A Problem Shared...

Is a problem halved. Well, this isn't a problem, it's just a big bloody ballache. And you're going to hear about it whether you like it or not. Haha.

Yesterday was brill!!! The shop was busy - I'd forgotten to pay myself the week before so I paid myself 'double' - loadsamaaaaaaaaney - I made boyf take me shopping so we could get him some clothes and a lamp (seriously, no lamps in his house - who is this man?!) and some makeup for the wedding (including black nail varnish, I have SUCH a plan!), curry for dinner, caught up with the Musketeers and got to bed at a reasonable time. So obviously, with that much good stuff happening, something bad was going to happen wasn't it? I've only gone and lost my bloody keys!! Ugh.

I'm pretty sure they're in boyf's car and he reckons something was rattling this morning but he can't check because he's teaching all day (the only day he does this... ugh). Oh well. It'll be fine. June was busy this morning so I was ringing and ringing all to no avail but she did eventually surface at around 11.30 and I got into the shop. We had a cup of tea, did some knitting and chatted for a bit but then it was time for penance.

I am officially doing the most boring job in the whole world today - it's probably a case of first world problems but let me try and explain....

So, when I get the patterns on the internet, I always try and provide a suggested yarn. Sometimes this is easy, because we stock the yarn and I can just link to that. For example, yesterday with the new Moods DK patterns, I just linked to the Moods DK and was done. But for example, we don't stock the King Cole Alpaca DK because I'm allergic to it so I suggest alternatives like the Cygnet Superwash. Every time a yarn is suggested I also have to save that pattern to that category and also lots of other appropriate categories. So a pattern might be in ladies, double knit, Moods DK, 32", 34", 36", 38", 40", 42", 44", 46",  and 48" (and that's just off the top of my head, there's almost certainly other categories). If the patterns aren't saved in every single category then they won't turn up when you look at those categories. The more categories the patterns are saved in the more likely they are to sell!!! YEAH!

But, obviously, some yarns go in the sale and then leave forever don't they? And that means I have to move all of the patterns out of that category because it isn't a category anymore. And not only do I have to move them out of the category, I also have to reword the bottom bit where I make the yarn suggestions. Ugh.

When you're deleting a pattern out of a category, you have to uncheck every category you still want it to be in, leaving the check where you do want it. It looks like this:

 

So I had to uncheck every category apart from the Cygnet Superwash and then click delete. 

And just to give you some idea of the numbers that we're working with. There were 54 patterns in the Cygnet Superwash DK this morning. That's 54 patterns that I've had to rewrite the wording for and check that, save that, save them to the Merino DK category (luckily that's a pretty straight swap, when I get around to the Smooth DK it's not going to be so simple because there's not something that's exactly like it if you know what I mean, I'll have to think of an appropriate yarn substitute for every single pattern...) and then delete them out of the Cygnet Superwash category. I did a whole 'nother category on Friday but I can't actually remember what yarn it was and now I've deleted it I'll never know. Ahhhh. It feels good to be honest, feels like I'm kind of hoovering up the bottom of my webshop, you know? I have four more categories to do.  

And because it's a right ballache I don't do it very often - bad lyso. But once I have it on my mind I feel like I need to do it now! And to be fair, it's generally a good little chunky bit of work to get your teeth into.

During that, I've been making notes of some patterns that are done in what I call the 'old style'. King Cole usually have two photos on their patterns because there are almost always at least two different designs. When me and Dave were first starting to get the patterns on the internet (a looooong time ago) we were scanning each pattern front and back and putting them up as two different photos on the pattern page. Now I 'borrow' them (with permission) from the King Cole website, but they provide just one picture with both sides so there's only one picture to put up and the quality of them is much better. Slowly but surely I'm going to go through the old style patterns, borrow the photos from King Cole and replace the two that are there. But that will take time and is it's own little ballache. One day maybe I'll explain that to you and why a yso would need to use the incognito browser for patterns not porn. Mwahaha!

Now, because this has been a lot of talking. How's about you feast your eyes on this!

The colour's wrong on my photo but it shows the stitch definition beautifully which is, in part, to do with the yarn. Ahhhh. Moods DK, how I love and have missed you. It's the cardigan I was starting yesterday. Got a little carried away last night whilst waiting for boyf to change. I AM ACTUALLY IN LOVE! MOVE OVER BOYF (even with his lovely new clothes) I'M MARRYING A GARMENT!

I'm sure I'll keep you updated with it... again and again and again...

Love Eleanor. xx

P.s. I meant to add, next time you're about to say to me 'ahhh, it must be so lovely to sit and knit all day...', let me know, I'm going to sit you down, set you up and get you deleting categories. MWAHAHAHAHA!

P.p.s. Although, I am about to sit down to do some knitting but it's a shop sample and not my cardi. Whine whine whine.