I am THRILLED with this new look! Visiting friends from Holland (web developers – www.lefthandmedia.com) spent hours behind the screen yesterday after I asked them to help me add the necessary software that will allow me to start selling products. Not only did they do that, they agreed that things as they were didn’t look like the business I am launching. This new look was the result. So I have started putting all the info together to be able to add working product pages (with the option to buy on line!). It’ll take some days all together, but it should all be up and running by the end of this week (famous last words…)

And then of course there is the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace NEXT WEEK. Eeeek! I’m living day by day, not thinking too much about everything that still has to happen before then. Has anyone out there ever decided to start preparing a pre-launch only 5 weeks before THE DAY?

I spent 3 days at the Knitting & Stitching Show at the NEC and that was enough…we decided that it would be too good an opportunity to miss not to sell anything before the book’s out. Which would mean missing the entire sales period between now and X-mas. With my kits being he PERFECT present and Helen already having booked a stand at Ally Pally, how could we even contemplate not sticking toes in the water to test the temperature?
As for footfall, the NEC was a lot less busy than usual. Helen was doing alright, but there were lots of fallen faces amongst the stand holders. It just gave us more time to think, brainstorm and plan.

So, since the NEC I’ve been ordering stock, have commissioned the design of my logo and we’ve been able to get a bigger stand at Ally Pally. A corner no less! We’ll be in the Pavillion (where the workshops are and the cafe). I think we’ll be stand number RC F1. This last moment change means Helen’s stand details in the Show catalogue are not correct. She waves that away, but I know how fantastic it is that she’s happy to take it in her stride for the sake of our little venture!

We spent Tuesday all day doing dyeing trials to narrow down our dye collection for the Ally Pally launch. This means that this show doesn’t just see the launch of Tall Yarns ‘n Tales, but also the first ever selection of Helen Deighan Dyes! I am thrilled with this news. Helen is SUCH an experienced dyer and with such an eye for colour….and finally, after years of patience from her loyal following, they’ll be able to take some of her colour-whizz home.

In the meantime I also want to ensure that people have somewhere to go AFTER seeing my wares at Ally Pally, so I’m pushing to have a webshop up and running in time for the show. Of course all this has resulted in me chucking my new health routine by the wayside…not good. I haven’t been to Pilates in 3 weeks and I can’t see me returning before the show either. Okay, enough lamenting. On with some site building!