appeared, the toggles are just right:

Then there were these 2 crocheted beauties, the hat is wonderful

and this is the bag from a recent magazine, although I have forgotten which one..

Then, I was almost speechless when this beautiful 'marmalade' kidsilk haze scarf appeared, it was breathtaking and has been made as a Christmas present for a very lucky lady.

You will be pleased to hear I finished the boottees which have been shipped off to my cousin despite them still looking like 2 left shoes!

We have been inundated with our Winter orders, although there is more to come. We adore Crofter and the newly introduced Crofter Chunky. We couldn't believe our luck when this display garment arrived, I have to stop myself from taking it home at the weekend.

Our Cashmerino shelves are full to bursting baby, dk and aran, all in mouthwatering colours. You can imagine how hard it is to get on with the mundane tasks when you could be restacking the soft, warm, delicious cashmerino...............

but then there is the tweedy chunky:

or the Sirdar click dk OR chunky which is divine, I should show you the tea cosy.

I have alluded to the fact that I have not been very artful in my childcare arrangements and have therefore ended up with a very bored 6 year old boy mooching around the wool for a couple of days. We have at least 25 colours of Diploma Gold and when I was checking the stock I had a wee surprise.....................

Back to school this week so no more Gogos in the wool, I can't help feeling a bit sad

GLORIOUS FIBREFEST

2009-08-23T19:56:00.000Z

First, I have to thank all our fantastic customers who have brought in their projects and had them photographed for this blog, then apologise as due to a technical hitch and a holiday they are all still waiting to be published which will be very soon so please come back again soon to see the talent show.
Meanwhile, I have been socialising in Falkirk while Maxine has been working hard. However, despite our fatigue (Maxine's work induced, mine pleasure induced) we both dragged ourselves out of bed at a very unreasonable time for a Sunday and drove to Coldharbour Mill in Devon for Fibrefest.....................................
and it was worth it!
Once there, our heads cleared and we dived into the trade tent forgetting our caffeine cravings for the rest of the morning.
At the very first stand we met the lovely Sasha Kagan and admired her beautiful designs. We even went back later on with an 80's book we found on a charity stall....

There was no end of fantastic stalls to admire

We even met the amazing speed knitter who taught Kirsty Allsopp how to knit, you can see the beach inspired draft excluder on display. She was very friendly and we are hoping to see her again.

I know outside the mill I should be photographing the mill wheel but I couldn't resist this laden pear tree, there were 3 of them and it was all I could do not to start picking them.

We wandered round to the livestock and found some alpscas for sale. Maxine wanted to buy one but we couldn't keep it in the courtyard that floods so we took a photo instead.

Then we found the amazing ladies who made the Gingerbread house and giant Christmas tree. They are working on a Seaside project which will eventually be a walk through tunnel complete with a lighthouse and set for completion next September. I couldn't believe my eyes, already it is an amazing work of art which grows more amazing every minute you spend looking at the detail, I could have filled this blog with photos.....

Then just as I thought we would escape without a photo of the wheel we heard the echo of the saxophonist playing right next to it, bathed in the late afternoon sun.

Tempting as it was to stay, we wanted to rush home and start knitting straight away, I haven't even had time to photograph our purchases and you will have to wait as the next blog will be full of customer talent!

Most exciting of all : we are now stockists of Coldharbour Aran which can be purchased in 4 lovely shades from this Tuesday, while stocks last....

Rowan rainbow and a flood

2009-07-20T10:31:00.000Z

This week the shop has been fairly quiet however, it is the week of Maxines move so she has been rushed off her feet while I have minded the shop and a selection of her things, she has already chosen colours for her dining room and made this fresh cushion which I am under pain of death not to sell. I spent one quiet morning considering hiding it and telling her I sold it for a tenner but somehow I couldn't bring myself to torture her frayed nerves any further. The beret is from RYC Classic Weekend book and if you look to the right you can see our pitiful selection of Rowan pure wool dk ....

but that was before the arrival of........................

Now, this is only 6 of the fabulous colours. We have 18 gorgeous colours in our pure wool docket and I can happily stack these colours all day. I don't know how I will cope in August when all the other new stock arrives.

