Autumn

The highlight of the autumn so far has been my first time as an exhibitor at Yarndale. The weather was perfect and although the journey up took longer than I had expected I found the venue without any trouble and got checked in quickly and ready to set up. Unfortunately the cable ties I had bought to secure my gridwall panels to the pen bars were too short, but I improvised with the trusty bits of useful rope that we keep in the boot of the car and got everything lashed in place. After an early start the next morning, I was all ready to trade when the show opened. Here's the stand.

I was pleased to find that the space was a bit bigger than I had envisaged - usually it's the other way round - bur the floor looked a bit bare, so next year I'll take a rug to make it a bit more homely and welcoming. That being said, after the first hour or so I was busy all day and was stunned at the end of the day to find that I'd taken more than I'd expect for an average entire show!

I was delighted to meet up with Valerie Bracegirdle,  agrarian artisanwho has used my yarn in several of her designs and lent me her sample of a simple crochet scarf to promote my yarn and the accompanying pattern. Needless to say the packs of 20g mini skeins sold out almost immediately and the scarf attracted a lot of interest all over the weekend. As a result I'm going to add more packs and "loose" 20g skeins to my inventory, so look out for these in the shop!

  
Sunday was quieter, but still pretty busy, and overall I had a great show. I treated myself to some John Arbon "Knit by Numbers" to make a mitred squares "gradient" blanket,

but apart from that I didn't really get the opportunity to look round much at all.  I did see some of the ladies I know from Knitting and Crochet Guild, who were manning the Guild stand and providing a very popular skein winding service, plus several people I've "met" online stopped by to introduce themselves which I appreciated. It was nice to relax in front of "Downton Abbey" when I got back to my hotel after packing up and I'd love to do it all again next year.

Now I'm focusing on my next show, which is November's Festiwool in Hitchin. A new delivery of yarn is coming this week and I've made a list of colours to start dyeing. Plus I'm at St Alban's Farmers market next weekend.      

Summer

Since my last post, where I anticipated having a bit of a rest, I've actually been quite busy!

I had an exam for my Open University course (Maths and Stats degree) in June and now that's out of the way, I'm feeling slightly less stressed. I've only got three more courses to do, so the end's in sight now and I've got way too far ahead to give up, although when I'm up against assignment deadlines I do some times wonder why I started it in the first place! Only a passing thought though - I enjoy having my brain exercised and the course has been full of so much interesting stuff.

Last weekend I went to the Knitting and Crochet Guild convention in Sheffield, plus an open day at the Guild collection, which is based nearby in Holmfirth. We got to see some outstanding pieces of historic knitting and crochet from the collection and some highlights from their pattern archive.  I didn't take as many pictures as I should have done, but one piece that I found very inspiring was a fair isle style slipover in a lattice pattern. I took a picture of the pattern and think it would look great used on a cushion or some other decorative textile.

      The first step will be to get the pattern onto squared paper and then the fun bit of swatching and planning!

I'm at a local show on Sunday (12th) at Southridge RSPCA centre - I'll be putting up a gazebo for the first time, which should be fun! Then I'll be having a break in August, although the online shop will still be open, and back to busy in September.

Designs featuring my yarn are going to be in issues 69 and 70 of Inside Crochet magazine, so I'm looking forward to seeing that. There'll be a "10% discount code" on my ad for those issues - so do look out for it and grab a bargain.

Finally - I'll be at Yarndale at the end of September. I've made a list of all the colours I'd like to have ready by then and it's a lot, so August will be give over to dyeing!  

Spring Shows

Since I last posted I've had two shows - Wonderwool Wales and Iknit Fandango and I've now got time to pause and reflect.

Wonderwool last year was a little quiet, for everyone and not just me, so it made me think about what I could do to enhance my display and make my stand more attractive. I sketched out some plans on the back of the proverbial envelope and the end result was that I invested in some gridwall panels so that the yarn is hanging up rather than just being stacked in baskets, devised some better labeling, made some samples and added some props to make the stand more "homely" like a rug and some chairs to make it more inviting as a space to step into. Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera with me, so I couldn't add a picture here of the  finished effect, but I had my best level of sales yet at the show, so it must have been effective! I stayed at an absolutely delightful B&B too, so the whole weekend was a pleasure and I'm looking forward to next year already.

