That's our Toni. She's become one of our best customers but she's also so incredibly helpful to us that I feel like we couldn't do without her! Turns out she has Fridays off uni so she came around midday to help me move the shop around (as lots of you who turned up in the middle of it know, haha) and we left the shop at about 8 o'clock. She worked like a trooper, listened to everything I said and did it and enjoyed my weird mix of podcasts whilst we did it. Usually we end up leaving the shop at about 10/11 o'clock and then it's hard to calm down and get some sleep before the party but this year I think I may have fallen on the perfect way to set it all up... earlier. Thank you Toni!!! I'll get you more calories soon.
This is Lis in a silly pose we concocted. It actually isn't on the birthday party but a couple of days before because she couldn't make it to the party and had to get the pattern ASAP. Haha, I know how she feels.This is officially the first copy of the pattern that I sold and that's what the message says on there. It's also the first thing I've ever signed. And it's exactly when the party mood started for me. Lovely.
I love this photo. It's one I took when I was putting together the stitch markers that were released on the day and will hopefully be on the internet today... They went down a storm.... once they were uncovered from the table of doom that always accumulates on a party day. Haha.
For posterity - the shelves before the party happened...
And the hooks before they got mostly bought. Haha.
And one of said hooks has found its spiritual home with Singing Bird Artist who will love it and use it only with yarn that matches its colourful beauty and most importantly photograph it so it looks like the beautiful hook it always knew it was. What a photograph.
And this is a photograph of something else that was available on the day - Truly Hooked's gorgeous hand dyed yarn. I think just about everybody left with at least a skein of it because her gorgeous gorgeous colours take over your heart like some sort of pretty virus. Just as an aside... technically, they're still in the shop and therefore still available to buy.... for now... ;)
Now, let's talk about the people. I have to talk about Steph. She is always the life and soul of the party and this year was no different. Despite being a bit squiffy for most of the day she worked the till like I pro, including lots of cash back, and (and this surprised me more than it should) the till balanced when I came in and did it on Tuesday (too drunk to do it on Saturday and too shocked at the total to believe that it could be true!). She was also the official photographer for the day - she took this one. AND she was a test crochet for... the pattern... haha. Good woman.
Now, let's talk about the people. I have to talk about Steph. She is always the life and soul of the party and this year was no different. Despite being a bit squiffy for most of the day she worked the till like I pro, including lots of cash back, and (and this surprised me more than it should) the till balanced when I came in and did it on Tuesday (too drunk to do it on Saturday and too shocked at the total to believe that it could be true!). She was also the official photographer for the day - she took this one. AND she was a test crochet for... the pattern... haha. Good woman.
One of my favourite parts of the day was signing all of... the patterns... This was signed for Sarah who used to be Labour and is now firmly Lib Dem. I do like Labour but mostly I liked the look on her face when she realised what I wrote. Mwahaha. She got her own back though...
Worst thing is, this has got to go to my accountants. I wonder what they'll think?!?! Hope they're not UKIP... Haha.
I love this photo of lovely Rowan. She was the official bag handler of the day and took to the role with great aplomb. I can't remember what she bought or anything but I did ought to take this opportunity to say that she is a sock knitter extraordinaire and very good at handling bags. :)
One of the early arrivers was the lovely Sarah showing off her PERFECT socks! These have only taken her what like... nine months, 10 months, 11 months? She was determined for them not to take a year, she came on our sock course at around this time last year and has been knitting them ever since. She is rightly SO proud of these socky wocks and her gorgeous dog whose name escapes me but better also be a guest at our next party - it's lovely seeing him growing up.
At around half way through the day there was a slightly lull. There were still like 10 people in the shop but we were quieter and people laid food offerings at my feet, which, apart from wine and wool are my favourite offerings. It was a nice punctuation mark in the day before...
The avalanche happened. I'm not sure exactly what happened but Jan was sat there perfectly happily one moment and the next moment she was literally covered in wool. Haha. It's still not been tidied properly because I made it my aim just to get everything off the floor. (As an aside I haven't heard from the council about the previous avalanche but I haven't given up.... might be time to go to his boss...). Isn't this a gorgeous picture of Jan though? Lovely.
And with a pop of the cork the boozing began. :)
Davina and her mum were showing off the two versions of the hat that we make on the Learn to Knit Two course. Davina in her massive lock holding slouchy beret and her mum in the beanie. Both in the Earthy colour of the Moorland Aran. Aren't they perfect? I wish our close ups were a little less blurry *cough cough* message to official photographer Steph... haha. *cough cough*.
The shop got busier...
And busier...
And busier!
Booze was passed around.
