http://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/blog/default.aspxSat 04 Feb 2012 14:22:15http://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/blog_22_july_2011/default.aspx Celebrity PranksKnown for being a knitting fan Julia Roberts, fell for a knitting themed prank on the set of romcom Larry Crowne set up by actor/director Tom Hanks and crew. Check out this YouYube Larry Crowne promotional video - I think some of the boys are not taking this joke seriously!!! Fri 22 Jul 2011 18:26:33Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/blog_18_july_2011_2/default.aspxIf you have read our featured article on woolen coffins you may be interested in our short video clip - Anna has finished it and it shows the woollen coffins and how they look and and a insight into how they are made. Not read it yet? Then take a look now. Mon 18 Jul 2011 15:04:54Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/blog_18_july_2011/default.aspxAutumn Winter Season 2011Its mid July so its time for Rowan new magazine for Autumn Winter 2011. Issue no. 50 will not disappoint. Three themes: Wildwood, Finesse and Winter Essentials cover an entire wardrobe for the coming season, with autumn motifs and plenty of fairisle in Wildwood, trendy warm woollies in the Winter Essentials and some lovely vintage inspired designs for evening wear. Mon 18 Jul 2011 14:59:03Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/university_of_huddersfield_fashion_show/default.aspxUniversity of HuddersfieldFashion Show 16 June 2011Having finished knitting the garments for Lydia, a student at Huddersfield University, I was keen to see the results on the catwalk Tue 21 Jun 2011 11:47:35Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/howtoreadpatternsblog/default.aspxIn response to some questions from lots of new knitters, I have written a short article on how to read a knitting pattern. With tips and pointers, it has been written for people that are new to knitting and don't have a knitting friend to call on. I have tried to explain the terms and what the pattern means, about tension squares, buying yarns and needles. I would welcome any feedback and additional items you would like added to the article. Jadwiga Thu 16 Jun 2011 16:11:12Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/31_may_2011/default.aspxFree book with your orderIn our special Easter promotion, if you place an order online,you can receive a free knitting pattern book with your order (this offer is only open to UK delivery addresses). There are two lists, one for order over £35 and one for orders over £65 and there are some great books still available, such as Debbie Bliss inspiring book - The Knitters Year. This has lots of great projects form easy to experienced and it would make a great present for an ardent knitter. Other books include Louisa Harding's Cardigans, Rowan's Savannah and Panama, also Winter Drift and Summer Baby and a number of Kim Hargreaves books, great just to drool over and many many more. Don't miss out, the offer continues untill all these books are gone. Wed 01 Jun 2011 11:46:23Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/blog_24_march_2011/default.aspx Two great new features lauch on 24 March 2011 on the Serenity Knitting website - Loyalty scheme and Gift vouchers. Returning customers will be able to benefit from purchases made on the website. If you attain a certain level of purchases you will be rewarded with a voucher which entitles you to 10% off your next order placed online. For more details, click on the link above. For those who can't decide what to buy for a friend, buy a gift voucher instead and then they can have the headache of deciding which wonderful yarn to choose and then which shade, which pattern. . . . . . . . . The gift vouchers are for four occasions - New Baby, Birthday, Christmas and any occasion. How about Mother's Day - coming up soon on 3 April 2011? The gift vouchers do not have to be used all in one go and if there is a balance left over, you can use it on the next order. More new features on the website coming soon. Thu 24 Mar 2011 17:04:16Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/22_march_2011/default.aspxSize 10mm needles - that will be quick! Or so I thought. When final year fashion degree student Lydia got in touch and asked for some help, my knitting group agreed, super chunky yarn + 10mm needles, finished in a flash!Lydia has designed 3 knitted garments for her final year project and I agreed to knit them up to her design. First piece is now knitted and weighes in at 1. 