It's Fairtrade Fortnight..let's celebrate fairtrade yarn

Things are pretty busy at Moss Stitch - the website is so nearly ready to go live and lots of new yarn is coming in from Rico and Manos. 

However, enough of that because this blog is all about celebrating Fairtraded yarn which I am really passionate about, and specifically Manos Del Uruguay yarn, a women's co-operative and full member of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO).  They produce the most fantastic hand dyed yarns in a number of ranges, all of which I sell and knit with myself.



Beautiful beret knitted in Manos Maxima yarn

 Manos Del Uruguay was created in 1968 as a way to help women in Uruguay’s countryside to generate income.

When developing their products they looked to the natural materials that they had to hand, wool in particular, and also to use the traditional skills that they had inherited, of spinning dyeing and knitting. Today, Manos is a co-operative of 400 women, but during peak export periods, they are working with as many as 1200 women.

Manos Del Uruguay is a non for profit organisation, owned by the women within the co-operative with their main aim being to provide job opportunities for women in the countryside, making it possible for familes to stay together in their
villages rather than migrating to the main cities where they would have a poorer quality of life.

You can tell the provenance of each hank of yarn that they make, because the person who dyed it signs the label. The colours of the yarn are absolutely fabulous and the secret lies in the patient kettle dyeing in small pots using precise colour recipes, which create striated colours and fantastic shading.

To find out more about Manos Yarns visit http://www.fairmountfibers.com/co-op  or come and visit the Moss Stitch stall in Princes Risborough Market every Thursday.  Quote 'Manos Fairtrade' to receive 10% off all Manos yarns until 14th March.

Website Coming Soon..very soon (hopefully)

It has been a very busy and productive week for Moss Stitch.  On Monday we took delivery of our mobile Chip and Pin Machine which means we can take credit and debit card payments on the stall and over the phone, and on Tuesday the lovely KMTaylor Web Design (www.kmtaylor.co.uk) came over to show me the fab web site design they have done for Moss Stitch.  Now I am busy loading on all the products as quickly as possible so that the site can go live.  I will let everyone know as soon as this happens.

It was a lovely day on the stall today - the sun even shone - and Princes Risborough was really busy which was lovely to see.  Just need a few of the vacant shops to be leased to make a real difference.  Sure this would be helped if the Government reduced Business Rates but am not optimistic this will happen given the current economic climate.

Bye for now

All so quiet..on the blogging front at least!

Sorry I haven't updated the blog for such a long time.. I don't know what happened really..time has run away with building up the business..getting my web site developed, marketing...etc etc.  Anyway looking forward I have committed to myself that I will update regularly from now on along with tweeting, facebooking, building an extension and looking after my boys..well I will try anyway!

Things have been very busy with Moss Stitch.  The market stall is going really well.  I have a lovely base of customers who visit regularly and show me what they have knitted with the yarn.  It really makes it all worthwhile and it definitely does not feel like I am working.  I have taught people to knit and knit myself between customers.  At the moment I am busy knitting bunting triangles to hang along the front of the stall.

During January I ran a promotion in Knit Today magazine on Maxima yarn which was very successful and involved many trips to the Post Office to send parcels!

I have recently become a stockist for Rico yarns and hope to have the stock in soon.. They produce a great range of yarn from cotton and merino to wool specifically for felting and more creative yarns such as Can Can - the yarn which knits up into wonderful ruffles.

My website is currently being designed by KM Taylor (http://www.kmtaylor.co.uk/) who are doing a wonderful job.  I am really excited about this and can't wait until it goes live.

During February I am offering a promotion on Manos Lace yarn - a 2 ply yarn which knits up to create beautiful light weight cardigans, scarves and shawls, ideal for spring if it ever arrives!  If you are interested please visit the stall or contact me for further information.



One of the Manos Lace yarn patterns

Going, Going, Going

Well Moss Stitch launched last Thursday, and had a very successful first day of trading.  Thank you so much to all the lovely people who came to see me and wished me well.  November probably isn't the best time of year to start market trading  - the day was so windy that merchandise was threatening to blow off the stall and I couldn't display my lovely sample garments as my mannequin kept blowing over!  At least it wasn't raining, which is the forecast for market day tomorrow - Busy trying to devise ways of making sure the stall stays dry.  My son suggested I could make a tent out of bamboo canes and material but I'm not sure it would work...........


The stall on Princes Risborough High Street

 Anyway I have received more stock of Manos Maxima which has been used to knit the lovely jacket below.  It comes in lots of great shades and is an Aran weight so knits up pretty quickly.  Great for hats, scarves and gloves which would make lovely Christmas presents and I have a number of patterns supporting the yarn.



 Anyway if you are in Princes Risborough on a Thursday come and say 'Hello'.  I am happy to help with any knitting queries you may have, as much as I can!!  From next week, 18th November I will also be stocking a range of haberdashery - cotton, buttons, stitch holders etc.  Byee for now.

Ready, Steady....not quite going yet

I have always wanted to own a yarn shop but being very risk averse, have never had the courage to go for it.. also having three small children hasn't given me much time either!!  Anyway, a few weeks ago I got chatting to some of the people I know with stalls at Princes Risborough market and after some pushing from my husband, I phoned the Market Manager and decided I would take a stall on a Thursday to sell wool.  Since then I have been running around sourcing stock, baskets to display it in and trying to market myself by telling everyone I see about my new venture, and trying to persuade them that they should take up knitting as a hobby........ummh think I have become a bit obsessed.
Anyway, I launch next Thursday and will be selling fairly traded alpaca wool from Manos Del Uruguay, a womens' co-operative, and from Artesano.  I have birch needles from Brittany, a company based in California and plenty of patterns.  Any wool from Manos and Artesano which I don't carry on the stall can be ordered and I will deliver locally or the order can be picked up from me.  All the wool ranges can be seen on the Artesano web site
http://www.artesanoyarns.co.uk/   and I will have samples of all the wools and colours on the stall.
I will also be stocking a small range of Sirdar wools particularly for baby and toddler knits and metal needles and crochet hooks.

Please come and see me if you are in Princes Risborough on a Thursday and say 'Hello'.  I have to say that I'm not looking forward to the cold and have invested in plenty of thermals and a huge flask! 

Some of the lovely wool from Artesano