After a sell-out success at the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate, the Knitting Smock is about to make its debut on the site.
Also coming (hopefully also by Friday 11 Dec): new Fyberspates Silk Lace, Sock yarns and Cashmere, yum, yum!

Apologies to those ordering Fyberspates yarns from me and fishing behind the net; there was a setting on the site not working properly, which led to items that had sold out still showing as available. New stock is imminent though, so please check back in a couple of days.

Also coming soon: a selection of patterns, some for sale, some as free downloads and some for free with purchase of a particular yarn.

If you get fed up with my irregular blogs, please follow me on Twitter. I contribute regularly, as the on-the-hop quick messages seem to suit my flighty schedule.

The focus of the book is on different dyeing techniques to be used on animal fibres (plant fibres need a different dyeing process). Like Helen’s previous books, this book offers methods and techniques that are all executed at home, in your own kitchen. No need for any special equipment or dedicated space. The only things you have to buy are a hank of yarn and some dye. Everything else you’ll use will already be in your kitchen.
The book does not presume the reader to have any prior experience of dyeing yet it goes well beyond simple, basic dyeing techniques. As a result, more experienced dyers may also find that the ideas and techniques shown give them new insights.
The 8 dyeing chapters are then complemented by a chapter of 11 knitting patterns. The patterns range from very simple to quite advanced and all were chosen to showcase a particular dyeing technique.

Following below is the contents page of the book to give you an idea of the different techniques that are covered.

I FINALLY have a confirmed date for publication!

The books are arriving in the week of 7 September, so I’ll have them with me at iKnit.
The laser print mock up did its work at Fibrefest last week though; I took lots of pre-orders, so I’ve already got a pre-written stack of envelopes waiting to be stuffed as soon as I’ve got the books hot off the press.

I will add the option to pre-order the book to the shop. It’s a great offer, at £13 incl. postage. As soon as I’ve got the offer posted, I will also email the long list of people waiting to be notified that the book has arrived. You’ll all have ample time to pre-order the book at this special price.

In the meantime, the Summer has flown by. The kids are back to school later this week. I feel as ambivalent as ever about this. On the one hand, I love having them around me, on the other hand it’s so much more of a struggle to find the time to keep all the plates spinning, especially on the work-front. The site desperately needs updating, I’ve been promising people the option to buy patterns online for ages and the free pattern section is still not there.

Still, onwards and upwards; I am counting the days to have the books and be able to sell them at iKnit and see them reveiwed in some of my favourite knitting magazines.

I’m also trying to add my regular Twitter messages on this Blog. I seem to Twitter much more often than blog. I’m sure that says something about me, just not sure if I want to know what…

 …and I’m in the middle of a mad scramble to get ready for a holiday in France. Got my orders for more stock placed, so should have plenty of everything in time for Fibrefest. I am feeling very bad about the lack of attention I’ve paid to the website. It desperately needs updating, I know, there are more kits to add, and pictures, and Knit-pro needles. And I now also have a small range of circular bamboo needles that go down to a smaller size (2 mm) than the Knit-Pro interchangeables. And you cannot find any of them on the site yet. Must do better once I’ve re-charged my batteries. Of course I’d love to think that I’ll make these additions before we set off, but the reality is most probably going to be very different, with the next 48 hours swishing by in a blur.

I am spending a last session tomorow with the book designer making the last last changes before everything will finally go off to the printer. I should at least have one complete copy at Fibrefest and printed books in time for iKnit. Fingers crossed. For those of you who read this in advance of their own holidays, have a great time. Bring plenty of works-in-progress (socks are good, as they’re not too big and cumbersome) – which reminds me, I’d better whip up a couple of small dye batches tomorrow, to dye some last minute hanks to bring along…

Cannot think of a better way to summarise my last couple of weeks. Wonderwool was great; what a buzz. Then I spent a week with our daughter in the US, visiting family and spending some quality time together, away from younger brothers (life-saving when you usually have to share your mum with 2 loud 7yr olds).  No time for jet lag after our Monday return, because today was the formal brief of the book designer, followed by a full day photo shoot tomorrow. It’s all taking shape, there’s still lots of work to be done but it’s also incredibly exciting. In the meantime, if my shop is giving you any headaches, don’t hesitate to drop me a line (linda.deruiter@tiscali.co.uk). I’d love to hear from you. I promise to order any out of stock itrems this week, in time for Ravelry Day and Woolfest in June, both hurtling towards us with frightening speed. Hope to see you there!