4kg, no wonder my arms are aching. Thu 24 Mar 2011 17:03:46Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/february_4-2011/default.aspx First beads, now buttons!In response to queries I have had about buttons for projects, I have found Sewfabrics, who are making handcrafted covered buttons for me using the lovely prints of the Liberty Tana Lawn fabrics to cover the buttons. The buttons come in three sizes 15mm, 19mm and 29mm diameter and are covered in a variety of Tana Lawn fabrics. Check out the lovely corsages, they add an individual and personal stamp to your handknitted hat or coat. Thu 10 Mar 2011 15:12:34Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/blog_3_march_2011/default.aspx More free knitting patterns! Artesano have just released a number of free patterns for their Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica yarn. See link:http://www. artesanoyarns. co. uk/Free%20Knitting%20Patterns/free%20knitting%20patterns. htmlThis adds to their selection of free knitting pattern which covers the yarns in the Artesano and Manos del Uruguay ranges. For more links to free pattern sources - see our webpage Free patterns Wed 02 Mar 2011 11:14:51Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/blog_17_February_2011/default.aspxSale and clearance linesRegular visitors to the site will have noticed a new section in the shop - Sale and Clearance lines. In this section, we are offering packs of yarn at special discounts. The packs may be all the same lot no. and same shade or they may be mixed shades but of the same yarn and they may differ in how many balls of yarn are in each pack. . All packs are described with precisely what they contain, so you know exactly what you are buying. Take a look now, there are some real bargains to be had. Thu 17 Feb 2011 08:53:56Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/january312011/default.aspxNew range of beads now in stockGiven that my previous bead supplier suddenly dried up, I spent some time last year getting in a variety of sample beads and testing them on knitting projects. So there is now a selection of three bead sizes to fit aran wieght, dk and lace weight projects and this will shortly include some pearly beads in large medium and small too. I would love to hear some feed back on the beads or if you would like me to stock some colours which are not included in the range yet. Fri 04 Feb 2011 16:49:58Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/22_october_2010/default.aspx I love the look of floaty beads on a a gauzy scarf, it looks very feminine and more individual, so to improve the seelction of beads on the website I have been sampling beads from various sources to see which work best with knitted garments. There is something very satisfying about looking and playing with lots of sparkly beads, maybe we never really grow up, we just get older! So far, the selection of beads cover medium sizes, so they will sit snugly on standard double knit yarn. You can also use these beads on loose knit mohair or any laceweight yarn, to get more impact and instant drape to the item, as the beads give the knitted fabric a bit more sparkle and weight. Fri 22 Oct 2010 17:36:40Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/14_october_2010/default.aspxI now spend much of my evening, knitting madly to make up a few sample garments for this year's Harrogate Knit & Stitch show. Images in the pattern books often don't do justice to the actual design, so I hope to persuade a few people by making up a number of designs from the new season's crop of patterns. Do come along to our stand at the Harrogate Knit & Stitch show, which runs from Nov 25 th to Nov 28th - Thursday to Sunday. We have stand no. B245 and a newsletter will be going out soon, with a special offer for Serenity Knitting visitors, during this show. So do keep an eye out for this. ANDsome great news is that Louisa Harding will be on our stand on Friday 26th November to chat and answer questions or sign books or even just to look at her! If you are thinking of coming along, Friday might be a good day to choose. Louisa is always happy to listen and chat to knitters, so don't be scared, she really is lovely to talk to and she hasn't bitten me yet! Also guesting will be David McLeod, Design Room Manager at Rowan, who will be on the stand during the day on Thursday November 25th. Got questions about Rowan and their designs, then come and give David a grilling or a pat on the back - whichever you prefer!To buy tickets for Harrogate, go to Twisted Thread. Thu 21 Oct 2010 14:23:58Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/13_october_2010/default.aspxNo blog since Feb 2010? Shocking! Surely it can't be that long ago! I have been out doing some additional consultancy work to help investment in the website and am now back full time working on the site. In the meantime, I have joined a couple of local knitting groups and have been getting interesting feedback about what knitters want and I hope to be able to incorporate these features on the website. Many of the new Autumn & Winter season patterns have now been added to the Project section, so you can find details of the yarn and needle requirement for the patterns listed. Wed 13 Oct 2010 14:57:00Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/23_february_2010/default.aspxSerenity Knitting sponsored Simply Knitting's readers letters over the last six months and one winner was so delighted with her voucher - here is her post on the moneysaving