My Favourite yarn: I have recently become addicted to alpaca yarn. Yes, I really mean this - I cannot stop knitting with it, and judging by the popularity of our baby alpaca products, you love it too! Alpaca is becoming one of the most popular fibres of recents times. Why is this? Well, alpaca yarn, which comes from the alpaca, a small camel, similar to a Llama, has a hollow fibre which means it is incredibly light and up to 30% warmer than the same weight of merino wool. Alpaca has no lanolin content which together with an absence of the ‘prickle factor’ associated with ordinary wool makes it ideally suited for babies and sensitive skins. It is up to 4 times harder wearing than merino wool and does not tend to pill or ball. It can even last longer than cashmere. There are many different shades of alpacas, so the yarn comes in a great variety of natural un-dyed colours. All in all, it is a great yarn, and worth paying that little bit more for..

My favourite design: One of the very first things which I made for the website, was the Athalie cushion. I love this cushion, and have one of my own, which lies nestled in the arm of my favourite armchair, and to sink in to the chair at the end of the day and cuddle up with this comforting cushion is just bliss. I don’t know how I conceived of the design - it just came to me. I was definitely inspired by the yarn, its’ tweedy texture, and the tiny flecks of colour which break it up; and wanted a design which would show this off. the chunky rib down the side, facing a different direction from the cable pattern, just set it off beautifully, and the way the two contrasting elements jostle for your attention, drawing the eye down and then across, is what makes the cushion so eye-catching. It has attracted the attention of Prima (October 2009), as well as The Sunday Mail, and Knit Today (December 2009).