Maxine has been getting ready for the arrival of lots of Aran by knitting this lovely Rowan pure wool Aran cardi. Unfortunately she wasn't wearing it this week when Annabelle, our Rowan rep arrived and to make matters worse I was wearing the Sirdar sublime cardi, woops. We continue to have our wonderful customers amazing us with their beautiful projects; this baby shawl is cream baby cashmerino with pure silk contrast stripes, it is sumptious:

Another lucky baby will be wearing this beautiful hacho cardigan and a vast array of other delightful projects which I am sure I will be featuring more of.

We had a bit of a disaster this Tuesday when we arrived to find a swimming pool in the back courtyard seeping through the back door and soaking our beloved carpet. After spending all day taking buckets of water through the shop to tip down the drain at the front a lovely man unblocked the narrow drain in the yard and we didn't have to spend all night at the shop baling out. I did however have to rescue 2 frogs from the wool !

Meanwhile, some projects of mine included this black sheep, I was happier about her 3 bags full than I was with her, the face doesn't seem right and her legs are a bit wobbly.............

I was much happier with the rowan handknit cotton pink elephant which put all other projects on hold while I crocheted her for no other reason than I couldn't resist the pattern.

What I should have been doing was finishing the boottees for my cousins baby who may well be a year old before they are done. I managed to make 2 right shoes (yes, it matters, there is a T bar and button) so as usual when I have a hiccup the whole project stalls and I also have a more tantalizing option....

My new Uk Alpaca blanket, we would love to stock this wool sometime soon, so I thought I would try it out and spent my last job's leaving present (cash for my stash) to buy enough alpaca for a double blanket.Unfortunately you can't buy time and I think I need to make about 300 of these squares but I have to say I am loving every second and don't mind if it takes me 5 years, which it probably will.This week saw the beginning of the much needed summer holidays. I have never worked through the summer so this will be a challenge for the kids and me. Maxine will also be coping with unpacking in a new house. We've survived the first couple of days now it's Saturday night and you know your getting old when you don't think pub or cinema? rather boottees or blanket??

Sweet Sorrow !

2009-07-10T10:03:00.000Z

At last, our new signage arrived and we really are Marmalade Yarns now. No more confusion for the delivery men.

This month, we have a 10% off Sirdar Snuggly Yarns and have put all the lovely display items on our washing line, interspersed with 4ply fairy cakes.

One of our customers brought in this beautiful cardigan she made for her young granddaughter,

It is a Stylecraft ethical twist pattern, done in Paton's Wool Tweed.

It is gorgeous, look at the wooden elephant buttons and the wine coloured rose detailing.

We didn't know whether to be happy or sad at the end of our crochet course. We were ecstatic at their progress and declared them fully fledged as they sat round doing new projects of their own however, we were so upset at the loss of our friends that we suggested a monthly Crochet Get Together starting in September. Meanwhile we had a show and tell of the fantastic items which have been springing from the hooks......

Jar covers galore from Woman's weekly,

A beautiful bag from the 'Learn to Crochet' book,

A garden of roses,

and the magnificent shrug from 'Inside Crochet' !!!!

And last but definitely not least a wonderful, thrifty item made of lots of oddments and backed with a husbands ripped shirt. A truly lovely, credit crunch embracing cushion.

To think these fledglings had never used a crochet hook 6 weeks ago!

I keep promising to post photos of our own ongoing projects, if only our customers weren't so talented, I wouldn't have to keep filling the blog with their fabulous creations. I will endeavour to post our projects soon although I think there will be some pictures of the lovely new stock as the winter orders start to drift through the door, we can hardly wait.

Flea bites

2009-06-23T06:04:00.000Z

At the weekend Maxine fulfilled a long term ambition and made it to the Giant Flea at the Bath and West where she was well and truly bitten. She took along her 8 year old daughter and they had a lovely time meeting other bloggers and buying wonderful things. She has big plans for this beautiful fabric from Sue at Vintage to Victorian.
So, while the rest of Frome watched Jensen Button, Maxine found treasure after treasure. She loves this Italian jug with the iced gems

and look at the tiny 4ply cup cake, if you can tear your eyes off the doilly.