expert forum. Tue 23 Feb 2010 16:40:06Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/19_january-2010/default.aspx Spring is nearly here. To warm you up for the new season, Rowan's newest magazine no. 47 is now out, for the Spring - Summer season 2010. Next in the diary for the 1 Feb 2010, is the Rowan Summer Crochet magazine, which is exclusively crochet designs using Rowan's Siena 4 ply and Cotton Glace yarns. There are lots of lovely ideas in this booklet. At the same time, Rowan Purelife Revive is launched. A recycled yarn made from recycled cotton, silk and viscose, this is a yarn I am very interested in, as recycling is the best way to avoid landfill and less energy is used than in processing from raw fibre. It will be available in eight shades. Recycle is the pattern booklet supporting Revive. Other brochures from Rowan due out are Casual Classics, by Martin Storey and also two childrens books: Miniature Classics for babies and toddlers and Rowan Kids for children. These are both due out 1 April 2010. Two new yarns from Debbie Bliss called Amalfi and Eco baby are due out in mid February 2010. Eco baby is interchangeable with Baby Cashmerino but is a fairtrade cotton yarn. Dyed using non toxic dyes, the yarn is produced with minimal effect onthe environment. Amalfi is a blend of cotton, linen, silk and viscose yarns. Both yarns will be supported by new design books from Debbie. Tue 19 Jan 2010 13:16:08Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/15_december_2009/default.aspxUsing Rowan Pure Cashmere DKFor those of you who have splashed out and bought Rowan pure cashmere DK, we wanted to point out that the no. of balls specified in the Rowan Classic Designs for Men and Women has some errors. The one we have noted so far is for the Bertram design, the book states for sizes small to XXL, you need 25-32 balls of Rowan Cashmere DK. In fact you need only 13-16 balls. Size S M L XL XXLNo ofballs 13 14 15 15 16So you will see that all the cashmere balls numbers seem high for most of the patterns, so please do check with Rowan for the design you are planning to make before you order any Cashmere DK. Tue 15 Dec 2009 14:26:32Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/12_december_2009/default.aspxHarrogate Knit & Stitch showIt was a few of weeks ago now but only seems like days ago. First time at the Harrogate show and it was exhilarating and exhausting but worth the effort. The most amazing aspect of the show which stands out for me was how lovely all our customers were, even though we were extremely busy, and they all lead such interesting lives, apart form knitting obviously. From a vet who always wanted to set up a wool shop, to a young man who was not quite sure what his email address was - is that possible in this day and age? Most of you who attended will have seen the display in Hall A of the knitted ship and under the waves scenes. There were some lovely doe eyed seals and multo coloured fish amongst the sea life. Tue 15 Dec 2009 13:52:55Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/15_October_2009/default.aspx We visited this year's Ali Pally Knit & Stitch show on Friday October 9, and as usual, we have to marvel at the fabulous hilltop location of Alexandra Palace, most of London is laid out below, with most of the monuments and places of interest clearly visible . If you have never visited before, then the exhibition halls are something to look at in themselves, high light and airy and for the Dr Who fans, you can also see the large aerial which was used in one of the Dr Who series!Lots of knitting and needle craft stalls, stands for various knitting and sewing magazines ( Nicky Epstein was signing book at one) and this year I noticed many more demo tables to allow you to try out sewing machines. I didn't have much luck with finding the buttons I wanted though. Most intriguing for me is to look at at the displays of the design students, there is always something amazing and inventive to look, its always good for inspiration and sheer wonder at the number of ideas and how they are put together. But best of all are people's stories of how they came up with an idea or what inspires them. One designer to look out for is Angela Hatton of Quirky Little Knits ( see her blog on the show). She had a lovely vintage dress on display and best of all, the pattern for this dress will be available in one of the knitting magazines in the next couple of months, so watch out for that. Even Nicky Epstein came past and thought " Angela's designs were pretty cute". Don't forget - Serenity Knitting is on stand B245 at the Harrogate Knit and Stitch show November 19 - 22 2009, do come and say hello, we want to hear your views. Thu 15 Oct 2009 18:13:46Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/Serenity_Knitting_blog_for_11_Sep2009/default.aspx I Knit show - Victoria, LondonThis year the I Knit show was a two day event, at the RHS halls in Victoria, London. These halls are a great location, well lit, spacious and a great restaurant downstairs