Knitting chocolate rules!

When we started putting Whittaker’s chocolate squares in with Needle Food orders, we had no idea how generous Knitting Mothers were. We thought, “Its Needle Food, and by naming the yarn after food, we might make people hungry – we’d better give them something to munch on”.

But instead of enjoying a little treat with their yarn, all over the country, nay the planet, Knitting Mothers have been reluctantly parting with their “knitting chocolate” – as it has been dubbed in more than one household – giving it instead to their keen-eyed offspring!

Here’s the proof – Libby Archer sent us this photo of her 9-year-old daughter ready to chow down. Libby had just received her Blendy NZ Yarn Sampler and with it, a sample of Needle Food sock yarn AND a chockie! What a generous Mummy.

In our house, “knitting chocolate” is usually only used as a distraction when there is a scraped knee – thankfully the boys seem to forget about that box of goodies stored a way up high.

So who gets the “knitting chocolate” in your house? Do you gobble it down before you get found out? Or are you benevolent and generous like Libby? Tell us your story!

We’re going Loopy!

It’s been a big year for Needle Food already, and we aren’t even through January yet!

Our big news is that our sock yarn will soon be available from The Loopy Ewe in the United States!  If you haven’t heard, The Loopy Ewe is probably the best known online store (and bricks and mortar store, too, if you happen to be in St. Louis, Missouri) supplying yarn produced by indie dyers in addition to some commercial lines.  They have a proud reputation for providing seriously good customer service and great loyalty rewards and I feel very lucky to have NF included in their range. I’m really excited at the chance to showcase our New Zealand made yarn on the international stage, and have to thank Sheri, of TLE, for this amazing opportunity.

So here’s some of the yarn babies being packed up before they left for their big O.E. (for international readers, that’s what we New Zealanders call it when our young people go overseas to gain experience of the world – ‘Overseas Experience’)…

And then, once they had left…  well, we just had to celebrate!  A gathering was called, some Americana was collected, a menu of American food was compiled, and well, we had ourselves a hoedown!  We even had our very own American – meet Emily!

She does ‘coquettish’ a little too well, don’t you think?
Emily is one of my knitting friends, who have been an amazing source of support and advice in the past year.  I wanted to thank them by feeding them too much liquor and photographing them in compromising situations before blogging about it, but unfortunately, they’re all far too well behaved and classy 

From left to right – Em, Carina, Kellie, Carol, me and Kate.

Uncle Sam wants you to cast on!

.. right after you finish your brownie and your Miller!

We had a great night celebrating Needle Food’s first year, and first big order, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  If I have learned nothing else in the past year, it is how important my women friends are to me.  Through knitting and Needle Food, I have met kindred spirits and friends that are very close to my heart.  We share a love of colour, of family and food, of craft and of laughter.  And it really doesn’t get any better that that.

And last but not least, I have to thank my awesome husband, Mike.  He’s my rock, one that is anchored in cement, a seemingly infinite source of support and encouragement, not to mention the go-to guy when there’s a technical hitch!  And I know it can be boring when people rave on about their spouse and you wonder if they can really be that great – but he really is the most incredibly patient and loving man.

And as I always say – “onwards and upwards!”

Advance warning – Sock Club is back!

Yes folks, it is Needle Food Sock Club time again!

Next Sunday, January 24th at 10am we will open up places for sale once again.  Here are the details -

Sock Club shipments will be sent out near the end of February, March and April.

Included will be:
* A 100-gram skein of our gorgeous sock yarn in a colourway which will remain exclusive to club members for the duration of the club. They will only be offered to the general public on the completion of the club term.  Colourways will remain a surprise to you until you receive your package.

* Various goodies, both knitterly and non-knitterly, including some of the edible variety.  We are obsessed with food here, after all!

* Freight to you.

* Price (to be paid in advance)
- New Zealand subscribers $99.00
- Australian subscribers $99.00
- Rest of the World subscribers $120.00

IF YOU MISS OUT - If the sock club is sold out when you get there, please email michelle@needlefood.co.nz with the word BALLOT in the subject line.  There are a small number of spaces which will be allocated by a random draw for those who miss out.  Please do this by midnight on Thursday, January 28th.  The draw will be carried out the following day and you will only be advised if your name is drawn.

We hope this makes it slightly fairer for those who forget or are busy when the sock club goes up for sale.

To purchase, simply go to our website and find ’sock club’ on the left hand side.  The link will not be live until the sock club goes up.