Now, what would you think Maxine needed like a hole in the head? Another crocheted blanket and a tea cosy! But how could you resist that tea cosy? The blanket is amazing. It has been done with double stranded wool throughout which gives it a luxurious weight which is perfect for a winter blanket or picnic rug. Another project onto the wish list..........

Mad Cows and Fabulous Crochet

2009-06-20T23:33:00.000Z

The shop has been fairly quiet the last couple of weeks but Maxine and I are still chasing our tails and finding our all pervasive venture time consuming and challenging, yet we are both very happy. Maxine had a day off and sat in the sun to crochet the Woman's Weekly selection which includes the beautiful tea light cover and look at the plant pot, what can I say. She shunned the housework as there is no need to clean a house you are waiting to move out of. 'What, start your own business AND move house?' I hear you cry. I think Max is working on the principle that one stress will keep her mind off the other. More news of the move as it happens....

Well, the Crochet Course is going well. One of our (vastly pregnant) Tuesday morning ladies who had never touched a crochet hook 2 weeks ago arrived with this beauty......

Isn't her baby going to be enveloped in fabulous crochet? This week everyone brought amazing granny squares. We hadn't imagined how exciting it would be to see what our proteges had been making. Here is the Thursday evening class which we do in the front of the shop as we are closed. You can see me sporting the cardigan I had been making for months. Now it is finished I feel it has elevated me to 'mad cow who works in a wool shop' status, wholly appropriate but still taking some getting used to.

From one mad cow to the best cow I have ever seen. She has prize winning udders and wonderful crumpled horns and pound coins in her hooves to make her stand, she is adorable and knitted by one of our talented customers who is waiting for her grandchild to be born who will be a proud farmer at birth. Meanwhile, we have stocked up on King Cole to make the amazing summer pattern which you can just see in the background. There is a sunflower wall hanging, complete with ladybird and a flowery cushion and the best strawberry tarts with no calories.

We have also taken delivery of Mitchell's Wool Fat soap and Woolly Wash, the soap smells like soap used to smell and is perfect for sensitive skin

and there is a wonderful ceramic dish with shaving soap and we stock the refills.
It might be midsummer's eve but we saw a rep this week to discuss our winter order! Now the best thing to come out of it was this divine Donegal Luxury Tweed tea cosy which Maxine designed from a sample our lovely rep left. If only you could feel it...............

If you have noticed the time of this posting, it is because I am waiting for my eldest son to come home from a Scout Night Hawk, I planned to sit up and knit however I have been busy sewing. My younger daughter has requested a skirt and we went to

Millie Moon and had a lovely time choosing material, we are very excited about starting it, I just hope when we finish she doesn't feel elevated to 'Mad Cow' status too.

2009-06-09T18:17:00.000Z

It has been a while since the last blog and a lot has happened. I have been on holiday, I know.... poor Maxine, I am sure she will get her revenge. It was time for another Artisan Market on the hill, the last one was very busy with lots of friends passing by and we were looking forward to this one. We wanted to do a summer window, so to commemorate D-Day and because the colours look good, we chose Red White and Blue .

Complete with a knitted AND crocheted Union Jack,and this adorable summery, strawberry topped tea cosy.We started our first crochet classes on Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings. Two lovely groups of ladies came along and we tackled granny squares. It was really rewarding to see them completing their first square. We hope they are looking forward to the next few weeks. One of the Tuesday morning ladies writes a beautiful blog Suzy's vintage attic .We have had a few visitors who blog including, a few weeks ago, the friendly girl from Knitcave who was telling me how she knits while walking along, I was very impressed. Then this week; Nicky, we had a chat and a chance to tell her how beautiful her dolls are and Clare. We never thought we would meet so many lovely people.More exciting news, our friend Mary, a knitting genius, is booked in to do a 'Sock Day' in October. She will show you how to cast on to and knit with 4 needles, knit a heel flap, turn a heel and graft a toe then if you still have some energy simple cabling and lace. Our website is coming along and the new improved version which will include details of our courses will appear in the next couple of weeks. My daughter has a Roman day at school tomorrow and has to take a Roman lunch. She has just requested stuffed dormouse, it's getting late but I wonder if I could knit one?