and only a 5-10 min walk from Victoria tube station. AND lots of seats for knitting and chatting and where you can eat your own packed lunch. Arriving at the mid morning lull, it was great to be able to look at the stalls at your leisure, without the huge crowds and the crush of Ali Pali. As well as all the usual yarn stalls, what stood out for me was the Arbour House Publishing stall with the Vintage Knitting book by Jane Waller and Susan Crawford, as there were also knitted display garments to look at - so you could see how they looked actually made up. Lots of unusual designs and ideas in this book. A gorgeous button stand - Textile Garden had some very unusual buttons on sale and I finally succumbed on the third pass and bought some buttons. The ladies from the Naked Knitting Calendar also had a stand. The idea of combining extreme knitting with nakedness was developed by the Knitting Noras and they had their lovely calendars on sale. Monies raised from the calendars goes towards a cancer charity - The Christie, as the group lost a founder member to cancer in early 2009. Well worth a visit next year. Mon 14 Sep 2009 15:41:02Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/6_July_2009/default.aspxWoolfest 2009Day trip up to Cockermouth in the beautiful Lake District for day 1 of the Woolfest on June 26th. It was my first time to the Woolfest and it was well worth the visit. The location the Lakeland Livestock Centre, with the pens being converted into stalls for a couple of days. Some of the pens still held a variety of unusual sheep breeds including the Teeswater and North Ronaldsway breeds and best of all were some alpacas which had just been shorn, and yet managed to look extremely elegant. A festival to celebrate natural fibres of all kinds, there were stalls with everything from all types of spinning equipments, to weaving, raw fleeces to purchase, lots of buttons and accessories stalls, two of my favourites were Injabulo, a fairtrade company helping to improve conditions for women in South Africa and particularly Aids orphans and Indigo, who crocheted and knitted up a variety of lovely bags and containers in Herdwick wool in their natural colours. If you are interested in dyeing, there were lots of natural dyes on sale and advice of how to dye and of course plenty of natural fibres for knitting and crochet. If you were looking for something a little unusual, you would not have been disappointed. It's not a big venue but all the better for it, as everyone was in holiday mode and having a good time. Definitely worth a visit, if you are thinking of going next year, and why not make a weekend of up staying in the gorgeous Lake District. Mon 06 Jul 2009 11:06:44Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/Serenity_Knitting_blog_25_june-2009/default.aspx Summer is definitely here, and is usual English style, one day scorchio and next rain!We hope you have seen our advertising in the the knitting magazines, Simply Knitting, The Knitter, Let's Knit, and Knitting and also in Vogue Knitting in autumn - we've been busy. Last week Anna and I visited the Macclesfield Silk Museums and we will be reporting on that shortly, so look out for that story. If you ever thought of visiting, then you should definitely go, the guided tour is very interesting and informative and as there are four sites to visit, all showing different aspects of the silk trade, it's worth a day trip to Macclesfield. Although Anna and I always visit places on exciting days, while in the museum, there was a power cut. We once went to Barcelona to celebrate a birthday, there was a power cut and it snowed! Makes it more fun. Also look out for us at the Harrogate Knit and Stitch show from 19 -22 November 2009, we'd love to meet you and hear what you think about knitting in general, websites or anything else! Thu 25 Jun 2009 10:08:02Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/Serenity_Knitting_blog_for_16_May2009/default.aspxVery exciting Autumn/Winter 2009 launch today at home of Rowan in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire - right on my doorstep in fact. The new season designs were introduced by internationally renowned designer Erika Knight and all the designs are very strong this year and there are some fabulous additions to the yarn range. The new magazine should be out at the beginning of July 2009 and the new yarns launch in August. Be the first to get your copy of Rowan Issue no. 46. It was great to meet other stockists and particulary Susie from Weston-super-Mare, who provided the technical knitting assistance on the Kirsty Allsop show on Channel 4 " Home made Home" where she looked at a variety of handicrafts to produce some amazing items for the home. It was great news that knitting and knitted items were showcased in this way, does it mean that knitting is going mainstream as last? Thu 28 May 2009 09:39:43Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/14_april/default.aspxPattern book browser or page turner gizmo is now ready!After lots of