 August 26, 2006
Cancelled
anyone know what this means on postage? I have just had 3 huge mail sacks returned to sender with this stamped across each one of the postage labels. Including all 10 stashes, 3 wholesale orders and numerous bills that I had paid. The worse news it that they arrived back about 30 minutes before we left for Cornwall for a week. Now all will be reposted on my return but that will be in a week and having done a quick count up of the postage in the bags I'll be over £150 out of pocket with reposting. Anyone heard of this before? I feel terrible about the stash people, they should have arrived ages ago. :( I dont have much luck with the post sometimes, and it makes me MAD. Turning off comments on all entries now before going to Cornwall to avoid the spam.
Posted by Kerrie at 08:15 AM
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August 25, 2006
Coming out of hiding with a warning
(First click is safe for anyone. 2nd click is a little less safe although I still don't think its that bad. It made Brooke cry this morning when she saw it for the first time. Love her sensitive little self.. xx) This was how I looked at 8.30 this morning. (well, not strictly true this was how I looked in Paris in June but the theory is the same) This is how I looked at 9.30 this morning. Not so cute any more, huh? (OK, so I'm not saying that I really think I was cute to start with but at least the face in the first pic didn't make small children cry, or at least to my knowledge) I had my freckly moley type thing removed from my left cheek this morning. Its going to be odd to look in the mirror and not see it there but its best that it got itself gone. It started off life as a pale brown freckle, nice and flat. Over the last few months it has become raised, itchy and dark brown in places and wobbly around the edge. The doctors verdict that was he didn't think it looked like it was anything scary but hey, why not get rid of it anyway. I was very brave. I had the choice between full "you won't feel a thing at all" anesthetic which carried a greater risk of tissue damage and therefore scarring or "a barely any, just scream if the pain becomes unbearable" anesthetic. I went for the second one. My theory was that having breathed my way through 2 drug free labours I should be able to cope with 10 minutes of mole removal. Yeah, that wasn't a good move. I would encourage anyone else facing that decision to think about the wonderful benefits of foundation and just not worry about the scar. Don't tell Brooke this because I had to lie to her and tell her it didn't hurt but MAN IT HURT! The sound was pretty gross as well. Lets not dwell on that before I stop being brave. Now I get to go to a BBQ and a wedding this weekend looking like Frankenface. Then the fun gets really fun on Tuesday when Wayne and I have the choice between finding a local doctors or hospital in Cornwall and asking them to take out my 3 stitches or doing it ourselves. The doctor was really blase about how easy it was to take them out ourselves and assured me that it wouldn't hurt so we might give that a go. Anyone in the far South West of England who hears ear piercing screams on Tuesday morning might be wise to guess that it didn't go so well! I'm really gone now, off to pack cases and mourn the loss of the freckly thing for a while. I'll show you a healed up pic when I get back. Hopefully. See you in a week or so. xx
Posted by Kerrie at 01:13 PM
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August 23, 2006
Early holiday
There is just so much going on around me at the moment that I can't keep up. We're off to Cornwall on Monday for a well deserved week in a caravan. No emails, no website, no mobile phones just Wayne and I with our kids - relaxing and enjoying being a family together. I had planned to keep blogging this week and then take next week off but that hasn't really worked out too well as you may have noticed. HipKnits will be open this Saturday 26th August and then closed from Sunday 27th through to Monday 4th September when we will reopen with some new stock and other goodies. see you soon
Posted by Kerrie at 08:25 AM
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August 16, 2006
Lost
I'm lost, I have no idea which of the yarn forward designs I like the best. I thought I knew, but now with the final 2 having arrived today I have no idea. Its probably best that everyone who works in the shop has a different favourite, we should be fairly representative of the whole don't you think? At first I loved a cardigan by Teresa Clark. Then my next favourite was a top by Ysolda. Then a shawl. Then a rug. Then the cardigan again. Now I don't know. Do you think we should put some preview pics up on the site after the photo shoot at the weekend? Or maintain the mystery until we publish. I'm just not sure..
