Snoods

Now is the time to start thinking about knitting a snood for winter using one of our great new super chunky yarns.It looks like snoods are going to be the fashion item to have this season and they also make great Xmas presents. Buy the wool from us and we will give you a free snood pattern.

Great new yarn has just come in, Sirdar Big Bamboo Super Chunky. Reminds me that winter is on the way, and it will soon be time to knit scarves and hats. Hooray!! Still more chunky yarns are due in the shop soon - how exciting!

Chunky Wool

It looks like summer is on the way out and thoughts are turning to knitting again. Scarves, hats and snoods etc. Great new chunky yarns are starting to arrive; all very exciting especially the wonderful new winter colours. Watch this space for new arrivals....

Big weekend for Chelsea but I think it's come too soon for us - just hope it's not embarrassing!

Phoebe's square

Phoebe standing in front of the Woolly Bus outside Hove Town Hall.

Phoebe's square.

More photos

Woolly Bus photos

The Woolly Bus about to set off on its journeys round Brighton & Hove. That's Jackie from Cocoon talking to Erika Knight in front of the bus and Hayley standing in the doorway.

Very nervous about the European cup draw for Chelsea, let's hope fortune smiles on us

The Woolly Bus

We're counting down to the big day; £16,500 has been raised so far for the Martlets Hospice and things look good to make that £20,000 or more. Dressing the bus tomorrow is a bit of a step into the unknown so please keep your fingers crossed for us!

Then on Saturday starting at 10am at Hove Town Hall, the bus goes on a circuit through the centre of Brighton and all along the seafront. This journey will be repeated on the hour throughout the day. If you're anywhere near the route, keep an eye out for us - the Woolly Bus will look fabulous.

Troubled Times

The world seems such a troubled place, and I suspect every small retailer is feeling very depressed this morning. Like so many others it is becoming increasingly difficult to be positive in the present climate. Let's hope better times lie ahead, everyone could do with some good news. Chin up!

Help?

So much for H.M. Customs trying to help the small retailer. Phoned them to see if we could split our quarterly payment into three monthly instalments. Not only were they not interested, they told us to go and borrow the money from the bank! Has any tried to borrow from the bank recently? We keep being told how important small retailers are yet there is nothing being done to help us survive. I am sure we will missed when we are gone but of course it will be too late by then.

Business Rates

With all the doom and gloom at the moment it is proving almost impossible for the small independent retailer to survive. The one thing we need more than anything is help from the government with our business rates. Does anyone out there agree? You'll miss us when we are gone.

The Woolly Bus

Sewing the 4000 squares together for the Woolly Bus is going really well and everything is going according to plan. The panels look fantastic! When the bus goes out and about on Saturday 20th August, nothing will have ever been seen like this before on the streets of Brighton & Hove. The bus will start out from Hove Town Hall at 10am and follow a route through the centre of Brighton and along the seafront back to Hove Town Hall. The journey will take about an hour and it'll be repeated six times. So far, £15,000 has been raised for the Martlets Hospice and we hope to make it all the way to £20,000.

All we're asking for now is that it doesn't rain on the day!

Knitting & Crochet Classes

New class dates for September and October - beginner's knitting and beginner's crochet also improvers and techniques classes for the more advanced. Email the shop for all dates.

Hope everyone enjoyed the Royal Wedding. As I am sitting here in the shop, I have decided what's required is for us to have a Summer Sale. Next week we will decide which yarns will be included, so watch this space!

Woolly Bus

We still need many more knitters for the Woolly Bus. All the money raised will go to the Martlets, our local hospice, which gives such great service to the local community and relies so much on charitable contributions. So come on you knitters, either call in at Cocoon, or any of the Martlets shops, or download all the details from cocoonknits.

I don't know about any one else but the Royal Wedding does not do a lot for me, so I have decided to open Cocoon by myself on Friday. So if any one else feels the same, or you just happen to find yourself in George Street, Hove, why not pop into the shop where you will be assured of a warm welcome.