Cupcake Surprise!

2009-05-19T19:32:00.000Z

Last time I promised you a peek at our own projects and this morning Maxine thrilled me with a surprise project she had been working on overnight from 'Knittoday'. I now have a beautiful new keyring on my shop keys.You might already know that we have a few patterns written by Maxine for the shop which include tea cosies, bunting and the very popular cotton peg bag. The latest additions are this cute baby hot water bottle and decorative heart. These were knitted in King Cole 'Splash' which is lovely for household items as well as baby knits. The decoration reminds us of small rosies.Here is my work in progress! It is a cardigan and I am very excited about finishing it, I have been knitting it for about 4 months and it only needs sewn up. However if I stopped photographing it and picked it up off the floor, I might get on better. I will let you see the finished article, soon I hope.

Next to the retro crochet tea cosy are a plate of petit fours kindly donated for display by a very talented customer. They have been in the window and drawn a lot of attention. Another very talented customer brought in this beautiful baby hat knitted in baby cashmerino from 'Baby Bloom' by Erika Knight. You can just make out the gorgeous tiny heart button in the centre of the ribbon.

I was so in love with this that I have bought the book which includes beautiful maternity patterns. Now, the last thing I need is another baby so lets hope I become an aunty again soon.

The Knit Nurse.

2009-05-12T18:29:00.000Z

After all the sick kids had been and gone, Maxine decided to knit us a Barbie nurse to be on duty. We have been advised by 2 real nurses that she should be wearing a navy cape lined with red so it can be turned inside out on Christmas day when they drink sherry on the ward! Guess when you should avoid ill health. Instead of the cape I suspect Maxine should be knitting a uniform in the colours of a psychiatric nurse, as that is probably the next type of nursing we'll need.

If you are passing the window look out for our very own knit nurse, she will be there for a few weeks and hopefully make you smile.

Another piece of progress; we now have the couch in the cubby hole. All ready for pattern browsers or husbands in waiting.

Remember I mentioned my feelings of jealousy as everyone leaves with their new wool? Well this is one of the most jealous inducing items I have been forced to part with this week. Two customers have taken it home to make hats and I can't wait to see the finished items. The colours are beautiful and it is soooo soft.

Another soft yarn, which has had rave reviews, is the Sirdar baby bamboo. Neither Maxine or I have ever knitted with it but now are itching to give it a go however we need to plough through our WIP's. Next time I will treat you to a selection of our projects. Unfortunately one of the effects of working in a wool shop is your 'Project Wish List' increases in direct inverse proportion to the 'Amount of Time Available to Knit'. I knew there would be a down side.

Open for business...

2009-05-02T19:53:00.000Z

Well, how niave I was 2 weeks ago when I thought I would update this blog a couple of days after we opened! We hung up our sign and opened the door and thankfully, customers started to visit.

We had browsers and buyers and friends popping in to wish us luck. We were both trying to get used to working every day and fitting in the rest of our family life around it.

I had a trip booked to Jersey and had to abandon Maxine on our first weekend. She coped and secretly loved it. I took bad photos of bronze Jersey cows, relaxed, drank wine and crocheted in the sun, it was a chore.Back to Frome with a bump, well a bang really as our plane was struck by lightning on the descent! I rushed back to the shop and as you can see by the squashed crocheted cushions, the chair was being well used and appreciated by tired knitters who climbed the hill to pay us a visit.

We have plans for further seating in the form of a sofa in a cubby hole and we are also carpeting the back of the shop in preparation for our 'learn to...' classes and knitting groups.

We were very excited on Friday when the first phase of 'marmalade' carpet was laid. Let me tell you, it is freezing in the back of the shop and bare concrete didn't help. I might have been lucky enough to be living every knitters dream but I was in danger of freezing to death or at least losing a couple of essential for knitting fingers to frost bite. You get the picture so admire the carpet and feel the orangey warmth..........