Posted by Kerrie at 04:09 PM
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August 15, 2006
Oliver's Fund - Total
We raised almost £500 with the 10 auctions for Oliver's Fund. Yay for everyone who donated yarn or bid on the auctions. There will be more going up at the beginning of September so I'll let you know when they are on ebay. Its the photo shoot for the magazine this weekend, the last few designs are arriving and Laura and I are spending every free second editing, discussing page layouts and sourcing photos for the mag. Its good fun but hectic so expect not to see too much of me this week. I'm also knitting version 2 of my design for the magazine, I decided to make a couple of changes to the pattern at the last minute (as you do) and started knitting it again last night. Nothing like working to a deadline to focus the mind is there!
Posted by Kerrie at 08:28 AM
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August 11, 2006
Happy Birthday Cameron Bameron
Today is Camerons 2nd birthday. Wow. Just look at how he has grown and changed since he was born! (that newborn photo of him, makes me just want a million more babies, today.) Love you Cameron Bameron. You are growing up into a lovely little boy, cant wait to see what the next year brings you and us. xxxx
Posted by Kerrie at 08:23 AM
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August 10, 2006
Happy Birthday Brookie!
My little Brookie Cookie, 6 years old today. It really doesnt seem possible. She is just so grown up now and chose to have breakfast in bed this morning before opening her presents. Ive been digging around and managed to find photos of her on or around every birthday since she was 2 (no digital camera before that) See how much she has changed? Love you lots Brooke, hope next year is as fab as the last 6 have been. xxxx
Posted by Kerrie at 11:06 AM
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August 09, 2006
Crazy days
Lots going on here at the moment, I've just about sorted out all of the yarn donations for the book and started some of my own designs for it. The magazine is progressing well, Laura showed me some more of the pages that she has been working on yesterday and they look amazing! The photo shoot is on the 18th August and so far there is only 1 design that I'm not confident will be ready in time, all the other designers have assured me that they will meet the deadline. Woo Hoo! Here are a couple of pics of yarn that are in my design basket at the moment, lots of little skeins of HipKnits silks, a nice big superchunky skein of Hello Yarn handspun and some Rowan ribbon twist which was a gift from Michaela. Finally, a question for you. I'm putting together some pattern booklets to sell at NEC, Ally Pally, Harrogate and on the website. They will contain aroun 15 patterns I hope all using just a couple of skeins of silk and sari silk. How much would you be willing to pay for one do you think? I want it to be a reasonable price so that people can buy one to go along with a couple of skeins of yarn and know that they will be able to make something cool. Is £5 too expensive? What do you think?
Posted by Kerrie at 09:19 AM
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August 08, 2006
They're growing up....
I can't quite believe that this week is the big birthday week for us. Brooke turns 6 on Thursday and Cameron will be the grand old age of 2 on Friday. Seriously, where has the time gone? Cameron is growing up so much, he is talking all the time and has lots of funny little habits that just make you want to laugh. He is the child of mood swings though. Brooke has always been very even tempered, reasonably quiet and pretty good most of the time. Cam on the other hand is either a nightmare child full of kicking and hitting (but he only seems to kick Brooke and I, never anyone else) or he is the funniest most lovely boy in the whole world who sings, dances and generally makes you wonder how you could ever fail to love him. We're buying him a bed for his birthday. He can just about climb out of his cot now and when he stayed over at mum and dad's with Brooke the other week they slept in the same room and although he had a little princess bed* on the floor to sleep in, he crept in the big double bed with Brooke at some point in the night and stayed there. I think he'll be OK although I'm remembering Brooke and her falling out of bed every 10 minutes for the first few weeks she was in a big bed. I'm not sure we're strong enough to go through that again but I think its time. He'll also be sleeping in a proper bed when we go on holiday at the end of the month, him and Brooke get a twin room to share. How grown up? We're staying close to the beach and I just know that the 2 of them are going to have a great time together. So, Thursday and Friday are their birthdays, Saturday is their joint birthday party (or joined up birthday party as Brooke likes to call it) with around 15 of Brooke's friends and 2 or 3 of Cam's. Then before you know it we'll be getting ready for dad's birthday, exactly 1 week after Brooke's. Not long after that is mine and Wayne's 3rd wedding anniversary - August is such a busy (and expensive) month for us. * A princess bed is a makeshift bed on the floor. It started years ago when Brooke was probably about Cam's age now and Jenna was staying over one night at the old house with very few options as to where she could sleep. Brooke didn't want to give up her bed and showed no interest in the mattress bed on the floor that we had made for her until we told her that it was a princess bed. Then she couldn't get into it quick enough. Now every makeshift bed on the floor in this house is a princess bed, whether its Brooke, Cam or grandad that sleep in it!