Just a few weeks later came Iknit Fandango in central London and after some intensive dyeing, I was ready for that! I did remember my camera this time, so here's a few pictures of the stand.

  
The venue was great - it had a glass roof and so much natural light, ideal for seeing the yarn and so many customers commented on it. It could have been a little busier from a sales point of view, but I loved being able to come in on the train and as it was fairly local to me, I met up with so many people I knew already from my Guild group, farmers markets and customers who had been to Unravel in February, so the weekend was as much social as business!

My next show isn't until Yarndale in September, so I can draw breath a bit now, although I do have some orders and my yarn club dyeing to do. It will be nice to do some knitting and crochet of my own too - I started a CAL on ravelry and have only done three motifs so far while other people have finished!

 

September update

Now that the dust has settled a bit, I can update with what has been happening in September.

Things have been overshadowed by the death of my brother-in-law after a short illness. Sadly he had undiagnosed lung cancer and by the time he got any treatment, there was nothing anyone could do. RIP Michael.

Although we have mainly been occupied with organising the funeral and now clearing his house, I have been to a couple of my usual Farmer's markets (Harpenden and St Albans) and have dyed the first instalment on my yarn club. I'm trying a different approach this year and, instead of doing a selection of colours, I'm dyeing five toning shades, so that they can be used in a project together. The first instalment was blues, and there's a spare set for sale in the shop - picture here:

I also attended a workshop last weekend on victorian style knitted lace run by the Knitting and Crochet Guild - it was so interesting to learn a new skill. I had seen in books how very fine steel needles were used and it took some getting used to - my hands ached after the session, as the needles (1.25mm) were so much thinner than those I'm used to! However, the lace you can make is lovely - crochet cotton is used for yarn - and makes beautiful edgings and trimmings as well as small gift items.

I'm starting a new market next weekend at Ware, run by Artisans of Ware www.artisansof.co.uk and am looking forward to it. It's indoors and a late morning start, which is a bonus!

Fibre East 2013

I'm just begining to recover from a busy weekend at Fibre East. The bags are unpacked and the banking is done, so it's time to review.

Firstly, I like the new venue as I can drive there in just under an hour and so didn't need to stay over and it was easy to find and park etc. I was in one of the marquees, but as they were on hard standing there was no tramping about in mud and there was penty of room for everyone to get round and see the stands. There was heavy rain overnight on the Saturday and some water did run through, but I and the people nearby had the put everything up off the ground or in plastic storage boxes, so no damage. Other weren't so lucky and had stuff in cardboard get damp.

I set up on the Friday afternoon, so I wouldn't be in a rush on Saturday morning and would be all ready for the customers when the show opened.  The only thing that struck me was that there were many different rooms and it did take a while for everyone to filter through and I'm not sure that everyone got round it all. My sales were actually down on last year by about a third, which is of course the bottom line and I was a bit disappointed. I did think that I would be up on last year as the weather was so bad then that people must have been put off attending. Saturday was busier than Sunday by a long way. Many of the other traders I spoke to had the same experience.

It must be difficult to find a venue where you can get so many traders under one roof though as at Wonderwool Wales and I think people will get more used to the school's setup for next year.

However, I don't want to sound as if it was a negative experience - I enjoyed the weekend, met some great people, stallholders as well as customers, and was very impressed with the efficiency and good humour of the stewards, not to mention the bathroom facilities!   

Here's some pictures of my stand and I've added the bolero pattern to my Ravelry store (I'm AnneWillow there):

Knitting & Crochet Guild Convention

I've just got back from our convention weekend in Derby - what a great time! There was so much to do and every moment had an activity, workshop or talk.

