Fyberspates

A little coffee break treat....regretsy...

OK, I don't do as much surfing as I should, but I love twitter for getting me out there more sometimes, and thats where I found this website.

If you love etsy, sarcasm, irony, or just want to laugh your little socks off please take a look at Regretsy,

BUT WARNING, DON'T TAKE A GULP OF COFFEE UNTIL YOU PAUSE IMBETWEEN POSTS, OR YOUR KEYBOARD WILL BE SPRAYED.....

upcoming gigs....

Ok, I thought I had better post here if the next lot of Fyberspates gigs.

Starting with this weekend at Woolfish in Scotland the Wool festival on Saturday, its in St abbs, a lovely setting!!!

Also, next up Ysolda is coming to my unit to do a book signing for her new book Whimsical Little knits 2, on Monday afternoon the 16th of November so its really not long at all.....that should be lots of fun...so the unit will be open again, and YES THERE WILL BE CAKE. hehehe, I am sure I can convince my mum to make some more!

Then on the 28/29th of Nov I will be in Glasgow and Edinburgh for a K1 trunk show, 

Then we are done for this year, but the workshop is now open for visits if you would like to come and shop in person. We have sofa's, tea and coffee and chocolate biscuits, oh and oddles of well lush yarns!!

Its open from Monday to Friday from 10.30am to 3.30, but you really need to let me know if you are coming just incase for some reason I am not here, I generally am though. I am also thinking about opening a Saturday a month, which might be combined with a spinning thing too.

:) happy knitting xx

What a success!!

Aw, the open day was awesome, I was so nervous, I guess because Dr wool (he has been upgraded from Mr to Doc cause we all think when he comes to yarn making no one knows more) and Karen couldn't come I was more nervous than normal, BUT my family were so awesome, my mum made fudge cake, ginger bread men, fairy cakes with sparkles, and all sorts, it was soooo lovely, and my dad and my uncle were on the gate, (I do have some funny photos of them with hats on, but not until wed).

It was sooooo lush that people came to visit and drove from lots of places, I was really overwhelmed by peoples effort. I LOVE meeting my customers, and there are quite a few of them I consider my freinds, so thanks loads and loads and loads. And Pete, Anna (my lodgers) and Sole came all the way from Cardiff!!

I do have some photo's but I never asked anyone permission if it was ok to post them here, BUT I do have a little photo of  Anna, Pete and Sole, its a little blurry, before this weekend, they had never met each other but, I KNEW they would hit it off, and they did, and well, I can see some great tapas parties ahead.

 

Oh and Jo came with the gorgeous little ones, it was so so so so fab to see her thanks jo :) xx

OPEN DAY 31st Oct 10am - 3.30pm

Right peeps, things are getting rather ready for the open day, and I am far too excited, I even have a new dress!!!!

My dad has been working so hard, planting pots of flowers to go outside, and painting windows, he is such a peach. And my mum has been cleaning, I am scared to go even wash my cups up in the sink incase I make a mess!!

Ok, so for the details. I have a unit on an industrial estate, so it might not look from the outside what you are expecting, it has a large Creamy stoned house at the front on the bridge, the turning right next to it, it has signs on it for the NALDER ESTATE.

This is the address:

The Nalder estate

Main Street

East challow

Nr Wantage

OX12 9SY

There is a sign out the front for the NALDER ESTATE, this is what you need to look for, I have also heard it called the Old canal building, use the post code for your satnav.

It is in the village of East Challow,

If you are coming from Faringdon as you come into East Challow (past HAINES a kind of reclamation place) you turn the corner and go up over a bridge, just before you go over on your left is the big house and there will be a sign with the Nalder estate on it, turn left in there, there will be someone on the gate to direct you in (probably my dad or my uncle, l might give them distinctive bobble hats, so if you see two old guys in stupid hats you know you are in the right place, there is a HUGE carpark, and the unit is suitable for wheel chairs access as I have large double doors.

If you are coming from Wantage, as you come out down the hill as you come over the bridge on your left you will see the big house on your right, turn in there.

This is the google map, the large industrial estate you can see on there is where my workshop is, once you are in the car park you will know where to go.

There will be tea and coffee and some bubbly, and cakes and nibbles. I have some idea of people who are coming, but would love it if you told me so I could make sure there is enough cake. The gates will be open from 10am, you will not be able to come in before then I am afraid, we will be closing 4 latest but more likely 3.30 because it gets very dark and we want to make sure everyone leaves the premises.

Please have a look at the shop for my mobile contact incase you need to ring me about directions or anything, you do not have to have previously told me are coming, it is open to anyone who would just like to come and look around.

I'll leave this on the blog for now until the weekend so you have all the info you need, I will also update the shop through the week, as I might be a bit wired on Friday.

