Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk
Very quick entry today as I'm going out to dinner - hark at me!
We had a King Cole delivery today so we have:
Lots of stock of Zig Zag 4ply sock yarn for all you sock addicts;
Lots of stock of Mirage - fantastic yardage makes this a really economical yarn - a great seller in the shop;
More stock of Aero;
and more of Inspire in the really popular lilac colour.
Also more patterns in Inspire, Mirage and Zig Zag.
There's also a lovely new yarn called Misty but I need to photograph it and scan in the patterns so you'll have to wait a while for that - sorry but, hey, all good things come to those who wait.
I'll drink a glass of wine for you all tonight!
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk
In answer to tinebeest's question as to what you do with that ball of gorgeousness by Mango Moon - you knit this:
and this pattern (designed by yours truly) is free with every ball.
Or - indeed - you could just display it on a glass plate from Venice or a wooden bowl from Kenya and stroke it every time you walk past it and be happy that you bought a fair trade item at Christmas time!
In answer to tinebeest's question as to what you do with that ball of gorgeousness by Mango Moon - you knit this:
and this pattern (designed by yours truly) is free with every ball.
Or - indeed - you could just display it on a glass plate from Venice or a wooden bowl from Kenya and stroke it every time you walk past it and be happy that you bought a fair trade item at Christmas time!
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk
Really busy day yesterday with the on-line orders so everyone's obviously getting geared up for their Christmas knitting - don't forget we're closed for 4 days with Christmas falling as it does so get your orders in now! The shop will be open on Christmas Eve (until about 3pm or until I've had enough, whichever comes first) and then we're shut until the 29th. Christmas Eve is usually a lovely day as we get hubbies coming in buying glorious things for their wives. Often the wives come in too and choose and then hubby will treat them to some really expensive, luxurious yarn - it's always fun.
Just to tempt you - the sari silk arrived yesterday. The skeins are slightly bigger than before - well, actually they're a heck of a lot bigger - 185 and 190g so nearly twice the size. All gorgeous and stunning colours as usual. If you need 2 skeins of similar colours then give us a ring and we'll do our best for you.
I also uploaded a couple of little bits of gorgeousness - an amazing skein of Chakra - only one, so if you fancy it, grab it now! The little stones are orange and really beautiful:
How lush is that?!!
We've also had a new colour in the sparkly knitting-in yarn - Paillettes (made by Katia so look under that brand). It's white a silver so great for all of you who want to add a silver sparkle to some white knitting - perfect for Christmas!
Remember, I did the Kid Mohair (Adriafil) and Paillettes scarf in lime green and black? Well, you could do it in the white mohair and this and it would be fantastic! 1 ball of Mohair, 2 of Paillettes, 4.5mm needles, 30 stitches - done!
I'm adding some new sock yarn on today so watch this space.
Really busy day yesterday with the on-line orders so everyone's obviously getting geared up for their Christmas knitting - don't forget we're closed for 4 days with Christmas falling as it does so get your orders in now! The shop will be open on Christmas Eve (until about 3pm or until I've had enough, whichever comes first) and then we're shut until the 29th. Christmas Eve is usually a lovely day as we get hubbies coming in buying glorious things for their wives. Often the wives come in too and choose and then hubby will treat them to some really expensive, luxurious yarn - it's always fun.
Just to tempt you - the sari silk arrived yesterday. The skeins are slightly bigger than before - well, actually they're a heck of a lot bigger - 185 and 190g so nearly twice the size. All gorgeous and stunning colours as usual. If you need 2 skeins of similar colours then give us a ring and we'll do our best for you.
I also uploaded a couple of little bits of gorgeousness - an amazing skein of Chakra - only one, so if you fancy it, grab it now! The little stones are orange and really beautiful:
How lush is that?!!
We've also had a new colour in the sparkly knitting-in yarn - Paillettes (made by Katia so look under that brand). It's white a silver so great for all of you who want to add a silver sparkle to some white knitting - perfect for Christmas!
Remember, I did the Kid Mohair (Adriafil) and Paillettes scarf in lime green and black? Well, you could do it in the white mohair and this and it would be fantastic! 1 ball of Mohair, 2 of Paillettes, 4.5mm needles, 30 stitches - done!
