Yule Be Right Mate!

All the best for the season from Skeinz

 Here in the balmy Hawkes Bay we have been enjoying a run of tropical weather - warm sunny days with still balmy nights - real Pacific Island paradise stuff.  Great for when you are on holiday, not quite so comfortable when you are perspiring away in a yarn mill.  However the crew here at Skeinz are all looking forward to a well earned Summer break. 

The closest thing to festive logs or cones yule see around here!

Whilst the mill and Bricks & Mortar store in Husheer Place will be closed from midday on Friday 21st (assuming of course the Mayans haven't already dealt to us by then) reopening Monday the 7th of January, www.skeinz.com is still open for business.  Just please be aware that deliveries will be slower than usual due to the public holidays - but a Skeinz staffer will be in over the holidays to clear & dispatch your orders for that well deserved yarn fix.

The best we can do for snow when it's 30 degrees - and that Celsius!

I just want to take the time to thank everyone who has supported skeinz this year.  Whilst many businesses have struggled in the current climate - the support of our Skeinz customers have meant we have continued to grow.  It has been very satisfying over the past few weeks to start working on new plans, ranges, colours & events for 2013 - only made possible because of your support.  So from the front line team at Skeinz: Robynne, Mary, Suzanne, & myself - THANK YOU.

In the meantime enjoy this little collection of images from the Mill entitled - "Yule be Right Mate"

What the Mill can rustle up in the way of a Christmas Tree

A Day at the Races

Essam (foreground) our dye house master with Peter, our engineer, studying the race day form.

I wanted to show you a few of the faces that make all the incredible yarn we have here at Skeinz.  This year to celebrate Christmas we all headed 40 minutes south to the Waipukurau country Christmas race day.  It was a chance for the girls to get of their hat's & fascinators & for the guys to pretend to know what they are doing when it comes to placing a bet!

Anne, Dot & Piri - all part of the finishing team who handle the yarns after they have been milled.

Karen looked great in her fascinator!

Season's Upside Down



Our very own 'Sliver Snow'

 One of the strange conundrums we grow up with here in New Zealand is all the Winter imagery around the Christmas holiday.  For us, Christmas falls in the middle of Summer.  So instead of cold dark days & nights - think sunshine, barbeques, & heading to the beach.  It also means that from a knit perspective it is more fine yarns & lighter projects - but that's not to say we aren't thinking knitting.  I personally love catching up on my reading, researching Ravelry projects & planning my projects for the New Year.  At skeinz.com we have also set up a super holiday specials category - yarns at extra special prices regardless of where in the world you might be.

Crafting for Christmas

From Annemarie's Crochet Blog, these trees would look great in Skeinz Urban

There is still time to get the needles & hooks working to add a little yarn pleasure to your Christmas.
The first port of call for patterns has to be Ravelry. 

Just enter Christmas into the pattern search criteria & quicker than Rudolphs whisker you'll have thousands of patterns to choose from.  Here is a selection of my favourites - all of which would work well with Skeinz yarn.

Christmas Bells - Pattern by Debbie McGrath

You can even knit Santa!