Christmas Window

I am really hoping that after Christmas I may have caught up with my ‘to do’ list. Having finished writing my books I am now madly recreating my website.  I decided to change from Wix to Weebly because my website – the Wix – one wasn’t viewable on smart phones and tablets.  This meant that either way - whether I stayed with Wix or moved - I would have to re-write my massive site.  Having only just finished creating it in the first place this didn’t fill me with great joy. 

  

Anyway the new site is up and running and nearly finished… I am at the moment adding the patterns (or some of them) …. All the yarns are uploaded and so are the pom pom makers currently my favourite new toy!!  (As can be seen from my shop window)

I have also loaded a few free patterns – and am trying to create a free pattern with every yarn quality that I stock.  For instance see: http://www.lupinandrose.co.uk/fab-dk-colour-100g-ball-pound295.html

Exciting news this month is that I won first prize in Bromyard’s Shop window competition….

The Lights in Bromyard are great – well worth a visit. And when you come pop in and say hello"!

I will be giving a free gift with every £20 spend during December.

What a Lovely Summer

Well that was a nice summer.  After last years washout I really do feel as if I have had a proper bit of sunshine, and although we only managed 4 days away we had such lovely weather it was almost as if we had been abroad.

Most of the summer was taken up with madly trying to finish my crochet book – being published by

Bloomsbury Publishing sometime next year.  We had a few hiccups with the photography so everything was delayed – but I finally finished at the end of September. I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished book.

I was also finishing a personal book project – which I have been working on for the last 10 years or perhaps a bit longer! Mothering Sundae is a book about parenting – aimed mainly at Christian parents, but also has info for carers of all ages and faiths. I finally self published - also at the end of September – I’m not joking when I say I was just a tad busy!!! For more info about Mothering Sundae go to my website http://www.motheringsundae.co.uk/

In October - with my new found freedom from writing - I took a day out to visit the Knit and Stitch show at Alexandra Palace.  I travelled by coach - which apart from the fact that the coach broke - really is the best way to visit.  When I’ve been in years past it has involved a long trip across London and up to ‘foreign parts’ in the north of London.  It really is impossible to do it in a day from the midlands. It was so great after a day on my feet to be able to get back on a coach for the journey home. I spent most of the journey down playing with my new smart phone and getting used to it... so here are a few pics which I took using it.

 

 Not really my cup of tea but he taxi is great fun!!

The show itself was heaving with people as usual, and I was really glad that I took my sons rucksack rather than my wheelie bag.  

 

 Nice bit of Student Crochet Work

The colours and sights were amazing and lots of inspiration was to be had.  I bought a few patterns and kits but came home with a largely undamaged bank balance, but having enjoyed a great day out.

 

 I loved the colours on this stall

Now I’m back to the grindstone as I’m redoing my website.  Having spent ages making a website on wix which was quite good, I discovered that it couldn’t be seen on phones and tablets. The only way to solve this problem was to completely replace the website which I am now doing on weebly. I’ve had to find my way a round a new format but it seems to be working OK and I am hoping to have it up and running soon.  

There are quite a lot of new yarns in the shop – I have been buying for England -  so do come and visit or see the new site when its up and running.

Crocheting in Slow Motion

The end of May saw me crocheting in slow motion as all the shots were taken for my up coming book.  We had to take photos of all the stages for all the basic crochet stitches and Jess my photographer (www.facebook.com/jessicacollectionphotography) didn’t even think I’d moved for some of the shots.  We duly recorded every yarn over hook, and every draw through for all the stitches up to triple treble.  Here’s a sneak preview.

Don’t you think my hands – and in particular my nails – look good.  I had a manicure and polish for the occasion and because it was gel nail varnish it stayed pristine for weeks.  Only marred by the fact that my nails grew about an eight of an inch leaving that part bare! 

