Happy Wednesday....

Do you have Broadband? If you do, treasure it. Don't take it for granted. Tell it you love it, every single day. Ah me, I had it and lost it. And I'm not sure it was better to have loved and lost than never to have browsed at all. I'm still fighting tooth and nail for a Broadband connection, and still suffering the agonies of slow dial-up in the meantime. It appears that this is one of the downsides of living in a sleepy old village. But I'll win, you'll see. In the meantime, bear with me while I'm a little less communicative than usual.

And getting all the bad news out of the way first, Sock Club will be a few days late this month. We're dyeing it all tomorrow, so it will be ready to go out by Monday, which is the 5th. You'll forgive me the delay, won't you, just this one time? Yes, I thought you would.

Now then, onto better things. I've added a new pattern to the free patterns page. Its a pretty shawl pattern, that was one of last year's Lace Club patterns. I've seen in knitted up in cobweb weight, lace weight, and sock weight, and each have their merits. It makes a great introduction to lace knitting, because its very simple, and quick to knit. I hope you like it.

I'm still labouring (in the nicest possible way) over my Forest Canopy shawl. I'm halfway through, and living dangerously, since I haven't used any lifelines. I'd show you progress shots, but they'd look awfully similar to the last one, just a bunched up piece of crinkly knitting! Lace knitting is certainly a labour of faith. I'm loving it.

Tomorrow, some peeks at this week's sale yarn. Lots and LOTS of pure cashmere, especially lace and sock weight. Lots of Springlike colourways. I want to keep them all.....

One last thing. If anyone out there is like me, and adores old fashioned whodunnits, you might want to look out the Miss Silver series by Patricia Wentworth. I've only just discovered her myself, and I'm gobbling the books up. She was a contemporary of Agatha Christie, and her books are very clever and evocative of the period, which I love. And best of all, Miss Silver, the sleuth, knits her way continuously through each book. Yes, very much like Miss Marple, but I suspect that Patricia Wentworth was a knitter in real life, and Agatha Christie wasn't, because Miss Silver's knitting is described in much more intimate detail than Miss Marple's ever was. Just makes the books extra fun to read.

February 28th, 2007 | |

Lucky For Some....

Something very special happened last week, and I would have blogged about it then, but it was right in the middle of the move.

On February 19th 1994, I married my sweetheart, Tony. Last week was our thirteenth wedding anniversary, and while it wasn't celebrated in a very traditional manner, it was probably the happiest of all the anniversaries we've had.

(Excuse the dreadful picture - its the only one I have on my laptop, and the albums are at the bottom of a box of books.)

It's hard to believe that we've only been married for thirteen years; it feels like so much longer, like we've always been together, in fact. But this last six months has been very special for us, because we finally achieved our dream - working fulltime together.

I know some couples wouldn't enjoy it, but we've always loved spending all our time together, and hated having jobs that took us apart even for a few hours each day. When I started Posh Yarn, last April, I worked alone, and my one real goal was to build the business up to the point where Tony could join me. I realised that goal in November, and the week we started work together was one of the proudest and most exciting of my life. And a bit scary too - could the business support us entirely? Would we be able to work together, every day, and still love each other's company? Could it really work?

Well, as you know, it did. We make a great team - thanks in a large measure to Tony's everlasting patience and unflappability - and the business has only got better and stronger with his input. I've learnt so much about Tony in the last few months; I always knew he was very practical, but I've now seen a creative side to him as well. He does all the dyeing, and recently has been having a share in coming up with the colourways, and he is fantastic at it. He absolutely loves his job, and I've never seen him this happy. I'm proud that I've had a hand in giving that to him.

But I want to thank all of you as well. Your continued support of Posh Yarn doesn't just support a small yarn business. It enables two people who love each other immeasurably to have the luxury of getting up every morning, knowing that they can spend the whole day together, that they will share every glorious high and every stressful low together. You've made our dream come true.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

February 27th, 2007 | |

Bits & Pieces....

My head's all over the place today, hence the rather scattered quality of today's blog.

That's all from me today - hope your week has got off to a splendid start, and the sun is shining as beautifully wherever you are as it is here.

