Oooh, I'm a center fold!

Not quite Playboy, you'll be relieved to know, but I'm featured in the center pages of our local paper. I was asked if I'd like to write a short piece about "My Favourite Haunt" and after a bit of umming and ahhhing, I decided my favourite haunt had to be my shop. (I could have put the pub quiz but we were on a losing streak lol).

The Wool Shop really is my second home, to the point where my mum will phone the shop first, and if I'm not at the shop then I'm usually doing something else wool/knitting related. I don't have a lot of free time but when I do I'll be knitting!

So, here I am. Leaning on the wall ouside the shop, in the freezing cold wind & the threat of rain, doing a wee bit knitting and trying my best to look like it's the most natural thing in the world. Anyone who knows me will know just how much I love getting my photo taken...... not. I felt so sorry for the photographer "open your eyes", "nope, you've shut your eyes again", "right this time, keep your eyes open", "try not to hunch up your shoulders"... you get the idea!!!

"My favourite haunt is my work. I don't think many people can say that! I opened The Wool Shop in Woodburn in 2006 and I'm still loving every minute of it. I've met quite a few knitaholics, like me, through the shop and have become firm friends with many of them. In fact, I go to a pub quiz each week with one lady and have just been to the wedding of another. Knitting has changed so much since the days of the jaggy jumpers your granny used to knit and so have the yarns. From self striping yarns to fancy scarf yarns, there's always something new and innovative being brought out. I think delivery days are my favourite, especially when I have a new range coming in. I'm like a child at Christmas time trying to open the box to see what's inside. I love the colours and textures of the yarns and I could spend all day choosing patterns. It's nice to see a customer coming back to show me finished project especially as I can appreciate how much work has gone into it. It's equally nice to help someone if they're stuck along the way and then seeing their item finished. Grannies-to-be come in quite regularly to buy neutral coloured baby yarn and a few months later they're buying blue or pink. I once had a granny-to-be in who knew the sex of her grandchild but wasn't allowed to tell anyone, she then put several shades of pink on the counter.....whoops! We're also celebrating a year of "Knit and Knatter" in April, a group who meet up once a month for a coffee, a chat and some knitting. If anyone would like to join us, we meet on the first Monday of the month in the coffee shop area of The County Hotel, Dalkeith from 7pm till 9pm"

Easter Prize Draw Winner

This lovely postcard was the winner drawn from the all the cards we received.

Congratulations Joani!

Easter prize draw

Another beautiful day :) Puts me in the mood for another prize draw......

This glorious sunshine seems to put people in holiday mode. The shorts are on, the peely-wally chests of Scottish men are on display and the BBQ's are undercooking chicken drumsticks! All that's missing are the postcards and that's where you come in. Send me a postcard by Easter Sunday (8th April) and you'll go into my prize draw box to win yarny goodies :)

Send your postcards to -
The Wool Shop
30 Woodburn Ave
Dalkeith
Midlothian
EH22 2BP

Remember to put your name and a return address on it too so I know where to send your prize!

Prize draw will take place on Tue 10th April. Good luck :)

Stylecraft Vision DK

We've just taken delivery of a new space dyed yarn from Stylecraft. It's called Vision and is priced at £3.59 per 100g ball.

I've got a few new bits in the shop that I need to get online too but I keep running out of time!

Twitchy fingers

Over 3000 people have cast on The Bee Keepers Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits and so far I've resisted. But then along comes Frankie Brown with another fabulous pattern, the Button Quilt. My fingers are twitching! I really should finish stuff I'm working on already but it's so cute....

I'm working on a summer top to display in the shop. I'm using a new yarn called Slogan from Adriafil.

It's knitting up lovely in the lace pattern.


I also finished the ashton shawlette & was quite pleased with how it turned out. I've got my eye on a few other shawls too, this could be dangerous!


I also got a hat and scarf knitted for my granny using Stylecraft Life chunky, shade Harlequin.

We got a new scarf yarn in from Sirdar. It's called Spellbound and there are two patterns on the ball bands for a flat scarf and a twirly one.

This is the twirly scarf knitted in shade 011.


This wee sailor jumper is knitted in Adriafil Mirage DK


and this is knitted with Adriafil Knitcol (please ingnore the pins lol)


Finally, for the time being, a cardigan for my cousins wee girl knitted in Sirdar Baby Bamboo.


The stash has been busted a little bit in February, which is good, and technically the new stuff I'm knitting is from the shop and for the shop so it doesn't count as being added to my stash. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Stash busting January off to a slow start.

I have a bit of a cold & am feeling a bit miserable and sorry for myself :(

On the upside, it meant that yesterday I moped about the house and managed to get my cardigan finished. It's so so so cosy :)

It's knitted in Stylecraft Brushstrokes DK (shade Ocean Splash).

I was also hoping to get a bit of stash busting done in January but that's me just making a start on it now. I cast on the Ashton Shawlette this morning and I'm using a ball of Stylecraft Life 4ply (shade Cobalt) from my stash. I reckon it's an easy enough pattern to knit at the shop with customers are coming and going but it has enough of a pattern to keep me interested. So far, so good...

Wow!

I started using Knit Meter at the end of January 2011 just out of curiosity. Turns out I've knitted around 21478 meters this year. That's 13.3 miles!!! 21.5 kilometers!! Of course, now 2012 will be all about beating that :D

Happy new year & happy knitting folks x