Posted on 26/10/2017 23:20 by Louise .

 I'm sure most of us have come across the Danish concept of "Hygge" - a feeling or moment which one describes as cosy, content, charming or special.  This doesn't have to be an extraordinary event but something as simple as enjoying time alone or with friends in a relaxed, comfortable environment.

Although the word may be Danish, in Scotland this idea of cosy time in the winter is certainly close to our hearts.  The Croft House is located at half the distance to Stavanger in Norway than to London and even Copenhagen in Denmark is closer.  We share long dark winters and light summer nights when we virtually see no darkness with our Scandinavian neighbours.

This feeling of cosiness was the inspiration behind our new ladies knitwear designs.  Chunky yarns give a feeling of cocooning which is further enhanced by details such as a generous cowl neck or deep turn-back cuffs.  Contrasting stitch patterns add extra interest to these hand framed jumpers.

We think that for effortless, comfortable yet stylish dressing these are the perfect go-to sweaters, leaving you to create your own moment of hygge.

Posted on 02/08/2016 13:35 by Louise.

 With school holidays now underway on both sides of the border, mums everywhere may well be wondering what to do to entertain the kids.  My first steps into the land of wool were during school holidays as a very young child.  I had a “dolly bobbin” on which I’d use scraps of yarn to spool knit and make the longest cord I could.  Later I tried proper knitting.  I still have an old teddy wearing an irregular scarf full of dropped stitches which was one of my brother’s first attempts. Even if kids are too young to try crafting for themselves, there are loads of books about which feature knitting.  A favourite of my daughter is 1. “Stanley the amazing knitting cat” by Emily McKenzie.  And knitting isn’t just confined to books. You may have seen the character of “scarf lady” in cBeebies series “Sarah and duck” who has a whole room of yarn.  Click to see my list of wool related books for kids:

Posted on 21/03/2016 14:06 by Louise.

 I recently took a short trip on an aeroplane and took my sketch pad with me.  At this time of year when I’m busy designing the new range for Autumn and Winter it’s permanently by my side. Even for an hour, it was a rare treat to have completely uninterrupted time to work on new ideas for fair isle patterns. And unexpectedly I also appeared to provide entertainment for those around me who watched with interest as single motifs were combined into rows and then bigger patterns. I’m now looking forward to a long-haul trip I have planned as I may find that time out of my office is very productive indeed!

Posted on 13/01/2016 10:01 by Louise.

  Last week saw devastating floods across Aberdeenshire. Luckily, although we are next to the River Ugie, we are high above the flood plain with no chance of flooding. On Friday we woke up to a lake of water in front of us (where normally there is none). Due to the amount of rainfall local roads were cut off due to standing water and elsewhere in the region many homes were flooded. Our thoughts go out to everyone who has been affected by flooding across the UK over the last few weeks.

On a positive note, I’d like to thank all the staff at Royal Mail Peterhead who continued to do an amazing job. Despite all the road closures they continued to both deliver and collect meaning to our surprise there was no disruption to our normal dispatch routine.

Of course the unique Scottish water is one of the ingredients which combine to make our Scottish garments truly special as they are finished, ready for sale. I’ve used a picture of one of the gorgeous sunsets we are regularly treated to in this part of the world as the elements can be harsh but also beautiful.

Posted on 01/09/2015 10:11 by Louise.

 Well, we are now officially in Autumn.  Even the weather appears to know. As I write this the rain is thundering down, a departure from yesterday's sun when the farmer was in the field next to us ploughing for winter crops.

The new season brings a lot to look forward to.  Over the last few weeks we've added small fairisle accessories and launched a couple of new Harris Tweed wash bags, a smart bottle bag perfect for gift giving and a new cross body bag called the Kimberley.

Our knitwear will launch in the next few weeks......but first we have our biggest pop-up shop to date at the Blair FEI European Eventing Championships in Perthshire next week. Unlike previous pop-ups we are able to take a much bigger selection of our range and will have new 2015 collection not currently available on the website. Why not come along if you happen to be within reach of Blair Atholl? This year gates open on Wednesday 9th with FREE entrance on the first day. There will be lots going on right up to Sunday 13th.  We hope to see you there!