A SMALL North Yorkshire knitwear business has stitched up its biggest-ever order worth more than £14,000.

Diana Birtwhistle and Ann Kirkpatrick of Buttercup Knitwear, Harrogate and their team of more than 20 outworkers have just completed a $20,000 consignment of hand-crafted women's jackets and cardigans for the US-based Marmaxx Corporation.

The colourful clothes have just gone on sale at the corporation's outlets in Manhattan, Chicago, Boston and San Francisco.

Diana said: "They wanted the English feminine look. The order is very significant for a business of our size."

The two women both founded the business in 1982 while at home with their toddlers, supplying children's clothes to a craft shop.

Now their export success - they have sold in Alaska, Europe and Japan - is being held up as a good example by York and North Yorkshire Export Forum.

The Forum has invited them to join others in the region who are telling their inspiring stories of export success as part of its Export Excellence campaign funded by nearly £600,000 from the European Community to develop the huge exporting potential of North Yorkshire.