Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Its the little things...

Doesn't this look so pretty - Suzanne is in raptures!
It doesn't make much to make us happy here at Skeinz. Yarn makes us very happy of course everyday - so for this we are very lucky, but sometimes we get unexpected surprises that make us even happier.

This week this has taken the guise of warehouse shelving.  Now for most that might not seem like much, but for us this is a HUGE step forward.  Because we are a mill when we restock a colour in stead of 2 bags it's always a minimum of 18!  So that meant we had the Himalayas in the form of brown boxes in our Skeinz warehouse.  Peter has been on the hunt for new shelving & the perfect combination for our warehouse & cartons has now being found - & the first shelves look great!
My bottles of joy!
The other wee jewel of happiness is our new Skeinz Super Soft.  We have bottles us this creamy liquid of joy for everyone to have, use, try & love.  It's the commercial grade softener which we use here & I have been trialing it for the last 6 months to see if it will translate into domestic use.  Quite simply - it does & I am madly passionate about the stuff.  It's just $8.95 for a 250ml bottle and will make your knitted items softer, wear better & last longer. AS I said, it's the little things that make us happy!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Cancellation Clearance!

Yarn diets are meant to be broken!
It doesn't happen often, but when it does it is very exciting for us at Skeinz - our mill has had a cancelled export order or premium NZ fine Merino DK.  Made for AK Traditions, this luscious Merino is a must have for any stash - especially when we are clearing the 6 colours we have in store for just $5.95 a ball!!
The yarn is machine washable & spun to the same count as our Vintage DK.  This means that is smooth, squishy with excellent stitch definition & due to the extra bounce in the Merino you will have no problem substituting it for patterns with a gauge range from 18 - 22 sts (aka 8ply - 10ply worsted patterns).  So if you have been on  a yarn diet all year - this is a diet breaking deal!!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

A Touch of Heritage for Baby George

the Liam Jumper & Aviatrix Hat from Justine are stunning in the Heritage Organic Merino
I have to say a HUGE thank you to Kathy & Justine who helped me put together a 'Welcome baby' parcel for wee George Windsor, the collection I think exudes 'Kiwiness' - with the yarn being Organic Merino, The designs all done by Justine (aka Just Jussi) & Kathy even embroidered some frolicking sheep to her jumper.
They have bee sized, so if chosen by the Duke & Duchess, they will fit him for the British Winter.

My contribution complete with Vintage Buttons from my grandmothers button tin.
Knitting for a baby makes me itchy to do more - there something so satisfying about the speed in which a small garment knits up & having delicious new yarn makes it even better.  I am now eyeing up a project in the Polwarth, I think this might be my 'knit for KAN yarn'
The Heritage Colours in Mohair
I was also delighted when I went downstairs to collect the last of the Heritage colours for photography to discover that the dyehouse had also done a very limited edition run of Whisper mohair in the same Heritage colours.  Labelled Soft Green, Blue, Fawn & Pink - these colours match perfectly to their Heritage counterparts.
This Pattern is perfect for the Heritage Mohair & Polwarth 
The Mohair is so lush in blankets - after a quick search I found this Nicky Epstein blanket, not available in download - but after clicking on the Library search link at the left hand side of the page I was able to discover it is readily available in many NZ libraries & others elsewhere.