trials, frowning and shaking of heads, and now smiley faces, the ability to browse some of the pattern books is now ready. A number of the Rowan magazines and two new Debbie Bliss pattern books have been put up as brochures and you can flick through them like a magazine and look at all the patterns in the book. The pattern book comes up on the screen and you can turn the pages and look at each of the patterns in the book. Take a look and me know what you think. More brochures to come soon! Tue 14 Apr 2009 21:28:26Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/4April_2009/default.aspxNearly there, There was a slight panic when we had a phone call to say all the products in the shop had accidentally been deleted! This included all the amends that had been done that day… Luckily the files are back up every night so we were able to back to that moment in time and then carry on from there. It is at times like this that having the experience of doing websites before really kicks in. It is like being in the final straight and the pressure starts to pile on – that is when you have to stay calm and relaxed whilst still making more and more decisions. The page turner gizmo is still in test mode. Working out how to drop all the photos in to catalogue order, changing landscape to portrait shots all takes time and attention to detail. It is here that we have noticed that the quality pictures sent from our suppliers really stand out. An interesting footnote – we wanted the swishy page turn sound, however the software we bought came with a deafening silence. Checking this with the supplier they said that they originally had sound on the page turner but they had so many complaints from irritated customers that they took it off! Just the tour of the website to put on, a test purchase then it is rock and roll……and when the work really begins. . ? AnnaSun 05 Apr 2009 21:21:34Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/23_march_2009/default.aspxWe have allowed a few visitors into the site for a sneak preview. So far so good. Page turner still not up – what’s that time honoured phrase? Still a few technical and design issues to iron out. Important facts I have learnt recently. Michael Parkinson’s mum used to design knitting patterns. Michael himself can knit balaclavas and kettle holders. Miss Marple is a great knitter – symbolic for plot unravelling etc. For those of you who loved the Cranford serialisation on BBC1 2007. In the book Miss Matty (played by Judi Dench) was a great knitter. Anna Sat 28 Mar 2009 18:39:43Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/17_march_2009/default.aspxJadz is getting obsessed with flags, Polish and French, they have to be just right. The ones she found have even got a little animation! Don’t you just love attention to detail! See them here and here. Jadz Sat 28 Mar 2009 18:39:39Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/16_march_2009/default.aspxNear disaster – I forgot to tell Jadz that the cake need to be paid for up front. Imaginative Icing have just rung to check if it is still needed. Oh no, all that discussion of branding on the side, icing looking as if it is knitted, spring colours of wool, needles and everything. A flurry of calls and then a text to say it had all be paid and we are back on schedule – phew – now that would have been embarrassing! AnnaSat 28 Mar 2009 18:39:31Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/6_march-2009/default.aspxI was in York and happened to go past the Imaginative Icing cake shop. When I used to catch the train to York, I walked past this shop everyday and marvel at the inventiveness of their decorations. With the opening lines of Wallace and Gromit’s new film A Matter of Loaf and Death in my head where the baker is singing ‘If I knew you were coming I’d a baked a cake’ , I walked in to enquire about a cake with a knitted theme. With the cake booked we need to settle on an actual launch date 30 March. Getting a website live technically entails pressing a few keys on the keyboard and not as thrilling as throwing a bottle of champagne against a huge ship and watch slide majestically into the water. A small get together will suffice in order to; discuss knitting, eat cake, muse over the hand knitted items we wore when we were little. There maybe a little cake cutting ceremony with a possibility some ribbon…don’t want to push the boat out too far. AnnaSat 28 Mar 2009 18:39:28Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/4_March_2009/default.aspx Attended a Chamber of Commerce lunch in York with my friend Johanne Spittle. We bumped into the Head of Communications at York Theatre Royal, Abbigail Wright where I had just helped to promote a successful recent event called Carbon Detox for York in Transition. On mentioning that the Serenity Knitting website she informed me that the theatre was putting on a show where the set was knitted! Another amazing stroke of luck. It is a children’s show called If only the lonely’ aimed at 4-6 year olds starting 27 march by Tutti