As a business, we have decided to change direction. We will no longer be stocking new lines or re-stocking older lines from our commercial yarn, pattern and knitting accessories suppliers.

Instead, moving forward, we will be concentrating solely on producing our independent hand dyed yarns and specialist yarn boxes.

Please note, we have taken this decision as a direct consequence of Brexit and the increased costs and administration practises associated with it.

Therefore, we are now offering all of our remaining Rowan and West Yorkshire Spinners yarns at half price and all patterns and books by Rowan, West Yorkshire Spinners and their associated designers at half or less than half price.

You will also find discounted patterns from Erika Knight, Debbie Bliss and Louisa Harding as well as half price knitting needles and crochet hooks from Brittany. We look forward to providing you with a range of quality hand dyed yarns in the future. Happy Knitting!

If you follow Baa Baa Brighouse on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest or Linkedin, or you read the local newspapers or keep up to date with crafting magazines, you’ll likely have heard about our Kickstarter project to raise funds to convert the living room of Baa Baa Brighouse HQ into a bricks and mortar yarn shop.

This week, I asked supporters of the plan what it would mean to them to have a bricks and mortar yarn shop in Brighouse and why they had chosen to back the campaign. This is what they had to say:

“I am so excited about this, I love knitting and would be so happy to have a shop nearby – I just can’t choose wool without feeling the texture and Elaine makes colours and patterns that are amazing!” – Yasmin Fay

“Good luck with your campaign! I’ve bought from you online in the past and had wonderful service (and gorgeous yarn and accessories!). I’d love to be able to pop in to a ‘real’ shop when I’m in the area.” – Toni Watts

“Looking forward to having a wool shop round the corner! Good luck with your plans, Elaine!” – Amanda Blackwell

“I would love to do what you are doing but never seem to have time, money or the guts, so by supporting you i get to have the small satisfaction of helping someone else get their dream.” – Deborah Cherry

“I would like a decent LYS – my closest two in Huddersfield have closed down in the last couple of years. I need to check whether a yarn in going to irritate my skin, and you can’t do that online, no matter how hard you try. There is also the draw of quality yarns, not just mega-balls of 100% acrylic, which, whilst it has its uses, isn’t something I enjoy working with. I hope you reach your target.” – Linda Partington

“I backed your Kickstarter campaign for one main reason, which is that the West Yorkshire area doesn’t really have many independent bricks and mortar yarn shops. I live in Hong Kong and visit my family in Yorkshire once or twice a year. I’m always looking for new yarn shops to visit to build my stash, but have often had to rely on the internet or London for this. I found Baa Baa Brighouse online and really liked the yarn. I was gutted when I realised that I couldn’t visit and see the yarn in person.” – Sophie Reeve

We have 22 days left until our Kickstarter ends and have so far raised £2,351 towards our target with 68 backers from all over the world. All of our financial backers can choose from a range of woolly rewards in return for their pledge, starting at as little as £1.

And whilst that’s amazing and we’re truly grateful for all of the generous pledges received, we still have 67% of the way to go until the project is 100% funded.

Kickstarter works on an all or nothing basis – if we don’t hit the target, we don’t receive any of the pledges.

Architect fees, planning, building and remedial work to the front door will cost an estimated £3,000, replacing the internal floor will cost £1,000, electrical work will cost £1,000 and then there will be the cost of replacing the internal door which will connect the shop to our house, complying with fire regulations, signage, decorating, shop fitting and necessary retail sales equipment to pay for with us doing as much of the manual work as we can manage ourselves.

So, if like our other supporters you value a local yarn shop, please support our project and pledge. Thank you!

Online yarn and knitting supply store, Baa Baa Brighouse, has started a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds for a bricks and mortar yarn shop.

But owner, Elaine Jinks-Turner, doesn’t plan to rent commercial premises – she wants to convert the living room of her 17trh Century cottage in Rastrick, Brighouse, West Yorkshire into a shop.

The Cottage

An Historic Wool Shop

The building, which dates from 1602, was historically a wool shop during the 1940s, 50s and 60s and those local to Rastrick have fond memories of visiting the shop.

