There & Back Again - Or, It Is Good To Be Home

If you are a knitter, you have friends no matter where you go. Last week I went to London & Cambridgeshire and I was so pleased to meet many new friends. I'm going to do a proper blog post about the workshops I taught, the yarn shops I visited, and the things that happened inbetween - but I am yet to unpack my suitcase and do my laundry.

I will be dealing with my inbox tomorrow - today is all about catching up with other things (and enjoying that coffee is 'on tap' once more - oh caffeine, how I have missed you).

It's good to be home.

That Friday Feeling - Knitting Included

I came across this shop sign whilst I was away in Yorkshire. It tickled my funny bone as I thought about all my gin-loving friends. Well, today is Friday.. !

A round-up of all things knitterly and not.

• Less Is More. A blog post from Nordic Bakery in London had me sit up straight. The post argues that we don't need 37 different coffee blends, a wifi connection, and 'soothing' background music. We need a calm space that shelters us from the chaos of life. I used my Yorkshire retreat as a digital detox. I can really recommend that.
• My good friend Ben Wilson is appearing at Etsy's Manmade event in London on June 13. The lovely Ben is talking about constructed masculinity, craftsMANship, and gender in the handmade world. Tickets are £5 - I'd love to go but I have to settle for re-reading Ben's article on the novelty of male knitters (first published in Mollie Makes).
• Speaking of London, the Great London Yarn Crawl is back for its third year. This year it's taking place on September 5. This year it comes with an added Pop-Up Marketplace which sounds really exciting - I heard a few whispers about the sort of Very Nice Stuff to expect.
• Oh, and I was interviewed for the Yarn in the City podcast about lifestyle and knitting (which is how I heard the aforementioned whispers about the Very Nice Stuff).
•  More Very Nice Stuff: Brityarn has finally opened its doors. Isla Davison is incredibly passionate about provenance and local wool producers - I have had a couple of conversations with Isla and it's fantastic to see someone with a very clear direction and vision do what she really believes in.
• Heather has written a great blog post about struggling with and reclaiming her creative identity. Going back to the very first blog post I linked today, I think we are under such bombardment of Clutter and Noise that finding our own creative voice can be hard. I really like Heather's blog post. it is beautiful.

If You Are Going to the Woods Today..

A short and sweet post from me. I have a proper knitting post lined up for tomorrow, but this one is an important one.

It is tick season in the Northern hemisphere. My eye was caught by this BBC article about the European Space Agency backing work on mapping Scottish tick hotspots. The article is pretty good but also carries a really unfortunate image of a bullseye rash.

Here's the low down.

Ticks are tiny arthropods who like to suck blood from humans and animals. They range in sizes - the young ones are tiny and the size of a pin head. Grown-up ticks have a characteristic light brown body. Most ticks are harmless and won't harm you or your animals. Unfortunately a small number carry a bacteria called Borrelia burgdoferi - this bacteria transmits Lyme Disease or Lyme borreliosis. And you really don't want to contract that.

How to Protect Yourself & Loved Ones from Tick Bites

• Don't walk through long grass or brush against foliage.
• Wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts if you are outside. Tuck your trousers into your socks.
• Wear light-coloured clothes so any ticks crawling on you can easily be detected (remember some of them are tiny)
• Wear gloves when brushing yourself and your loved ones down before going inside
• Check for small black dots and full-grown brown bodies in dark, damp and moist places- i.e. behind your ears, in your hairline, armpits and bikini line.
• If you find a tick, you can try to remove it.

Remember that a tick bite does not mean you will automatically become ill! Don't panic but act responsibly.

So You May or May Not Have Been Bitten By a Tick

• If you develop flu-like symptoms over the next six months, go see a doctor.
• Symptoms of a Lyme borreliosis infection include rashes, headaches, facial paralysis, ear pain, fever, disorientation, joint pains etc.
• People go on about bullseye rashes being a key symptom - not everybody develops this rash!
• Lyme borreliosis is treatable with antibiotics and early intervention is key.
• Read more here. Google responsibly (there is a lot of awful information and hand-waving out there).

I was bitten in the summer of 1996 and know first-hand what a tick bite can do to you. I only sought medical help after several months of unexplained ailments - don't be as stupid and naive as me. Go out, enjoy nature and be smart about protecting yourself & loved ones.

Much love.

A Yorkshire Retreat

I don't think many hen nights turn into a knitting retreat, but it's the logical solution when every participant is a knitter. One of my best friends is getting married later this year and we all met up in Yorkshire for a weekend of knitting and relaxation. I had been to Yorkshire before for work, but I had never had a chance to spend time in a stunning landscape filled with textile heritage.

We took the train from Carlisle to Settle - to our great surprise (and delight) the train journey turned out to be spectacular. It runs past the Pennines and through the Yorkshire Dales.

Every station was a Victorian delight with ornate architecture and beautiful details. I can only recommend taking the train journey - it is absolutely stunning and I feel fortunate to have experienced it.

And there are sheep everywhere. I was particularly interested in seeing the varieties of sheep in the fields we passed. The Swaledale sheep is the official 'face' of the Yorkshire dales and I spotted a few on my train journey. I am not Deb Robson, so I could not identify all the little dots scampering around the fells but it was still great seeing so many varieties.

