HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Lupin and Rose Shop Window

I’ve noticed that with Christmas almost apon us there are a number of  sites featuring valentines’ day items to knit for your loved one…no doubt the Cadburys chocolate eggs will also be in the shops the instant that Christmas is over… not to mention fluffy chicks and daffodils. All these are of course nice in their way and as a new shop owner being ahead of the game - or the dates - is something I need to spend more time on. Its taking me a while to get my self and my stock geared up for these occasions in advance.

But for now I’m content looking forward to a break at Christmas, being with my lovely family,  stuffing myself with chocolate, playing charades and not having to get up early. 

With that in mind these are my Christmas Opening Hours.

As many of you know I share the shop with the Hope Charity Bookshop (which I also run) and after Christmas we are having a big shake up to make room for the Hope Emporium.  The Hope Emporium is a collective of crafty people and designers who until now have rented a shop in Bromyard.  As from the New Year they will be sharing the shop space and its going to be really exciting to have them on board.

The Hope Charity Bookshop Christmas Window

For now though I wish you all a Happy and Joyous Christmas

Its beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.....

Thanks to a well known grocery store, I can't get this tune out of my head.  What a very good form of advertising!!! And on that theme I have been trialing various adverts for the shop and at the moment facebook adverts seem to be number 1 in terms of results - which was quite a revelation to me - after all who clicks on links when their busy on facebook??

Well after two busy months of not updating anything on my blog it seems timely that I should at last get round to posting something.  October was busy and somewhat fraught as my telephone line went ‘down’ and I had two weeks without the use of the internet.  I really felt bereft…whatever did we do before all this connectivity!

The last three months have been very busy - sales have been on the up and I have been increasing my stock.

New in is Debbie Bliss’ Cashmerino DK, Cashmerino Aran and Luxury Tweed Aran.  All these have now been uploaded to my website and I have produced a FREE Baby Jacket pattern to go with the Cashmerino Aran.

Free Pattern with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran weight

Also new in are Colinette yarns, One Zero, Point5, Cadenza and Art yarns and there is a FREE scarf pattern to go with the point5 and the One Zero.

Free Scarf Pattern with Colinette One Zero or Point 5

Christmas is fast approaching and I have kits for sale that are going well. 

I have also been working on spring designs for the magazines and have recently signed a book contract with a well known publisher.  This will take all my ‘spare’ time for the next few months. 

Designing for spring and summer brings home the reality that this summer was - in terms of 'sun' - a non event. Although it may be seasonal to be dreaming of a ‘White Christmas’ my dreams are currently wandering further afield to sun drenched beaches, romantic dinners on the patio, and lazy days wandering around French  markets. Bring it on!!!

But first there is Christmas.  The new love in my life ‘Pinterest’ (www.pinterest.com) has proven to be a tremendous help in that respect… I have downloaded all sorts of ideas for the ultimate homemade and vintage Christmas.  Yesterday I was cutting out free printable tags, and I have tried my hand at bird seed feeders. So now you all know what you’re getting for Christmas!!!

Bromyard Jazz Festival

Bromyard’s very own Jazz Festival!

Bromyard does love to do festivals.  From the scarecrow festival to the hop festival, right through to the bigger music festivals such as Nozstock (July) and the Folk Festival (September) we love to party.

Last weekend saw one of these festivals — the Jazz Festival.

Right on the doorstep of my shop the town square filled up with people listening to Jazz and watching the Burlesque dancers.  Bromyard’s very own answer to ‘Dita Von Teese’ without the ‘tease’. (Sorry lads)

Briefly the shop was filled with shoppers and for one moment it was as though I had been transported into the centre of a busy town — but without the huge rents I might add!

Sales have been slow over the summer with lots of people looking but not much buying. This being my first year I’m not yet used to the seasonal ups and downs. 

However I am bringing in new lines for the autumn. Patons Big Fab (£4.99) with the free scarf pattern is always popular and I have just received their new Fab Big Colour (£6.99). I have also designed a snood pattern — check out my website — this is free when you buy two or more balls. I have ordered some Colinette yarns — all those yummy colours! — and also a range of Debbie Bliss yarns. These should be in for September.

So get ye down here and buy something!! The evenings are drawing in and it surely must be time to start the Christmas Knitting!

My website is also getting quite a few hits but I am still working on getting to the front few pages of Google check it out at www.lupinandrose.co.uk and make my stats go up!!

I have had some successful designs featured in magazines over the summer months and now really must do some more designing.  Soon it will be London Fashion Week and I shall bring you more clips of my favourite shows as they happen.

Today is GCSE results day and I must take a moment to congratulate my son on his grades.  His big project this year was to see how many A’s he could get without doing any work! — 1 A*, 5 A’s 2 B’s and 2 C’s. Well done you lazy toe-rag!

Last month I said that I would give the the link to download my FREE purse pattern and here it is:

http://www.lupinandrose.co.uk/patterns#!__patterns/free-sewing-patterns

Bromyard Gala

Well we’ve definitely had some weather here in Bromyard – and not of the summery kind.  Yesterday on my way home I couldn’t get across the bridge over a little stream and there was a car floating in it.  Not mine I hasten to add!

Today has brought more weather although not quite so much of the wet stuff. But apparently the weather forecast is for more huge downpours. I am seriously wondering if I will get out of the house by Monday as we have a brook running through our garden and it is rising every day.

The Bromyard Gala was cancelled – seriously you would’ve needed waders! But the Carnival procession still happened although with fewer floats methinks.

