A year in the life of a wool shop window

“Oh is that the shop with the funny window displays?“
Hmm, do you mean funny-ha-ha or funny-peculiar? Sometimes I think the shop is better known by outsiders for the antics that go on in the window than for its wool.

Whatever the case, it’s reassuring to know that the window display is speaking to folks as they arrive or pass by on the street, even it’s just to give them a friendly wink. Meanwhile, I know that a trip to the actual shop is not practical or realisable for many readers of this newsletter on account of how far away you live, so this last post of the year is my attempt at bringing the windows to you – as it comes complete with all 6 of the displays we created in 2024. As to the funny-ha-ha or funny-peculiar question, I’ll leave that to you to decide.

The Wild and Woolly Window Displays of 2024..

January: The last flakes of winter.
A melted snowman of angora pompoms (with a carrot from The Green Basket over the road).

February: Date night with your knitting.
Knit with your love, or love with your knitting, a window full of the mushy stuff.

March: The Climbing Wool! Conquering new heights in knitting.

May: Now we are 10!
Have your cake and Knit it too.

September: Yarn Scavengers Welcome!
Vern the knitted vulture, celebrating the ecology of gathering and using up the left-overs.

December: Christmas down the rabbit hole.
The Nibbles-Family make their own celebrations in a burrow under the roots of a beautiful tree.

But whatever stories begin in the shop window, it’s from the shop beyond, that the window takes its cue. And what goes on in there is made possible only because of the extraordinary skill and generosity of spirit provided by the shop’s collaborators. And so with this round up of the year in windows I would also like to give heart-felt thanks to… Helen ‘The Wool Kitchen’ Reed, for her oscar-winning Sweater Club teaching, weekly motivational talks and general cosmic stardust that she sprinkles on everything, Wendy Peterson for not only continuing to be quite the most genius knitter in East London and probably the universe, but also for sharing that wisdom in her teaching in the shop, Hana Whaler for the most wonderous window, sign and label painting which unfathomably just captures the mood and spirit of the shop always and every time, Sally Cadle for endless patience and good humour in the thankless task of untangling and straightening out my record keeping, Brontë for keeping the shop shop-shape, your parcels parcel-shaped, and saving the store room (and me!) from total chaos, and for only ever changing things for the better, Andzelika for all the cleaning, sweeping and clearing-up, Liz Probert and the whole team at GreenNet for keeping the website up and running, safe from digital harm and doing all that with renewable energy, open source software and really solid ethics and values, Olivia Yu for the birthday cake of the century, never mind the decade, and the untold sweetnesses she brings to Knit Nights and all the other days too, Annie Black for countless acts of kindness including parcel-wrapping, tea-making, lunch fetching, washing up, knitting counselling and the bottomless pit of stories, Cinthia Vallet for writing and finishing the Nibbles pattern and bringing those carrot-crunching little bunnies into our lives (and the window!), Nina Dello for properly putting crochet on Wild and Woolly’s map, and of course to the most important people of all… all of YOU!! For you are the ones who give the shop its energy, spirit and purpose. It is your creativity and enthusiasm which always has been, and continues to be the inspiration and motivation for all we do. I can’t thank you enough for sharing what you make and how you made it and trusting in the shop to be a part of your adventures with wool and knitting.

Have a peaceful, happy and healthy holiday, and enjoy the time with your stitches! We will be there for you on the other side from the 7th January onwards..