2025 at Kraft Work Yarns

January began with a steady return to work after the Christmas break.
First job was to get the shop warm again, and of course, January wouldn’t be January without a sale!
The sale was very well received with plenty of bargains to be had.

Working away in the background, Deb produced a hat and cowl with James C. Brett Shhhh yarn, all pretty hearts for our Valentine's window display.

In February, Karen and Deb visited Hartlepool hospital to hand over all the baby hats our charitable makers had produced.

Karen and Debbie with staff from Hartlepool Hospital

 March came along and we had a bit of a shuffle around in the shop. We got some more shelving units and needed to make the most of the space available, so the shop experienced a moving of fixtures again. We do like to keep everyone on their toes when looking for their usual yarn. Who knows, you might just spot something you haven’t tried before.

April came and went without any significant changes and was uneventful…. apart from birthday celebrations for a certain Boss Lady!

In May, Ian was supposed to take lessons on how to work the till. Still pending. Although he’s often seen in the shop, it’s usually a flying visit.
Also in May was our AGM. This year involved bacon sandwiches and pastries and was very successful. It was an open and honest review of the last year; we talked about what went well, where we could see improvements and our plans for the future of Kraft Work Yarns.

In June, Linda began to de-stash some of our stock on eBay with great success. This tends to happen to make space for new yarns coming in, or when a yarn is discontinued. Our eBay shop is a bit of a treasure trove and is definitely worth a look.  Clare has since been found having a good rummage through the eBay boxes in search of buried treasure!

July strolled in and Deb started making pumpkins! See, she can plan ahead!
Towards the end of July, we had our initial meeting with Clare. Complete with tea and Rington’s biscuits. Clare had been a customer of ours for quite some time but was keen to learn more about us and our lovely yarn shop.

August – Summer holidays and sunshine… well, almost! Deb’s de-stash provided the shop with a variety of yarns and lightened the load at home considerably. More pumpkins were made and even Deb’s Bestie came for coffee and subsequently found herself stuffing said pumpkins!
More discussions with Clare which resulted in her making the decision to jump on board with us.

Debbie’s lovely pumpkins

September wandered in and Deb, Linda and Karen explored the Harrogate trade show. It was a great opportunity to get a sneak peek at lots of lovely new yarns and accessories. Much drooling and squishing.
On the 9th Sep Clare took the plunge and worked her first shift as a member of the team. She brought some ideas and IT skills to the table and soon began working with Deb and Linda on designing the website.
Christmas making began and Ian started bulk buying Chocolate Oranges! New designs for covers were dreamed up. These included Snowmen, Christmas Puddings, Sprouts and Santas.
In other news, Kraft Work Yarns appeared in issue 268 of Simply Knitting!

October - Socktober initiated.
Clare’s passion for sock knitting spilled out onto the table in the form of Sock Circle; a weekly knit and natter session on a Tuesday with a focus on all things sock.
Deb and Karen went on a magical mystery tour to the Great North Air Ambulance Centre, in Urlay Nook… via Thirsk! Yes, they missed their turning off the A19 and pootled on into North Yorkshire! Once they finally arrived, they introduced Karen’s 2025 blanket which was to be raffled to raise money for GNAA.

November rumbled into view. Clare is a lover of hand dyed yarn and can often be spotted at yarn shows. She volunteered to be my ‘pusher’ enabling me to attend my first Yarn show (Yorkshire Yarn Fest) in 2 years. Loved every minute. Met lots of potential contacts for the shop. In other news, we appeared in Simply Crochet magazine.

December arrived all too quickly and the festive window was unveiled. Almost on a par with Fenwick’s thanks to Karen’s creative flair.
New heaters were procured for the shop. Yes, you guessed it, 3 years and still no functioning heating. Apparently, the toilet is currently colder than the North Pole! (EDIT: I can confirm this to be true. – Clare)
14th December saw our ‘Brew with the Crew’ where we had cake and a cuppa with some of the fantastic team from Great North Air Ambulance. We drew the raffle for Karen’s blanket and congratulations go to the following:

1.       Blanket – Liz Ryan and Phoenix

2.       Christmas Cushion – Kathleen (Elizabeth Halls)

3.       Chunky Cushion – Maxine Craig

Phoenix and his new blanket

The money raised has been sent off to GNAA to be counted and we will update you again once we know the total amount raised. Karen has already chosen the design for the 2026 blanket, go Karen, go!

And that concludes our look back over 2025 at Kraft Work Yarns. We’ve had a fantastic year and the team and I would like to thank you all for your custom, your support, and most importantly, being part of the Kraft Work Yarns community. Without you, we couldn’t do what we do.
From our family to yours, we would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

With our love and thanks,

Debbie, Ian, Linda, Karen, Sandra and Clare.