We had rented a house a few miles outside Settle. It was pretty much my dream house: Georgian proportions, a country kitchen (though I found cooking on an AGA fairly intimidating), a small conservatory with built-in book shelves and open fires in each of the living rooms. Did I mention the views?

This was the view from my bedroom (where I sat in the window seat as I took this picture). It looked like merino sheep in the cow-parsley/buttercup field. They fled as soon as I tried getting closer for a better view. Roses in the front garden and a beautiful back garden with views across the dale.

It was a bit too cold for me to sit outside and knit, but I was tempted! Once inside, the house offered many temptations..

.. but I stuck to my knitting mostly. I currently have three projects on the go - one that requires a lot of maths, one that requires a lot of concentration and, er, one that's 1 ply lace. I mainly worked on the latter as it seemed more straightforward given the high level of hilarity.

I did not move from my comfy chair most of the weekend, though I discovered just how bad I am at playing pool. The adjacent house had a ruby spaniel that loved cuddles, so time was spent doing that too. And copious amounts of tea, tea and tea. Cake was had from the interestingly-named local pub/bakery.

It was a lovely weekend. We took the train back to Carlisle yesterday.

And then a rail-replacement bus back to Glasgow (when I fell asleep - all that fresh country air!). I'm having the day off today as I'm oddly exhausted after my relaxing weekend away. While it was fun waltzing around a 19th country house for a few days, it's rather lovely to be home in my humble abode again. I'm down to London next week - when I pass Carlisle on my way down, I'll think fondly of this trip.

How To Pitch It Perfectly - Going From Big Asks To Favours

Sometimes I let my love of colour get the better of me. I have dug out my green coat (the one I only wear occasionally lest I wear it out) and I'm cheerfully pairing it with an orange knitting project. Colours feed my soul.

But I cannot live on colour and sunshine alone.

The First Lesson: The Difference Between Favours & Big Asks - And Why You Need To Know It

Recently I've received emails from very different people with an identical message: hey, I'm just going to ask you for a favour.. Favours are good and I like being able to help where I possibly can. I like introducing like-minded people to each other. I like being able to vouch for someone being fabulous. I like skimming a friend's magazine proposal before it's submitted. If I can help, I am happy to do so. But, do me a favour has taken a very strange turn. This past week I was asked if I could turn over the copyright of my most popular pattern to a publishing company I had to google (in return I'd  get .. a link to this blog!?). Could I share my email list of clients with someone wanting to work as a technical editor? Today I was asked to donate a substantial monetary-value amount of goods to an event to which I had not been invited (I actually queried this favour and I'll share the astounding reply in a second). I don't consider these requests favours - I consider these Big Asks.

Favours are reciprocal - Big Asks are not.

If you are sending an email, ask yourself if you are requesting a favour or a Big Ask. Do you have a prior relationship with the person you are contacting? Do you have mutual friends who can vouch for you? Is what you are requesting something of huge benefit to you but not to the other person?

Favours come with an expectation that at some point the asker will be in the position of helping you out with something. It is a mutual beneficiary situation: if I help a friend by proof-reading his article, he might lend me a place to sleep next time I pass through his town. If I introduce a friend to another friend - maybe one day one of them will introduce me to someone interesting. Sure I end up feeling great about helping out people, but I also know that I'll have an IOU in future reserve if I ever need it.

Big Asks come with nothing. I don't know the person asking. The request has come out of nowhere and typically the Big Ask would result in me handing over significant sources of income to complete strangers. In return? Frequently I am promised exposure in the vaguest terms possible - but we all know that is not a valid currency. Once I've helped out with the Big Ask, chances are that I'll either never heard from the asker again or I'll keep getting Big Asks until I have nothing left to give.

So, you have something you want to obtain - this can be anything from advice on how to pitch a submission to getting more clients or staging a successful event. How can you turn your Big Ask into a favour? The answer is surprisingly simple: ask in a way that will benefit you both. Examples:

• "I'd like all rights to your most popular pattern/photo/song!" = "Do you have a pattern/photo/song tucked away that you'd like to publish through us?"
• "I need a list of your clients/I need an introduction to XYZ" = "Hey, I am really interested in South American farming communities. Can you point me in the right direction? Awesome article on crop rotation, by the way. Do you know Crop Rotation Expert Phil? I'd love to introduce you guys"
• "I am hosting AN AWESOME EVENT OUT OF THE BLUE and I need 150 goodie bags!" = "Hi, I am currently planning an event focused on crop rotation practice. I was wondering how your schedule looks for next March and if you would be interested in hosting a panel on Peruvian popcorn plantations?"

See how rephrasing works? It's pretty cool, no? You are still asking for something, but you are starting a conversation that might lead somewhere really good.

The Second Lesson: Don't Sabotage Yourself and Your Project Before You Start

Remember I queried why I was being asked to donate to an event and not asked to work the event? I received this answer which floored me: Because you are too famous and therefore too expensive for us.