Posted by Kerrie at 08:00 AM
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August 06, 2006
Fruitstock revisited
Fruitstock yesterday was amazing. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would spend 10 hours in the blistering sun teaching over 100 people to knit. Never did I imagine that I would have to turn away the same number of people again because I just didn't have the time or the needles and yarn to teach them. Never did I imagine that a good percentage of the people who I taught to knit would stay with us for 1 - 2 hours, until they had completed their first mini hat for the Innocent Supergran project. I had expected to sit quietly all day, knitting away on my own projects and helping out the odd person who came over to us. I didn't expect to have to spend 10 hours accepting bottles of water and sweets from whoever happened to have one on hand because I just couldn't leave to get anything to eat or drink. The first indication that it was about to spiral out of control was when at 2 minutes after the festival opened a group of about 12 15 year olds turned up clutching their balls of wool that they had bought from the Innocent stand (I donated 300 balls of wool to them that sold out within a couple of hours) and asking to be taught to knit. By the time I had finished casting them all on and teaching them the basics I stood up to find dad saying "that group of 3 over there are next, followed by that man there, those 4 people over there and then this lady with her 2 children" Dad was the organiser all day, he was doing the sales pitch, booking people in for a time to come back when hopefully there would be some spare needles and generally making sure it all worked out smoothly. Gulp. It was an amazing day. We were filmed for some programme, I don't know what it was. I just remember hearing the woman presenter repeating her slot over and over again saying "you wouldn't expect to find knitting at a festival like this but just behind me on this hill are a whole group of people who have come to learn to knit" It was amazing. Less amazing was getting home late last night and then today. I totally over did it in the sun yesterday and Wayne has some kind of flu bug. I'm so sad that I didn't make it back to Fruitstock today, I hope Ben from Innocent managed to keep all the knitters knitting, he was a big help yesterday afternoon. Its now nearly 6pm and the whole family here are in our pyjamas still, Wayne and I have slept in 2 hours shifts all day. Its now my 2 hours to be awake while he sleeps and already I'm counting down to when he gets up and I can go to bed. I wouldn't swap yesterday for the world. I just wish I could have stopped and looked around to enjoy it more. I took NO photos but I believe dad and Laura got a couple so I'll add them to this entry when I can. For now, its off to bed again in a few minutes.
Posted by Kerrie at 05:50 PM
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August 04, 2006
Snowbooks
I have finished reading 3 books in the last week or so and am half way through a 4th. Now, that isn't a request for 40 million emails asking me how I found the time with everything else I have going on, I just did. I love to read. I read in bed, in the bath, on the train, while cooking dinner, while watching the kids in the bath. Everywhere. The first book of the 4 was "Inside I'm screaming", by Elizabeth Flock I loved it. It is the story of a young journalist who totally falls apart on screen whilst reporting the death of Diana and her journey in a mental hospital while she struggles to get her life back. I laughed and cried in the same book which has to be a good sign. Then I read "Forever Odd" by Dean Koontz which (contrary to many of the reviews on Amazon) I thought was disappointing. I loved the first one in the series, Odd Thomas but this one just seemed to be a lot of nothing. I think the first 2/3 of the book could almost have been squashed into about 50 pages. By the time the real action started I was already bored and didn't pay proper attention. I usually love his books but this one was not one of my favourites. Then I read "Adept" by Robert Finn and again contrary to many of the reviews on Amazon, I really enjoyed it! The book combines a thriller with a little magic and some history. I'll be reading the 2nd one in the series when I have exhausted my current book pile. This book was published by Snowbooks who are also the lovely company who I just signed contracts with for the handpainted yarn book! I'll admit to being a little disappointed when negotiations with Interweave fell through a couple of weeks ago. Somehow though I knew I had to write this book, I was planning on self publishing it if I needed to. However, I ended up in an email conversation with Anna who took one look at the proposal and then arrived at the shop with contracts in her hand a couple of days later. I am SO EXCITED about this. I have already started to contact some designers who's ideas have made the shortlist and I will be contacting the rest this week. I have lots of lovely handpainted yarn companies who are donating yarn to the book, its not all going to be HipKnits you know! The book will be published next October, 2007 just in time for the Knitting and Stitching show I should think. That's pretty good timing isn't it? Oh, that's what the gorgeous Sweet Georgia Yarn was for the other day. She kindly agreed to donate yarn to the book and at the same time I sneaked a little (OK, not so little) wholesale order in for her gorgeous speed demon sock yarn. YUM is all I have to say. For those of you who haven't seen her yarns in person I hope to have them in time for the 3 shows this year starting with the NEC, they will be available on the website after that if there are any left! I'm planning a nice quiet weekend at Fruitstock with my knitting and planning for the book. Do stop by and say hello (and knit some mini hats) if you're around, it would be lovely to see you!
