Summer Newsletter November 2011

Meet Flip (In Tux) & Peggy The Rescue Fund mascots.
Coming into work for me right now is like Christmas!  Everyday a huge box sits on my desk overflowing with parcels from all sorts of exotic locations.  I get to unwrap them all, read the wonderful notes & sentiments & get to see the amazing work everyone has done to help the Little Blue Penguins of Tauranga!

Thank you so much for all of your support!
Where to from here?  If you have had a chance to follow the blog, you will see we have had to chance tack.  As the PJ’s started flowing in we needed to try & find a way to make sure that we were able to convert the PJ’s into something that would help the penguins who had been affected.

That’s where Lyn from The Penguin Foundation at The Phillip Island Penguin Sanctuary in Australia was invaluable.  Initially I approached Lyn to accept the surplus jumpers we had (back in the days when I thought we would only get a couple of dozen!), Lyn on the other hand had a much better idea.  Lyn ended up with 14,000 jumpers for the Tasmanian penguins in 2002 – she said it was totally overwhelming & like me, felt a little like Alice going down the rabbit hole.  On Lyn’s advice, we have followed her Penguin Foundation model & launched the Skeinz Penguin Rescue Fund.  We have sourced the most adorable life sized Little Blue Penguin stuffed toys (complete with penguin call when squeezed!) & we are dressing them up in the PJ’s & making both the PJ’s & the ‘Flip’ penguins available for sale at skeinz.com


All the proceeds from the sale of the jumpers will go into the Skeinz Penguin Rescue Fund.  Once funds have built up our friends at NZ Forest & Bird will help us distribute the funds to the Tauranga shorebirds affected by the oil spill.  We will also use the fund to help support the Little Blue Penguin Burrow programme run by Cape Sanctuary.  So every jumper knitted will be going back to help NZ Little Blue Penguins.

So for those who have been itching to knit a Penguin PJ we are now accepting them if you are happy to have them sold to contribute to the fund.  We have also posted a knit & crocheted pattern at Skeinz. Thanks to Rachel Rayner for making up the crocheted pattern.
Urban Sprawl.

We are very excited to introduce Urban, our new range of machine washable solids in DK at Skeinz.  We have taken the best selling Perendale colours & placed them into a yarn that fits with today’s modern lifestyle.  The colours are fresh & zingy, the yarn super soft, NZ made & the price amazing at just $5 a 50gm ball!
To help celebrate the launch of the Skeinz Penguin Rescue Fund 20c from every ball of Urban sold goes to the fund!
Coming Up Daisies

As it is Springtime in this part of the world we have released a limited edition Spring/Summer yarn ideal for babies born into warmer climes.  Called Daisy Chain, this 4ply Merino Cotton blend, is machine washable & in 4 deliciously soft colours.  Just $5.95 a 50gm & only available whilst stock last – so be quick.
Holiday Gift Knits

Looking for the perfect Christmas knit for that new baby or wee one?  Just released is Cherub from Skeinz favourite JustJussi.  Justine used our Organic Prism for the range & we just l-o-v-e the results.  This sweater would also look great in Vintage or in the new Urban.  Get the pattern from JustJussi & make a special handmade gift for your special babe.
If you fancy knitting some toys with an edge, I have the site for you!  I got an email last week from Shirley Liu asking about colour & yarn selections for a Dr Who (the original Tom Baker version) scarf for her boyfriend.  She included a link to her blog where I discovered the most wonderful selection of quirky knitted novelties, perfect for Christmas gifts for all ages & all genders.  You are now in my favourites list Shirley, keep up the great creativity!

 
Grab One
If you still haven’t spent your Grab One voucher – now is a great time with all the new ranges & restocks.  The vouchers expire just before Christmas, but please try & redeem prior to the 19^th so we can get your yarn out to you before the man in the red suit turns up.  We will be working with a skeleton crew across the holiday period, so redeeming soon will really help us out.