Wonderwool was such a joy; I love these shows and got lots of positive feedback again on the kits. Even some kit-buyers promising to come find me at Woolfest in June to show me the results of their efforts; I am really looking forward to that!

In the meantime, we are going full throttle on finishing our work on the book. Editing the last pages, briefing the illustrator, meeting with the designer and having scheduled a full day photoshoot, I am now knitting the last design… I won’t know what to do with myself (wishful thinking!) once the pressure of looming deadlines eases off. I am about to spend a week together with my girl, awa from her little brothers, some quality mother-and-daughter time. We did this last year and both enjoyed it so much that we vowed to repeat it if possible. So, at the start of the year I booked the time, thinking the book would be finished by now (oh, the naivity of inexperience…). Litle did I know I’d be juggling like mad by now to fit everything around it. And then came the Swineflu panic at the start of the week, nearly crossing our plans (which include some flying). Part of me was very sad, part of me was calculating how much extra work I’d be able to get done if my week away was to be replaced by a no-meetings-scheduled week at home.

On the website front, I’ve finally managed to add the 6 new colours to the kits, so you are no longer restricted to the colour combinations of the first 6 colours in the range. And I’ve added more different undyed yarns, so if you’re after any of the yarns I showed at Wonderwool, they’re in the shop now (not all with pictures, but hey, one hank of undyed yarn looks pretty much the same as the next one; I cen’t picture the feel of them unfortunately. Fingers crossed it all works when ordering. Do let me know if it doesn’t.

Somehow, I manage to Twitter a lot more than I blog. If you’d like to follow me on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com and look for Tall Yarns (of course!).

I received my first edited book pages last week. What a ride. I’ve never "been edited" before; or at least not by a professional…

Turns out that my use of exclamation marks, capitals and lots of dots is rather over the top… well, I’m a self-confessed drama queen after all. And I thrive on pressure (adrenalin junkie as well, yes). So true to form I find myself losing sleep over the fact that the site is still not updated, my stand banner still not painted, and my list of must-knit items steadily growing. So here I am on Tuesday morning well before 7 am, computer buzzing, in an attempt to catch up with myself, despite the Easter school holidays. P’s off to Sweden (I’m envious; I love Sweden) so I’m relatively housebound unless I come up with some thrilling kids’ excursions. But we’ve just spent a day at the Hawk Conservancy near Andover  (please all go, and then decide to join as a member once you are there; you will not regret it) and our eldest is lining up an array of sleepovers this week. That’s all the excuses I need to get on with my work, so P’s early departure soon propelled me out of bed. I must admit that the clear blue sky helped as well, together with the radio 4 weather forecast, promising warm weather. Hurray, Summer’s on its way!

Four days of talking to other knitters, sharing stories, explaining about dyeing yarn yourself, coo-ing over the softest chunky yarn I’ve ever felt and coming home with lots of email addresses to contact once the book is out. I’m thrilled by your enthusiasm, support, compliments and encouragement. I’ll be adding everything I had at the show (some of which you cannot see in the shop yet) to the shop pages. If you miss anything, please do shout.

I will also add a new page called Tips, Tricks and Freebies, where I’ll start publishing exactly that. First in line is an easy pattern for bottom-up socks with a short-row heel, which is an easy alternative to the more common heel-flap-and-gusset.

Although I was sleeping wewell after the first 3 show days, I found myself tossing and turning last night, mind whirring with ideas and inspiration to make my dauntingly massive stand at Wonderwool work as best as I can (given that I’m on my own and by myself for the duration…) I love the challenge of it and have more ideas than I can probably execute, but who cares, I’m having a blast. If you can, do come and see me there or at any of the others shows where I’ll be this year. I’ll keep updating the list on the home page of my site. For now, see you all again soon and roll on Wonderwool!