Posted by Kerrie at 08:37 AM
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August 03, 2006
Such Generosity
Would you believe it if I told you that this : is probably somewhere around 3/4 of the yarn that Michaela and I received for Oliver's fund? How amazing is that? We had some very generous yarn stores that sent lots of stock, some brilliant yarn companies that donated BOXES full (thank you Rowan) some US visitors to the UK who arrived at the shop with Waitrose carrier bags full of yarn and what feels like hundreds of parcels that trickled in throughout the month. With one notable exception (cough Colinette cough) everyone that Michaela contacted was happy to donate yarn and really positive about the idea behind the auction. We'll hopefully be putting some of the lots up for auction today and the rest in a couple of weeks time. AS mentioned before, all auctions will be for less than 2kilos in weight for enhanced worldwide shipping and ALL proceeds will go to Emma for Oliver's fund. Edited to add - the first 10 are up. Go here to see them and BID.
Posted by Kerrie at 05:23 AM
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August 02, 2006
Exciting new project for the autumn number 2.
HipKnits is updated (and selling out fast, I haven't even been able to go make a cup of tea since I sent the notification out!) but look at this, I have something far more exciting than new colours of yarn (as gorgeous as they are!) to show you. What do you think?
Posted by Kerrie at 10:02 AM
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August 01, 2006
Stuff and bits and bobs and things
Its one of those days today. So much to do and all I want to do is to go back to bed for a nice long nap. MagKnits August issue will be up ad running very soon. Its all to do with patterns that use 1 skein of handspun yarn this issue. I really like the way it all came together. We'll be back to normal next month with a bumper issue full of socks, other accessories and garments. HipKnits is almost updated and ready to go with its lovely shiny new August update. This will be uploaded this evening I think. I feel like we dyed about a million skeins of yarn this month, and that's not far from the truth. The update on the site is probably half of the yarn we have, we're starting to stock up for the NEC next month, and Alexandra Palace the month after that. All handspun yarn on HipKnits will be half price in honour of the special MagKnits issue. I was lucky enough to receive these in the post yesterday from Felicia. I'll tell you what they are for later on in the week. Day 2 and so far the new routine of nursery and summer camp is not working out too well. The drop off and pick up times don't co-ordinate well plus it is further away so I'm spending more and more time in the car and hanging out with Cam while he pines for his sister. Its not ideal but it will all even out in a few days when we all get used to the new routine. I hope. The best news is that Brooke loves it there which is the main thing, she came home full of the joys yesterday evening and promptly fell asleep an hour before her normal bed time. The only complaint that she made was that I hadn't packed her enough lunch so today she has gone in with extras. What's the betting she doesn't eat anywhere near enough? Have you seen shape of a mother yet? I think its amazing. I have been back through their archives and read evey entry. Some of them made me cry but its given me so much more respect for the changes I've seen to my own body since having the children. I couldn't resist joining in so expect to see pics and story from me on their sometime soon.
Posted by Kerrie at 10:55 AM
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