Craft Focus - Aug/Sep (Issue 68)

Give us a brief history of Creative World of Crafts (CWOC). Creative World of Crafts was set up by a group of people who, between them, have more than 125 years’ crafting experience. The whole ethos of the company is to be design and brand-led, as well as giving retailers truly innovative products and great customer service. CWOC now boasts a fantastic selection of knitting and crochet yarns, exclusive cross stitch kits using artwork by world-leading artists, an innovative and constantly evolving papercraft range and of course, our own immensely popular Knitty Critter kits, which are all manufactured in the UK. Talk us through the current product range. We continually strive to bring new and exciting quality designs and recognisable brands to market. This is particularly true of our knitting and crochet ranges, Caron, Bernat and Lily Sugar ‘n Cream, which are well-recognised in the US and now feature heavily in the UK too. Knitty Critters is fast- becoming one of the most recognised design- led crochet kits on the market. John Lewis, among others, was quick to identify this at CSHI Stitches and will be selling the products in-store from August. Cross stitch and papercraft design is also a very important part of our business and we will be launching our newest collections in September 2018. Do you have any new launches planned for the rest of the year? Our yarns are taking the market by storm, particularly Caron Cakes, which have been widely imitated but can’t be beaten. We are constantly bringing out new versions and have some wonderful products in the pipeline. These include Caron x Pantone, which is a brand new and exciting concept for knitters and crocheters alike. Caron, well-known for colour, has teamed up with iconic Pantone to introduce a collection of yarns that is set to drive crafters wild. The product is packaged to include 5x20g skeins, taking the headache out of selecting complementary colours for projects. Also coming up is Bernat Maker Outdoor, a beautiful yet functional yarn that is both tactile and durable. This latest innovation is fade-resistant and long lasting. It boasts a bulkier gauge, allowing projects to be completed more quickly. What are the big craft trends to be looking out for as we move into the autumn/winter period? We believe home décor is going to be huge this season, as is crafting for pets; we have interesting news on the latter so watch this space! Craft is a creative industry and is constantly evolving. That is why we work with leading brands and top designers to ensure we create the trends. We are not interested in following others, we want to be different and stay ahead of the curve, so our customers always have access to something that little bit different. Stephen McAllister, Sales Director at Creative World of Crafts, talks knitting, home décor and crafting for pets out of this world craft focus 79 company profile