There’s a word here in north east Scotland that sums up how I have been feeling recently.

Skunnert!

It is a doric word which means fed up / unhappy / slightly depressed / irritated.

Don’t get me wrong we are so lucky to be safe and healthy but a few months ago I just couldn’t shake off this feeling. I was worried about lots of things but the business was a real concern.

With no shows, no workshops and no government support, I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep Cookston Crafts going.

You know me though, I never stop for long, and having recently put together a gift box for Mother’s Day that got really good feedback, I decided to make up some Treat Boxes.

I knew I wasn’t alone with that ‘scunnert’ feeling and thought you could benefit from a wee treat in the post to lift your spirits!

Working together

I knew that lots of small businesses were in exactly the same situation; having to adapt to a new way of working and desperately trying to keep their businesses afloat. So I got in touch with a few friends who run small independent companies with some amazing products that I knew you would love. Collaborating with other small businesses was great, as I know they pour their heart and soul into what they do and the sales were a real boost to them too.

What’s in the box?

Two treat boxes have been sent out so far and have included:

May - Sweet Pea

Galaxy Hot Chocolate

Essential Oil Bath Salts from Essentially You

Handmade Goats Milk Lip Balm from Claddach Farm

Luxury Shortbread Kit from Bake My Day

Fudge from Fudgelike

Packet of Sweet Pea Seeds

Colouring-in card and

A Pattern for a knitted shawl and cowl

June - Riverside

Honey and Lemon Tea from Pukka

Beeswax Lotion Bar from Essentially You

A Bee Needlefelting Kit from Little Blue Artworks

Fudge from Fudgelike

Clover Cable Needles

Photo Print

Handmade Bee Stitchmarker and

A Pattern for a Knitted Cable Hat.

Inspiration

Obviously the boxes also contain a skein of hand dyed yarn in a surprise colour way. I struggle with the surprise element though! I like to give you an idea of what to expect so I choose an image for each box and use the colours in that image as inspiration for the yarn colour.

September Treat Box

The next Treat Box will go out mid September and the yarn will be based on this sunset picture taken from the end of my garden. I just love the colours in it and hope I can create a beautiful yarn to celebrate the start of the evenings drawing in as we enter Autumn. The extra treats will change every month and going forward, I will give a list of suggested one skein projects rather than a pattern every time as this part of it is really time consuming and it means I can give both knitting and crochet ideas.

The perfect gift

Whether the box is for yourself or a friend, I hope that receiving this parcel in the post makes the recipient feel special and lifts their mood at a time where we try to appreciate the little things. You can also include a little gift message in the box too. My husband actually joked that I should be marketing these to men as they’d make buying a decent present so easy! (From the man who once bought me a tupperware tub for my birthday, I think this is progress!!!)

Feedback

One of the best bits of this project has been hearing your feedback and seeing progress pictures of what you’ve made, or of sweet peas growing in pots! Remember you can join the ‘Cookston Crafters’ group within Facebook to share any pictures although I’d appreciate it if you could save any reveal pictures for about a week so that it remains a surprise for everyone.

Options

I have a few different options available.

1. Yarn only @ £20 per box. This will include the yarn, pattern suggestions and a small gift like tea / stitchmarker etc

2. Yarn and extra treats @£35 per box and you can choose between 4 ply fingering weight and double knit yarn.

3. If you’d like more than one skein or a co-orinating semi solid skein I can arrange that too. Just message me to arrange.

Thank you!

I honestly cannot thank you enough for all your custom over the last few months during these strange times. It has been lovely to have visitors back in the workshop over the last few weeks but it certainly looks like a lot of what Cookston Crafts will do over the coming months will be online based and the treat boxes will be a big part of this.

When do I order?

Orders for these are open until Sunday 30th August and then I will put the boxes together and ship them all out on Thursday 10th September. These can be shipped worldwide and will ship for free in the UK if you enter the code FREE30 at checkout.

Cookston Crafts is based in rural Aberdeenshire and is a real haven for craft lovers. Claire creates luxury hand dyed yarns inspired by the beautiful Scottish landscape.

Claire also teaches workshops from a beautiful converted steading and will give you a warm welcome whether you are there for a class or just to browse the yarn.

Claire is passionate about sharing her love of all things crafty and is delighted to give help and advice so you have the confidence and inspiration to create your own unique project.