Almost here...

As stocking time approaches, I can feel myself getting nervous. At this point I have had many mamas ask if they can email me just after midnight tonight. Since it is technically the first, I told them that as long as they wait until it is the first of the month, it doesn't matter what time it is. While I secretly love the idea of people liking my things so much that they are willing to stay up to score a slot, I also know that I am going to have to tell a lot of people 'no'. The 'no' word is not something that comes naturally for me and I hate having to say it. Unless it is my son asking to listen to The Wiggles, then the word 'no' trips right off the tongue. The Wiggles are far worse a fate than using the word 'no'. Anyway, I promise that I am working very hard to find a way to meet the needs of my customers. Here's how:

Some of you are probably familiar with the yarn maker "Peace Fleece", which is owned and operated by the most kind and fabulous Peter Hagerty and his wife Marty way up yonder in Maine. I am currently working with Peter and his Russian staff to have the most popular Crankypants designs knit up for me by a small group of Russian artisans so that I am able to have an in stock selection in addition to my custom work. Peter is so awesome and dedicated to bringing economic development to this group of artisans that he doesn't even mind that I won't be using Peace Fleece for the longies. We are still looking for a merino wool or blended yarn available in Russia. When I set out on this journey to find a way to expand I never really considered getting Crankypants made abroad. After weeks of searching, I was unable to find an American knitting mill willing to make them for me. I wasn't interested in ordering from an overseas factory where I couldn't be sure of the wages and working conditions, so I was at a standstill. My husband suggested that I contact Peace Fleece, which I did not expecting a reply. Peter not only replied, but has been so giving of his time and experience that it humbles me. I am excited to have the opportunity to expand Crankypants in an ethical and responsible way, and in a way that is helping other artisans support their families. Please bear with me during this little growth spurt. It will be a while before we can hammer out all of the details (Man are there a lot of details!) but I will have this plan in action as soon as humanly possible.

You should all click that link above and go check out the Peace Fleece site if you ahven't already. In addition to some pretty amazing yarn you will find hand made and handpainted knitting needles and buttons, some really cool knit kits (yup, even for beginners) and a lot of wisdom.

Good luck to everyone who is hoping to score some longies tonight. I'm knitting as fast as I can. Pinky swear.