Staple, Seasonal, or Special?

With spring on its way (I hope), my thoughts have turned to the spring/summer ranges of yarn. Every year, our suppliers produce new ranges, new shades for existing ranges, and there’s usually a temptation or two in the mix as well. Our job is to decide which yarns will sell in the shop and which ones won’t. With that in mind, we may be asking for feedback from you... just so that we can stay relevant and keep catering to everyone’s yarny needs. 

We are very proud of the range that we stock at Kraft Work Yarns, and our regular orders tend to cover three broad categories: 

• Staple  

• Seasonal  

• Special 

Old Faithfuls. Our staple yarns are our most popular, tried and tested yarns that are well known and well loved by our customers. Baby yarn. Stylecraft Special. Ricorumi. DMC embroidery threads. Scheepjes Catona. West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply sock yarn. I could go on but I’m sure you get the picture. 
 

DMC Embroidery Threads, Stylecraft Special DK, Scheepjes Catona

Seasonal. New ranges, new colours. The bright fresh colours of spring, the lightweight summer yarns, the cosy warm autumnal tones, and that sparkly Christmas sock yarn. This is where it gets tricky, and why we’re asking for feedback. Without a crystal ball you just have to take the plunge, go with what feels right. Sometimes it works and our customers can’t get enough of it, and sometimes it doesn’t sell so well. Take chenille for example. I was convinced it was a fad and would soon fade away. Linda, on the other hand, was sure it would sell. And it has. You only need to look at how many shelves of chenille we have in the shop. It’s one of those yarns that has squished itself from temporary to permanent.  
Another yarn we’ve recently introduced is Opal sock wool, both in 4ply and 8ply/DK. Clare is a big fan of this wool and we can see why... It’s lovely! 

Opal Sock Wool in 4ply and DK, James C Brett Undertones Chunky and Aurora Chunky.

Special. These are the luxury yarns, the considered purchases, maybe even the ones you’ve had your eye on for a while. Although we don’t expect them to sell out immediately or even in great numbers, when they do, we do a little happy dance as they boost the day’s takings. Scheepjes Whirls, Malabrigo Rios, some of the sock yarns and of course the hand dyed yarns... I admit they are not the least expensive yarns we stock, rather the opposite, but maybe the sort of thing you might treat yourself to for something special or point a loved one in their direction for a birthday gift. And when you do use them, you realise the difference. Once you have tried them you just know you are going to want to keep on using them. That’s why we stock them.  

Scheepjes Whirls

Malabrigo Rios - One of Deb’s new favourites!

Something for everyone. Come on in and find your new favourite.  

In other news… 

I want to support more indie creators. Small businesses trying to make their way in the yarny market. To this end, look out for more crochet kits which I’m currently in discussion with their maker to stock. And I still haven’t given up on my hope to introduce hand dyed wool to a larger market through the shop. Plans are afoot to have a rolling programme of guest dyers to tempt you. Honestly, some of the new base yarns they are now using are beyond gorgeous. You won’t regret giving them a try.  

Currently on my needles… 

A colourwork hat using Merino Soft. It’s a test knit. More to follow in a future blog.  

Let’s hope the sun soon remembers it is supposed to be shining. And don’t forget to call into the shop where the KWY gang are waiting to welcome you to our yarny family.  

Happy creating.  

Deb x