Elaine said: “A family friend told me that his mother remembered the wool shop and used to visit it regularly as a child. So, I asked in a couple of local Facebook groups if anyone else remembered the shop and it seems it was once quite a popular little place.”

Baa Baa Brighouse was launched as an online store in 2014. Elaine runs the business from home at 11 Church Street, Rastrick, but growth and demand means it is now ready for bricks and mortar premises.

The building to be converted is Grade II listed because of its oak beams and stone fireplaces but these would remain intact and form part of the yarn shop once the project is complete.

“I think it would be lovely for people to be able to see a little piece of local history restored,” said Elaine. “The demand for a yarn shop is definitely there. Never a week goes by without someone knocking on my door asking if this is where the wool shop is.”

Knit and Natter at Rastrick Library

Health Benefits of Knitting

Elaine, a married mother-of-three, set up Baa Baa Brighouse following a prolonged period of post-natal depression.

She said: “It took me years to recognise there was something wrong and seek medical help. Even once I had done so, it wasn’t until I took up knitting that I was able to cope and deal with the difficulties of my illness.”

Baa Baa Brighouse led her to set up two regular Knit and Natter Groups held at Rastrick Library, Crowtrees Lane, Rastrick and in the community space at LoveBread Bakery, St Martin’s Street, Brighouse.

There she met many others who had also turned to knitting because of its therapeutic benefits.

“Everyone I met seemed to have a story to tell that had led them to joining Knit and Natter,” said Elaine. “Some had survived breast cancer, some had suffered bereavements, some had physical illnesses or disabilities and others had mental health issues but all of them agreed that knitting or crochet helped relieve stress, anxiety, depression and the daily pressures they had to cope with. The health benefits of knitting are well documented.”

Elaine, 39, hopes the extension of her business with a bricks and mortar yarn shop will build on her community links and provide crafters with a place where they are welcome to sit and knit any time they like.

Kickstarter Campaign

The campaign aims to raise enough money to pay for the conversion including planning permission, architect’s fees and building costs but there are only 30 days in which to raise the funds.

Elaine hopes local people and anyone who values a local yarn shop will support the campaign to renovate the historic site.

You can find out more and donate to receive one of the many rewards Elaine is offering her financial backers by visiting her project on  Kickstarter.

The start of November means one thing – it’s time to celebrate Wovember.

The Wovember campaign was started in 2011 by knitwear designers, Kate Davies and Felicity Ford, as a response to frustrations at the misuse of the words ‘wool’ and ‘woollen’ in garment descriptions, meaning that consumers often didn’t know what they were buying.

Wovember is continued today by Felicity and Louise Scollay, author of the KnitBritish blog and podcast with their aims being to recognise and celebrate wool heritage, educate the wider public about what constitutes wool and to campaign for clear labeling and clarity through trading standards.

These issues are also important to Baa Baa Brighouse and Wovember provides an opportunity for us to highlight them and demonstrate how we support and advocate the use of ‘proper’ terms in our own business.

From the outset, Baa Baa Brighouse has sought to establish itself as a British yarn specialist, offering predominantly 100% wool and wool rich yarns for sale as well as using a high percentage of wool in the garments we produce.

By wool, we mean yarn that has been grown on the back of a sheep – not viscose, acrylic, nylon or other man made fibre. Whilst we recognise that these fibres have their own role to play in the textile industry, wool is a premium yarn, which takes time, toil, effort and dedication to produce.

From the birth of a lamb, to the shearing of an adult sheep’s fleece, imagine how much care a shepherd or a farmer has to show the animal before it is shorn. Then of course, there is the whole washing, carding, dyeing and spinning on top of that – a process made more labour intensive if the wool is hand dyed, hand spun or hand knitted into the finished product.

We believe it is vitally important to support and protect our wool and sheep farming heritage – just one of the reasons why we choose to stock Herdy wool. It’s a 100% British yarn and the Herdy brand funds and sponsors projects through the Herdy fund, which supports upland fell farming in Cumbria and the region’s iconic Herdwick sheep.

Laura’s Loom, based in Sedbergh in the Yorkhsire Dales, can even point to the very sheep in the field from which the yarn comes.

