Every Wednesday The Folksy Blog will be finding out a little bit more about one of our sellers in this new series called ‘Shop Talk’. We thought for the first post in this series it would be good to find out a little bit more about Sarah Hughes, the talented knitter and spinner behind Babylonglegs one of Folksy’s most successful shops.
“Babylonglegs – Your Local Yarrrrn Shop”
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For a knitter, taking a look through Sarah’s Folksy shop is like being a child in a sweet shop faced with dozens of jars of exciting and delicious multicoloured sweeties – jaw dropping and eye popping! Even if you don’t knit or crochet you can’t help but be delighted by all the colours and carefully chosen, descriptive names for each yarn, or should I say yarrrrn.
Could you describe your shop?
My shop offers a wide range of yarns for people to knit/crochet with, and also a wide variety of different fibres for handspinning and felting. It’s nice and colourful, as I want it to be eye-catching and stand out, and I hopefully photograph my products in such a way for them to be totally irresistable ;) I also offer exclusive products that arn’t wool or fibre, but are knitting/crocheting related.
Who will the Babylonglegs shop on Folksy appeal to?
I like to think everyone who knits/ crochets/spins and felts is my target audience! I do have a dedicated customer base of people who knit Soakers and Longies to be used over reusable nappies, and this stems from my time being one of these Stay at home Mamas. I specialise in doing custom-dyejobs too… you want something for a specific project, then I am your woman :D
Is running Babylonglegs your day job?
Yes, this is what I do. I stayed at home to look after my children when they were little, and used knitting and dyeing as a little work at home hobby to keep me sane…! It worked so well for me, that I now have a custom built studio workspace so I can produce bigger quantities for people to buy, as there was only so many hours a day I could spend in my kitchen :)
Have you been into craft and the handmade lifestyle for long?
Pretty much all my life. I was taught to knit at the age of 4, and have always used art and craft to provide a respite from the daily monotony that real life sometimes deals us.
When you’re not selling online where do you promote and sell your stock?
I attend shows, such as the one coming up at the end of July in London, KnitNation and I also have a number of Trade Customers who resell my yarn on their websites. I have a number of patterns written with my yarns by well known Indies Designers and I also have a Blog, that I have been writing for over 5 years…
“Here is my latest hat, from WoollyWormhead’s new book Twisted Woolly Toppers, “Aeonium”
Made from my own hand-dyed British merino Aran, in a colourway called “Frosty Skies”….
A really fantastic and intuitive pattern, looks like it will be really complicated to do, but it isn’t.”
Do you have plans to expand your business in the future?
Oh yes, without a doubt!! I have purposefully built Babylonglegs up slowly, so I could be constantly expanding. I am currently in the process of working with a web developer to produce my own website, and I plan on doing a lot more shows to promote my business.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about opening up a shop here on Folksy?
The only advice I would give to anyone considering selling their hand-made goods is to find an angle and make it their own, give their customers something that only they can provide. Good photographs are essential too, as the person looking to buy your product can’t touch or see it for real. You have to make them feel like they can, so they share your confidence in its quality and desirability ;)
If you would like to know more about Sarah, ‘Babylonglegs’ and also the processes that she goes through to create these beautiful yarns, take a look at her blog where she has 5 years of fascinating posts and also this great interview from online magazine ‘Knit on the Net’
We’d love to hear your comments about this shop!
11 comments
I’ve long been a fan of Sarah’s dyeing skills, I’m really pleased to see her featured here – her work is exquisite!
Woo hoo! Go Sarah!
Love that you got the new wheel in there too!
Lovely to see such a great success story. Sarah has obviously put a lot of hard work, thought and planning into getting to where she is now. Which is good to remember – success doesn’t necessarily happen quickly or by accident. Very good advice to ‘find an angle and make it your own’. x
Congratulations Sarah, brilliant article :)
Wow great shop I’d never beard of Babylonglegs before but I love buying yarn online. I really like your shop photos theyre so vibrant.
Great interview and impressive sales!
Five years of blogging, too, that’s a real achievement!
Alison @ Blue Forest Jewellery
I love her range of colours. Now I know where to find her it’s only a matter of time before I buy, especially as I’m attending a spinning workshop in a few days time.
Great interview! Sarah’s yarn and fibre are great too!
Thankyou everyone for your lovely comments :)
I feel very proud to have been asked to feature as the first Folksy seller on the Blog.
S xXx
[…] a recent seller interview, Sarah from ‘Babylonglegs’ commented “Good photographs are essential, as the […]
Congratulations on reaching 1000 sales Sarah!
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