HRYC

I'm always a bit uncertain about whether to write these kind of posts on the shop blog, but everything I do ties together into the shop. Why not, then? Nothing like a bit of variety. 

This year has every opportunity to be hugely stressful. More so than usual, I feel. There is now a lovely man friend in my life - who lives in Auckland. Nope, there are no plans to move in that direction, but I will be spending more time there. Thank goodness for cheap flights. (Also, watch this space as i'll be organising Auckland knit nights when I can, and be offering yarn mule services).

There are already many big markets and events Holland Road Yarn Co will be present at alongside business as usual for the year. 

Where am I going with this? Thinking about stress, and what gets me all anxious. It's silly really: free time stresses me out. I can't sit and do nothing, and yet when i'm tired and busy my decision making skills go out the window and I can't quite figure out what to do next, or what is most important.

Solution: remove the luxury of choice. 

Somehow, not having the leisure to choose what to do next leads to greater productivity. No wasted time wondering what to do in the long list of doing. Hopefully less time looking at said list thinking 'I don't wanna.'

We're (mostly) inherently lazy. A task that requires brain power usually sends me straight to Twitter and Facebook and Pinterest and Flickr and Ravelry before I want to use my brain. Which is ridiculous, really, as using brain power is fun. If there's no choice but to get stuck in, more ticks are ticked and jobs crossed off. 

Which means planning like crazy. Luckily, I LOVE to plan, and write lists, and gaze into the hazy unknown future. The more items entered into the 2013 calendar, each task added to iProcastinate (yes, that's the app i'm using to plan a work schedule!) helps me feel more relaxed and excited about the year to come. 

I'm breaking down each big project into small steps so the mountains appear more like molehills. Each project has a deadline, which means I may put it off until the very last minute on the very last day, but isn't that what deadlines are for?

One job that will facilitate all this doing was having a great big epic tidy of my office space. It's been such a disaster that it hasn't really been a functional office beyond storing yarn, shop junk and the ironing board.

No more! It's now 99% tidy - just needs a few little bits and pieces to finish it off. What is it about walking away from the last little bit of a job that makes it easier when you go back to it later?

The best part of all this: more knitting time. That's the plan, anywho...I guess sharing all this is in the hope that you see the other side of running a yarn business. I'm also the first to admit that perfection is not my middle name. I do worry that all this planning and thinking ahead will come to nought in a few weeks once the shop is open again and the real work starts. Sticking to it is best in the long run, though, so you lot need to keep me honest. I also need to remind myself that being organised and making beautiful things keeps me very happy indeed. 

Here's to a great 2013!

 Way back a year ago, I started the Queue Project. The idea was to limit my knitting attention to things I really, really wanted to knit. I have this tendency to flail around after finishing big garments and get distracted with silly little play around things of no consequence. Which is fine, except it leaves me feeling as if i've achieved a sum total of nothing.

Of the two updates I did last year, one covered some actual finished objects and the other wandered down a dangerous path of getting distracted.  Really, I should have two queues: Shop knitting (as in, samples for the shop) and Me knitting (as in, stuff I really desperately want for my own out of yarn we don't stock).

Looking back, I didn't do too badly:

The last project on that top row of pics, Marlene, was frogged as it was too small! Boo! But I put it there anyway. 6 of 12 projects from the queue done in amongst all the distractions and shop knitting and designing...and now i'm determined to knock some more off so fresh patterns can be added. 

This month must see Jared Flood's Hemlock Ring blanket started and finished, as it was promised to friends as a one year wedding anniversary gift. However, there is the small problem in that I don' t have the yarn for it yet. Oops. 

Seeing as I've got yarn for the Hooray Cardigan, i'm going to wind that up and get started. 

So, after that random slightly stream-of-consciousness New Year post, what are your knitting goals for the year? Do you plan ahead and try to be organised so that you achieve lots of productive knitting?

It's that time of year again...to let you know our Summer hours. A good time to step back, breathe, eat lots of food, enjoy the company of friends and family, and shut the shop doors for a few weeks.

The last day we can guarantee NZ Christmas delivery for online orders is Wednesday 19 December - orders placed 19 - 21 Dec will be couriered. 

Christmas Hours:

CLOSED: Mon 24 Dec to Wed 16 January

RE-OPEN: Thursday 17 January

Any orders placed online between 24 Dec and 5 January will be shipped 7 January 2013

Open by appointment from 5 January

Email shop@hollandroadyarn.co.nz to arrange in advance

Summer hours:

Thursday 10 – 5

Friday 10 – 5

Saturday 10 – 4

Closed:

Sunday – Wednesday

Normal hours resume Wednesday 20 February:

Sat 10am - 4pm

Sun 11am - 3pm

And for your Christmas pleasure: Ryan Gosling in Funny or Die's 'Drunk NIght Before Christmas'

 Anyone following me on Twitter a couple of weekends ago will already know that I've fallen head over heels in love. With a weaving loom. As I warped up the new Ashford Sample It Loom, my Tweets all read much like this:

I'd put off warping this baby up for too long. I was nervous, worried about my first ever foray into adding the warp threads - something i'd not done before. 

'This will be tricky!' I mused, and procrastinated. The assembly wasn't so hard, helped along with a handy philips screwdriver. 

'But surely, the warping will be a challenge! I shall put it off, and do it someday that i'm not terribly busy with other (less important) tasks.'

I'm not sure why that morning struck as the perfect time to give it a go, but try I did. 

True and honest surprise, half an hour later, when the job was mostly done. All that was required to finish up was a hand from my flat mate to tie everything off. 

Not only was it much, much easier than anticipated, it proved worthy of a photo shoot:

Now we have a fully assembled and warped loom in the shop for you to play with - and it's already attracting a lot of attention. Ours has Knitsch Sock in Kelly and Georgina & the Jellyfish on the go. The instruction booklet has a very guide to assembling, warping and weaving, with loads of photos. We're also happy to lend a hand with warping up if it's needed. 

If you happen to order online (or even in store), we'll ship within NZ for free! Hooray! 

 It was super super lovely to have Just Jussi in store with us on the weekend! It would seem everyone was a little busy to take any photos, but our new corner of Just Jussi samples and patterns is the cutest thing ever.

We'll have this wee suitcase of samples until early next year, and the printed patterns will be a permanent fixture. They've been flying out the door already this week - hooray! It's so wonderful to share the work of a talented local designer.