We stayed in the Hallmark Hotel, which was so convenient as it was just two minutes walk from the station. I decided to go by train this year and I'm glad I did. It was the hottest weekend of the year so far and it would have been quite an ordeal to have driven up and back. I don't do well in heat - I'm more of a winter person and love snow!

Fortunately the conference room we were using was air conditioned and comfortable. It was great to meet people I already knew and to get get chatting with new people too. I did a workshop on hairpin crochet - a new technique for me, which was interesting. I'm glad I tried it, but it's probably not for me although you can make some beautiful fabric with it. As well as workshops there were interesting talks on aspects of the Guild's collections of patterns and garments, plus two outside speakers on (loosely) knitting related topics (ceramic tile designs and the olympics sports clothing). I enjoyed these - I don't think the weekend should be exclusively focused on technical details of knitting & crochet, although those are of course the main interest of the members.

We also had an exhibition of items from the collection called "in the nursery" focusing on children's wear, shawls and toys. some very old and all beautifully worked and inspiring.

Last, but not least, was the "show and tell" session, where members brought an item they had made and told everyone how they had made it and then passed it round for everyone to see and feel.    

I'm all unpacked now and can get back to getting ready for Fibre East. I'll dye the last batch of yarn tomorrow and then start getting my checklist of things I need to take with me up to date. At least, as I'll be commutng this year it won't be a disaster if I forget something initially.

July update

July already and I'm getting ready for a weekend away in Derby for the Knitting and Crochet Guild convention and AGM. It should be most enjoyable - workshops, talks, a show and tell and plenty of knitting and crochet chat, all in a plush hotel. I would have liked a pool too, to get a swim in before breakfast, but that's just me being picky!

Then in two weeks' time, there's Fibre East. With the change of venue, I can now commute from home in under an hour, so no need to stay over anywhere. Both hotels in the nearest town had terrible reviews on tripadvisor, and I mean terrible - you'd be better off sleeping in the car than staying there -  so I think I've dodged a bullet! I've been dyeing plenty and have just got one more colour to go. As ever I would like to have done more, but I think you just have to stop and make do with what you have. No-one will know what I haven't brought anyway.

I'm taking a new colour, Storm, that went well at Wonderwool, picured here. One skein is in the Etsy shop and I've got four more of a new dyelot to take with me to Fibre East.

There's been a lot of talk on Ravelry about theft at shows, both of stock (yarn and kits) and even a display shawl. I know people will steal anything, but it's very hard on small businesses where losses have a high impact on profit and it seems very personal. I know I'll be keeping an eagle eye on my yarn. From doing the markets, you do get a "nose" for people who don't seem "right". I always make sure I engage with them as soon as they come to the stand and never leave them unattended. They usually get the message and clear off. I had a scarf stolen at St. Alban's a few years ago, when I did let myself get distracted by another customer - never again! I started my working life in Selfridges department store and the training I got there has always stood me in good stead.    

And, yes, even as late as the seventies, it was pretty much like the TV show!

June Update

As usual, lack of blogging here means that I've been very busy!

June at St Alban's was, like May, reasonably busy after a quiet start. I didn't sell any of my cushions, new or older, which is a shame as they're fun to make, but I can't spend time making something that doesn't sell well. I did sell three of my cotton scarves though, so I'll have to get going on replacing them for September. I've put the remainder in my etsy shop until then, but so far not many people have even looked at them. I often find this - things that sell well at the markets just sit on etsy and vice versa!

I've started dyeing for Fibre East now and have done a couple of solid colours so far -cranberry red and duck egg (a pale turquoise). I'm dyeing the variegated ones next week to replace those that have sold out. I rather over-estimated how much I would sell at Wonderwool, so I've got a reasonable range already put by. The mini skeins went well ,so I'll try and build up a stock of them.

I went to the Kaffe Fasset exhibition "A life in Colour" last week as a birthday treat for my mum. It was truly inspiring. I hadn't realised that he also quilted and his use of colour is what really sets him apart. I would like to quilt, but I just need more hours in the day to do everything! I have seen his books on knitting and tapestry, but to see the items "in the flesh" and close up was wonderful. I will have to get my tapestry out again! How lovely for him to spend his life doing something that he finds such a pleasure - something to reflect on for us all.