Frutti. Will report later on the event and hope to interview some of people involved in creating the knitted set. Anna Sat 28 Mar 2009 18:39:24Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/1_march_2009/default.aspx The Antique Textile Fair in Manchester was full of stalls selling all manner of old costumes, books, textiles of all kinds. Not a huge amount of stuff for the knitter but we did find out about the Braid Society and the Macclesfield Silk Museum which is earmarked for a visit in May. We met Ruth Gilbert, a member of the Knitting History Forum who lives just outside of Huddersfield and writes academic papers on knitted fragments found on archaeological digs. Here are some photos of Ruth knitting and some historically accurate socks she made earlier. AnnaSat 28 Mar 2009 18:39:20Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/February_2009/default.aspx We want to use page turners for the catalogue, ideally with a swishing sound as the page turns – so visitors can see the pattern book before they buy. Jadz can respond to queries in French and in Polish so we are going to translate the intro on the about us page into French and Polish. Our youngest brother Michal lives in France with Pascale who will give the text the official once over and check it is bon. French for knitting? Tricot. Polish for knitting? Dziewiarstwo. Interestingly if you look in the Polish dictionary, a secondary word for knitting is trykotarstwo which seems to be taken from tricot. Key vocabulary for ecommerce – media bin, variant data, drop down menus, meta tags, SEO, initial account registration, payment gateway, sample picking lists, favicon, inner page drafts, pixel resizing, high res, low res…. . has the brief changed, I thought you meant, the slanted thing on the navigation bar amended to a under squiggle……I need a cup of tea. Question to the boys team at Purenet – will any of you be willing to be in our men’s knitting group?Yes – we think it should be Ian. Is Ian in the meeting? No – but we still nominate Ian. Squiggle is now fine. We want a project search is a way of finding project to do from within the pattern books on the site – every pattern is tagged as easy, intermediate or advanced, with matching wool, needles too, to help knitters buy the whole kit if need be. I don’t know that much about knitting but I know more than the IT guys – over to Jadz on how to talking knitting to non knitting techies (to be fair Jonathan’s granny used to knit). No toys thrown out of the pram yet maybe a few slightly tense moments, when no-one understands why the gateway isn’t working. Always blame the party not at the meeting. Found a couple of vintage knitting patterns featuring Roger Moore on ebay. Jadz tried bidding for them but it didn’t work out. Shame would have liked to have featured them on the site. Have offered some of my photos for the site – a bit scary – still gives me an opportunity to go through my whole collection looking for sheep (yup, got a couple) wool – not really, and nature – loads especially flowers, scenery. We keep discussing whether to put a picture of us on the site, maybe Jadz and Anna through the ages or maybe just a picture on launch day might be enough. I spotted a story on the bbc news website on knitted breasts – see if you can say without a smile – I can’t – and suggested Serenity Knitting could help. Jadz checked with Leeds PCT who were very organised and already had some. Jadz’s local hospital, Huddersfield Royal Infirmary have a wonderful new Birth Centre but no knitted breasts. Could we knit some for them? Yes please. The full story is in the features section inder news and with photos! Yippee – Jadz is knitting me a jumper! What is wrong with a silly pix now and again? Tue 10 Feb 2009 18:39:16Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/January_2009/default.aspxBy the end of the month the branding is done, business cards, letterheads and compliments slips on the way and oh yes the beta site is ready. After many agonising discussions on names, straplines ( at one stage I was convinced the Yarns Away was THE one!), we now have a beautifully designed site that needs to be filled. Will be have enough natural fibres to sell? How concerned is the knitter about the environment? Are knitting competitions important? New year, new questions to answer like can you knit an anatomically correct wool brain?Yes we can!AnnaSat 31 Jan 2009 18:39:09Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/December_2008/default.aspxInterviewed Richard Rutt by telephone on how he came to write ‘The History of Hand Knitting’ acknowledged as one of the best book on the subject. A most interesting and astute man full of wonderful esoteric knowledge on knitting. Life is full of coincidences. Jadz did her biology degree in Plymouth – and worked in B &Q during the holidays. The parish where Richard now lives is run by a priest who once accidentally was given Jadz’s paypacket (similar Polish names) by mistake when he too worked at B&Q at the same time . We will definitely