Welcome.

Welcome to the Willow Knits blog.

I'm Anne and I'll be using this blog to let you know what is happening with Willow Knits during the year.

I'll include which Farmers' Markets and shows I'm going to be at, what I'm working on and general news and events plus a little about myself.

If you want to buy one of the scarves or some of the yarn featured, just look in our etsy shop (to the right of the page) or contact me and I'll reserve it for you.











Thursday 17 February 2011

February Markets

Just a quick update on work in progress and my markets.

St. Alban's Farmers' market last Sunday went very well, in spite of the weather being a bit overcast and drizzly and Very Cold! I had wondered if I would still need to wear my thermals and I'm so glad I did. However, I had lots of sales - more than February last year and enough to compensate for not going to Hatfield or Royston this month.

I'm off to Wheathampstead this Sunday, which is always a nice place to go to, but can be a bit quiet. I'm trying to be a bit more disciplined in replacing the items I sell each market, plus of course catching up with what I sold before Christmas and making my new spring and summer stock!

I dyed my alpaca and silk laceweight yarn last week and am very pleased with how it has come out. I've done five pastel colours - lavender, rose, turquoise, pistachio and blue, which should please most customers. I thought they were going to be too bright, but the yarn has dried to a nice heathery effect and they should look beautiful once I get them made up. Pictures to follow once they're on the needles!

Tuesday 1 February 2011

February already!

Into the second month of the year already - I've started my spring and summer designs already as I know I'll find it hard to keep up one the season is here.

I bought some lovely soft wool and cashmere lace weight yarn on etsy (www.chopped-tomatoes.com) and have started using it to design a stole, which I hope will sell well this summer. It's a lovely moss green colour, which is always popular, and I'm thnking fishtail lace pattern for the two ends, with some thing a little more solid (cat's paw?) for the middle third. I'll just have to see how it looks as I go along. I'll put up a picture one enough is done to get a good idea of the pattern.

I've also got some alpaca and silk lace weight yarn to dye and some bamboo, which I've heard is going to be the new eco fibre, as cotton becomes too hard on water resources to irrigate.

I've also just unpacked my maths course for this year - complex analysis - which looks very interesting, although I think I may find it quite challenging! I want to get well ahead with it as we're off skiing in Sweden for a week at the end of the month and I know I won't do anything if I take the books with me except feel guilty for slacking!

No markets until the middle of the month, when I'll be at St Alban's on the 13th and Wheathampsted on the 20th. No Harpenden as I'll be away.