About 2 months ago I left beautiful Peru behind to head back to cold & snowy Belgium after 2 weeks of amazement, work and pleasure. Seems like it has already been 2 years… How I can miss Peru… I was literally Peru-home-sick for over a month. I call it my ‘post-Peruvian’ depression.
2 weeks… 2 months, ok, but 2 weeks? But yes, 2 weeks. Why is that? Well, because every time I arrive in Ayacucho, where my knitting & crocheting workshop is located and where my lovely ladies & girls work really hard to make the beautiful LN|Andes collection, I feel so welcome and therefore very much at home.
Exactly 1 year ago I was in Peru for the very first time, not knowing what to expect. First meetings with my Peruvian yarn manufacturer, making crazy ‘yarn calculations’ in my tiny little hotel room in Lima, not knowing how ‘LN’ would take off for winter 2012-2013.
Taking a step into the wilderness… Ordering yarn, a lot of yarn, for the LN|Beanies collection, to be shipped to Belgium for production by my kick-ass team of grannies, and… yarn to be sent to Ayacucho, to my knitting ladies, for production of the LN|Andes collection.
Last winter LN got noticed by the media and therefore got a chance to ‘boom’. The grannies were knitting their ‘pretty little butts off’ here in Antwerp, and in Peru, more and more young ladies got a chance to join the ‘knitting-team’ in order to earn a steady income.
And it’s all thanks to you! Every LN item, whether it’s a pair of mittens made by Granny Lydia or whether it’s a Long Lucy made by Erlina in Peru, is helping out someone. An extra penny on top of their small pension, or a penny to go out and buy some nutritious food.
And yes, of course, you’re helping me out too.
I must say, winter has been kind to LN. Freezing temperatures and snow until April? Seems like my winter season is never- ending, but you won’t hear me complaining! I love cold, love my knits, love my red nose & ditto cheeks.
Now, you’re probably thinking… So what does she actually do when winter ends? Start the holiday season? Of course not! I’ve been really busy with the LN|Andes ‘sales’ to shops in Belgium. The more shops, the more work the knitting ladies have in Peru. Last year 7 great shops gave me a chance and it seems like it did pay off. All of them, except for one, have orders in again, being absolutely satisfied with how last winter paid off. Another 7 shops stepped into the LN|Andes story too. A big thank-you for that as well. I promise you LNAndes will be as successful as last year. The colours are stunning, the quality still perfect, the story behind it even more stunning.
Besides that (I have probably already mentioned it on this blog) I’m writing an LNBeanies book, named ‘Goed gemutst’ (literally translated: ‘Well Beanie-d?’) published by ‘De Standaard Uitgeverij’. A 144-page + thick ‘do-it-yourself-book’. The first 10-20 pages will be about how it all started… Yes yes, you’ve heard it probably already a zillion times: ‘snowboard-chick, …, grannies, …. Peru, … yarn’…’.
And 30 LN|Beanies items with a very clear description/pattern so you can make it yourself with… LN|Beanies yarn. From September on you will be able to buy the LN|Beanies book in a book-store near you and order the exact amount of LN|Beanies yarn you need to make your very own LN| item, online.
Writing a book is very much time-consuming but oh God… so much fun and such a great experience! Thank God I get to share it with my super team, namely Laurent Laporta (design), Griet Hendrickx (Photography), Roxanne Stevens (itRox, styling) and Patricia & co of DS Uitgeverij.
What do you think of this very first ‘teaser’? This is a leaflet that will be distributed to book-stores for them to place an order. And according to DS Uitgeverij, they are very much interested! What good news that is!Another first announcement I’d love to share with you is that I’ve decided to launch an ‘LN|Andes’ pre-summer collection too. Same concept, same lightweight lovely yarn, same story.
Big Berthas, Long Lucys, Mini Marias, Cosy Charlenes and Baggy Beanies, in a few very fresh, summery-feel colours. Stay tuned because I will be listening to you when it comes to choosing the colours!
Because I’ll be launching a pre-summer collection as well, I will be able to offer work and an income to all my knitting ladies in Peru for an entire year, a goal that I never thought to reach after only one year.
Very much excited for the upcoming weeks. Will keep you posted!
Hope you had a lovely Easter weekend!
I’m still enjoying my last little pieces of chocolate (stuck somewhere between my teeth, haha just joking)!
