FAQ's

Got a Question for us? Please check here before Emailing, Thank you!


SUMMER OPENING HOURS:
From June 29th till July 30th 2023
Mon-Sat: Closed
Sundays: Open 11am-5pm
Knit group every Sun from 1pm-5pm in store

This is because the owners (Kim and Karl) are taking an epic road trip around the west coast of USA. If you want to see what they are up to, updates will be on @kimsmithappy on IG. :) We really appreciate you supporting us, and letting us take this slow and hot month off! It's Kim's first big holiday in almost 8 years, and Karl has never been to the states before. I'm sure we will have tons of stories to share when we get back. 

Pre-orders: Will only go out in Mid-August! 
Gift Cards: We will do our best to send out gift card emails while we are away, but please be aware that we are on holiday and might not have great internet access at all times. 
Classes & more: Will resume in August. :) 
Online orders: Will be shipped out once a week by Bev and Martin (Mum and Dad!) 

Who is opening on sundays? Mumma Bev and some volunteers from our Knit Group will be running things while Kim and Karl are away- please be nice and patient with them as they don't do this all the time. :) Still tons of knowledge available and gorgeous yarns to squish!


OPENING HOURS

THURS-SUN: 11am-5pm
Knit group every Sun from 1pm-5pm in store
Mon-Wed: Closed

Corona Virus (Updated October 2022)

-Sanitise! We have an automatic hand sanitiser located in front of you as you enter the shop. Please use this as you enter the shop. Once you've sanitised, then you can squish the yarn to your hearts delight! We would ask if you touch your face/sneeze/etc that you sanitise again. Thank you!

-Toilet: We have a loo in the barn, and you are more than welcome to use it. We clean it very regularly. We are encouraging people to leave the door open when they leave to air it out. We have provided soap and paper towels and encourage 20+ sec hand washing. 

Everyone that works with us (volunteers, family members and Kim) will be doing a Rapid-Flow test if they have any symptoms. In the case of covid in our households, we will inform you via instagram. Kim (owner), Martin (Dad), Bev (Mum) and Karl (Kim's partner) have all had the Vaccines and boosters when available. Our awesome cleaner, cleans the shop/barn once a week. 

On a personal note, we are all super careful; Kim is disabled with a chronic illness and both her folks are over 60, so we really really don't want to get sick, as even a cold can mean we'd have to close for a bit. We really appreciate you keeping us safe by staying at home if you know you're contagious.
Thank you again!

Local Delivery?
Just pop your postcode in during the checkout process, and if you're somewhere we can get to, you'll get the option for Free Delivery. Min order: £10

It will probably be Kim (me! hi!) and her very handsome DeliverWOOL driver (Karl) that hand-delivers your order. You should get a notification email when we set out, and once we've dropped it off with someone at the address. If no one answers, we'll try and find a spot for it, and/or call you if you left a number. 
During busy times, our Momma Elf (Bev) and Papa Elf (Martin) might be doing deliveries. They aren't quite as tech savvy, but we will keep you as updated as we can. :) Thanks!
p.s. Local delivery orders will be wrapped and packaged up like online orders, so you get the joy of opening a 'present'!

Where do you deliver to? We are trying to cover these places: Backwell, Bedminster, Bristol (SW & Centre), Cleeve, Clevedon, Clifton, Congresbury, Long Ashton, Nailsea, Southville, Stokes Croft, Weston-Super-Mare, Yatton & surrounding areas.

Local Pick-up?
We can do a contactless pick up at our store for you, if you'd rather not wait to have it delivered.
1. Place your order online, and choose local pick-up.
2. Wait till you get a notification email that says we have your order ready.
3. Just come by the shop during our opening times (Thurs-Sun 11am-5pm), knock on the door or wave your phone at us through the window.
4. Show us your order (on your phone) or tell us your name & we'll grab your order
5. We can hand you the bag or if you step back, we'll place it on the floor and you can grab it.
p.s. we may ask for ID if you don't have your order number :)
p.p.s. as long as we aren't super busy- pick-up orders will be wrapped and packaged up like online orders, so you get the joy of opening a 'present'!


Can I cancel my Workshop/Class? & What if I miss my Workshop/Class?
Please see our Terms & Conditions. They are short and sweet.

When will my order get to me?
Please see our Shipping Policies. They are short and sweet.

Who are you?
Please visit our About page

Why are you only open part of the week?
Kim, who runs the shop, has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E. so she has to rest during the week. We try and open as much as we possibly can- and you might just see Karl on his own on a Thursday. If and when we are successful enough to hire more people and open more hours, you'll be the first to know! Thank you for supporting us, keeping us open, and allowing Kim to work part time in a job she loves. We love being here for you. :) 

I ran out of "this type of" wool! Do you have any more?!
For a new project- Maybe! Please check our 'Yarn' section- you can narrow your search down by using the dropdown menu at the top of the page that says 'Shop'. Search by brand, weight or colour effect! You can now also use filters when looking for something. Choose 'Yarn - By Brand' for example from our dropdown menu, then use the filters to browse by colour, yarn type or brand. 

For an existing project- Probably not, especially if you want it in a specific dyelot. We can always have a look for you (especially if it's West Yorkshire Spinners!) but we always suggest buying an extra ball when you start your project! We've been where you are! Playing yarn chicken is no fun! Especially if you're super close to finishing a project. We often suggest getting a different, contrasting, colour for the button band or cuffs- this can be a great way to 'fudge' running out of a specific colour.

Limited Edition colourways- We LOVE one-of-a-kinds and we try to put in the product description if this is the case. But once they are gone, they are gone!! Look for 'Limited Edition' or 'OOAK' or 'Non-repeatable colourway'.

