So Long, Farewell.....

Ahhh, that was fun. Not just yesterday's sale, but the whole year.

We launched Posh Yarn on April 16th, and it's been one mad party (with the odd tear thrown in, because no self respecting party is without some tears) ever since.

Tomorrow the website will close for the holiday break, and re-open in the first week of January. I'm going home, to spend some time with my family, and I can't wait. I'm looking forward to switching off, chilling out, and being pampered and spoiled.

But, I must confess, I'm going to miss you all. I've got to know so many of you over the last few months, and many of my customers have become good friends. Checking here to read your comments, and reading your emails are always the highlights of my day. Absence will make the heart grow fonder.

So, all that remains for me to do is to thank you for your support and company over the last year, and tell you how much I'm looking forward to seeing you in the new one. 2007, here we come!

December 21st, 2006 | |

The Year of the Sock.....

So, 2006 is drawing to a close. Almost a year ago, it was declared the year of the sock, and how true that turned out to be. Our sock yarn sales are way ahead of all our other yarns, although lace weight is definitely gaining in popularity. The Sock Club was one of our outstanding successes this year, and I'm looking forward to lots of you joining us next year, because we have so much fun with the club.

As I've mentioned before, there will be a few changes to Posh Yarn for 2007. But rest assured, the only change for our sock yarn, is more, more, more. More quantity, more shades, more types. I love knitting socks, I love dyeing yarn for socks, and apparently, you love buying yarn for socks! We have a match made in heaven, don't you think?

I'm using this week's sale to try out a new sock yarn. We only have a small quantity, and I'm waiting for your feedback before deciding whether to get more. It's called Emily, and is 80% lamsbwool, 10% angora, 10% cashmere. It is superbly soft, and looks like it will knit up into fabulous socks. Each 100g skein has 400 yards of yarn, and I would recommend 3.5mm needles for it. Whoever gets this yarn, do send me your feedback!

So, as always, the sale goes live at 5pm tomorrow. The sale preview is now up, so do have a browse around at your leisure. Since we are so close to Christmas, and post is now delayed, we will be sending all orers over £50 by Special Delivery (free of charge) to guarantee delivery before Christmas. Sadly, this only applies to UK buyers. But even if you didn't get your yarn in time for the holidays, what better way to start off 2007 than with a little piece of cashmere heaven?!

December 20th, 2006 | |

Technicolor.....

Do not adjust your sets. This week One Off Wednesday sale is a burst of colour. Some might feel that drabber, darker colours are more seasonal, but I'm inclined to think that bright colours are even more important in the dark days of winter than they are in summer.

And I think Nature agrees with me. This morning I awoke to a pre-sunrise sky that was brilliant crimson, an awe inspiring sight, especially contrasted against the fields that were silvery with frost. It was perfection.

So, this week's yarn is completely Technicoloured. Yes, there will be soft pastels, yes, there will be muted, masculine, muted tones. But more than anything else, there will be glorious, heart lifting colour. And you'll be able to see it in all its glory (as a sale preview), either later today, or early tomorrow.

December 19th, 2006 | |

Preparation.....

Whew, this is going to be a bi-i-i-ig week. I think we went a little nutty when it came to dyeing yarn for this week's sale, because when we got all the skeins together in a pile, well, let's just say we're talking Mt Everest in cashmere.

So, much labelling, photographing, listing, packing work ahead of me this week. Plus I'm still working on the new website (any features you'd like to see changed/added/removed?), and trying to get things ready to go home to my family next weekend, and spend a week with them.

So, much preparation was needed for today's workload. I've had a triple espresso (and now I'm twitching like a Mexican jumping bean), I've stoked up the woodburner (because it is freezing here today), I've got jaunty music on the CD player, and I'm wearing my comfiest sweats (which consist of an 'Oy with the poodles already' tee and floor sweeping yoga pants). I'm ready. I'm set. I'm good to go.

I'm gone.

December 18th, 2006 | |

Good Stuff.....

