ragamuffin loves...hogmany!

So far it seems to be a lovely start to hogmany - it's not raining, or windy or cold so far but it's a long time to go until the bells so make sure your all wrapped up for all of your first footing!

We've got lots of cosy knits for men from Scott Officer, Harley and Jamiesons of Shetland as well as snuggly scarves from Johnstons of Elgin and jolly stripey ones from Gilbert Wilson. You might even nab a sale bargain - we have men's sale sweaters at up to 75% off!

For ladies, what about a super cosy, fleece lined hoody from Pachamama? The ethical brand, based in Greenwich London, liases with crafts people in Nepal to create fair trade handknits in chunky yarns and bright colours. With accessories including wristwarmers, snoods and baggy beanies you'll be fit for the chilliest street party! We close at 4pm today to give us the chance to get ready to party so don't dally!

Lastly, we'd like to say thanks to all of you who've shopped with us this year, we love meeting you all and helping you choose from our gorgeous collections! Have a very happy hogmany - we look forward to seeing you all in 2012!

ragamuffin loves...sale time!

We hope you all had a wonderful Chritmas and are looking forward to seeing in the new year in style! We have just started our big sale to make way for all of the new deliveries that have already started to arrive (more of that tomorrow!)

This fabulous Out of Xile coat is our bargain of the day! It was originally £240 and is now only £120! Be quick though - we only have one left in size medium! Other bargains include YM, Flax, Oska and Clemente at up to 75% off and at least 25% off all sale items. Grab a bargain before they are all gone!

ragamuffin loves...the ultimate cosy coat!

Who wouldn't want to snuggle up all winter in a Kearse & Boys wonder coat! We haven't been able to keep these in this year and have re-ordered so many times to keep up with demand! We have a very limited number in just in time for Christmas so if you fancy one, bag it now! Colours this time are Picallili (pictured), Monsoon (a soft denim blue) & Poppy (a soft red). They will come into stock again next year but not until March...

ragamuffin loves...Christmas shopping!

We are anticipating hoardes of Christmas shoppers today and to keep up the levels of Christmas cheer we will be serving tea or coffee in our Skye shop to all-comers and in the Edinburgh shop we've mulled some cider! We will, of course, both be serving the ubiquitous mince pie! Please come and join us!

ragamuffin loves...fairtrade!

Back by popular demand and just in time for Christmas...jolly, fairtrade animal strings! We get ours from BAFTS certified New Overseas Traders, who have been buying with a conscience from India since the 1960's.

They also do some lovely hand painted elephants. Great gifts for people who care!

ragamuffin loves...this seasons statement mug!

Who wants to drink tea from a namby-pamby, teeny weeny cup when you can have a great big mug?! We've been stocking these beautiful quality ceramics for a while now and they are always popular with the practical tea drinker! This year we've gone for quite a Scottish theme with Scottie dogs and Highland coos but the most popular is always "Put the kettle on!"...our sentiments exactly!

ragamuffin loves...a good yarn!

Yay! Sam from Colinette was a real peach and sent us massive big boxes of yarn in the most lovely colours! We've all bought some already for some last minute Christmas crafting, but don't worry, there's plenty left for you, you should see our stockroom, it's like Spaghetti Junction!

ragamuffin loves...heritage crafts!

We are ardent admirers of the traditional knitter's craft in Shetland. Whether it's hand-knitted, or hand-framed (and we support Shetland Island Council continuing the funding for teaching of traditional hand-knitting to the primary-school children of Shetland!), we love it all, and are happy to pay a bit extra for the exquisite workmanship and vibrant shetland yarns. Just look at those patterns and colours!!!

ragamuffin loves...cute & functional!

Got a draughty door? Pop in for a jolly draught excluder! They are super cute, eco friendly and will save you money in the long run! Know a friend with a draught? Get them one for Christmas...awkward wrapping amusement ensues!

ragamuffin loves...the quernstone!