February 26th, 2007 | |

Give Me A Gold Star....

No pictures today, but something even better........the sale preview is up! I got it ready a little earlier than I expected, so I thought I'd give you extra opportunity to look through it and look at some of the great patterns we've found. I struggled a little with the photos this week, because it's a grey rainy day today, and my office only has a small window. But I think they're okay.

I can't believe how quickly we've sorted things out - the sale page done, the storeroom/office unpacked, the dye room set up, the house unpacked and organised. The only thing left to do is to unpack my million and one books, which I'm hoping to do this weekend. After that, finis!

Moving house is like banging your head against a wall: it's lovely when you stop.

Until Sunday, cheries!

February 23rd, 2007 | |

See How Much I Love You....

On a 28.8 kpbs dial-up connection, this lot of pictures will take ages to upload.

Although not as long as Sunday's sale pics will. I might just go and do that at a friend's house. Life without broadband is just not worth living.

February 22nd, 2007 | |

Did You Miss Me....

I'm back! A little ragged around the edges, a little black under the eyes, but I'm back. This has been the craziest week - in fact, it feels more like a month than a week, but life is gradually getting back to normal. Ish.

Today Mr P is building shelves and storage in the new workroom, while I'm shut up in the bedroom with the two cats, trying to get everything ready for Sunday's sale. You think you've had withdrawal symptoms for the sale, you should see me! But we're on track for Sunday, and although there won't be quite as much yarn as usual, there's a gorgeous selection, so grab what you can. I'll be posting some preview pictures (hopefully - I'm on sloooow dialup at the moment) tomorrow and Friday on the blog, then the sale preview page will be live Saturday afternoon.

I'm having to be awfully disciplined to get back to work - despite the upheaval of the move and resulting tiredness, I do have a bit of a holiday feeling going on. Its just so wonderful to be home, and we've been invited out for dinner practically every night since we got here. The weather is much milder down here too - there's snowdrops and daffodils blooming in my garden, and today I was outside in a tshirt. The house is nicer than I remembered (and smaller too!), and it feels really homey already. Despite the million and one boxes. I'll try to get some pictures of it on the blog soon.

But for now, I've got to concentrate on getting this pile of yarn ready for Sunday. The beach is calling me, but I'm trying not to listen. I can see that working in the summer is going to be quite a challenge.....

P.S. I missed you all too!

February 21st, 2007 | |

Silver Lining....

Thanks for bearing with us - everyone's orders are all straightened out now. It wasn't quite as bad as I thought it was last night, and only a few of you were disappointed.

And yes, we will be doing lots more of those lovely rich colours in laceweight in the future - you really loved those, didn't you?! Once I'd straightened out the orders, I discovered a few extra skeins of this lovely yarn, Pillow Talk:

Anyone want? It would make a splendid Clapotis.

We're winding things down now. The moving van gets here Friday, and I need to spend the next few days packing up. So tomorrow will be your last chance to buy anything from the site - after that you can look, but not buy. Tomorrow I will be doing the last postal run, including all the Lace Club parcels (hurrah!). After that, the site will be open only for window shopping. And as I mentioned before, blogging will be sparse.

So this is au revoir, my darlings. I expect to be back online (albeit on a painfully slow dial-up) by next Tuesday. And I will be checking in occasionally between now and then, but not properly working. There will be no sale on February 18th, but there will be one on the 25th.

Take care of yourselves, keep happy and keep knitting. Mwah.

February 12th, 2007 | |

Ok, Enough Already....

Seriously. Stop messing with me. Its not funny any more.

Would you believe it? The checkout software went belly up again. This time it wasn't updating quantities properly as you shopped, so some of you (not many, don't panic) made duplicate purchases. And there were some hiccups with the Eva 2ply too - lots of the colourways all came up on receipts as Peacock, even if you bought a different colour.

It's going to take hours to untangle all the orders tomorrow. Please, please bear with me. I will be checking your order, and refunding you where necessary, and I will do it as early tomorrow as possible. I know this will be really disappointing for some of you, and I apologise from the bottom of my heart. While we move, and the Posh Yarn site is on hiatus, we will be having these latest glitches attended to. We will fix this. I promise.