Davina and her mum were showing off the two versions of the hat that we make on the Learn to Knit Two course. Davina in her massive lock holding slouchy beret and her mum in the beanie. Both in the Earthy colour of the Moorland Aran. Aren't they perfect? I wish our close ups were a little less blurry *cough cough* message to official photographer Steph... haha. *cough cough*.
The shop got busier...
And busier...
And busier!
Booze was passed around.
Cigarettes were lost and found. :)
Elizabeth enjoyed a good selfie and didn't spill any booze.
Zoe Halstead bought me the BEST gift ever (apart from wool, wine or food) - A CROCHET PRINT TABLE CLOTH! - that will be making an appearance on every lesson ever from now on unless I can persuade Chris to buy me a round table for the garden.
And later in the day that was worn as a wedding veil because Chris totes proposed to me. He wasn't even so drunk he could barely walk or anything. Haha.
Davina chose some gorgeous yarn - the King Cole Bamboo Cotton 4ply including the Mauve which is my least favourite of the colours but actually made that combination to make the Ada Lacy Shells Top that I talked about a couple of weeks ago. Shame she was too hungover the next day to start it in any meaningful way. Haha. Any updates Davina???
I've got no words to say here really. This is Gen who wasn't drinking, poor woman, and I love this photo.
And then it was over. I felt like I didn't stop all day but I was helped by so many people - Steph, Rowan, Toni, Chris (he had a go at helping Harriet with her Patons Washed Cotton DK choices and did very well. Bless). And Aurelie made a comment yesterday that I hadn't really thought about, these events are brilliant for us because they get people excited. People egg each other on and recommend stuff and give a different point of view than I can. It can be a lonely business in a knitting shop, it's very much one on one and I hate feeling like I'm selling but on these events people sell to eachother and I just have to stand in the background, manning the till unless Steph's about, and everybody else does the work for me. Haha. Which brings me to....
I've got no words to say here really. This is Gen who wasn't drinking, poor woman, and I love this photo.
And then it was over. I felt like I didn't stop all day but I was helped by so many people - Steph, Rowan, Toni, Chris (he had a go at helping Harriet with her Patons Washed Cotton DK choices and did very well. Bless). And Aurelie made a comment yesterday that I hadn't really thought about, these events are brilliant for us because they get people excited. People egg each other on and recommend stuff and give a different point of view than I can. It can be a lonely business in a knitting shop, it's very much one on one and I hate feeling like I'm selling but on these events people sell to eachother and I just have to stand in the background, manning the till unless Steph's about, and everybody else does the work for me. Haha. Which brings me to....
The knit-a-long that started on the day. I found Steph and Gen huddled in the corner near the door discussing the new yarn, King Cole Authentic Cotton Mix DK, and the patterns. They both fell in love with two of the patterns:
Pattern number 4129.
Which was really odd because as me and Toni were discussing it the day before I'd fallen a bit in love with 4129 myself so I persuaded them both to go for that and that we'd have a knit along. Gen chose the Red Denim, Steph chose the Black Denim and I chose the Indigo. Then later on in the day Jan decided to knit along with us but to make up the pattern herself using the Indigo colourway. And a knit-a-long was born. We all started on Sunday and I managed to smash out the two fronts (as well as doing a million other things, I swear something took over me that day but more in another blog) and everybody else did pretty fast but on the normal scale of things knitting which leaves us with the photograph above where we were on Sunday evening I think. Since then Steph has finished a front, Gen's nearly there and Jan is pretty much at the armhole shaping. I hate to say this but I've finished the back and I've done the ribs on both sleeves. Haha. Stupid fast knitting. I'll keep you updated.
Once we left me and Chris has a gorgeous curry and were in bed by 9.30. The next days were full of bank holiday stuff that I'll update you on maybe today, maybe the next day or it might have to be next week depending on how much other stuff I get done today and then I was back in the shop on Tuesday where I found that a ridiculous amount had been bought on the internet, a brilliant amount of people wanted a last chance at Verity's Message Blanks (winners have been announced) and everybody in the whole world wanted a signed copy of my pattern. And then loads of people who couldn't make it in on Saturday (and some that did, hi Dee and Aurelie) came to say hello and altogether a brilliant day was had but very little work was done... hence the blog today and not yesterday. Haha. I also had to tidy up the shop which looked like this:
all over. And stank like a brewery.
And inexplicably I found this:
And inexplicably I found this:
Which I believe to be a full and unopened bottle of wine.
Absolutely no idea how this happened...
Love Eleanor. xxxx
Absolutely no idea how this happened...
Love Eleanor. xxxx
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