What's New
26th January 2010
A belated Happy New Year to you all. We have been recovering our energies after the Christmas markets, but Carolyn hasn't been sitting on her laurels and has been working on some new projects for you to try.
In response to a number of requests received we have created a beginners knitting kit that contains everything a new knitter needs to get going, including:- yarn, project bag, set of pins, scarf pattern, pin protectors, tape measure and a darning needle. The kit comes in two flavours - one with acrylic yarn priced at £8.50 , the other with a ball of Super 10 carousel multi-coloured yarn priced at £12.
The latest pattern to arrive is a lovely baby blanket that can be personalised with the child's name. The pattern calls for three skeins of Super 10 yarn, which you can select and order as normal, or there are a limited number of set combinations available for just £16.
Another time limited offer is two colours of Super 20 yarn available at just £5. The colours are Royal Blue and Burgundy. Order from the Super 20 yarn page.
Following some difficulties in obtaining J.C.Rennie yarn we have decided to not to stock them in the future. Our existing stock is available at reduced prices and can be ordered from the Rennie yarn pages. Where we have limited quantities we will be selling these via Ebay. We will let you know when they have been listed to let you have first chance at buying some.
15th November 2009
Carolyn has just started her six week stint in The Friary, Cardiff at the Christmas Craft Market. Pop along and see her if you are in the area - she will be the one wrapped in layers of shawls and wearing hand knitted jumpers :-) We will be in our regular spaces at the Abergavenny and Brecon craft markets - John will be manning the stall at those events - so if you can't make it to Cardiff, you can always stock on yarn or one of our finished knitted items.
Not much other news to pass along to you at the moment. We are hoping to be at WonderWool in April which will be a new venture for us. More details of that event nearer the date.
27th September 2009
Where has the year gone? It is almost October and our busiest period is coming up. Starting this Thursday, October 1st, we will be showing at the Creative Stitches & Hobbycraft Show at the CIA in Cardiff. The show runs for three days until Saturday. We will have our full range of yarn available, including some new colours of J.C. Rennie Castle Lambswool/Silk yarn. We will also have examples of our patterns, including the most recent addition – the Leafy Lace Cardigan & Waistcoat. The pattern is available from the website now and is free with any yarn purchases. If you make it to the show come along and say hello. Carolyn is giving a talk in the lecture theatre daily at 1pm, so don’t miss that.
24th August 2009
We have just returned from FibreFest in Devon. If you were there we are sure you had a lovely time. It was really great to meet so many dedicated knitters.
While we were away we remembered that we have been trading now for a whole year – where has the time gone? To celebrate our first anniversary we are reducing the price of the first products that we sold back to the launch price. For one week only you can buy Super 20 yarn for £5 per 125g skein, and any Super 20 based knitting kit (with one skein) for £10 each. This offer is available on orders placed through our website and at the bank holiday gift fair at Abergavenny (Monday 31st August). You can of course place orders over the phone if you prefer not to use the website.
We have been very busy at craft fairs and shows recently, so development of new patterns has taken a bit of a back seat, but not entirely. Look out for a couple of new projects based on the Rennie Cashmere and Castle yarns coming soon.
1st July 2009
Happy Canada Day! You may not know that Carolyn is Canadian; she has been celebrating Canada Day by working on lots of new ideas.
We are pleased to announce that we are now distributors for two new ranges of yarn from the Scottish woolen mills, J C Rennie. The Rennie yarn is based on Lambswool with mixes in cashmere (Supersoft Cashmere) and silk (Castle). Both of these yarns are available as part of kits, while Supersoft Cashmere is also available to be purchased on its own.
In addition to the new yarn Carolyn has completed some new patterns. The latest addition is the Loose Lattice Lace Top in Super 20. This lightweight top is ideal for the hot weather we are having - long may it last - and can be knitted from only 2 skeins of yarn.
7th June 2009
Carolyn has been busy developing and testing new patterns to go with the Butterfly range of yarn. We have updated the website to include the first two of these new patterns.
The first pattern is an addition to the range of Super 20 shawls - the Triple Panel Shawl. This adds a third panel to our orignal range of shawls to give a fuller, wider fit. If you want to order one of these along with your yarn you will also need to order a copy of the original shawl pattern as well (don't forget that patterns are free with yarn purchases).
The second new pattern is a pretty short sleeved lace rib cardigan in a cropped length. Knitted up in the colourful range available in the Super 10 this is a quick simple cardigan you will enjoy wearing.
This month you can meet us at our usual slots at the Abergavenny and Brecon craft markets as well as at the Caerphilly Flower Festival on the weekend of the 27th/28th of June.
3rd May 2009
Our new online shop went live today. The shop is hosted on a new website called
www.bulldogkraftsshop.co.uk and features all of the products we have for sale. Buying from us has not changed though, we still charge the same amount and provide the same great service. The new shop allows us to keep our product list up to date and make it easier for us to add new products when we get them.
Speaking of new products, we are in negotiations to stock a new range of Lambswool yarn. More details will follow as soon as they are available.
Our kits are being featured in the June issue of
Lets Knit magazine and we are supplying a number of our kits for one of their giveaways. The June issue is on sale on May 8th and is available in all major supermarkets as well as usual outlets.