Do you remember this lovely Icarus shawl, knitted by Judith from our Cecilia cobweb weight yarn? Well, Miriam Felton, who designed this shawl, as well as other classic patterns, such as Seraphim, has made these patterns available through Hipknits. I'm seriously thinking of asking Mama to knit me one of these - she has more time and patience than I do, and loves knitting shawls, but won't wear them herself. That Mountain Peaks shawl would be to die for in Sophia 2ply.

Or maybe Seraphim in Eva 2ply. Or Icarus in Cecilia. Ok, I want them all. How greedy do you think a daughter can get away with being?

..........................

Well, that To-Do list has conceded defeat in the face of my determination. Every outstanding order is finished, all of the parcels are on their way. Next week, we'll be cramming in a big last minute sale, and offering free Special Delivery on all UK purchases over £50, to guarantee that your yarn will get to you before Christmas.

Then, on December 22nd, the Posh Yarn site will be shutting down for the holidays. And when we return in the New Year, it will be with the new and improved Posh Yarn. The site re-design, which I've been squeezing in ten minutes on, here and there, is looking so good. I can't wait for you all to see it. Or to tell you about our plans for 2007. I think it's going to be a Posh Year.

December 15th, 2006 | |

Swings & Roundabouts.....

Isn't it weird how your mood can change, suddenly, and for no apparent reason? How you can be crabby and blue for a week, and nothing lifts you out of it, not all the positive thinking, all the shoe shopping, all the chocolate consumption.

Then one morning you wake up, and the black cloud has lifted. And the pile of work that has been weighing you down for days suddenly seems like an exciting challenge, and the rain outside makes the perfect backdrop for hot chocolate and Billie Holliday, and you find yourself smiling, even though there's nothing obvious to smile about.

It almost makes the occasional black cloud worth it, just to remind you how lovely the sun is when it breaks through.

December 14th, 2006 | |

Stop the Clock.....

No time for chit-chat today! Sale page is still a work in progress. A pretty work in progress. It would have been ready by now, but I have to interrupt the photographing to go and pick up a new car.

I'm still aiming to get a preview page up before sale time (which is at 5pm GMT, as usual). If you subscribe to our newsletter, you'll be notified as soon as it goes live.

That's all!

December 13th, 2006 | |

Where's My Paper Bag.....

Ok, things are getting a little manic around here. What with orders, sale yarn, packages, new stock coming in, website redesign, an urgent wholesale order, and a million other things on the to-do list, there aren't enough minutes in the day, or days left before Christmas. (deep breaths, calming thoughts)

We've closed orders for the time being - if you ordered yarn now we wouldn't be able to get it to you until the New Year anyway, and there's all kinds of changes planned for Posh Yarn in 2007. But there is still lots of yarn available between now and Christmas, on One Off Wednesday. We have lots of pure cashmere and cashmere/silk this week - it feels like the right time to pile on the luxury.

There will be a preview of tomorrow's sale page, but not today as planned (unless I turn supersonic in the next hour). It will be as early as possible tomorrow. Watch this space for that.

Anything else? Oh yes, if you are running short of last minute gift ideas, why not send someone one of our Gift Vouchers? You can send one of those right up until closing time on December 22nd.

No more talking, must get doing! That To-Do list will get shorter today, it will, it will!

December 12th, 2006 | |

Let's Play Pollyanna.....

Things I am currently grateful for:

December 11th, 2006 | |

UPDATE.....

And all's well that ends well....... Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Play It Again, Sam.....

So, the eagle eyed among you will have already spotted that the sale page has been updated so that you can browse through the yarn at leisure, before the sale actually begins. I think it's a good idea; it gives you all a chance to consider what's on offer without the pressure of the sale speed. What do you think?

The sale time is still tentatively planned for 5pm today. I say tentative, because I'm still waiting to hear back from the software guy. If there's any risk of it going wrong again, I'll have to hold the sale back. I don't think I could bear it if it all went flop-bot again. So, I'll update you all later, on the blog and by newsletter, once I know for sure what's happening. In the meantime, look, but don't touch.

Man, this blog has been so boring/depressing this week. We'll do better next week, I promise!