Remember, this will be at 10am on January 24th.

I hope you can join us!

Need a little taste?

You may have heard of sampler boxes – a collection of yarns, fibres and other crafty related bits and pieces from a variety of sources that you can purchase and then peruse at your leisure.

Well, the good news is that New Zealand now has its very own!  The first Blendy’s Sampler Box goes on sale later this week (details below).  You can sample Needle Food and a variety of other wonderful products, giving you the opportunity to feel and fondle prior to deciding what you would like to work with.

The NZ box is the brainchild of Belinda Too, of Auckland – a woman so passionate about her crafts she has not once, but twice (that I know of), flown to Craft2.0 shows with a baby in tow, to shop and say hi.  She is a woman of vision and I think this, her latest project, will be a great success.  Oh – and she is writing a sock knitting pattern book!  So lots to look forward to from Belinda.

So here are the details Belinda provided about how to purchase a sampler box -

Three ways to buy:

1) ballot: Belinda will be drawing a ballot for a proportion of available boxes from all the people belonging to the Ravelry Blendy Sample Box group, and all the people who have emailed their registration to her. On Thursday night (NZ time) she emailed or Ravelry messaged the successful people who have the first option to buy a box. If she doesn’t hear from them by the sale date, that box will be forfeited and sold on felt or etsy.

2) felt.co.nz: New Zealand buyers can go to Belinda’s felt store http://www.blendy.felt.co.nz at exactly 9pm Saturday 16 January NZ time. (she’ll be using www.timeanddate.com if you want to be sure!)

3) etsy.com: Buyers from any country (including NZ) can go to Belinda’s etsy store at www.blendy.etsy.com at exactly 10am Sunday 17 January NZ time (use www.timeanddate.com to convert that to your local time now and write it down!)

The boxes will have around 15 different samples of knitting accessories, yarns, patterns, and treats from amazing crafters that you will want to buy more things from! The cost is NZ$35 plus postage (see www.blendy.co.nz for current sample list and postage costs.)  Payment can be made by bank transfer, visa/mastercard, paypal.  Please note that not all boxes will contain the same samples – they are all mystery boxes.

BONUS OPTION: Once you have bought a box, send Belinda a separate message (don’t bother adding comments in the checkout as wasting time in that process could lose your box from the cart! It happens all the time on etsy!) and tell her which ONE sample you particularly want in your box and she’ll do her best to make sure you get it. Keep checking the photo gallery on www.blendy.co.nz for the sample choices – there will be more added before the sale date too!

And… all boxes will be receiving one of Belinda’s sock patterns that will be appearing in her upcoming sock book.

The end of the (long and winding) road…

The blog has been quiet, huh?  Hear the crickets…?

I’d apologise but I always think that sounds kind of presumptuous.  Like you have nothing better to do than wait on me to blog!

I’ve been busy dyeing yarn and there are some fun developments I’ll report in the weeks to come.

So today I need to blog about something important.  I’m sorry in advance if it’s self-indulgent or off-topic.

I mentioned in my very first blog post that I was nervous about getting into the blogging world.  This was because there is a member of our extended family who uses the internet to commentate on family problems and issues that are extremely painful and difficult for my two eldest children, Raven & Summer.

There was a time when there was an entire blog written about us, and read by hundreds of people in the course of its existence.  Without detailing specifically what was written on it, you can imagine that it was negative and vengeful and not what you want to see written about yourself or your children.  It no longer exists due to the fact that I discovered it and pretty much insisted it disappear.

Since then, we have kept a close watch on this person’s online activities in order to protect the girls.  Being in the position of watcher and non-participant has taught me important lessons.

In having to see the bigger picture – i.e., to think of my children’s best interests over my own natural maternal urge to retaliate – has, I have seen in the past weeks and months, helped me learn about myself.  Once quick to judge and react, I am now far more likely to take a breath, consider the options and make a reasoned decision about how to proceed.  So I see now how people are sent to challenge us and teach us.  Even when it is painful and long-winded.

So the time has come, now that the girls are older and more equipped to undertake their own personal relationships with those involved, for me to stop watching this person’s activity on the net. This needs to happen for me, for the girls and I believe, for the other party.  Our watching of their activity in some way encourages it, and we are now ready for this whole saga to be over.

So why am I telling you this? Because like a train wreck, it is hard to look away, and I need to be accountable.  It is the healthy thing to do to disengage from this situation and I know that now.   By telling you, and by making it public, I am announcing that I have drawn a line under this and am walking away.