stop by to say hello next time we are in the South West. Read a very potted version of the history of knitting here. Anna Sun 28 Dec 2008 18:38:26Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/november_2008/default.aspx Research, research and more research. We have been going through knitting websites, knitting magazines and more websites about online marketing and yet more magazines looking for information of the size of the UK and Europe knitting markets. Very impressed with the way Ravelry have developed their website technically, always thinking always about how to improve the site visitor experience. Nipped into Harrogate for our local Knit and Stitch show – on a smaller scale to London, nevertheless we bumped into the hemp lady again and had a chat(www. houseofhemp. co. uk) about how traditionally hemp was used for rope particularly in shipbuilding – it went into decline and now is coming back into use. Jadz bought some hemp in some lovely subtle colours. Anna Sat 29 Nov 2008 18:38:07Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/October_2008/default.aspx Knitting is a wonderful, weird (nice) and friendly world. We went to our first Knit and Stitch show at Alexandra Palace, London which was packed and full of knitters of all ages including students. They were attracted by the degree shows displaying the most amazing quantity and quality of contemporary knitting. It was good to see knitting at its best. My family will tell you I will talk to anyone (well almost) which is a useful trait to have working in marketing. At lunch we met lovely knitters who were very positive about a new knitting website, they even gave me their email addresses – here is a hello to the first members of the Serenity Knitting newsletter – Jan(knitterbocker), Heather, Ros and Sue and thank you for your encouraging comments – here is a lovely picture of Sue in a pink knitted hat!Fri 31 Oct 2008 09:40:54Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/Its_all_getting_quite_exciting/default.aspx Looked at lots of website and I know which website look I do not want - I wanted fresh, modern and professional, informal but funky. So with Anna's help we found an Ecommerce developer and a design consultant and then got the spec together. Its a lot of work but also more fun than I thought it would be, discussing what I wanted to create with the website. All the things that I thought were lacking on other websites, were going to be fixed on mine. Maybe a bit ambitious but you need to aim high and I wanted to do more than just have a shop. Articles, discussion, comment . . . . . . . JadzThu 16 Oct 2008 09:40:49Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/Story_so_far/default.aspx Sep 2008 - Jadz wants to set up a knitting shop on line – she has always loved knitting. We are both into sustainability, eco, natural etc so it will reflect that philosophy whilst nothing taking itself too seriously. I have set up lots of websites in the past but mainly for law firms so this is a bit of a departure for me. What do I know about knitting? I know how to knit, which is good – I haven’t knitted anything in years. I do know that Roger Moore used to model knitting patterns for Woman’s Weekly early on in his career. I have a soft spot for knitted dresses and have worn a few in my time from a classic ski jumper dress in the 70’s, to an Arran jumper and skirt ensemble from Next in the eighties. The most recent acquisition was in the 90’s was a elegant navy dress and matching long jacket worn with a thin silver belt from Episode – loved them all but alas all machine knitted! In my experience of setting up sites, web suppliers tend to fall into 2 categories – either good at design or good at a technical ecommerce level – not both. After a long search on the internet and we wanted to use local suppliers, we ended up following the recommendation of Heather Niven at Science City York. Weirdly 2 companies with the same first name Pure Azure with the wonderful designer(she laughs at all my jokes) Tara and the boys team at Purenet, an awarding winning ecommerce specialist. Might be a bit tricky with 2 suppliers – will have to see how to see how it goes. Anna Mon 29 Sep 2008 09:40:45Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/Seeing_if_its_a_good_idea_and_setting_up/default.aspx The next step, talk to a few people, see what they think of the idea ( quite a few negative comments but mostly from people who do not know much about hand crafts), talk to suppliers, talk to knitters and crocheters and get some numbers together. I have a spreadsheet for everything! But I am not as bad as some, who apparently have spreadsheets to record what seeds they have sown - although that is not a bad idea. . . . Do the numbers stack up, can I find a good ecommerce developer and will Anna, my sister helps me with the marketing? All , were a yes, so take a deep breath and go for it! Jadz Wed 24 Sep 2008 09:40:39Adminhttp://www.serenityknitting.co.uk/Hello_and_welcome/default.aspx. Tue 23 Sep 2008 09:40:34Admin