My pub landlord used to be in a Glasgow indie pop band - if I were arranging a local music festival, why shouldn't I ask him if he'd like to DJ or play a couple of tracks? At worst he'd be busy or outwith my budget - but if I didn't ask I would never know. Is he famous? I honestly hadn't heard of his band until I moved to Glasgow, but now I realise the band meant a lot to other local bands in the late 1990s. Fame is an exceptionally relative term - someone's famous musician is another person's pub landlord. And he still needs to pay bills.

Do not assume that something or someone is out of reach. That is not your decision to make.

Take all your knowledge about favours and Big Asks, and make a list. Who would be awesome to have on your team? Who could help turn your kick-ass idea into a kick-ass reality? Who would be a big draw for your event? Think big and reach out in the way we talked about earlier. You may get a couple of cold shoulders ("Okay, maybe asking Taylor Swift to headline Aberdour Festival was a bit ambitious..") but you will get responses from many awesome corners too. Remember, it is not up to you to decide if somebody wants to be on Team Awesome - but you'll never know if you don't approach them in a friendly way.

My Personal Lesson: It Is Not About Me. It Is About You.

It's been a really crap week so far with a lot of soul-destroying Something For Nothing emails in my inbox. Hey, am I too approachable? I have been turning down many Big Asks this week. Hey, am I not approachable enough? For every fifteen Big Asks, I get just one favour through and those fabulous emails are usually prefaced with a "hey, I know you are busy but I thought I'd drop you a line.."

And then it dawned on me, that all this has nothing to do with me. It's about people either not realising I exist (fame is an exceptionally relative term!), people thinking I'm too busy for them (they've made their decision without consulting me), or people thinking I cannot bring anything to the game (okay, okay, this one is about me and my poor knowledge of Peruvian popcorn farms). I can fret about looking unapproachable in my green coat and kitschy sunglasses - but that is who I am and my outfit has nothing to do with approachability. I have a contact form, people can get in touch on social media, and plenty of people come up to say hi when I am working at festivals or shops.

So, I'm going to continue be kick-ass at my job. I'll keep wearing my yellow shoes & my capes. I have some fantastic things in store over the next .. gulp .. eight months. And I hope to find far fewer Big Asks in my inbox and far more favours. Deal? Deal.

Good & Bad News

A bit of Throwback Thursday for you - me as a kid wearing a bonafide islænder jumper knitted by my gran. I seem to remember it was red and white - so very patriotic for a Danish kid!

First Newsflash! you can hear me talk about islænder jumpers, Icelandic yokes, Faroese mittens, Norwegian reindeers and Danish nattrøjer at Cambridge's The Sheep Shop on June 11 where I'll be teaching a half-day class on Nordic traditions. I hear some very good things about the shop from Joanne Scrace and Louise Tilbrook and I have never been to Cambridge before - I am super-excited!

Second Newsflash! I am teaching an evening class on the Byatt Shawl at Hackney's awesome Wild & Woolly on Friday June 12. We'll talk colour choices, explore clever short-cuts for the techniques used in the shawl and find out how to turn a lace shawl into the perfect pub knitting project (yes, honestly!). I have heard so much buzz about Wild & Woolly from people like Corrie Plutoniummuffin,  Ms PlayfulDay and Allison - I cannot wait to visit.

I was hoping to pack more things into my jaunt south-wards (I'm dying to go back to my spiritual homeland of Brighton and check out YAK) but between various commitments in the London area and train times, I am just amazed I managed to squeeze in two classes! I hope to see many familiar faces at either - do let me know about anything you feel I need to check out whilst in London. Good food recommendations are always welcome!

Now for some sobering news. Sometimes things are put into perspective and I write the following with a heavy heart.

I knew that the Coats Craft division (which includes Rowan Yarns) was sold to a hedge fund earlier this year - other brands under the Coats Crafts division includes Patons, Regia, and the Milward haberdashery brand. Earlier this week I heard some sad news from several corners: the vast majority of UK Rowan Design Consultants are saying goodbye. It is both sad and also incredibly sobering to hear this. The DCs have been the bedrock of Rowan for many years and they have played an important part in both teaching essential skills to absolute beginners and lending technical advice to skilled knitters. Seeing them go is a reminder that the times are a-changing and we are likely to see more changes ahead.

I cut my teeth on being a DC. I was first added to the fold in late 2009, and the first year taught me so much. I learned technical, administrative things like how to work with buy plans and how to implement various stock management tools. I learned about visual merchandising, and how to put together promotional displays. I learned how yarn lines were launched and what knitters were likely to find difficult. Then, as in later years, I learned how collections were pulled together and how to pitch a design submission. I learned about design vocabulary, about colour profiles, and who did what in a yarn company (the differences between a Design Room Manager, a Brand Manager, and a Head Designer). Most importantly I met an awful lot of incredibly interesting and talented people - many of whom I am proud to call my friends.

And so today my thoughts turn towards the DCs who are now saying goodbye. I do not know what happened or why decisions were made - I just know that times are tough for some good friends. If you are in the UK and near a John Lewis, go and hug your DC. They are all brilliant and will go forth and do beautiful things - but they probably need a hug right now.