I also went to Hampton Court for a day out with my husband, I loved how the tudor and later parts of the building meshed together. it was so big, it must have been like a self-contained village when it was operating as a palace. Sadly it was too windy and cold to look round the gardens too, but they alone would take a full day - we will have to go again to see them.

Back to winding and skeining silk now!  

Fibre East is coming

Still cold and almost wintery here, but my next parcel of silk has arrived from India and I'm getting ready to start dyeing for Fibre East at the end of July.

Mainly I'll be doing some old favourites, that I sold out of at Wonderwool, but I've got a couple of new colour combinations running around my head, that I'll be trying out, plus some other colours that customers asked for.

I've also got St. Alban's Farmers' market in June (9th) to make some stock for - I've got a couple of new cushions to take, plus I'm trying to get some more colours in my cotton scarves finished. As usual the "summer" is upon me before I'm really ready!

I'll be away from the market in July and August, so I should really think about getting stock ready for Christmas!

In the meantime, I'm going to the Kaffe Fasset exhibition in June with my mum as her birthday treat - we're both looking forward to that, it should be so inspiring.

October update

Wow - October already! Things have been very busy - which is good - but the blog has been sadly neglected.

I've been busy dyeing and am now on the second instalment of my mini-skeins yarn club. There aren't as many members as I'd initially hoped, but those that are in the club have been very positive and it's a good opportunity to try out some new colorways. I dye two or three large skeins at the same time as I dye the mini skeins and those that are popular, I'll bring into my standard rotation of colors -there's a couple already that I think will be a hit, plus a couple of custom colors that can be added too.

I'm off to the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace tomorrow, where I'll be helping on the Knitting and Crochet Guild stand for the morning and then get a couple of hours to look round. I still haven't made up everything I bought last year, so I'll have to try to be restrained - not easy when there's so much good stuff there!  

On Sunday I'm at St Alban's farmers market - fingers crossed for good weather. We've got much more autumnal weather now and I just hope that it doesn't rain. A cold bright day would be lovely! I'm taking my yarn too as there was a lot of interest in it last month. People were talking about Christmas presents last month, so I'm hoping they'll start buying now!

Getting There!

Saturday at the Knitting & Crochet Guild AGM was a good day - it meant an early start to catch the train to Birmingham, but it was so nice to see people I had not seen since last year and the day was full of interesting stuff. I enjoyed seeing other people's work at the show and tell, although it was a little daunting to be first up in making my presentation. There was also a talk on the Guild's vintage pattern collection and I have been inspired to have a look at one from my own, very small, collection to see if it could be updated to fit me. I'm a good bit bigger than their model!

Well, St Alban's farmers market was as wet as I'd feared it would be, but I did sell a few bits and managed to get home in time to watch the tennis, so not a bad day. Managed to get the wet stock dried out overnight!   

I've just got to add pictures to my bolero pattern and it will be ready to print. Here's the front view:

And finally - I was contacted by Knit Now magazine recently and they're featuring my yarn in their issue out on August 23rd. How exciting!
  

July update

I'm still working hard and getting ready for Fibre East. I've finished dyeing now and am very pleased with the final batch of "mixed blues" that is now dry and ready to be re-skeined and labelled. I've decided to call it "cornflowers".

All the labelling and re-skeining is taking a long time, but I've still got about 10 days to go and I can sort of watch the tennis while I'm doing it!

I've got a day off on Saturday to go to Birmingham for the Knitting & Crochet Guild AGM - it's an early start, but I enjoy the train journey and of course, I'll be taking some knitting with me to be getting on with. The day starts at 11.30 with a "show and tell" session, where members can show off their projects. I'm taking a scarf worked on the diagonal with self-striping yarn. It's an interesting technique and the yarn makes for an effective pattern.

On Sunday I'm at St Alban's farmers market - hoping for a rain-free day, which may be a tall order this summer, a busy morning and an early finish so I can get home and watch the tennis final!