Is this the end of YarnSoft?

 

This is the post I hoped I’d never have to write.  I am winding down YarnSoft.  There are various reasons, with I guess the main one (and the obvious one) being that I just don’t have the time to devote to the business and my customers.  When I first opened, I was hopeful that I could work mostly in the business and make up the missing dollars with a couple of days part time work.  I did get a job working 2 days a week which gave me a little breathing space but in no way enabled me to pay the bills, both business and personal.

One of the big issues has been my lack of business skills.  When it comes to knowledge of knitting/yarn etc I’m fine.  What I don’t know I’ll find out, either by research or trying a technique until I feel qualified to present it.  My customer service has always been a top priority, but how I’ve managed the accounting side of things has been something of a disaster!

Despite my enthusiasm and planning (or at least what I thought was planning) I’ve managed to get the money side of the business all out of whack.  To be blunt, I’ve talked the talk but not walked the walk if you want to be all reality TV about it.  I did try and for a while I was keeping it almost under control, but then I had a huge computer crash that not only corrupted my main data drive but also my backups.  I know I should have picked myself up and repaired the damage and move on but this, combined with some bills that I was being threatened with legal action if I didn’t pay, caused me to lose faith in myself and the business.

I’ve kept going and for a while I thought I could get over the hurdles but, as my outside working hours increased, the time I could spend on the business declined.  As many of you know, once you stop being fresh and “live” everything else falls apart – namely no new products, no extras, like blogs, social media and newsletters, leads to no new customers.

So I’ve decided to mark all products down to ridiculously low prices so I can move as much out as possible, get my finances back in order (or at least to the point where an accountant won’t need therapy after looking at my books!)

And after that?  Well I’m lucky in that I love my job and the people I work with.  Some of you may be aware that the driving force for me opening my own business was part of my recovery from being bullied in a previous job.  I had to leave my job, sell my house and move 3,000 miles away just to regain my sanity.  I don’t regret any of it, as I am far more aware of what I will and won’t put up with from people and I’m altogether happier in many ways than I have been for a long time.  I still have personal issues I need to work on but although some of them have affected how I’ve run the business, they are mostly issues that I need to address on a daily basis.  Don’t worry I don’t have any substance abuse problems or anything like that!  I just need to tighten up a few aspects of my life and be a bit more pro-active in some areas.

So, will YarnSoft rise from the ashes?  In all honesty, probably not.  I would still love to run a business, but next time I would hope it would be smaller and better targeted.  I feel my market was too broad and I tried to cater for too many tastes.  I would have loved to specialise in something like handspun or knitting for kids but there are already good businesses here and I don’t think I could beat them at their own game, nor would I want to.  I guess that’s one of the problems, I just don’t have the killer instinct.

If I were to give a prospective business owner any of my gathered wisdom, here are a few thoughts – 

1.            Be realistic about what you can/can’t do.  If you are rubbish at accounts, don’t expect to miraculously acquire those skills just because you want to.  Budget for someone else to provide this service.

2.            Don’t for one minute expect a full time wage.  The business must be big enough to support that and after taking all expenses out you may be shocked at how little you have left.

3.            Make sure what you are selling is what the market wants.  I’m only just becoming aware of what my customer wants 2 years into the venture.  I did do marketing research and nailed it to some extent but in the end it wasn’t enough.  You may have to bow to what is selling not necessarily what you want to sell, at least at the beginning.

4.            Use all avenues to get your business noticed.  Facebook, Twitter, Etsy, Madeit to name a few, are now standards in our field for knowledge, product comparisons and being visible.

5.            Consider taking your product on the road, so to speak.  Look at markets, exhibitions and offer your services at fetes etc. 

6.            Last, not least, and probably more important than points 1 – 5, don’t try to be a lone ranger.  Use the small business networks and resources that are there for you.  Many of them are free or low cost so USE THEM!  I didn’t do enough of this and when I did it was during a time of crisis.

To finish, I’d like to thank all of you who have shopped at YarnSoft.  I have loved getting to know you and hope you keep loving knitting and crocheting, as I believe our craft has never been more popular and is finally a grown up sport!

Is Scarf Yarn the new Feathers?

There are several kinds of knitters. There are those who only tackle intricate designs, such as lace shawls, those who knit for themselves and family (I call these people jobbing knitters) and there are others who knit purely for fun. Obviously there is no one definition of a knitter, but these are 3 types that spring to mind.

There are also many knitters who consider those who knit with “novelty” yarns to be unworthy of the title. This is so unfair! I remember when I worked in a public library many years ago, a librarian who bemoaned the popularity of “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, believing they did nothing to enrich the reader. Given the number of reluctant readers who devoured all of the titles, I couldn’t help but disagree.

The parallels between pulp fiction and pulp knitting are many. When the feather or eyelash style of yarn became popular in the 90s, it seemed that everyone was wearing a brightly coloured fluffy scarf, often a different colour each day! Many of them had been made by grandmothers for their adult children, but many were also made by novice knitters who were keen to learn the craft and produce something bright and fashionable for little effort. And so the Novelty Yarn was re-born.