December 8th, 2006 | |

Deja Vue.....

Well, what can I say? First of all, a thousand apologies. I know that this is disappointing and frustrating for you, as well as for me. I was assured, and had no doubts, that the checkout software was working smoothly, otherwise I would not have gone ahead with the sale yesterday. But I'm not explaining very clearly here, am I. Let me try again.

Our checkout software has been designed to cope with large numbers of shoppers all trying to buy the same items at the same moment. But there have always been glitches with it. One of them was that if you tried to checkout with an item that someone else had already bought, the software would remove the item, but not the cost. So your basket total would be wrong. Not good. So I wanted to make sure that that was fixed before this week's sale. And we thought it was fixed, and that all the bugs were ironed out. Apparently not.

As lots of you experienced, as fast as you put items into your basket, the software emptied them back out again. A few orders went through, but the majority were coming through blank. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire.

The main problem is this: I'm not a techie. I know nothing about software design, and very little about coding. If someone assures me that a programme is fully tested and will work, I have to trust that. It's not like I have any alternative.

And hey, this sort of thing is part of being in business. Computers crash, software fails, emails bounce. I'm just so sorry - more than I can tell you - that you are the ones that get caught in the middle of it.

And I want to thank you all for your messages of support and encouragement. I only had one sad email, telling me that they were thoroughly fed-up with all these hiccups, and would not be coming back (and I didn't blame her at all for feeling that way). But that was way outnumbered by all the comments and emails I received telling me not to stress, that you understood, that you would continue to be patient and supportive.

I can't thank you all enough for that. You guys make it all worthwhile.

December 7th, 2006 | |

URGENT UPDATE.....

I can't quite believe this is happening, but the shopping cart sotfware has failed again. I'm so, so sorry that this is happening - I've had to pull the sale page until we get it resolved. More details tomorrow, but for now please be assured that all your orders and payments will be straightened out as soon as we can get through them, and that the sale will go ahead later in the week.

The Sun Came Out.....

I was laying in bed last night, looking at the stars, and planning today's blog. I was thinking of a continuation of the moaning theme that I've had going on for a few days here, because I know you can't be getting tired of that, and I certainly wasn't.

Then I woke up this morning, and surprise! I'm in a good mood. No urge to complain, no grumpiness, crabbiness, or weepiness. Today, you get eye candy without having to battle your way through the black cloud. The pity party is over, my friends. Thank you for attending.

What day is it today? Oh yes, that's right, it's One Off Wednesday!! I really missed it last week. Around 4pm my adrenaline started pumping, realised nothing was happening, and subsided in disappointment. I should have taken it for a bungee jump or something as consolation.

But today, at 5pm (GMT), we're on! Tie a knot in your handkerchief, stick a post-it to your fridge, set an alarm clock - just don't forget and miss out on all this gorgeous yarn.

Because I'd hate to attend another pity party - my feet still hurt from the last one.

December 6th, 2006 | |

The Best Laid Plans.....

I'm feeling just a tiny bit sorry for myself. I spent the best part of the weekend labelling yarn. Not quite the relaxing fun I had planned. Still, everything is ready for this week's OOW, and I'm looking forward to watching you make short work of the huge pile of sock yarn.

Even working on a Saturday evening isn't too painful when you're handling deliciously soft, intensely coloured cashmere, and sleek chunky silk. More sneak peeks tomorrow.

Now then, Christmas shopping. Orders are really starting to back up (hence the 60 hour week I put in last week), and delivery time is currently about 10 days from ordering, more if you live outside the UK. Please feel free to continue ordering, right up until the 22nd (when we will be closing the site until after the holidays). But please bear in mind that the nearer we get to Christmas, the less likely it will be that your order will reach you in time.

We are planning to hold a OOW sale each week between now and Christmas, so if you are looking for a quick order, you might be best buying something from that. Since we send all OOW purchases out on the following day, you should get them quickly (Post Office willing).

More. Coffee. Now.

December 5th, 2006 | |

Oh No.....

Is it Monday already?

Send coffee..................

December 4th, 2006 | |