For those of you that made it to the shop on Yarn Shop Day, thank you! It was mostly locals that had seen the sign and the shop windows and wanted to know a bit more about what we were about. Which is exactly what I was hoping would happen. I opened the doors on May 3rd to say HI to the locals. We had cups of tea and a free project to work on. You can see even my Dad got involved! It was really wonderful to meet people and talk about the kind of fibre arts we love. :] Below is a little 'shop tour' so you all can see what it was like on the day. Enjoy! (Don't Amy's cowls look so great! It's wonderful to have them in the shop!) Probably my favourite little aspect of the shop, is the little cut-out where I can serve customers from. It was great to 'ring people up' from behind the counter. It felt like the big sister of doing markets. I can't wait till Autumn when we'll be open on the weekends. :] Here's a few photos of me outside the shop before we opened in the morning (Please excuse my sleepy, but happy, face). Mum organised some bright and cheerful planters. :] So nice.
Thanks for sharing in this adventure with me! Please know that the shop is still a work-in-progress but any comments/thoughts are always greatly appreciated. Basicaly I wish you could all come and have a cuppa tea with me!
For a few months in 2012, I was experimenting with video apps. One of the ones I liked, but never really caught on was Keek. Here are 14 videos (each 36 seconds long) that I took of random snippets of my life. They are essentially 36 second vlogs. Enjoy. :]
So here I am, working in the studio/shop getting stuff done. Or trying to at least. :] My hair is a little pink- I'm trying to grow all the bleached bits out so I can be 100% natural. My shirt is from this awesome vintage store in Bristol called "Loot". Thier store is right next to the bus station, so it's kind of perfect for me to pop in when I go into town. Plus, they are great at taking vintage items and making them more wearable for today's people. I like them. My boots, I found them at my other favourite Bristol Vintage store, Repsycho. The socks are my handknitted 'Story Socks', the cardigan is a 'hand me down' from Dad (pure wool! yes!). And Leggings. Always Leggings. I'm a fan of super comfy clothes that make me feel good. It might not be the most stylish things out there, but it works for me. (Although I'm a sucker for a nice pair of shoes. I never thought I was a shoe girl, but I kind of am... kind of. Maybe.) Do you put comfort over style? Have you ever dressed like a cowboy hippie?
Kimxo P.S. It's SO FUN to have a shop to photograph my outfit posts in. I'm having way too much fun here, guys! It's criminal!!!
Hey, remember when I posted videos every Tuesday? I'm not going to promise a video EVERY week, but I can definately feel my blogging/vlogging mojo coming back.
Let's start out slow. Here's a compliation of 'videos' from my phone between Jan and March 2014. It starts the day I moved into my new home in Bristol. I'm making this just for me, but I thought you might be interested to see what I've been up to.
Music by Hills Have Riffs (DCW Briggs): http://www.facebook.com/HillsHaveRiffs The app: http://1secondeveryday.com/
I am so in love with Bristol these days, it's a little out of control, really. Something that makes it such a warm and inviting place for me, is the people that I know that live here or visit often. Two of those people: Heather and Jack. Jack's family have just build a Passive House in thier back yard essentially. It's a stark contrast to the very characterful house that now sits right next to this modern masterpiece. Heather is an artist who has a lot of skills including woodwork, and she helped add some beautiful touches to thier new house. Heather is building a website and needed some photos so of course I said I'd help out. It was mostly just a good excuse to hang out and eat hummous and catch up. We picked a beautiful sunny day and here are some of my favourite photos from the afternnon... It's so magical to get a peek into someone else's home adventure. I'm feeling very unprepared to take photos of my own house and we've only been here for 4.5 months! ;] Oh well, I know it's a slow process, and of course if you're going to have your house photographed, you're going to have to do some 'dressing'. :]
Kim xo
P.s. It feels really good to be blogging again. I have a confession to make: I've haven't been using my SLR as much as I used to. I haven't even been carrying it around with me most days! I am, however, using my phone to take snaps a lot... which is kind of where most people are going now, but I gotta admit it was NICE to shoot on a 'real' camera and sit and edit these. It made me miss taking everyday photos this way.
One thing that I LOVE about our location, is the two great big windows at the front of the house, which flood the shop with light and give everyone driving by a little peek! They've been in a constant state of dress and undress since we moved in (and I've been setting up), but it was fun to get it a little more 'dolled up' for Yarn Shop Day.(The 'SPIN' letters were a sweet gift from a new local friend as a 'shop warming' present. Isn't that the nicest thing?)
-Kim xo
p.s. I think this should be a thing, documenting and sharing how our shop windows change.... what do you think?
"On Saturday 3rd May 2014 yarn shops across the UK will be celebrating Yarn Shop Day, the climax of months of activity from the Love Your Yarn Shop campaign launched by leading publications Let's Knit and Let's Get Crafting"
Alterknit Universe will be open for one day only, as a sneak preview of what's coming in the Autumn. We've had a lot of interest both online and from locals peering through the windows. We are super excited to open our doors and chat to any of you that can make it. We will have tea and lots of chairs to sit and chat, plus yarn and fibre to fondle, and Art Equals Happy products to purchase.
If you're not in the Bristol area but want to participate in Yarn Shop Day, there's a handy little map that Let's Knit have put together. There's some more info on the Let's Knit blog too.
Says Let’s Knit editor Sarah Neal: “As knitters ourselves we know the value of a good yarn store. As well as providing the unequalled pleasure of buying yarn off the shelf, they offer experienced face-to-face advice and are often a communal meeting place for likeminded crafters. The Love Your Yarn Shop campaign is aimed at alerting consumers to the benefits of supporting these stores.”
Getting to us:
Find our postcode and view us on a map here. From Bristol: The X1 or W1 from Bristol Bus Station or City Centre towards Weston-Super-Mare. Ask for 'The Lord Nelson' bus stop in Cleeve. It's about 20min from the center and you'll get lots of lovely views of sheeps in fields. Our shop has a big painted sign, it'll be hard to miss! Hopefully see you there! Kim xo Top Photo by Anna Maltz (or @sweaterspotter). Quotes from the Yarn Shop Day Press Release.
Finally I have a desk again! It's been months but I can finally work from my big computer again and I tell you what, IT FEELS GOOD. There's still a ton of boxes to unpack, but my studio is completely painted and fresh and I'm feeling ready to get some work done. It's slowly but surely starting to feel like mine. p.s. I died my hair pink for funs yesterday. It won't stay long, but I'm enjoying the freshly dyed hair feeling!
Well, it's been a while, and a LOT has happened! Two big things though:
1) We got a new cat! Her name is Pru (#auntiepru) and she was my Late Great Aunt's cat. We happily adopted her and she's very tiny and very fluffy and full of attitude. Negs and her are still a little unsure of eachother.
2) I MOVED! I'm back in Bristol and my new house happens to come with a shopfront... There will be lots of news on this soon, for now- I'm using it as my studio, and getting it fixed up. Once I get all the business end of things sorted out, then I can open it as a REAL SHOP. I know- it's completely crazy. I'm taking it very slow and trying not to over do it health-wise.
I said to myself that I was taking the season off from markets. I didn't do Renegade or any of my usual things, but I've been missing it a little too much. I managed to swing a last minute spot at the Pom Pom Quarterly Christmas Market. It looks like it's going to be a grand party & I will be hanging out with the indie dyers and yarn makers. I can't wait!
All the details are on the flyer there, but here's the link to their blog post about it, where you can buy tickets and get excited! Maybe see you there, London friends. Kim xo