See you sat!!!

xx

Posting orders

Alright folks,

OK, as most of you know we have a postal strike, but, it doesn't run tomorrow or the beginning of next week, so I will post all packages out tomorrow, if you would like me to leave it until after next week that's fine, please leave a note in your order of your preference.

I do have some really nice autumn treats today.

This is my absolute favourite in the sheilas sock; Autumn rainbow

Fibre!!!!

Right, well I have been dyeing alot of fibre, when I get into it I can't stop!!!!

I have alot of fibre here to dye, some gorgeous blends, so that will feature largely in this weeks update. I have also got on order some very very very special fibre coming, it might be akin to a certain sparkle sock blend ;)

People have been asking me about autumn colours, this week is also about the autumn coloured yarns, hehe.

If you are coming to the open day and you like fibre, you are in for a treat!

Some fibre I did yesterday

Happy spinning ;)

Open day is comin yiiiiippppeeee!!

So I might have a solution to the putting wholesale on a waiting list thing, because really I love to wholesale, but I have to work on that for a bit to see what I can do, but I think its definately do-able, I will do some investigations and let you know, but I am confident there will be a solution very soon ;)

Secondly, there are so many yummy yarns coming in the next month or so, I am well excited hehehehehehe.

I am going to add some extras to the update now is so blimin cold, aran in semisolids and multicoloured, plenty of dk and chunky's, and loads of fibres and treats.

Now, point of the post! The open day; preparations have started, the unit is looking lovely, and mom and pops have planted flowers in tubs outside, and finishing touches have been painted on the windows and things to make it look lovely (my dad has been painting like a crazy man, he really is a peach). I am really looking forward to it now, and I had a few emials from people asking if it was ok to come....... really peep's its open to anyone who would like to come and have a look around,  it will be lots of fun, bring your knitting too, there are sofa's hehe!

The site will be open from 10am to 4pm, Keep an eye on the  blog for more details, I will post a map etc on here for you.

I am so excited!!!!

xxxxxxx

Dyeing and update = indulgence/inspiration

OK, so I figured I needed to dye things and have some fun dyeing seeing as its all numbers and theories around here at the moment, so I am dyeing all sorts of things today and tomorrow, I have slowly started the update and it will continue over today and tomorrow. I also have managed to fix my steamer, so there are some colours that people have wanted FOR AGES, however they are not quite dry yet, so I can't take the pics yet, but they will be done either this afternoon or tomorrow morning so keep an eye on it if you have asked me for something to be redone.

Oh and...I have decided to bring in some very very special new yarns, they are proving a very hard to get hold of, but they are AMAZING! And.... guess what? I finally managed to get more sparkle sock, its winging its way to me, I am hoping it'll be here next week, but I can't promise anything.

This new refreshment of yarns is getting me VERY excited :)

Please keep leaving your thoughts and comments about the clubs its really helping me to figure out what to do.

Also I have some new patterns in this week......

This gorgeous shawl from Carol made from scrumptious 4ply....

 

Clubs........

I have been persuaded that clubs are really a good idea, I have to be honest that I have in the past struggled with the complicated admin of the clubs as previously they allowed people to sign up at different times , I have with Mr Wool and Jo decided on a new way of doing them that will enable me to easily ensure that they are sent out on time each month and with Jo doing all the admin you can rest assured that this will happen

We came up with the idea of a 6 month project club, small projects, one a month, with different yarn each time including some VERY VERY special yarn, along with a pattern each month for the project with that yarn. It would go on sale with limited places from mid Nov, and it would start on the 15th of Feb (I know that seems like a bit of a gap, but the entire club would have to be made in advance to make it run smoothly. It would cost around 100 pounds for the entire club. I would do NONE of the administration, infact I want nothing to do with it, I would just be providing the designs and the yarn, and the rest is up to Jo.

What do you reckon?????

Yippppeeeeee

OK, well, we are still working on the business plan, but today, I feel like we are getting somewhere.

Saturday was quite scary, we worked out all the costings, lol, and then yesterday we brain stormed and figured out loads of things and today we started putting plans into action and I am confident I can make everything work, I don't want to stop wholesaleing, because I love it so much, however I am going to have to put prices up and put orders on a waiting list, it will have a set amount of time dedicated to it, but once that weekly limit is up, thats it, so waiting times will increase inevitably, but its either that or my company won't exist because the figures don't work out. 

Today feels like the first day of me being a director should have been, not like the total meltdown I had, lol, I appreciate the help I am getting really very much, I needed someone to look critically at the business and say nope, yes nope get rid of this and that etc, and actually it makes my life doable instead of ridiculous.

The two people helping me both said, what is the point in having your business if you don't earn proper wages, and I laughed alot, that really helped me to decide to ditch the things I was holding onto really tightly.

I am very excited.

xxxxxxxxxxxx