I’ve had a productive day in the shop packing and posting, sorting paperwork and then this afternoon making two sweet little purses out of the Tanya Whelan Fabric – on sale in my shop.  I will post the pattern as a freebie when I have finished it and there will also be a kit for you to buy from my website www.lupinandrose.co.uk That will be sometime next week I expect.

Betty arrived three weeks ago now and is getting bigger by the day.  She’s really very good although we have our moments.  Especially when she has a mad five minutes after tea going round in circles and ripping up newspapers.  And I can vouch for the fact that she has very sharp little teeth. She comes with me to the shop four days a week and charms everyone who comes in. Most of her ‘wees’ etc(!), happen outside…but we have had a few little accidents especially as she doesn’t seem too keen on going out when it is raining!  Does anyone make doggy umbrellas!

The July Issue of knit today features my shop, and I also have work in Let’s knit – as seen in my previous blog.

Designs in Let's Knit

In the July Issue (issue 56) of Let's Knit I have two designs featured....



This is called Nora...

And here is the baby dress Meredith ....

I hope you like them...

How Much is that Doggy in the Window?

The Jubilee is upon us.  Congratulations to her Majesty for her 60 years of reign.  That’s got to be some track record – staying in the same job for 60 years! 

Bromyard is looking very festive with all the union jacks around, and tomorrow we have Bromyard’s yearly Scarecrow Festival.  People have been busy making scarecrows on a royal theme so it will be interesting to see all the entries.  I’ll try and post some photos. I haven’t made a scarecrow … all that chicken wire and paper maché was just too much for me …. But I did spend some time wondering what I would enter if I was going to. I had decided on a corgi, and although not a scarecrow entry I now have a corgi standing in my window - albeit a computer printout and some cardboard!  (If anyone has any tips for photographing windows without the reflections please tell me how!)

Very soon I will have my very own wee doggy in the window… well actually I hope not in the window and I should have missed out the word wee...,  but in a pen in my office.

Back in February we lost our beloved Maisie – The Best Dog in the World.   She really was a family member and we are so lost without her.  However we are about to embark on a new journey with Betty. 

Betty was born at the end of March and will come home with us on Father’s Day the 17^th June.  She is a golden doodle (cross between a golden retriever like Maisie – and a poodle) so we are hoping that she will have all the character but none of the fur shedding that Maisie had. Come and visit us we'd love to see you and you never know you might get a cuddle - from Betty that is!

The June issue of Knit Today features two of my designs.  This one is the 'Sporty Polo' worked in Colinette Banyan a lovely soft cotton and viscose yarn.

And here is a pretty baby design called 'Cute Cardi', worked in Rowan Belle Organic Aran yarn it is quick to knit and has embroidered flowers in the cables.

See more at the Knit Today website; http://www.knit-today.com/  

and you can buy yarn at my website; http://www.lupinandrose.co.uk/

Union Jack Tea Cosy

   Its been a busy time since my last post . . . I've been working on the website and you can now buy stuff there . . . I had my first sale there this week yippee - it works!  However I do still have a ton of stuff to upload!

   Soon the festivities for the diamond jubilee will be apon us and I've been working on a number of projects which I am going to gradually unveil, and then  . . .Ta Da!!!! I will make a wonderful shop window full of cool patriotic stuff.

   I've been translating a jubilee jumper from the original 40's pattern - (originally in size 34 inch using 3 ply ) to one for size 36 inch using 4 ply.

   The pattern is a free download and can be found at the Victoria and Albert Museum website; http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/13096-popup.html  but if you want to buy the yarn from my online shop http://www.lupinandrose.co.uk/  then I will send my version free with the yarn.  Yarn used is King Cole Merino Blend 4 ply shades - 9 scarlet (2 balls) - 25 French Navy ( 2 balls) - 76 Aran (1 ball).  Yarn costs £17.50 and postage is FREE.

   My Union Jack Tea Cosy  pattern is also available on the website.  This too is free with yarn.  I think it's really great and will defo be using it for our jubilee tea party!

   Its absolutely pouring down with rain and the shop is empty . . .  my knitters are obviuosly all at home knitting so I am now going to get on with uploading more to my website!  I hope you visit it and do please let me know if there are any broken links or other problems!

Spring seems to have sprung the bulbs are coming up in the garden and everything is rosy. Roses are a bit of a theme as I filled my Valentines window with red roses, and my Mother's Day window features pink roses. 

The pattern is available in my etsy and ravelry stores or from my website which is coming along in leaps and bounds.  You can see it at www. lupinandrose.co.uk but you can't buy anything yet.  I'm hoping that I will go live for buying sometime in the next month.  At the moment I am busy photgraphing everything in the shop then editing and uploading. I am also selling cupcake pincushions and both of these designs are available as kits.

Stine Ladefoged

I'm catching up with recent catwalk shows and am loving the knitwear by Stine Ladefoged. 

You can catch up with it at:
http://www.nowfashion.com/01-02-2012-stine-ladefoged-ready-to-wear-fall-winter-2012-copenhagen-show-1184.html

Happy New Year

Christmas is well and truly over.  The tree is down and all the lovely twinkly lights have ceased to shine.  On the plus side all the kntters have come out to play and sales at the shop have been good. It's a month since my last post - you must blame the taxman for that - as I was really busy getting my paperwork sorted and off to the accountant.

I did get the scarves done for the window and this has been really successful.  Using the yarn 'Triana' by Katia I made up three scarves and the yarn has been selling like hot cakes.  I'm now working on my next window and beyond that my Valentines window - it will be all pink and fluffy I think. I hold my first Beginners Knitting workshop in the shop this week and am looking forward to that.  It's on Tuesday the 17th (changed from the 12th) - if you want to join in there's still room.