Over the past year, novelty scarf yarns have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. Ruffle scarf yarns are filling yarn shop shelves and, if the marketing hype is to be believed, flying off them just as quickly as the shopkeeper can re-stock. Will they maintain the longevity of the feathery scarf? Only time will tell.

There are several varieties of ruffle yarns. There are mesh styles and ribbon styles, to name just two. The technique for knitting or crocheting is similar in both varieties. In normal knitting, the yarn is passed around the needle to make a stitch. With ruffle yarns, only the top of the yarn strip is knitted into, giving the luscious boa effect.

Tips for using ruffle yarn

1  Consider rewinding into a cake.  The mesh can become twisted and takes time to untwist.  If you wind into a cake it is easier to keep reasonably flat.

2  Use straight needles, at least for your first attempt.  I started my first one with circulars and found myself getting tangled every time I started a new row!  I’m not a fan of straight needles, but switching to them helped keep me on track while I was learning how to knit with the yarn.

3  Don’t over-think!  The best thing about ruffle yarn is that you don’t have to be the neatest knitter to make a stunning scarf.  As long as you keep the same number of stitches, you don’t have to be accurate when spacing your stitches.  I wouldn’t be totally lax about it, but if you sometimes grab the 4th instead of the 3rd loop you will never know the difference.
I have placed a small selection of ruffle scarf yarns on my website.  I’d love to hear your comments on knitting and crocheting with these new novelty yarns!

Times are tough!

It's been just over a year since the virtual doors of YarnSoft opened...and what a year and a bit it has been!
 My decision to open my own business came  from a long period of unresolved stress, mostly experienced in my job at the time.  Being self-employed has its own set of stresses, not the least being the the worry of not having enough money to pay the bills.

I am now in the position where the mistakes of the past have returned to bite.  When I started buying stock, I wanted to have a broad range of yarns, rather than just a few.    I knew who my ideal customer was, but I wasn't sure just what they wanted to buy straight away.  I knew that most people like natural fibres but can't afford to spend top dollar on a single ball, so I tried to keep the variety broad and the prices reasonable.

My biggest problem has been buying in too much stock too early.  This has left me with some large bills that I just can't clear quickly enough for my creditors.  Until the bills are paid, I can't order in new stock.  I find myself constantly juggling my accounts, and have gone back to work outside the business to try and stay afloat.  Money is still an issue, but more frustrating is the lack of time I now have to enjoy my business...very annoying!

Enough of the sob story!  I can see that the only way to get through the next few months and keep the business viable for the next Australian knitting season I need to shed as much stock as I can.  And the only way I can do this is reduce reduce reduce!  I've marked everything on the site at 50% off and this will remain until I have managed to get on top of the accounts.  The sale will start on Monday 23 January 2012.

Do feel free to contact me to check stock levels.  I add the quantity to the title of each item, but if I don't get time to update this manually, an order might go through for a quantity that I don't have.  If this does happen to anyone, I'll do my best to get the complete order to you, or offer a complete refund.

So, if you can stick with me through this tough time, I'm sure YarnSoft will continue to give you as much lovely soft affordable yarn as you can fit in your house!

Surf on over to YarnSoft to see what bargains can be had!  If you have any questions, you can contact me here.

Six reasons why knitting is good for you and good for the world!

Knitting, crocheting and crafting in general is no longer the necessity it once was.  From the days when everyone wore handknitted clothes on a daily basis, knitting and crochet is now a lifestyle choice.

Here are six ways that I can think of to bring these crafts back into every day life and maybe even do our bit to save the planet -

1             Knitting is a form of slow living.  You have to keep at it to see results but the joy of watching a garment unfold and grow is pretty special.  Of course not all knitting is this captivating!  Just make sure that nearly everything you knit is because you just can’t NOT knit it.

2             A loved hand-knitted garment is more likely to be worn for years than a mass produced garment.  In general, we knit to please our tastes, not blindly follow fashion.  I have a jumper that I knitted over 10 years ago.  It is my winter cover-up jumper which does the job of a dressing gown/blanket beautifully!  I’m lucky to live in a climate that doesn’t get freezing cold in winter, so wearing a woolly jumper and socks means I don’t have to have a heater on.

3             If you buy locally produced yarns, you are not only supporting local businesses, but you are also reducing the effects that production has on the environment.  Reducing the need for transport/large scale manufacturing etc is a great way to reduce our carbon footprint, while supporting the small business and retail sectors.  Even buying commercially produced yarn that is mostly sourced and manufactured in your country makes a difference.

 

         4  Learn to spin!  Buy locally sourced fleece, spin it up yourself and make a huge contribution to saving the world!  While you're at it, dip your creative feet into dyeing so you have created the whole package.

                   5  Teach your children/grandchildren/neighbours children to knit/crochet.  Passing on the skill keeps it alive and fresh.  Just look at what people make from yarn…knitting and crocheting is a great way to keep up with fashion trends.

         6    Knitting is a form of stress relief.  If you are not the type of person who can relax while running or exercising, maybe knitting is what you need.  The slow, rhythmic movements allow you to become lost in the stitches and give your stressed brain time to relax and repair.