Our monthly subscription yarn club, the Yan Tan Tethera Club, is all about Yorkshire yarn. Our dyers use wool rich British yarns, often reared, sheared and spun right here in Yorkshire before being dyed by hand. Not only does this support small, independent, cottage industries but the wider wool industry of Yorkshire too.

It seemed an obvious step to take when we considered launching our own brand of hand dyed yarn that we would use a 100% British Bluefaced Leicester. It’s a sheep that is common to these parts and is spun locally before being dyed by hand, using traditional methods, here at Baa Baa Brighouse HQ.

We’ve always advocated transparency when it comes to the labeling of our products – when you buy Baa Baa Brew yarn, you get just that – 100% British Bluefaced Leicester wool.

Not only that, if you look at our handmade garments, you’ll also find everything clearly labelled – right down to the percentage of fibre variations used and if it’s a Yan Tan Tethera original, we’ll even tell you the month in which the yarn was dyed and the name of the dyer.

We’re starting our Wovember celebrations by offering our customers a generous 15% off across the store throughout the month. We encourage you all to engage with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram and tell us why you love wool and what Wovember means to you.

Happy knitting!

So, we’re a third of the way into October already and my knitter friends are frantically casting off socks, turning heels and talking about fish lips whichever way I turn.

All this tootsie talk got me thinking about the origins of Socktober.

A quick trawl of the internet revealed that Socktober was started by Brad Montague, creator of the web show, ‘Kid President’, and his family a few years ago in the USA as an annual month-long campaign designed to show people that ordinary acts of love can make a big different – starting with socks.

The idea is that by partnering with shelters and homeless organisations across the USA, those involved in the campaign can help to ensure that people living on the street have access to basic items of clothing such as socks.

But, of course, with the advancements in communication, the internet and the growth of knitting sites such as Ravelry, Socktober has spread and been adopted elsewhere.

While it is true that many knitters use the month of Socktober to help homeless charities such as BASH, the Brighouse and Surrounding Homeless network, others need little encouragement to pick up their needles and cast on a pair of socks, one of their favourite projects.

Often, it is a great excuse to try out a new pattern or yarn or simply learn a different technique for turning a heel or finishing a toe. Socks, though great as gifts because they are relatively quick to knit, can also be very personal and a chance to knit something that is just for you.

Until the end of the month, we are offering 10% off selected sock patterns and yarns at Baa Baa Brighouse including West Yorkshire Spinners and Sylvan Tiger Yarn. So whether you’re knitting for charity, for friends or family or for yourself, we can help to keep toes toastie!

It’s less that a week to go until knitters, crocheters, stitchers and sewers everywhere unite to celebrate Yarn Shop Day on April 30th, 2016.

Presented by Let’s Knit magazine and sponsored by the British Wool Board and The Campaign for Wool, the day was originally a celebration of traditional bricks and mortar yarn shops and provided a valuable opportunity to promote all that is great about British yarn.

While Baa Baa Brighouse is an online store, we will be supporting two Yorkshire craft stores in their attempts to celebrate Yarn Shop Day.

The Yorkshire Makery in Slaithwaite, Huddersfield, will be stocking our very own hand dyed yarn, Baa Baa Brew, especially for the occasion. The full range will be available to squish, squash and purchase along with boxes of 25g Baa Baa Brew Mini Skein Boxes.

Further north in the beautiful historic city of York, The York Makery, a brand new haberdashery shop situated at 36 Gillygate, will be opening its doors for the very first time. Inside you will find a selection of gorgeous Baa Baa Brew just waiting to be bought and cast on for your next woolly project.

If you visit Baa Baa Brighouse online on Yarn Shop Day, you will also be able to save some pennies at the checkout by using discount code YARNSHOPDAY which will entitle you to 15% off your order (exclusions apply).

How would you like to join Baa Baa Brighouse for a relaxing afternoon tea in the grounds of the beautiful Holdsworth House Hotel?

We’ve teamed up with the wonderful staff at the Jacobean manor, situated on the outskirts of Halifax, to launch our very first Crafternoon Tea event.