Phase 2 of mission carpet is scheduled for next week but first we have to clear this room :

The week took a turn for the worse when I had to keep a child with stomach cramps home and bring him to the shop, then got called by the school when another of my children vomited in the playground. My husband, crippled from a cricketing injury, helped out by limping to the school and picking up the sick child. After nursing children overnight it was slightly depressing to find this on Saturday morning....

Despite these hiccups, Maxine and I have had the best 2 weeks and are thoroughly enjoying it. The customers are uplifting as every one has different projects and ideas and we love to see their work. I am surprised to find I feel slightly jealous of them all as they leave with their new wool and patterns. Luckily I managed to find the time to make an organic cotton chicken who is now sitting on the shelf and he has told me that everything will be fine.

Tomorrow, the Artisan street market; see you there.........

The Big Day

2009-04-20T21:58:00.000Z

After weeks of planning and waiting we now have the keys and started painting yesterday, you can see the state of excitement Maxine was in from the tin of paint she was using. We were in raptures as we applied the strawberry ice cream coloured paint. True to form Maxine managed to do 3 walls to my 1 (we have very different painting styles).

I hardly slept last night thinking of the mammoth task we had today and couldn't believe it when it took all day to dismantle 2 shelves and put 2 new ones together, if I ever have to assemble another Ikea shelf......

Meanwhile, Maxine was painting a second coat, the streamline machine arrived as well as a large Sirdar order, we couldn't move for the chaos and mess and it was time to pick up the kids and go back to our other lives. But only for a short while after a much needed break we returned and against all expectations have got wool on the shelves.....Things on display........... and the excellent 'MARMALADE' bunting up,LOOK ............................

Needless to say Maxine made it and all the other beautiful knitted and crocheted things on display but did I mention, I put up the shelves?

It was getting late when we decided to call it a day but couldn't resist a peep in from outside. What a day! Tomorrow, our first day of trading, better get some sleep.

10 days to go....

2009-04-09T14:32:00.000Z

Look at these cute chicks for putting Creme eggs into. I am struggling to produce one each for my children while Maxine has made 14! I am incredulously amazed, impressed and jealous but also grateful as she has given me the 2 on the right of the picture to boost my pitiful numbers.

I have been busy though, trying to line some baskets which we want to put balls of wool into.

These baskets have given me hours of headaches and I am not very satisfied with the results, I'd rather be knitting.....

or perhaps crocheting, I have been desperate to use these new hooks, only one more basket to line and I will be free.

Rowan have kindly sent us some garments for display which are beautifully knitted, especially this kidsilk haze cardi, the colours are amazing and it is so soft, we love kidsilk haze!

I am off home to Falkirk and to meet my beautiful new neice Lola Jane, who will be 4 weeks old when I see her, thus leaving Maxine to tie up all the loose ends and continue her frenzied knitting.

So I leave you with a jar:

Next time we will be proud owners of a massive stash...I mean shop.

2009-03-31T20:17:00.000Z

We love to knit and crochet and are very lucky to be taking over the wool shop in our town. Tina, the current owner is off to Australia to join her husband, one of her daughters and 2 cats who have gone ahead. Sadly, she has to leave her lovely shop which she opened 3 years ago but we have promised to look after it. We have set the date for taking over for Mon 20th April, safely after the Easter holidays and we can hardly wait.

This week has been the busiest (and most exciting) of all. Yesterday we met Annabelle our local Rowan rep and we could hardly contain ourselves, she had such lovely things but we tried hard to stick to our budget and only succumbed to a couple of extra goodies.

Today we have been to Ikea to get some shelving and pick up a few other pretty things.

Previously I have been painting old furniture to take to the shop and there are bits and pieces lurking in the garage and all over the house.

Maxine has been speed knitting and writing out her own patterns and we have been talking about so many plans for the future we can't remember them all.
We are looking forward to meeting the Patons rep tomorrow and completing an order with Sirdar.

I just need to get off the computer and do some knitting or I might be in trouble...

Watch This Space........................

2009-01-30T14:59:00.000Z

If you enjoy knitting, crochet and all lovely things handmade then watch this space for tales of a delicious new venture.