I'm adding some new sock yarn on today so watch this space.
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk
The shop front is nearly finished, school term has ended for G&T and I've finally found time to do some updating on the site - 3 bits of good news in just one sentence. Not sure how FB feels about G&T being at home but they got the tree today and more lights, got the turkey and got more food for the flock we now have in the bottom of the garden so we're beginning to think about Christmas.
The big news on the site is that our own brand, Wool Britannia, is now supplying wool on the cone for machine knitters! FB has been working on this for a while with a dye house in Yorkshire, which we visited a few weeks ago. Machine knitters seem to have a hard time finding wool and this is 100% British wool - which is really great news. We've started with a range of natural colours plus navy and black but the range will increase - drop us a line or an email if there's a particular colour you'd like. I can't promise anything but it's our own brand so we have more control than usual. Colours at the moment look something like this:
I've also managed to upload a whack of patterns so - new patterns in Tivoli Blizzard. Here's an example: (patterns down the left hand side of these pages, as ever)
I really like this pattern and the lime green yarn is running out fast - funny how colours come and go - lime green is so popular at the moment.
Also new pattern is Life Chunky and Aran and some nice ones for men too:
One day I might find to knit this for FB!
In the meantime, I'm knitting a simple garter stitch scarf in Mirage (1 ball, 6mm needles, 30 stitches) which is about all my brain can cope with at the moment. Garter stitch is really good therapy at times, don't you agree? Except I keep forgetting I'm doing garter stitch and I sneak in a purl row which (obviously) throws it all completely and then I have to pick it back and then I swear a bit and, suddenly, it's not such good therapy after all. Such is the life of we knitters.
The shop front is nearly finished, school term has ended for G&T and I've finally found time to do some updating on the site - 3 bits of good news in just one sentence. Not sure how FB feels about G&T being at home but they got the tree today and more lights, got the turkey and got more food for the flock we now have in the bottom of the garden so we're beginning to think about Christmas.
The big news on the site is that our own brand, Wool Britannia, is now supplying wool on the cone for machine knitters! FB has been working on this for a while with a dye house in Yorkshire, which we visited a few weeks ago. Machine knitters seem to have a hard time finding wool and this is 100% British wool - which is really great news. We've started with a range of natural colours plus navy and black but the range will increase - drop us a line or an email if there's a particular colour you'd like. I can't promise anything but it's our own brand so we have more control than usual. Colours at the moment look something like this:
I've also managed to upload a whack of patterns so - new patterns in Tivoli Blizzard. Here's an example: (patterns down the left hand side of these pages, as ever)
I really like this pattern and the lime green yarn is running out fast - funny how colours come and go - lime green is so popular at the moment.
Also new pattern is Life Chunky and Aran and some nice ones for men too:
One day I might find to knit this for FB!
In the meantime, I'm knitting a simple garter stitch scarf in Mirage (1 ball, 6mm needles, 30 stitches) which is about all my brain can cope with at the moment. Garter stitch is really good therapy at times, don't you agree? Except I keep forgetting I'm doing garter stitch and I sneak in a purl row which (obviously) throws it all completely and then I have to pick it back and then I swear a bit and, suddenly, it's not such good therapy after all. Such is the life of we knitters.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Woman's Hour
Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk
I was on Woman's Hour on Radio 4 this morning!!
Actually it was a re-run of a piece we did about Cornish Organic Wool nearly two years ago and then they did a quick update at the end about progress we've made since then. At the time of the original piece we only had cream wool as we hadn't found organically certified dyes which reached Soil Association standards. Shortly after recording the piece, we found the dyes we needed so have been selling dyed wool for some time now.
I well remember the first experimental batches we did when the sample pots of dye came in - on the Aga in my precious preserving pan which, funnily enough, has now disappeared into the dye house (a converted goat house on the end of our kitchen). FB still uses it for test batches. If we get the dye levels absolutely right, the water at the end of the process is completely clear and it was so exciting to pull back the skeins and see what colour the water was!
