Silver Linings and New Beginnings

So here it is, my very first ever blog post. I have sat for many hours over the past few weeks 'umming' and 'ahhing' on what the content of my first blog as Hook & Purl should be. Should I write a compelling post about some of my favourite products and why I chose them? Or should I write about why I'm so passionate about all things knitting and crochet and yarn and what inspires me? In end end I've settled on what is filling my thoughts and time at the moment which is neither of the above, but rather how to set up, run and build the perfect online yarn store and shopping experience for my customers.

I have for a very long time dreamt about owning my own yarn shop in the heart of the community, bursting at the seams with every kind of yarn that any knitter or crochet artist could ever wish to use and have often marvelled at people who have this wonderful job of sitting amongst heaving shelves full of beautiful wool - what a relaxing job and what a way to while away the hours of the day!

During the horrible covid-19 pandemic and lockdown in the UK I was one of the many people who had to 'shield' which effectively meant I was stuck indoors for 12 solid weeks with nowhere to go and nothing to do. It was during this time that crochet and knitting became, once again, so important to me and gave me an outlet to concentrate and focus on. I spent hours each day crocheting little animals for my family and friends to enjoy, mainly from the wonderful 'Edward's Menagerie' collection by Kerry Lord of TOFT - this was my outlet to maintain sanity during what seemed an insane and uncertain time. All of this time thinking and creating made me realise that my passion and dream isn't insurmountable, that I can achieve anything and that I would put wheels in motion to start my own yarn business, life is too short not to follow your dreams!

With that dream in mind I decided that the only way it could ever become a reality for me was if I started out online and built a wonderful, loyal community of online customers, not just locally to my little hometown but to accessible to everyone globally and to deliver second to none customer service to make every customer feel valued and special. We are so lucky in the UK to have such wonderful yarn producers on our doorstep and we have some of the finest yarn in the World ( in my very biased opinion!) and I want to be able to give everyone the opportunity to access our wonderful yarn.

There is no doubt that I am having to start small, after all it is just me, but my dreams and goals are big. I am determined to expand and grow to a place where I can open a bricks and mortar store in my little hometown of Glossop whilst continuing to run a thriving online store, and I want to stock only the very best quality yarns at the most competitive prices.

I know there are hundreds of online yarn stores and many much bigger than mine, but this is my passion and I care immensely about getting it right and I hope that Hook & Purl can bring squishy joy into the lives of so many people who need it the most right now.

I'm already crafting ideas for the next installment of my blog where I'm going to treat you all to some wonderful new yarn and products just in time for starting your autumn and winter knits and dare I say it, Christmas shopping!

Now, I can feel my hook calling, 'Lucy the Hare' is what's currently keeping me entertained  - there are certainly worse ways to spend a rainy September afternoon.

Take care and see you again very soon....