Why not join us with your knitting or crochet project on Sunday June 7th from 3pm until 5pm and meet like-minded people whilst enjoying a delicious traditional afternoon tea of sandwiches and cakes, freshly prepared with locally sourced ingredients by the talented chefs of Holdsworth House.

Baa Baa Brighouse will be on hand to provide advice and there will be ample opportunity to browse our extensive range of products including yarn, knitting patterns, needles and notions, hand knits and knitting kits, suitable for beginners and those looking for a challenge.

We’ll tell you all about how Baa Baa Brighouse – Yorkshire’s most popular online yarn store came about and we’ll also be offering some exclusive discounts.

The event will take place the day after Leeds Wool Festival at Armley Mills in Leeds, where you will also find Baa Baa Brighouse. If you’re visiting Yorkshire, why not make a woolly weekend of it and come along to both events?

At Armely Mills you can learn all about the history of the woollen and spinning industry in Yorkshire or take part in an organised workshop, then on Sunday unwind at Holdsworth House in the company of other knitting enthusiasts.

Tickets for Knit, Natter and Posh Nosh at Holdsworth House are £17.95 per person and can be booked via Holdsworth House Hotel.

We hope to see you there!

Baa Baa Brighouse-2

Be still my bleating heart! Announcing our Baa Baa Brighouse Bleating Heart Event to celebrate Valentine’s Day…

From now until February 14th, we are offering generous discounts on a wide selection of red, pink and purple yarns.

Brands include Rowan, Louisa Harding, West Yorkshire Spinners, Wendy Ramsdale, Sylvan Tiger Yarn, Little Boo Yarns and more.

Choose from rich silk blends, soft sock yarns or warm British wools.

It’s the perfect opportunity to treat yourself or the knitter you love to a woolly Valentine’s Day, or simply stock up on beautiful shades in preparation for Summer shawls and cover-ups.

Happy knitting!

Expressing your love for somebody on a particular day of the year, simply because convention demands it, seems a little contrived for my liking.

Whenever I have bought into the myth, I felt nothing but awkward – whether it’s giving a gift or receiving it.

You see, I’ve been one of those people standing in a card shop faced with the task of finding an overpriced piece of paper that will convey my feelings.

I’ve been one half of those uncomfortable couples you see every Valentine’s Day sitting in a restaurant amid forced romance.

I don’t like it. I don’t like it one little bit.

Then, one year I discovered handmade – whether it’s baking a cake for the one you love or knitting a garment that can’t be bought at any high street chain – the satisfaction that comes with knowing you’ve created something special is immense.

Now every Valentine’s Day I won’t give anything but handmade items, and my husband appreciates it all the more because he understands the time and effort involved in the making of them.

I’ve searched through the Rowan archives to share a few free Valentine’s inspired patterns with you all and encourage you to have a handmade Valentine’s Day this year.

First of all, there’s the Cridhe Gadget Cover by Anna Nikipirowicz using Rowan Felted Tweed in Rage, currently on sale for £5 at Baa Baa Brighouse. This lovely little pattern can be knitted in two sizes and is perfect for Ipads and tablets.

Secondly, why not brighten up your home for Valentine’s Day with this Valentines Hearts crochet pattern by Lisa Richardson. The pattern uses Rowan Pure Wool Worsted which is on a special three for £21 offer at Baa Baa Brighouse at the moment allowing you to mix and match colours as you wish and complement your home decor.

And with the leftover yarn, you could make a lovely Valentines Mug Snug, also a crochet pattern by Lisa Richardson using Rowan Pure Wool Worsted and Kidsilk Haze.

If you don’t see the colour you want, simply contact us and we’ll order it in for you.

So, have a Happy Handmade Valentine’s Day!

At Baa Baa Brighouse we’re always looking for innovative ways to improve your shopping experience.

That’s why we’ve introduced the brand new Baa Baa Brighouse Shepherd Reward Scheme.

Every time you shop with us, you’ll earn sheep.

Watch your flock grow, and once you have 100 or more sheep, you can redeem them and save money on your next order!

Follow the link to find our more and don’t worry if you’ve shopped with us previously – your accounts have already been credited with the sheep you’ve earned so far. Why? Because at Baa Baa Brighouse we’re really rather lovely like that.