Also happening this Friday is a return to the centre of Cardiff for the Spring Festival. We will be there every day, except Sundays, from 8th May until Saturday 23rd May. During this period we will also be attending our usual markets at Abergavenny and Brecon.
16th March 2009
We have made it easier to order your free patterns with your yarn orders. For every purchase of yarn you can order any of our patterns. Carolyn is busy working on new patterns, so watch out in the coming weeks for some new arrivals.
8th March 2009
Following customer feedback we have reviewed the way we charge for post and packing for online orders. Instead of charging per item we are basing our charges on the overall cost of your order. For most orders you will be paying a lot less for P&P. To reflect this we have reduced the prices of all of our items back to the same as we charge on our stall.
Despite some slow days we had a good time at Cardiff and are looking forward to future events in the nation's capital. The next event is due to take place in May. Watch this space.
As Spring is here our usual visits to Abergavenny will recommence on Saturday 14th March, and every second Saturday of the month until December. We are adding an additional, hopefully regular, date at Brecon Craft Market which takes place on the third Saturday of the month, starting on the 21st of March.
5th February 2009
As the snow falls and the country grinds to a halt we are pleased to announce that our first event of the year has been booked. From Saturday 28th February until Saturday 7th March we will have a stall at the St. David's Day Festival in Cardiff. Following a similar format to the Cardiff at Christmas market we wil be on site with our full range of products. Carolyn has been busy working on some new patterns for all the family so make sure you pop by to see what is new.
1st January 2009
Things are quiet on the craft market from until March. In the mean time we will be making occasional visits to Abergavenny Saturday market. We can't guarantee that we get a stall every week, but we will be there as much as is possible. Our products are still available to purchase from our website.
In the mean time we are working on expanding the range of patterns and kits suitable for our Super 10 and Super 20 yarn. We have already added a Beret and Scarf kit as well as a kit to make one of our baby cardigans.
Because of the weakening value of Sterling we have had to revise our prices. The basic cost of our yarn has gone up from £5 to £6. This increase is echoed in the cost of the various kits.
8th December 2008
Having survived three and a half weeks of Cardiff at Christmas we are looking forward to returning to our usual pitch at Abergavenny Craft Market as well as visiting fresh fields at the Nails Christmas Market in Bristol. You can find us at these markets on the following dates:
13th Dec. - Abergavenny
14th Dec. - Bristol
21st Dec. - Bristol
22nd Dec. - Abergavenny
24th Dec. - Bristol
5th December 2008
Saturday, December 6th is our last day at the Cardiff at Christmas Craft Market. It doesn't seem like three and a half weeks since we set up, although we are looking forward to a few days of warming up at home before the next event - Abergavenny Craft Market on Saturday 13th December.
Fresh from our suppliers we have added a number of lovely new colours of Super 10 yarn, including some funky multi-coloured varieties. We have added a new shade of blue to our range of Super 20 yarn to expand the possiblities for our shawl kits, etc. Other new items to arrive this week have been new sizes of our bamboo pins - including full sets of 9" pins and circular pins.
All of the new items will be appearing on our website in the coming days. Keep checking to see if there are any that grab your attention.
18th November 2008
Big news! We have now secured some dates at the Nails Christmas Market in Bristol city center. This will be our first visit to this market so we are hoping for an exciting time selling lots of shawls and kits as last minute Christmas presents.
A new shipment of yarn has arrived from our suppliers. As well as replenishing stocks of our existing colours, we have added some new and exciting shades for you to choose from. Watch out for their arrival at Christmas in Cardiff as well as on our website.
3rd November 2008
Last week we added some new patterns and new kits to our range.
The patterns are available free of charge when you place an order for Super 10 yarn (we are still working on the Super 20 versions of the patterns).
The new kit is based on Super 10 yarn and is available in all of that yarns sumptious colours. The shawls need more than one skein of yarn, so we are including 2 skeins in the kit along with a pattern for a matching beret to use up the excess yarn.
The second new kit uses the Super 20 yarn of our chevron lace shawl, but has a new design we call the tulip lace pattern.
We have added extra dates to our stint at Cardiff at Christmas. We will now be there until Satuday 6th December.
21st October 2008
We have just received news that we are going to be taking part in the Cardiff at Christmas Art & Craft Festival from November 12th until November 29th. This is a great opportunity for us, as well as a great chance to get a head start on your Christmas shopping. If you are looking for a different present for a knitter then we may just have what you are looking for. The festival continues until 23rd December.
17th October 2008
We are very excited about a couple of upcoming outings. We are going to be at the Cowbridge Food & Drink Festival on October 25th/26th. The following week we will have a stand at the Creative Stitches & Hobbycraft show at the Cardiff Indoor Arena from the 30th October until 1st November.
We are hoping to announce some additional dates and venues very soon. Watch
this space.
13th October 2008
Stuck on a pattern? Our helpful Hints & Tips page will get you going again.
12th October 2008
Our range of new colours are available to purchase via this website.
8th October 2008
New stocks of yarn have arrived in lots of exiting colours. These will make their debut at Abergavenny Craft Market on Saturday 11th October and will be added to the website very soon.