What are some other benefits to you and the environment?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Rectangle Granny – how to get started, and a couple of patterns to try it out with

Rectangle Granny – how to get started

 

Figure 1 A sample of my scarf made from Naturally Mohair 12ply, 2 balls.

Figure 2 Granny rectangle cowl made from 6 balls of Twilleys Freedom Purity

I love crocheting granny squares!  I do not, however, love weaving in hundreds of yarn ends or sewing squares together.  I recently saw a lovely granny square scarf somewhere on the Internet and wanted to whip one up one evening.  I knew that the squares would be fairly quick to crochet, but the ends would take forever.

So, I had a bit of a think, and found a couple of patterns for scarves made in one piece by making a long, narrow rectangular granny…problem solved!

Because you can’t use a ring of chains to use as a foundation, you need to find a way to make a foundation row that will accommodate the first “round” and then maintain the correct shape for subsequent rounds.  Again, I had a bit of a look, did some testing, and found that there a quite a few ways to work the foundation.  This is one way that I like.

I must point out that, being Australian, I refer to crochet stitches in the following way.  Feel free to translate into your preferred crochet-speak!

If any of the instructions are confusing, or you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and I'll respond as quickly as I can.

Australian	American
Chain	Chain
Double Crochet	Single Crochet
Treble	Double Crochet
Slip Stitch	Slip Stitch

Notes

For a scarf the length of the foundation chain should be close to the required length, remembering that each row will make the rectangle wider.  For a blanket, cushion, etc, you can be more relaxed with the length of the foundation.  My test started with a 4 treble foundation row and measured 20cm/8in across after 3 rows.  If I was going to do a blanket, I would work my foundation row with at least 20 tr/ch repeats.

Row 1 – Make a slip knot.  *Chain 3.  Work 1 treble in first chain.*

Repeat * *, working the treble in the first chain of each 3ch group until you have the length required. 

Figure 3 Working the foundation row 3 chain, 1 treble in first chain in group

 

Figure 4 How the foundation row should look as you make it.

Row 2 – DO NOT TURN.  This row is worked on the foundation row and is worked toward the beginning.

1^st Corner -  At this point you have just worked 3 chain.  This becomes the first stitch of the corner.  Work 2 trebles, 2 chain, 3 trebles in the centre of the first tr/chain.  Chain 1.   

Continue row - *Work 3 trebles in next hole, chain 1.* Repeat * * until you reach the last treble hole.  

2^nd and 3rd Corners -  Work 3 treble, 2 chain, 3 treble,1chain TWICE in the last treble.   Working along the opposite side of the foundation row, work 3 treble in the same hole as the first 3 treble group.  Chain 1.  Repeat 3 treble/1 chain until you reach the last treble/chain corner stitch. 

4^th Corner - Work 3 treble, 2 chain, 3 treble, 1 chain.  Join to first treble with a sl stitch.

Figure 5 Working the first side of Row 2.

Figure 6 Working the corners

Row 3 – If you are changing colours you should cut yarn and re-start in any chain space.  If you are using the same colour, sl st to the first chain space.

Chain 3, 2 treble, chain 1.  Continue working 3 tr/1 ch in each chain space of previous row.

Work corners – 3 tr/2ch/3tr/1ch.  Join at end with sl st.

Continue working Row 3 for as long as you like, or until the yarn runs out!

Figure 7 Continuing to work around.

Figure 8 How the rectangle looks after foundation row then 3 rows.

And to finish off...here are the patterns for the scarf and cowl!

Fluffy Granny Rectangle Scarf

Materials

2 balls of Naturally Mohair 12ply or equivalent (if you want more colours/rows you will need to adjust number of balls)

5.5mm crochet hook (US Size J)

Tapestry needle for sewing ends.

Finished Measurements

 Approx 180cm/74” long, approx. 12cm/5” wide.

Instructions

Using 1^st colour and following tutorial instructions, work foundation row so there are 60 trebles in the row, ending with a ch 3.

Work 2 rounds of rectangle in 1st colour.  Cut yarn and weave in ends.

 Using 2^nd colour, start in any 1ch space, work 3 rows of rectangle.  Cut yarn and weave in ends.

Using 1^st colour and starting in any 1ch space, ch1, work 1 row of dc (US sc).  Cut yarn and weave in ends.

Block if needed.

 Naturals Granny Rectangle Cowl

Materials

 
6 balls of Twilleys Freedom Purity 85% Wool, 15% Alpaca

1 6.5mm (US size crochet hook K)

Tapestry needle for sewing ends.

Finished Measurements
 

Approx 160cm/65” long, approx. 12cm/5” wide.

Instructions

Using 1st colour and following tutorial instructions, work foundation row so there are 44 trebles in the row, ending with a ch 3.

Work 1 round of rectangle in 1st colour.  Cut yarn and weave in ends.

 Using 2nd colour, start in any 1ch space, work 2 rows of rectangle.  Cut yarn and weave in ends.

Using 3nd colour, start in any 1ch space, work 2 rows of rectangle.  Cut yarn and weave in ends.