Following the original broadcast there was a discussion in the studio with Lee Holdstock from the Soil Assocation and Lucy Siegle, well known eco journalist at which there were some digs at some well known department stores! This was missed out today but you can find the link to listen again, if you're interested - here and you can hear what I sound like (always awful listening to yourself).
It's funny how time moves on though as we have had more hits on our Cornish Organic Wool site today than we did after the first broadcast. I like to think it's because people are more environmentally aware now (FB and I have always been ahead of the times!) and also people are beginning to think more about where products come from. It can only be a good sign.
In the meantime I'm still awaiting the arrival of Sari Silk and Chakra (both Fair Trade yarns) so watch this space and make sure we make our organic and fairtrade contribution this Christmas.
I was on Woman's Hour on Radio 4 this morning!!
Actually it was a re-run of a piece we did about Cornish Organic Wool nearly two years ago and then they did a quick update at the end about progress we've made since then. At the time of the original piece we only had cream wool as we hadn't found organically certified dyes which reached Soil Association standards. Shortly after recording the piece, we found the dyes we needed so have been selling dyed wool for some time now.
I well remember the first experimental batches we did when the sample pots of dye came in - on the Aga in my precious preserving pan which, funnily enough, has now disappeared into the dye house (a converted goat house on the end of our kitchen). FB still uses it for test batches. If we get the dye levels absolutely right, the water at the end of the process is completely clear and it was so exciting to pull back the skeins and see what colour the water was!
Following the original broadcast there was a discussion in the studio with Lee Holdstock from the Soil Assocation and Lucy Siegle, well known eco journalist at which there were some digs at some well known department stores! This was missed out today but you can find the link to listen again, if you're interested - here and you can hear what I sound like (always awful listening to yourself).
It's funny how time moves on though as we have had more hits on our Cornish Organic Wool site today than we did after the first broadcast. I like to think it's because people are more environmentally aware now (FB and I have always been ahead of the times!) and also people are beginning to think more about where products come from. It can only be a good sign.
In the meantime I'm still awaiting the arrival of Sari Silk and Chakra (both Fair Trade yarns) so watch this space and make sure we make our organic and fairtrade contribution this Christmas.
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Wool Shop Question of the Week
Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk
At some time or other my guess is that most of us have bought a pattern (or pattern book), gaily started knitting and then realised there's a mistake in the pattern. Do you:
1) curse a little, fiddle around and try and work out the pattern yourself;
2) curse rather a lot and come back to your LYS and try and work out the pattern with the shop staff;
3) curse rather a lot, attempt to fix with shop staff, all admit defeat and then refer to the pattern supplier;
or 4) phone your LYS (in this case Knit Wits) very angry, accuse the shop of selling "faulty goods" and demand compensation. Then come into the shop, work out the pattern, complete the garment but still demand compensation. LYS owner (in this case, me) phones the designer (who confirms correction to pattern). Designer then phones publisher of book which printed the pattern and publisher sends a different knitting book (worth £20) as compensation and promises free copy of second edition of original book (worth £13), due for re-printing soon. Then write to LYS accusing shop of selling "faulty goods" under various Consumer Acts and threaten Trading Standards.
Answers on a postcard please.
PS: Customer didn't even buy wool from LYS but from local "cheap" shop selling "cheap" wool.
At some time or other my guess is that most of us have bought a pattern (or pattern book), gaily started knitting and then realised there's a mistake in the pattern. Do you:
1) curse a little, fiddle around and try and work out the pattern yourself;
2) curse rather a lot and come back to your LYS and try and work out the pattern with the shop staff;
3) curse rather a lot, attempt to fix with shop staff, all admit defeat and then refer to the pattern supplier;
or 4) phone your LYS (in this case Knit Wits) very angry, accuse the shop of selling "faulty goods" and demand compensation. Then come into the shop, work out the pattern, complete the garment but still demand compensation. LYS owner (in this case, me) phones the designer (who confirms correction to pattern). Designer then phones publisher of book which printed the pattern and publisher sends a different knitting book (worth £20) as compensation and promises free copy of second edition of original book (worth £13), due for re-printing soon. Then write to LYS accusing shop of selling "faulty goods" under various Consumer Acts and threaten Trading Standards.
Answers on a postcard please.
