November

It has been a busy start to November. We’ve been working really hard finishing our new Milarrochy Heids book, and I have been preparing for a special event taking place later this week.

It is a huge honour to be invited to speak at this event by the Federation of Small Business (from whom we won the UK Microbusiness of the Year Award in 2016). It is also not often one gets to share a stage with the leader of ones own country – and perhaps even rarer for that leader to be someone of whom one is a fan. I have enormous respect and admiration for Nicola Sturgeon, and am really looking forward to meeting her and hearing what she has to say (these are interesting times for small businesses of all kinds). I’ll also be talking a bit myself about just how brilliant knitting is.

Some of you have been asking when the Heids book will be published, and whether there will be a club this year, so I thought I’d let you know a bit about what’s going on, and what’s coming up for us here at KDD:

Milarrochy Heids
I’m really looking forward to sharing the contents of our new book with you! There are fifteen hat designs (or heids, if you will) designed in Milarrochy Tweed – one of which may already be familiar to you – my own Peerie Flooers:

Peerie Flooers is one of my favourite-ever heids, as well as my most popular with knitters. Alongside it in the book, you’ll find a new pattern by me, together with thirteen other brand-new hats created by some really talented designers. The patterns we’ve included are superb, it’s a substantial book of 100 pages, and Tom has outdone himself with the photography – just wait until you see it – I honestly think this is one of the most beautiful things we’ve ever produced! Pre-orders for Milarrochy Heids will open in the shop on November 16th, at a special shipping-inclusive price. From then, I’ll be revealing one heid per day on Instagram and Ravelry, until the end of the month, when the pre-order period will close. Pre-ordered copies will then ship out, before the book goes on sale under normal terms in our shop, and will be available to retailers from our distributors (Fyberspates / Chester Wool). I’m very excited to show you all fifteen Milarrochy heids.

Club
Yes, there will be a club, and – like West Highland Way – it will begin in January, and run for twelve weeks through March. We will put club subscriptions on sale in the shop from early December (so they will be available as seasonal gifts, if you choose) and there will be two tiers of subscription, one of which will be the usual unlimited club membership (including all patterns, club discount, and a beautiful book shipped out to any address worldwide) and another option which in addition to all of the foregoing will include the yarn for two or three special club projects, a new product we are about to release, inclusive worldwide shipping for both the yarn and book packages, and various other extras. This second option is a really good deal for what’s included, and it will only be available to a limited number of subscribers. We will also be launching / revealing a brand-new yarn that we’ve recently developed part way through the club – which I’m looking forward to sharing with you! I’ve been working on the club patterns all year, and am really pleased with them . . . I do hope you enjoy sweaters, because I’ve been on a roll, and seem to have designed quite a few.

These photos were taken at Rowardennan, where we all enjoyed a long walk yesterday – a proper, misty November day, with the last of the russet leaves hanging on the oak trees beside Loch Lomond. Knitting season is definitely upon us!

Look out for the Milarrochy Heids reveal beginning on Friday!