February 11th, 2007 | |

Deep Breaths....

Updated to add:

Preview page is up!

I'm so sorry, loves, but the camera is playing up. I'm still hoping to get a preview page up some time tomorrow before the sale, but nothing today, I'm afraid.

February 10th, 2007 | |

Which Do You Want First....

Good news or bad?

Good News:
We've got the most enormous batch of yarn for this week's sale.

Bad News:
So enormous that I don't know if I will get the preview page up by Saturday.

Good News:
But I think you'll find it worth the wait, because we've got some amazing colourways.

Bad News:
Unfortunately none of it is dry enough to photograph, so this is a pictureless blog.

Good News:
I'll add pictures early tomorrow. Lots of them, to make up for it.

Bad News:
This is our last sale before the move, and we'll be skipping one, maybe two Sundays before the next sale.

Good News:
The first sale after the move will include our fabulous new range of mohair yarns.

Bad News:
Blogging is going to be sporadic for the next couple of weeks.

Good News:
We'll be sending out the Lace Club packages early next week, before the move chaos begins.

February 9th, 2007 | |

Brrrr....

More snow last night, although not as much as some parts of the country (which is just not fair). I can still see patches of grass. The blanket is rather threadbare. But oh boy is it cold. Especially since I can't get the Mr to get out of bed to light the fire.

Get up, drat you!

Thanks for the colour suggestions yesterday. We didn't do all the dyeing yesterday (ok, actually we didn't do any so now we are behind, and will have to work Saturday. This happens Every Single Week.), so I'll keep your ideas in mind today. Except for the oatmeal one. I'm going to pretend you didn't make that suggestion, Dara honey.

So all of you lucky people who are home from work today because of the snow, think of me, slaving away. With dye on her fingers and frostbitten toes, Dee will be whinging wherever she goes.

Sale yarn peeks tomorrow!

February 8th, 2007 | |

Happy Wednesday....

Boy, there's a lot to do today. Which is a pity, because last night it snowed, and what I really want to do is to sit by the fire, knit, and drink hot chocolate. Later maybe. But I just have time before we start to tell you some of the things that are making me happy today.

Well, that, for a start. IT SNOWED! To a girl who was brought up in West Wales, where the weather tends to be warm and wet all year round, snow is a big exciting event. I get giddy and thrilled when snow starts falling, or when I wake up and see a white blanket covering everything. And I'm jealous every year of you lucky people who live in places where you get real snow. Blizzards. Drifts. Icicles! We've only got a sprinkling, but its better than nothing. I shall find myself wandering to the window throughout today, looking out at it, squinting at the sky and speculating whether there's any more to come. Oh, I do love snow.

And the shawl is growing! I'm almost halfway through the pattern repeats now, although I think I will be making it bigger. I love big shawls, and this one is such a beauty that I'd like it as big as possible. I'm so happy that some of you are starting one too - let me know how you get on!

Today is dye day, which is always fun. Playing with colours. Makes me feel like I'm back in kindergarten. If you've got any special requests, send them my way! I'm feeling very bold and bright today, unlike last week's more muted tones.

And this lovely lot of yarn is from our new supplier. I've been looking for a good supplier of mohair and wool for a while now, and when this package of samples came through, I knew I'd found the One. We'll be getting a nice juicy order from them after we move, and I can't wait to get these fluffy, fun yarns into my dye pot. (and by the by, there's a pure wool here that is so soft you'd swear it was something more luxurious like alpaca)

Finally, I've been dividing my spare time this week between reading this, and watching this. One is extremely entertaining (too much so to knit through it) and the other, well it's changing my life. No, it's changing my outlook on life. Which is much better, because you can't control what happens to you in life, but if you can control how you react to what happens, that's where true happiness lies.

And so, my loves, to work!

February 7th, 2007 | |

Knitting Therapy....

Thank you, darlings, for all your love and support. We really appreciate it, and are humbled by it. Today the sun is shining, and we are ready to move on.

So, let's get back to the important stuff in life - knitting. I have a slight confession to make. I have never done any lace knitting. I've designed lace patterns, I've sold lace yarn, I've admired all your lace projects, but I've never given it a try myself.