PS: Customer didn't even buy wool from LYS but from local "cheap" shop selling "cheap" wool.
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk
Dear Blog
It's been 18 days since my last confession - (sorry) - entry so where on earth have I been and what have I been up to? Lazing on a sunny beach? - ha! On my bed of pain? - fortunately, no.
Actually, I've been working on "something else" which cannot be discussed as yet but has been taking up hours and hours and days of my time - so, apologies one and all. It's to be hoped that normal service will now resume but I've discovered that I've lost the ability to type fast so some letter sar egettin gmudldled up. Which is irritating and is wasting my time - which is more irritating.
Marie and Tracey have been womanfully manning things and I think I've got the "heads up" on what's been coming and going.
I note that my last blog entry mentioned new colours in Marble Chunky and - hey - we had another delivery yesterday so I guess that just shows how quickly it shoots off our shelves. It's a really fantastic yarn and, maybe, who knows - one day I may find the time to knit something out of it for myself.
We had a new delivery in from Katia today - more Paillettes - which has been very popular for those pre-Christmas scarves and one more colour to add so watch this space.
I'm awaiting deliveries of Chakra and Sari Silk for thos essentila (see - my fingers are doing it again) - Christmas gifts or stocking fillers.
My shop front is nearly finisehd! (look - again - brain thinks, fingers don't compute and I used to be a champion speed typist I'll have you know) - We had a minor panic (possibly major for the builder) when the electricity mains had to be moved and he wasn't sure if the mains ran under the new shop front or the new door. Luckily for him, it ran right under our new door! The new Victorian-look tiles didn't "go off" when they should have done which caused a bit of a problem and the blind hasn't arrived, nor have the new window lights or the new door mat - but, you know, we're nearly there! And it's so much lighter and everyone says how smart it is so I'm really pleased - pics to follow soon.
I now have an hour to scan in a load of patterns while FB is helping to coach T's rugby team - they won on Sunday and he played fantastically - very proud Mum! G has GCSE mocks at the moment - grim.
I'll try and get new patterns on soon, pics of shop and I won't be so long between posts, honest. And I wasn't on a sunny beach - I really wasn't!
Dear Blog
It's been 18 days since my last confession - (sorry) - entry so where on earth have I been and what have I been up to? Lazing on a sunny beach? - ha! On my bed of pain? - fortunately, no.
Actually, I've been working on "something else" which cannot be discussed as yet but has been taking up hours and hours and days of my time - so, apologies one and all. It's to be hoped that normal service will now resume but I've discovered that I've lost the ability to type fast so some letter sar egettin gmudldled up. Which is irritating and is wasting my time - which is more irritating.
Marie and Tracey have been womanfully manning things and I think I've got the "heads up" on what's been coming and going.
I note that my last blog entry mentioned new colours in Marble Chunky and - hey - we had another delivery yesterday so I guess that just shows how quickly it shoots off our shelves. It's a really fantastic yarn and, maybe, who knows - one day I may find the time to knit something out of it for myself.
We had a new delivery in from Katia today - more Paillettes - which has been very popular for those pre-Christmas scarves and one more colour to add so watch this space.
I'm awaiting deliveries of Chakra and Sari Silk for thos essentila (see - my fingers are doing it again) - Christmas gifts or stocking fillers.
My shop front is nearly finisehd! (look - again - brain thinks, fingers don't compute and I used to be a champion speed typist I'll have you know) - We had a minor panic (possibly major for the builder) when the electricity mains had to be moved and he wasn't sure if the mains ran under the new shop front or the new door. Luckily for him, it ran right under our new door! The new Victorian-look tiles didn't "go off" when they should have done which caused a bit of a problem and the blind hasn't arrived, nor have the new window lights or the new door mat - but, you know, we're nearly there! And it's so much lighter and everyone says how smart it is so I'm really pleased - pics to follow soon.
I now have an hour to scan in a load of patterns while FB is helping to coach T's rugby team - they won on Sunday and he played fantastically - very proud Mum! G has GCSE mocks at the moment - grim.
I'll try and get new patterns on soon, pics of shop and I won't be so long between posts, honest. And I wasn't on a sunny beach - I really wasn't!
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