Thursday 26 January 2017

Let's Knit Giveaway




Let's Knit Magazine are running a giveaway this month to win a £30 gift card for our site, what's to lose?


Why People Choose Certain Beads







Today we made 12 pairs of needles for an order. I love the idea that someone takes the time to go through our massive range of beads to make their choices. This is really import to us as the whole ethos behind our business is that people can get the 'perfect' pair of needles or hook to suit their taste and personality.



This has made me think about why people choose the beads they do, is it down to 'I like green and i like circles' we used to think so but now the thinking is going a little deeper.

I used to think that the round beads were chosen over all other shapes as they represent a regular knitting needle and a square bead didn't make them feel like it was a knitting needle but i think now that this has more to do with personality than regularity. A lot of studies have been done on this subject and i would like to share some of their findings.

Looking at an article from www.psychologytoday.com it looks at why people choose colours and they worked with a team and looked at why people chose a certain colour crayon, these are the results on colours and what they say about your personality, is this true for you?



White. People who like white are often organised and logical and don't have a great deal of clutter in their lives. 
Red. Those who love red live life to the fullest and are tenacious and determined in their endeavours. 
Blue. If blue is your favourite colour you love harmony, are reliable, sensitive and always make an effort to think of others.  You like to keep things clean and tidy and feel that stability is the most important aspect in life.
Green. Those who love the colour green are often affectionate, loyal and frank.  Green lovers are also aware of what others think of them and consider their reputation very important. 
Yellow. You enjoy learning and sharing your knowledge with others.  Finding happiness comes easy to you and others would compare you to sunshine. 
Purple. You are artistic and unique.  You have a great respect for people but at times can be arrogant.
Brown. You are a good friend and try your hardest to be reliable and dependable.  Flashy objects are not something you desire; you just want a stable life.

In respect to shapes, this is a tricky one as there are so many but we found this article in Weekly World News that covers quite a few shapes and we think that other shapes, such as hearts are a combination or more than 1 shape, see what it might say about you and let us know your comments below. it is a really interesting subject. Possibly have a look at our bead options, choose your favourite and see what it says about you.

Monday 23 January 2017

Giveaway



Living in the digital age is fantastic for running a business. It gives us the opportuntiy to connect and communicate with established customers and prospective customers alike. We always hope to have fun and we have done this on Facebook and Twitter for a long time and are really proud to announce that both platforms reached the total of 500 likers/followers on each platform. It was very surreal that both clicked over to 500 on the same day. We are very grateful for all of your support.

Talking to people about our products is quite hard as we make and sell unique products, often not looked for online as people do not know they exist. Added to this is the opportunity to design your own needles (a little like Build a Bear Workshop) and then have them made just for you and sent in the post. Some find it hard to understand the appeal, that is, until the see and use our needles and hooks, then the attitude changes to 'I need more of those'

To celebrate this milestone, we are having a giveaway and are including the following items 






  • 2 pairs of marbles knitting needles
  • 2 gloss candy crochet hooks
  • 2 wrist pin cushions


We have chosen this line up so that everyone has the chance to get something that suits their craft.
all you have to do is go to our Facebook page (Funky Needles) and comment below on our competition status about what you like the most about Funky Needles. There i no wrong answer and we are eager to find out what you think, after all you are the most important part of what we do.


GET OVER THERE AND GOOD LUCK!




Have a lovely day 







Linen Stitch

Linen Stitch







We are starting with the Linen Stitch as it is our favourite,  We are currently using it to design our new handbag...pattern coming soon.
The linen stitch is a lovely slipped stitch knitting pattern which makes a dense and finely detailed stitch. The fabric looks almost woven. It is solid and beautiful to look at. The linen stitch is great for warmth or a stiffer fabric. Try adding new stitch knitting patterns to basics you love, like a hat or scarf, to give an old favorite brand new life.  Or, If you’re looking for some simple, free linen stitch patterns, I’ve included links to some of my favorites at the end of this post.
Once you start trying different stitch patterns, you’ll be addicted. My suggestion when trying any new stitch is to make a full swatch (6 x 6 inches) so you can really get a feel for the pattern, how it will hang, and understand its true gauge. If applying to an favorite knitting pattern, you may need to adjust the pattern accordingly. I’ve written out this stitch patterns in both the traditional way and with step-by-step photos to illustrate that pesky knitting terminology that everyone is magically supposed to know.  It’s so easy to follow these instructions, so don’t be scared. Dive in and try something new!
How do i do it?
Linen stitch pattern: worked over an even number of stitches. Slip stitches purlwise.
Row 1: *Knit 1, slip 1 with yarn in front; Repeat from * to end. Turn.
Row 2: *Purl 1, slip 1 with yarn in back; Repeat from * to end. Turn.

We have included a few patterns for you to try out.

Honey Cowl

by Antonia Shankland




Linen Stitch Cloths

by Leah Falana













Linen Stitch Placemat

by Marcy Roberts


Sunday 22 January 2017

Sunday Patterns

Sunday 22nd January 2017 patterns









unless we say its one of our patterns that can always be found on our website, FULL COPYRIGHT BELONGS TO THE PERSON THAT WROTE THE PATTERN not to us we are just sharing


awesome, the patter is in english.

http://www.craftfoxes.com/how_tos/roller-skate-booties-free-knitting-pattern
we are making these as we speak, so cute!!



Thursday 19 January 2017

Dejavu




Wow what a flashback!

Whilst sorting through some boxes i found these beads, these are the black swirls, they were 1 of 4 beads that we first started off with 5 years ago. Unfortunately they were discontinued which was a real blow, they were replaced with honeypots which were then replaced with cherry blossoms which are still around today. These beads used to have tiny metal caps on the end that were far too small for the bead but that was all we had, and look now we have over 300 beads and 7 different styles of caps.

We are loving the large gems on these and thought it would be nice to remember such a fab, original part of our business. Please let us know your thoughts, do you like them?

Welcome

Welcome to our new blog

This is connected to our website www.funkyneedles.co.uk and we hope to bring you all the up to date news about our products and general knitting and crochet info. We really hope you enjoy it!