Well, the Spring show season is upon us. I’m replenishing my stocks and gearing up for the second show (after a fantastic first show at Unravel in Farnham at the end of Feb.). That’ll be Stitch and Craft  this coming week at Olympia, London, from 19 to 22 March. I’ve put a little section on the home page with upcoming shows that I’ll keep updated. 2 more shows to be added there soon (fingers crossed).

The knitting groups I run here in Grayshott are humming as well. Must find out how to publish those on Ravelry, to help people find their way to us…

In the meantime, the microwave is doing overtime (and so am I!) to dye a complete set of samples for next week in the 6 new colours I am adding to the range this Spring. So the Helen Deighan All in one Acid Dyes will now consist of a range of 12 colours rather than 6. I will add the new shades to the shop this coming week (as soon as I have some pictures of my swatches).

If you can, do come and see me at Stitch and Craft in London next week. I’m downstairs right next to the escalators!

Okay, first the bad: this site is looking sad, what with all the blurb running along the top (trying to sort that out today!) and no news, updates or dates posted….
I have kept my head down to finish writing the book that I am co-authoring.
Sincere public apologies to Eve (trusty knitting group member), who did not get my email about stopping the knitting group during the darkest months and turned up to an empty pub…
It turned out I had an incorrect email address on file (which doesn’t come back as undeliverable, so someone, somewhere will be wondering why on earth I keep contacting her about this knitting group….) but contact was restored at Unravel so I hope I haven’t done permanent damage.

And then there’s lots of good:

THE BOOK
We’re nearly finished! The book will be ready at about April/May time. I promise to shout it from the rooftops once i have a date and list it in the shop for sale.

KNITTING GROUPS
We will be resuming the evening knitting group on Monday nights at the Fox and Pelican pub, in the centre of Grayshott. First meeting: 2 March, from 7.30 pm.
I will also start a daytime group, at the new coffee shop behind the Post Office in Grayshott. Dates and times to be confirmed shortly.

FIRST SHOW OF THE YEAR
The first one was this past weekend, Unravel in Farnham. A new, one day event, which went down a complete storm, both with visitors and stand holders. Smiles all around. Due to the stomach bug that completely floored me on Friday (that was a first!), I wasn’t able to build the stand on Friday afternoon, so I made due with a very rudimentary set up that I quickly threw together on Saturday morning with help from my best pal in the world. By 11:30 (!!!), i.e. 90 minutes after the show opened, I knew I was going to sell out…I brought back some DK yarn, a couplle of sets of knitting needles and a handful of pots of dye. THANK YOU to the extremely patient customers waiting to be served AND the ones happily agreeing to only have their goodies sent out to them this week. I promise it’ll be worth your wait.

OTHER SHOWS COMING UP
March: Thurs 19 – Sun 22 Stitch and Craft Show, Olympia 2, London
April: Sat 25 – Sun 26 Wonderwool, Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells, Wales
June: Fri 26 – Sat 27 June. Mitchells Lakeland Livestock Centre, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 0QQ
Aug: Sat 22 – Sun 23, Fibrefest, Coldharhour Mill, Uffculme, Devon (TBC!)
Sept: Sat 12 – Sun 13: iKnit London (TBC!)
Oct: Thurs 8 – Sun 11, Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace, London
Nov: Thurs 19 – Sun 22, Knitting and Stitching Show Harrogate
I will change my home page to add a panel with upcoming events to keep these in the limelight and make it easy to find updates.

THE SHOP
More yarns, patterns and kits are on their way and will be added in the next couple of weeks. Yarn tasters: more Sock yarns, Boucle, Alpaca, Aran and Chunky weights AND 6 new dye colours!

PRESS AND PR
I have started talking to the magazines, who have all reacted with enormous enthusiasm to the concept of the book – the idea of combining dyeing the yarn and knitting the garment in one project – so in the course of this Spring, you will start seeing Tall Yarns ‘n Tales in the media. Do look out for it!

REGULAR UPDATES
As I no longer have to focus as much on the book, I will post regular updates both in the shop as well as on the blog, so do keep an eye out and I’ll re-introduce the Live Feed button, so you can subscribe to automatice updates. Tata for now.