Dear Reader,
Today was - even for me as a definitive early bird - an early start with an alarm set to 5.30am. It was for a thrilling cause though: I got to see the print start of our upcoming Issue 9!
We switched both printer and paper for the new issue, and one alone would have been exciting enough, but both? I admit, I was slightly nervous how the experience would be and whether the new paper would look as good as I imagined.
A Tram- and an U-Bahn ride later, and I needn't have worried - the team at our new printer Königsdruck was so, so lovely and made me feel at home and at ease immediately. (I am so, so enthusiastic about big machines - I just love learning about how they work!)
And then, the print start. YOU FOLX. Whoa. The new paper is soooooo good. Like, seriously - I had a hunch it would be good, but it's GREAT. There are a couple of things at play here - it's still a 100% recycled paper, but it's a coated one (not an actual coating on it, just means that the paper has been "brushed" into one direction - kind of similar to worsted vs. woollen spun actually!), it has a less grey undertone, and the printing press Königsdruck is using has what I lovingly call an LED oven - it immediately dries the ink after printing which means it doesn't have time to sink into the paper, which makes some of the color and crispness disappear.
RSo, long story short: There are obviously still things that can go wrong - the magazine is now being transported to the bookbinder to be bound, and then back for confectioning, and then to us - so I hope I didn't jinx anything, but ... I'm SO excited for you to see it. And as a few people have asked over on Instagram when the launch date is: March 15! Subscribers get their copies a little early as always.
Much love,
Hanna Lisa
New in the shop: Mystery and Bits & Bobs Bags
We launched our second round of Mystery Bags earlier today - the last one in August was so popular that I couldn't resist but start the year with another one!
For this round we have:
- Bits & Bobs Bags with wound-up cakes or skeins that have been broken into (for swatching, for example).
- Mystery Bags | Yarn with full skeins.
- NEW: Mystery Bags | Goodies with thoughtfully curated gifts / notions / joy-bringing items.
For this round, we've added two size options for the Mystery Bags: 100g and 400g. Each Mystery Bag will have one yarn, in one colorway. The smaller bag size is great for small accessories, the larger one for shawls, kids knits or smaller sweaters.
As always, you can select yarn weight and color family, but the exact yarns will stay a surprise!
| Shop Mystery Bags |
Reveal: Our January Sock Box
I love, love, love revealing the contents (and little design features) of our boxes with you, and as we're almost in the middle of January, it's high time to do so for our January Sock Box!
January's box was inspired by ice crystals on a long winter walk, and then coming home to warm up under your favorite blanket.
I absolutely adore putting these boxes together (I can't wait for you to see what's in the April one!), and I love that I get to work with amazing makers and fellow small businesses on them. January's Sock Box featured...
- A gorgeous skein of 100% non-superwash, nylon-free Raincloud & Sage sock yarn - their Nord base, in the stunning new colorway Nightfall.
- A set of 3 sparkly raw crystals, hand-set into hexagonal stitch markers by Dusana Knit.
- A vegan (soy wax) candle by Geruchsmanufaktur in the scent "Tanne" (pine), hand-made here in Germany with natural essential oils.
- A little extra surprise: My favorite winter drink is a cup of hot chocolate, and Zotter makes the absolute best ones.
Sign ups for our April Sock Box and our Year of Socks Subscription open back up on February 1. Sign up for our wait list now!
| Join the Sock Box Wait List |
Have you taken our annual customer survey yet?
If you've been following us for a while you know that we love to do an annual customer survey. It's a great way for us to better understand how we can serve you, and a good way for you to share what you want to see from us in the coming year.
As I'm preparing the first yarn orders for the year, I've put together our Annual Customer Survey 2023 and would love to invite you to fill it out.
It takes 2 - 3 minutes, and I so appreciate every single answer!
| Take the survey |