As I said earlier, I apologise if this was self-indulgent.  I have struggled with whether to blog about it, but have decided to come out of the shadows.  Maybe this will even help someone else who is affected by an online bully.

Warning: Image heavy!

Lots to catch up on!  Here’s the gen on last weekend, followed by some other bits and pieces!

Where: The NewDowse, Craft2.0, Wellington (well, Lower Hutt actually… )

When: Labour Weekend just past

Who: Me, Summer and tons of knitters!

Why: Besides the obvious – feeding the local yarn addictions obsessions yearnings…?  Because when we fly to Wellington and order in pizza for dinner, we feel vaguely jet-set.

They’re harmless, really.

Nanette, Verena, Sharee and Nikki get down to it in the knit corner at Craft2.0.  Knitting in public at its best.

New in store for Christmas - Sock knitting kits!

Included are yarn, needle, stitch markers, a basic pattern, a sample Soak and calico tote to carry it all in.

And we parcel it up burrito-style for giving.  Only $45, everything included.  Be in early because we’re off for a break in early December and if you would like one for Christmas, we’ll have to make sure you get it before we head away!

And just because I think they’re adorable when they watch TV together like this….

‘He ain’t heavy…..

…he’s my brother…”

Yarn on demand!

Great news!  You need not stalk the Needle Food website for the yarn you want, ever again!  Instead, with a few clicks you will have your own personal yarn dyer at your disposal 

Sounds like a plan – yarn on demand; less stalking and more time for knitting!

So the scoop is this – we’re now dyeing on demand.  You order and I will dye it just for you – what you want, when you want it.

This should give me more time to develop new colourways, which is always fun; both to dye and knit.

Also due soon are our new 150gram jumbo skeins of worsted weight yarn in NZ-made merino. We’ll be dyeing these to order as well – I’m just working on the last of the new colourways now.  This yarn is so delicious, so soft, mmmm…

In the Tom-Gooding house, we’re getting back into the swing of things now school holidays are over.  Planning has started for our Christmas holidays, which we take early in December.  Which reminds me, if you’re thinking of ordering yarn for a gift (for yourself or others!) – be in before about the middle of November to ensure delivery before we head off.

I’ve caught the lace bug and have cast on Juno Regina in the new silk-wool yarn – will post pics soon!

New season, new colours

Limited quantities of these at this stage – Spring, Fruit Salad and Lupin.

I am still battling to get enough dyeing time with school holidays and sick children!  Life gets in the way of good yarn sometimes.

Let me know if these fellas should be allowed to stay

Lupin

Spring

Fruit Salad

Settle in…

… I have a few things to report!

We’re taking part in the Ewe Beaut Fibre Sampler, which is based in Australia, but has generously opened up to New Zealand fibre and yarn companies for this latest box.  To take part, you need to go to the Ewe Beaut Sampler group on Ravelry and read up.  From what I can gather, so many boxes are available via Etsy on the 12th October. For the rest, there is a revolving waiting list so you have a better chance of snagging one.  More info about what is included in the sampler on the Ewe Beaut blog here.

Second – a friend of mine, Genny from Auckland has launched the first (well, I’m pretty sure its the first) craft podcast in NZ!  In Crafternoon Tea with Granny G she covers a range of crafting activities as well as baking (two of my all-time favourite things) so if you want some local flavour in that podcast diet, check her out!

And third – we have just launched a new range of yarn.  It is 50% silk, 50% wool in a light fingering weight.  We will dye this one to order, so there is a short wait, but we think it is worth it.  The yarn itself has a beautiful drape and handle, and we think it would be ideal for lace knitting.  That in mind, we’ve dyed in semi-solid colours we think you’d like for lace knitting.

Here’s a few of the colourways to get you started – the rest can be seen here -

Silk-wool in Royal Purple

Silk-wool in Lavender

Silk-wool in Cerise

And the other thing that I had to tell you is we will be at Craft2.0 in Wellington on October 24th.  From 11am-3pm at the New Dowse in Lower Hutt, we will be plying our trade (get it?  a little knitting joke there… )

Needless to say we are very excited about coming to Wellington for a second time and hope to meet even more lovely knitters this trip.

And the winner is….

… Teena!

Thanks to none other than the random number generator.

Thanks for being such good sports!

I’ll get your parcel in the post to you today, Teena