Season’s Greetings

This will be the last blog I do before the New Year as I have decided to give myself a holiday over the Christmas period. My inbox is full of people’s reviews of 2024, so I thought that I too would have a look back over the year and think about what we have done here in the shop.

On a personal level it was a sad year for me because I lost my mother in April, after a long illness. I am still missing her terribly. Leaving that aside, however, it has been a really positive year for the business.

One of the most successful things that we do here to run workshops. This year we have taught more than forty people to knit, crochet or how to knit socks, and launched our specialist workshops in Fair Isle, Lace Knitting and Crocheting a String Bag and Crocheting Amigurumi which were very successful. We have added Brioche Stitch and Cable Knitting to those courses for next year and it will be interesting to see how they go.

We also set up our first Retreat – to be held on 6 and 7 April next year. This meant a work trip to Little Massingham Manor where we are holding it which was an excellent break in routine for Mandy and me. The purpose of a retreat is to have a couple of days of uninterrupted knitting or crochet in lovely surroundings with no need to think about anything else. All meals will be provided and we have persuaded Jenn from Fibreworkshop to come and talk to us. There are a couple of spaces still available if anyone is interested.

For the first time this year we had a stand at the East Anglia Yarn Festival and had an absolute blast, so much so that we are taking another one next year – if you are going (13 and 14 March 2025), come by and say hi to us. We are planning kits and banners and layouts and all sorts and it will keep us very busy in the first couple of months of next year, I have no doubt.

Many people have commented on how much fuller the shop has looked this year which is very true. We introduced some lush new wools from existing suppliers, my favourite so far being Fable from West Yorkshire Spinners, but Lang’s Magnolia is pretty special as is Malabrigo’s Silkpaca (a ridiculously luxurious blend of Silk and Alpaca). We also brought in a new brand (new to us although well known) from Denmark to amuse you all – Knitting for Olive – which is going very well indeed. I have snaffled some of their Merino and Soft Silk Mohair for the Christmas Eve cast on this weekend as I have finally decided to cave in and knit a slipover having carefully avoided doing so for the last three years. Along with the yarn, we have access to all their lovely patterns, just ask. If there are any brands you think would be good here and which you would like us to stock, do let me know. I always value your suggestions.

We hosted two pop up shops by the fabulous Blue Fern Yarns, in May and November, and will be doing the same again next year. In addition, Shannon very kindly dyed an exclusive sock yarn for Venetia’s Yarn Shop, which she said was well out of her comfort zone colour-wise, but which we love. Similarly, we persuaded Josie Rose to dye some fabric and make up some bags, pouches and DPN holders for us and will have to get her to do some more as they have nearly sold out.

Mandy’s husband very kindly put up a book shelf for us, enabling us to start expanding the amount of books we stock in addition to our existing publications from Laine Publishing. This includes a bit of a foray into the world of embroidery which has always been something that interests me. I am thinking about expanding that part of the business next year. The hardest thing about buying in books is not to succumb to the ‘one for me, one for the shop’ way of thinking.

We have redecorated the shop front, with which I am extremely pleased, revamped the website so that it is easier to work with (although still a bit of a work in progress as I have more things to add to it) and adjusted our branding, which I rather hope you did not notice. And we have been joined in 16 Norwich Street by the Fakenham Gallery and Framers who are based upstairs and seem to be doing very well. We have also taken on a ‘Saturday Girl’ – Rowan – who comes in to help me on Saturday afternoons. She is a student at Fakenham Academy and a great addition to the shop.

On the creating front, we have been very busy. We hosted a couple of knitalongs, the most successful one being the Salty Days Sweater by Veronika Lindberg. Mandy is busy plotting the next one – I think it will be some sort of jumper with a colour work yoke – but again, we always welcome your suggestions. I may have surpassed my own personal record this year. I have completed thirteen projects, including three shawls, two tops (finally did the Ranunculus), several pairs of socks and some toys, most notably Frida the Emotional Support Chicken. I have still got a jumper on the needles which needs finishing, but I already have a whole load of patterns lined up for next year which I am very much looking forward to cracking on with. Of course hardly any of the items I knitted were on the #Make9Challenge List I created this time last year, but that is the way it goes, I believe. I will just have to carry them over to next year.

This year, several of the independent businesses here, including three of the new shops in Fakenham, Claire Howard Jewellery, Sarah the Upholsterer and the Extraordinary Hat Company, got together to see what we can do about making people feel (even more) positive about the town. I love being part of such a proactive group and the first thing that was achieved was late night opening on Thursdays for the Christmas period, coinciding with other festive events in Fakenham. To my amazement (to be honest) people actually turned up and it seems that many people like being able to shop after work. So I will be considering doing it as a regular thing in the coming year.

As always, I would say that none of the above would have been possible without the fabulous Mandy who has been an absolute rock for me, particularly in the early part of the year. She is endlessly supportive and positive, as many of you who have come in to seek help with knitting and crochet problems will know.

Best of all, I think, has been seeing you, my wonderful customers, when you have come in to browse and/or buy yarn, and chat. It is absolutely the thing I love most about running this business and the main reason I get up in the mornings. I will be open on 24 December and then closed until 2 January. I hope you all have wonderful Christmas break and I wish everyone a very happy New Year.