Happy New Year

I would like to wish all my customers a
Happy New Year.

I have been spending the holiday season away from the sewing machines. Mostly I have been in "domestic mode" cooking meals for millions of people, changing bedsheets for the constant stream of overnight visitors etc. But in between all that, I have been sitting a the computer working on the new Anna Macneil catalogue for 2009. I hope to have it completed within the next two or three weeks when it will be uploaded to the website. This year it will be in two different formats - an interactive one which you can explore within your web browser and a simpler one that you can download and print off.
Prices are having to go up - the cost of Harris Tweed has risen sharply over the last year and my other costs are rising too, so I can't absorb these increases. However, until I get the new catalogue completed, you can order at 2008 prices.
The photographs are of a scarf I made recently. It is hand made felt made as a lattice, with the fringe tassles incorporated into the felt. I made a matching scarf ring which fastens with a small magnetic catch, and also a co-ordinating brooch. More details will be on the website soon.

Wrapped up for Christmas

We are well into winter now and today there was a reasonable snowfall - enough to give us the chance to get good photographs of a wrap we made recently that has a real Christmassy feel to it. This wrap is made of a length of Harris Tweed that has a red warp and green weft and the appliqué on the silk-lined patch pockets is red tweed stitched with green thread. The wrap costs £52 and can be bought through my website : Anna Macneil. The hat Mary is wearing is our Anna style - a warm headhugger designed to keep you warm in the harshest of weather and also available from the website. For items ordered as Christmas presents, I am offering a gift-wrap service where I can send the parcel direct to the person you are buying it for to save time and save you postage - UK postage is included in the price. For overseas postage please email me for a quote, but it usually only adds a few pounds to the price.

The cats were intrigued by the snow and came into the garden to help with the photography session. Mungo was not particularly adventurous today - just wanted to be kept warm - but Maggie got quite brave with her attempt to walk across the frozen pond.