It's been a long time between blog posts, which isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world as it means we have been wonderfully busy sharing lots of great yarn with you, our excellent customers!

But it's definitely time for some updates, and first up: Brooklyn Tweed! This yarn has been on my bucket list for what feels like forever, so being able to bring it to NZ is a huge delight. We are the exclusive stockists in this part of the world, and it's a real honour to join the BT family.

Almanac and Button Jar in Brooklyn Tweed

So, of course the first thing to do is a hunt for patterns...

Wyatt, by Michelle Wang in Shelter is my next project on the needles, in Button Jar.

Bough by Leila Raabe shows off BT's gorgeous stitch definition with loads of cables.

Gyre by Bristol Ivy in the glorious colour that is Hayloft 

and how lush is the Guernsey Wrap by the man himself, Jared Flood?

We have plenty of stock in now, and another order due to arrive in few weeks, which will include the exciting new lace weight yarn, Plains. One of our favourite local(ish) designers, Amy van de Laar, designed one of the latest Wool People patterns with it, hooray Amy!

Amarilli, by Amy van de Laar

More on Amy in a future blog post...

Sign up here from 9am Monday 4 April!

With things shifting and changing over the last wee while, it's come to our attention that we need a better shop couch set up. Our current one is huge and comfy, but the hugeness has become a bit of an issue. We need to rearrange the shop in order to get all the new stuff to fit, and that means new couches.

There's one problem though: we spend every spare cent of our turnover on yarn. When it comes to making a choice about spending money, yarn will always win out. It's what we're here for, it's what we love, and it's what we want to share with you. 

So we're doing something a bit different: inviting you to join our Yarn Couch VIP club. 

What on earth is that?

Yarn Couch VIP will cost you the small sum of $35

it will gain you:

• 12 months of 10% off every purchase in store or online (some exceptions, such as indie shelf yarns and vouchers, will apply)
• First dibs on every shipment of special yarn and new stock (yep, that's Madeline Tosh!)*
• Sneak previews of Indie Shelf yarns* 
• Priority dyeing on any Knitsch Sock - so if you're after a colour it will be bumped to the top of my dye list
• Two special shopping nights during the year with extra treats
• Your name on the couch! Yep, we'll embroider your name on the couch to say thanks for being the excellent supportive person you are.

* via a special VIP email list

There's a strictly limited number of VIP spots available - just enough to allow us to buy two new couches that better suit the space we're in. 

All proceeds from the club will go directly to buying a couple new couches for you to enjoy! If we have any spare cash it'll go on other homey touches to make the space more comfy. 

Sign up here from 9am Monday 4 April! 

When you aren't busy dyeing yarn, what do you do?

How did you get into knitting? Are you a process or a product knitter?

Do you have a particular fibre or fibre blend you love to dye more than any other?

We all have colour tendencies - what's yours? Do you find this comes through in your dyeing?

If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?

Anything else you want to share with us?

Blanket CAL 2016

This spectacular pattern Sophie's Universe was released last year as a mystery crochet-along by the talented designer Dedri Uys. Now that the mystery part is finished, it's clear that this blanket pattern is one of the most interesting and well-designed blanket patterns available and the generous designer still offers it for free on her website. It's no surprise that I'm not the only one who has been admiring it - we've had several requests to make this our next HRYC blanket CAL. 

One of the designer's 3 finished Sophies. For more amazing examples of this pattern, check out the Ravlery project pages. 

Not sure you've got the crochet skills?

Don't be intimidated by how difficult this pattern appears. The designer has step-by-step photo tutorials for each round! Additionally, another woman has even made YouTube instructional videos for each round. Plus, if you prefer in-person help, we've got a great next-steps crochet class African Flower Motif that will teach you some of the basics you'll need to get started on this pattern.

This CAL will be a great way to try out/practice some more advanced crocheting techniques. By the end of it, you'll be much more confident in your crocheting abilities. 

How big will it be/how much yarn do I need?

The other lovely thing about this pattern is that the designer has included instructions and even calculation worksheets for three different yarn weights to make a small, medium, or large blanket:

4ply: 1.0 meters x 1.0 meters  (3’3 x 3’3), ~2500 meters

8ply: 1.4 meters x 1.4 meters (4’7 x 4’7), ~3300 meters

10ply: 1.8 meters x 1.8 meters  (6′ x 6′), ~3900 meters.

If you'd like help picking yarn for this project, let us know - we're always happy to help. :) 

CAL details

Sign up here via our handy google form.

Post photos/ask questions/get support at our Ravelry thread.

CAL will officially begin on 20 Feb 2016 and follow the original schedule that Dedri used when it was originally released as a mystery CAL (20 weeks).

This popular and beautiful motif shows up in lots of patterns, so we're hosting an African Flower Motif class on Saturday, 20 Feb! In addition to working through this basic pattern step-by-step in the class, we'll also be covering lots of intermediate crochet techniques. This class is perfect for anyone with basic crochet skills (it's a great follow-up if you just took our Beginner Crochet class last month) and for anyone interested in broadening their crochet skills.

Close-up of the African flower motif center (top) of Kate's Sleepy Owl Toy by Janaya Chouinard (bottom)

This handy little motif shows up in a wide variety of patterns, from blankets and stuffed toys to bags and hats:

Happypotamus The Happy Hippo by Heidi Bears

African Flower bag by Gunilla Karlsson

Flower Ripples Slouch Hat by Janaya Chouinard

African Flower Hexagon Coin Change Snap Purse Bag Clutch by Naztazia