If you're like me, and lace knitting is still uncharted (ha!) territory, then I urge you, give it a shot. I started my first lace project this weekend, and Oh. My. Goodness. What I've been missing!!

I've started the Forest Canopy shawl (which is recommended for new lace knitters), and I'm knitting it in a cashmere/silk 4ply yarn, which my darling Mr P dyed especially for me in a purpley semi solid colourway. And do you know what? It's given me my 'one more row' feeling back.

We can get jaded with anything, even the things we love, which is why its good to stretch out, and try new things, take on new challenges. If you've never tried sock knitting, try it. If you've never tried lace knitting, try it. Learn a new skill, set yourself a challenge. It will put new life back into your knitting.

I am enjoying this shawl more than I can tell you. The pattern is easy enough not to stress me (although I'm thinking it may be time to introduce a lifeline!), but interesting enough to keep my mind on it, making it a good meditative project, one that quiets down the mind and makes it focus on something good. The yarn is lovely to work with, and I'm enjoying seeing the colours unfold. I'm totally addicted.

One more row!

February 6th, 2007 | |

I Vant To Be Alone....

Boy, that was a great sale. I love you guys, did you know that?

And its not the cold meds this time.

Lots to show this week, including the start of my Forest Canopy Shawl, but for today, I'm hibernating. There was other stuff going on behind the scenes yesterday, personal stuff unrelated to the business, stuff that's been hurting us, and causing us much anxiety since before Christmas. Its been behind much of the illness and sadness that may have crept in to some of my blog posts, despite my best efforts, over the last few weeks.

And today I'm grieving. Tomorrow, everything will be back to normal, business as usual. But today I'm grieving.

February 5th, 2007 | |

Over My Dead Body....

The sale preview is up.

Permission to collapse now?

PS. The gallery is growing - have you checked it out yet?

February 3rd, 2007 | |

Isn't It Ironic....

We dyed this Sunday's sale yarn yesterday (yes, we like sailing by the seat of our pants). When the day started, I really thought that this was going to be the one, the dye disaster day. After all, my head has turned into Niagra Falls, and the only thing I could think about was how much I wanted to go back to bed.

But look.

And look.

I'm not sure how it happened, but we've had our best week ever. I was oohing and ahhing at each and every colourway as we were hanging the skeins up to dry last night. And I wanted to keep every one of them, which I know you probably imagine I do every week, but I've trained myself not to lust after our yarn, because the Mr is very strict about me keeping any of it. So my stash is surprisingly Posh Yarn free.

Heh, at least it was until this week. I've snagged sock yarn for a Seraphim shawl (I'm going to grasp the nettle, and finally try lace) and I'm hoping to spirit away a couple of skeins of 6ply cashmere to add to my scrap shawl (uh, yes, I know the point of a scrap shawl is that you use up scraps, but its just so pretty....).

So apparently it's true, there is a silver lining to every cloud. Awful cold = good dyeing. Send germs.

More sneak peeks here tomorrow, and then tomorrow evening, the preview page should be up. See you then.

February 2nd, 2007 | |

Take a Bow....

I'b sick. And I've been sitting here writing and deleting, and writing and deleting, for an hour now. Today's blog just won't come together (my brain is drying up as fast as my nose is running), so take me as you find me, and we'll try again tomorrow.

The gallery page is up! It's nowhere near complete (I've hardly scratched the surface of all the photos that you've sent in), and I may rejiggle the design of it (well I've got to fill up all that spare time somehow), but I wanted to make a start.

And Sock Club went out yesterday, so lots of you will be receiving your yarn today. The colourway is called Kiss Me, and its a lovely soft romantic colourway, all cloudy sunset colours. I think it would look fabulous knitted into a lacy sock design. We have a few skeins left over, so they'll be going on Sunday's sale. More sneak peeks at sale yarn tomorrow.

Lastly, pop over to Kerrie's Place, and give her some moral support. She needs it, and you guys are really, really good at giving it. I love you all.

Or is that the cold medicine talking?

February 1st, 2007 | |