What do you mean 'Recycled Yarn'?
This means more than 50% of the fibre content is from a recycled source. Usually you'll see this on our Art Equals Happy cakes and mini skeins. We take unwanted knitting machine cones (that are usually rotting away in people's attics!), we adopt them and clean them up. Then we combine multiple strands from multiple cones (sometimes up to 50 different cones!!!) to create unique colours for handknitting. We love being able to use something that would otherwise go to waste.

What does 'Vintage' mean?
We use this term loosely and interchangeably with 'second hand'. It means that this item has been pre-loved. We collect our vintage items from charity shops, donations, recycling centers, ebay, boot sales etc! We always clean and mend them before passing them on to you.

Where/when can I visit the shop near Bristol?
Please come visit us, we'd love to see you!

39 Main Road,
(on the A370)
Cleeve, North Somerset
BS494NS
NEW OPENING HOURS
THURS-SUN 11am-5pm
MON-WED: Closed.

Do you make everything yourself?
Anything that's listed under the name of 'Art Equals Happy' is made by us! You can search by brand if you're looking for something specific. We pride ourselves on supporting local talent and making things by hand. Everything in the shop is hand-picked and must fit our ethos "Natural, Recycled, Local and Ethical'.

Can you make me a "____" before "____"?
If you're looking for us to handknit you a garment, the answer is more than likely going to be no. Sorry! We just don't have the time!! We can direct you to amazing youtube tutorials or even teach you in one of our classes- and of course we can help you find the supplies. 

We suggest looking on forums, facebook groups, etsy etc if you are looking for something handmade. Some people take commissions, but remember you're not just paying for the supplies but the hours and hours of work that goes into handmaking something. 

If you're wanting a custom item from our store (i.e. different illustration or colourway) please send us an e-mail and we'll try to help!!

I heard you do mending, can you mend my "_____"?
Yes! Please e-mail us (with photos!) and we'll let you know price and a timeline. Note: During busy seasons we may have to turn you away as we can only do so much!


I can't find "____" but I know it was in your near-Bristol shop!?
Ooh! Have you tried using the Search function, or the dropdown menus? We try and keep things categorised so you can find what you're looking for. But it may be that we haven't updated the online shop with what you're looking for- we're constantly working on this. Please send us an email and we'll try and help. 

Do you have a pattern for this?
Our Books + Patterns section is a good place to start. Otherwise, www.Ravelry.com is a brilliant resource where you can search out exactly what you're looking for. :) (Note: Ravelry has had a redesign and it has caused some neurodiverse people to have headaches and seizers.) 
Try searching the web for what you're looking for. Lots of pattern designers sell via their websites, payhip or etsy! 

If you need help, or want to look through our pattern library in person, feel free to come visit! We have tons of single patterns from all the decades!


How much Yarn will I need?
Please refer to your pattern and try to find out how many grams you'll need for the size you want to knit. On your pattern you should see that they specify a yarn-weight, like 4ply, DK, Aran or Chunky. You can always substitute any brand of DK for a different brand of DK (there might be a slight difference but it'll be close).

Approximate amounts:
Pair of socks: 100g (4ply or DK)
Small cowl/infinity scarf: 100g (4ply up to Aran)
Cowl/Scarf/Snood: 200g+ (Any)
Shawls: 100g-300g+ 
Baby jumper: 50g-100g (4ply, DK or Aran)
Baby Blanket: 100g-300g+
Small sized Adult garment: 300g
Larger sized Adult garment: 500g+
Blankets: 500g-2kg+

Please remember that the thicker that yarn you're using, the more you're likely to need. 
We always suggesting getting a ball more than you think you'll need, as dyelots can sell out quickly and there's nothing more frustrating than getting 99% finished and running out! In our Near-Bristol shop, we offer exchanges if you haven't touched a ball, which can be a great way to ensure you have enough for your project and also get you a little discount towards your next project. Remember there's no shame in having a big basket full of 'odd balls' and there's so many fun projects to work on that use up that stash. :)

I have a bunch of yarn/needles/etc- do you want them?
We do take donations! How kind of you to think of us! We use these donations either for our infamous 'barn yarn' (super reduced yarn to be used and loved by those on a tight budget) or for our amazing window displays and community projects. Any needles etc will be cleaned and sold on to be loved. At this time we can only take donations that are delivered to the shop, either in person or by post. Thank you!

39 Main Road,
(on the A370)
Cleeve, North Somerset
BS494NS
OPENING TIMES:
THURS-SUN 11am-5pm
Mon-Wed Closed

I'm totally stuck/I made a mistake in my project! Can you help?
If you can pop into our shop near Bristol- Kim or one of the shop elves can certainly have a look, and do our best to help you out during our opening hours. We've helped countless people get back on track. You can book in a session with Kim here (£5 for 30min). Or if you'd like to relearn your techniques we offer classes here.
Otherwise, there's always youtube.com! So many amazing tutorials by tons of people- it's a wonderful resource if, for example, you've forgotten how to cast on- or want to learn how to cable. Good luck!

If you want to support us, here's a few ideas:
1. Buy something from our online shop :)
2. Share about us on your social media. Tell your friends <3
3. Show us what you're working on! If you're making something with what you bought- share a photo on instagram and tag us @aushopuk or use the #alterknituniverse Not only do we LOVE to see what happens once the yarn leaves our shop- it's a way you can help us 'advertise', and it doesn't cost a thing. 
4. Watch our youtube videos, if you haven't already 
5. Follow us on Instagram and like/comment on photos you like! @aushopuk @kimsmithhappy
6. Stash your yarn on Ravelry (if you can access it)/let people know you bought your yarn/fibre from us. We are listed as a LYS :)