Crochet Extra – November 2020

October has been a month of challenges!  I knew implementing a new website would not be easy, however there have been more challenges with it than anticipated.  And no matter how much planning and testing you do, it is not until it goes live that you know you’ve got everything.   But it was made more difficult with internet outages during the month, our lovely dog Roxi tearing the ligament in her front leg and needing to be operated on, and continued delays with suppliers – in particular DMC products.

But I do see the overall benefits of our website will outweigh these issues – both for you and us.

• Our website gives you real time stock levels – if you can’t order a colour that means we don’t have it in stock at the moment.  And if you order something and we don’t have it, you’ll get $10 off your next order.  While we may have the quantity you order these may not all be the same dye lot – in which case we will call you to discuss.
• Our website is now fully integrated with our shipping companies – Aramex and Australia Post – so you’ll get real time notification when your order is shipped and the tracking details.  This saves us time meaning we can get your orders out quicker.
• Clearer images of all yarns and colours.  When you select the colour from the pull down menu you will get a large picture of the colour to confirm it is what you wanted.  Most yarns also have additional images with the full colour range available in that yarn.
• Our events calendar enables you to see at a glance both instore and online workshops – with direct links through to the booking details.
• Be inspired by what our customers have made in our gallery  – you can also easily submit a photo of your projects via this page, with details of the yarn and pattern and go into the quarterly draw for a $25 voucher to spend with us.
• Two separate searches – the main page searches products and pages, while the ‘advanced search’ in the shop searches only products and allows you to filter by category and shortly by brand.

We’ve put together a small video to show you some of these new features and how they work.

And don’t forget – everyone who places an order via our website up to November 14th will go into the draw for a spot at our December workshop including the kit!

Christmas is fast approaching and we have included our period of closure in our events calendar.  Our last day of trading will be Wednesday 23rd December, although our last day for shipping orders will be Tuesday 22nd December.  We will reopen again on Monday 4th January 2021. As usual, orders may still be placed via our website and these will all be filled in the week of 4 January 2021.

This month is our Crochet Retreat.  I’m looking forward to it given many of the other events that were cancelled during the year.  We have 32 people attending the retreat in Marcoola – a few last minute additions.  Follow our facebook and instagram pages where will we share some of the fun we will be having.

Join us at our crochet workshops for November and learn three different techniques for crocheting with beads – treat yourself or get a head start on gifts for Christmas. See  our  events  calendar  for  full details of both the online and instore sessions.

Until next time

Lynda

Theme— Kids Craft

With the summer holidays approaching and many across the country still at home, it’s a great time to get kids into craft activities. Crocheting and knitting in particular are great for kids as it helps to hone their motor skills, let’s them explore the creative side of their brains, and raises their self esteem.  Not to mention, it’s an activity that allows you to bond with them quietly, and enables development of their maths and reading skills without them knowing it.  All-in-all, the perfect alternative to the digital world we’ve all been turning to.

If you take your time, you can pass your crochet and knitting skills down to a child of almost any age. Kids are less self-critical than adults, which is great! Stay enthusiastic and praise them on what they achieve, not how well they execute it. Take frequent breaks and explore other ways of using yarn, such as making pom poms, friendship bracelets, macrame, finger knitting, braiding or weaving.

Simple projects to start with are bracelets, headbands and phone holders.  Use the kumihimu disc, lucit loom or knitting mill to create braided cords to attach to knitted and crocheted pieces.  Or make small decorative items such as flowers and pom poms that can adorn their favourite clothes, bags, etc.

Crocheted garments are definitely back on trend, so encourage the girls by showing them some of the fashionable clothing and help them learn the stitches – they’ll be the most fashionably dressed girls around, hopefully have saved money, will appreciate the effort that goes into making items and be proud of what they achieve.

For the boys, it is a little harder but decorative items such as mandalas or practical items such as golf covers, or phone holders when they are playing sport, or belts and straps can help keep them stay focused and on trend.

We feature below books, patterns and resources that can really get the kids hooked on yarn crafts.  Or try this free pattern for any child to crochet a knotted headband by Julie Measures

Look What We Found