Well, the great weather just continues; hope everyone made the most of the weekend as we will be lucky to get many as good as that in the near future.

It's a big week for Chelsea, but I don't hold out much hope for them. Let's hope then that the manager does the right thing and falls on his sword.

Saturday at Cocoon

Another glorious day and a big weekend for Brighton as it is the second marathon on Sunday.

Lots of new Summer yarns have come in to the shop and let's hope we can sell them! It's not helped by the recession, which is really beginning to bite. If only I could get our website to perform better, but I am useless on the computer. If any one needed help, it's me with our web site!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the great weather :o)

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Hayley on the birth of her beautiful baby daughter, Isla; both mother and baby are fine and we all wish them the very best.

It's a pretty foul day in George Street; the weather's wet,windy and cold. The street is dead - just the sort of day retailers hate! Never mind, tomorrow is another day. Good luck to the Spurs tonight.

Just in - lots of new baby wear for the shop! I'd better get on with pricing it.

Here we go, another Monday at Cocoon! Let's hope it's a good one; we could certainly do with it. These are tough times for retail and with all the depressing news at the moment, I cannot see any change in the near future.

This is also a big week for Chelsea playing Manchester United in the European Cup, but to be honest I think over 2 games they will be too good for us.

Saturday in George Street, Hove

Another Saturday; another disappointing trading day! What is it with George Street? Thankfully the Premiership is back today. Let's hope Chelsea can get back to winning ways and what about Brighton and Crawley, just amazing!

Happy Mother's Day to all you knitting mums :o)

A rainy miserable morning in George Street Hove - guess that will not help trade. Up to 400 people registered for the Woolly Bus have decided to knit the front of our bus as the next step in our promotion campaign. We still need lots more people to register as we need over 4000 squares so why not join us and get knitting, it's all for a great cause.

The Woolly Bus

Are you helping the Martlets hospice and knitting squares for Cocoon's woolly bus? We need 4000 6 inch or 15cm squares and it's for such a good cause.

Hello, I'm new!

Hello all, I'm Alan, half of Cocoonknits based in the lovely seaside city of Brighton & Hove!

New for summer

Bergere de France Oceane - 80% viscose, 20% linen; machine washable and knits on 4mm needles. £3.69 per 50g/95m ball.

Debbie Bliss Cotton DK

Debbie Bliss yarn for summer now in the shop - Cotton DK, 100% cotton at £3.50 per 84m/50g ball.

Debbie Bliss new luxury yarn

New luxury yarn in the shop, Angel by Debbie Bliss - 76% super kid mohair, 24% silk at £7.95 per 25g/200m ball.

Woolly Bus Ravelry group

We now have a Ravelry group dedicated to the Woolly Bus! Click on the link and join us there.

Free patterns for knitted squares

Download our pdf of easy-to-knit free patterns to make squares for the Woolly Bus project.

The Woolly Bus 2011

From January to August 2011 Cocoon Knits in Hove are running an appeal to raise money for the Martlets Hospice by yarnbombing an open top double decker bus. This involves covering the bus entirely with knitted squares, and we need about 4,000 of them.

Cocoon are calling on experienced, beginners or just curious knitters from all over the country - even the world - to pick up their needles and help. Each participant will collect sponsors and knit a minimum of three 15cm x 15cm squares. The minimum sponsorship amount is £25 per entry but we’re aiming to raise as much as possible.

To celebrate the end of the project the bus will be driven along Brighton seafront on the 20th August with contributors and guests aboard. After the event all blankets will be broken down and sent to Africa with the help of Knit a Square charity to help keep AIDS orphans warm.

We aim to raise over £40,000 for the Martlets Hospice.

For a sponsorship pack please either collect a form from any Martlets shop or Cocoon, 10 George Street, Hove or email your name, address and email to: hayley@cocoonknits.co.uk Please state whether you’d like an e version for you to print at home or a physical version sent out to you in the post.