Monday 13 July 2015

Building the studio

This year Rachel Coopey and I decided to add on a little extra to our TNNA visit. We decided to go to Squam. It has always been a dream of mine since I read about it on the Soulemama blog.
It was everything I dreamed it would be, it was a creative and spiritual haven, we both found it really inspiring. I took two classes, two very different classes, one was called Turn the page, which was very special for me, I was quite nervous about it really, but I didn't need to be, our teacher Colleen was a treasure, and I relished the chance to do something very different.

The other class I took was Tools with Terri, this was a super duper class which basically gave me the chance to try out and learn how to use tools, tools which I had always wanted to use, but needed a little confidence to try. Terri's house is amazing, her workshop is amazing, I left completely inspired.

Last Thursday I bit the bullet and bought a mitre saw and some sanders, set it all up, and made a little project to get me started.. ridiculously simple, but it was enough to satisfy the craving, get used to the machinery, and get going...


You might at this point think what the hell does this have to do with knitting? Well its sort of does lol!

So, in my new house I work at the kitchen table, as you can imagine, there is yarn everywhere, infact as I look now, there is yarn, notes, a chunky hat, a sweater, some swatches, its a mess and I'll have to eat dinner on the sofa again.. so I need a new space to work, especially since soon Lottieknits will be working with me pretty much full time, which is super exciting and so we need a nice space to work in, plus if we have visitors we need to have somewhere they can come for meetings, and lets be honest, I just need to keep my kitchen tidy!

SO above the garage was a room, all painted grey and black, we painted it white and all the woodwork a beach blue, and its gorgeous. To match this theme I wanted beach wood looking furniture, and having a budget of zero, I thought I had better have a go at making some. We need shelves/cubby holes to put things in, so I looked on pinterest and found something super simple to construct.. and then I made these:


They are pretty basic, BUT they are perfect for putting patterns and books in for now. Next project is to make some storage for under the gridwalling, but these need doors and hinges so need a bit more planning... but I can feel the call of the saws... ;)


Friday 3 July 2015

Carol Feller Knitalong in Cumulus


We are very excited to be working with Carol Feller on her yearly knit along which this year is using Cumulus.


What's the advantage as a yarn shop to take part in this?

1. We are offering a incentive to stock Cumulus for this knit along
2. You can preorder exactly what you need for the signups you have got.
3. The knit along is fully supported by Carol, and you get a kit of materials to use in your shop to help the knit along.
4. Its a great way to try a new yarn and for your customers to knit something beautiful at a great price.
5. Carol will list you as a potential stockist when you sign up.


This beautiful sweater  is very economical in the yarn quantities, and gives you as a shop owner an opportunity to try Cumulus if you haven't tried it before.

This is the first time Carol is working alongside yarn shops for one of her hugely popular knit-alongs, and we are really pleased to be part of it.





How does it work for you as a yarn shop?
Carol has been running her highly popular sweater knit-alongs  (KALs) for several years, giving knitter’s the tools they need to produce a fantastic looking sweater. Carol’s KALs are a wonderful way to learn new skills, make new knitting friends, and support your business in growing an engaged community of knitters. 

To begin with the KAL is put on pre-sale a month before the first clue to allow knitters to gather their yarn and swatch. This is an opportunity for you to join the excitement and offer your knitters something exciting to work on together. When you sign up as an official retailer, you will receive a number of codes for the digital version of the pattern (at a wholesale price) that you can sell to your customers. We (Fyberspates) supply you with recommended yarn Cumulus, please email us for more details on fyberspates @ btinternet.com.  

Then the KAL consists of as a series of 4 clues, with one released every 2 weeks. Each clue contains the next part of the pattern, a section on modification tips, and links to online tutorials for any tricky sections. This material will be available to share on your own channels such as Facebook and Carol will be sending a retailers newsletter to help you support customers with each clue and find materials you might need. 


For previous KAL details and more information, please visit here (http://www.stolenstitches.com/kal/)

If you would like to take part in this exciting project with is, please email me on fyberspates @ btinternet.com

Jeni x