After last years extreme cold snap (when we pretty much sold out of ladies knits all together...argggh!) we decided this year to order extra supplies from all of our favourite designers. We still have some lovely  cardis from the Quernstone which look great with a gorgeous little stripey cowl in a contrasting colour...perfect cosy Christmas gifts! We woke up to a winter wonderland of snow this morning so get in quick if you fancy one this winter...they are disappearing fast!!!

ragamuffin loves...warm weather!

Oh my goodness! We almost got swept off our feet this morning by Mr. Wind! Hoping people will brave the elements and come to our Christmas party (from 12pm, hot mulled cider...)! Or maybe they will come to our Christmas party and get stuck in ragamuffin and have to sleep over! (Don't worry, we'll look after you, if that does happen!) Either way, we're looking forward to it, despite impending doom from the weatherman! The cider's going in the slow-cooker with the spices and vanilla, as we type! Excited!

ragamuffin loves...our talented pals!

We've told you before how much we adore mittens, and these gems are even closer to our hearts at ragamuffin, because they're made by a beloved former member of our team! Breege Walsh, ever the ingenius fixer of problems and maker of beautiful displays whilst at ragamuffin, started making her lovely lambswool mittens, hats and corsages as a hobby. She has tenaciously developed this into a great little industry of her own, based now in Galway, Ireland, but selling to far flung places all over the world. Her creative flair and the practicality of her designs constantly delight us, and we're happy that, while we can't see her everyday, there's a little piece of her always around us in the shop!

ragamuffin loves...a warm winter tipple!

Don't forget to come to the Edinburgh shop Christmas shopping event this Thursday! From 12pm-6.30pm we'll be helping to find the perfect gift or party outfit and serving up some Christmas treats! This year, as well as fizzy wine, we'll be breaking from tradition and mulling some cider instead of red wine! It is much the same idea...we're following a Jamie Oliver recipe:

• 2 litres good cider, such as Scrumpy
• 6 cloves
• 3 or 4 star anise
• ¼ nutmeg, finely grated into the pan
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla pod, halved
• juice of 1 orange
• juice of 2 clementines
• juice and seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 4 or 5 tablespoons of caster sugar, to taste
We whack ours in the slow cooker and let it simmer away...so simple, what a great invention!
Hope to see you there!

ragamuffin loves...new things!

Well, our snow has melted in Edinburgh, but the Skye girls are still trudging through snow and ice to get to work like little Snowragamuffins! We've just had these lovely wool and lycra scarves in from Marc Ribbink, what a riot of colour, such bright and scrunchy goodness to warm the cockles of your heart!

ragamuffin loves... braving the elements!

And we have snow! The first day is always the best, I'm sure in March we'll all be moaning and complaining, but today we all bounced to work in our snow boots, and salute all our brave customers that do the same! Time to get the Christmas jumper out already? We think so!

ragamuffin loves...our talented staff!

We are so spoilt here at ragamuffin! Not only are our staff fantastic at putting together layers and colours and helping people find just the right pieces to suit them, some of our staff are designers in their own right and are stocked in the store!

We met Karoline Binczyk when she came into the Edinburgh store to show us her amazing, handmade rings and brooches. We loved them and instantly ordered for both shops - bright, colourful, unique and funky - they are so ragamuffin!

Karoline is from Northern Poland and studied interior design at Koszalin college where she developed her love of textiles. When she mentioned she was looking for work we snapped her up immediately! Her rings and brooches are now a permanent feature in both shops and she is always creating something new, wild and wonderful! As well as the jewellery, Karoline also designs one of a kind toys and has a special fondness for rats!

ragamuffin loves... a good ol' knees-up!

We're delighted to announce our Christmas shopping afternoon will be on Thursday 8th December, midday until 6.30pm. There will be some sort of festive tipple (we're researching that one in earnest), and some sweet treats; do come and join us, get your Christmas shopping done in style, and maybe treat yourself while you're at it! We're looking forward to seeing you!