Now I’m looking forward to seeing all the shots and putting them into the correct order with captions.  In the meantime I am working on the many projects  - 20 in all -  for the book, and trying to get them all finished for the next photo shoot.  We have found a gorgeous garden and are just praying that the sun to comes out….

My finished book deadline is 12^th August but as we are hoping to go away from the 10^th I really will need to get my skates—and my thinking cap—on in order to complete on time. So I shall look very strange indeed for the next few weeks.

I also have two other books in the pipeline but since they are both being self published there are no deadlines. This may be why one of them has taken 10 years to write!!!

This weekend sees the closing of the charity bookshop that I share the shop with—I will take over the lease for the whole place as from Monday. 

I have a lovely lady—Jo—who runs Hawthorn designs in Bromyard and also sells felted bags (www.felted-sheep.com) coming with some friends to help fill up the empty shelves with some gorgeous crafty bits and pieces. 

Next month I’ll take lots of photos and show you. 

Now I must go and get back to those double crochet’s and half trebles.

Is it Summer now?

There are many really good things about having a dog.  One is that all the walking may even help me to lose weight - although I have yet to see this hope come to fruition.  The other is that come rain or shine, winter or summer I am compelled to visit the beautiful lanes and open spaces of our area.

When it is not too muddy I tend to walk on the local downs, the rest of the time we go up the lane where there is a field that has yet to be sown with any crops.  Sometimes there is a bird in that field that needs to be chased and Betty gets a really good workout.

She has yet to learn how to sit still for photos so when I walked the up the lane today this is the best photo I could get.

 All this contact with the countryside has reignited my wonder at its beauty.  As I child I used to spend hours wandering among the hedgerows and looking at the birds and the butterflies, the flowers and the trees.  I knew more then, about their names and habitats, than I do now, but they are still beautiful.

I have been meaning all week to take my camera to record some of these beauties, today of course when I finally got round to it, it was raining, but perhaps this has made it all even fresher and lovelier.

Just past our house there is a mass of cow parsley - which I always love to use in flower arrangements and seems to really herald the summer.

 Then, a bit further along, there are some escapees… I don’t know their names but we have some of these blue flowers poking through the weeds in our garden.

Bluebells are around, not masses of them as in other places but lovely all the same… they are next to those purple flowers that invade the stones on the patio and steps in our garden.  Yesterday we had Chris our son pulling them up—he needed money for an online game subscription. . . .

I saw these yellow flowers for the first time this year . . . they look to me a bit like orchids perhaps that’s what they are….

Then there’s the vetch…- which are really pretty but don't show up well in the photo . . .  

 And these . . . I really don’t know what these are but they are very sculptural. 

The stream meanders next to the lane and I often remember the Brambly Hedge stories that I read to my girls.  Tales of little mice scurrying about the hedgerows, building little boats and houses, holding weddings and parties, having babies: and all so beautifully drawn.

This month in the shop I have produced two new patterns that tie in nicely with this theme.

My little ‘mousies’ make a pretty doorstop or shelf ornament, and the pattern is available online, either in my shop at www.lupinandrose.co.uk, or on Etsy at www.ruthmaddock.etsy.com.  The actual mice are also for sale but you will have to email me—telling me which one you want—and I will invoice you from PayPal.  They are £19.50 each. (plus £4.50 p&p)

And for all you fans of things that go 'too whit' in the night,  I have made another owl, this time in the form of a crochet bag.  Again this is on my website, Etsy, and also Folksy (www.folksy.com/shops/RuthMaddock) and it’s free if you buy 3 balls of the yarn (my website only), or £3.00 without the yarn.  I do have the actual bag in the photo for sale and its £14.50 (plus £3.50 p&p) - again you need to email me.

Time Flies

Hi everyone! 
I don't know where the times goes. One minute it was Christmas and now its nearly May.  Guilt has finally got to me and I've torn myself away from all those other things that I just must do in order to write a new post.  So here I am with a blank sheet of paper and an equally blank mind.  I have been realising recently that I am more visual than wordy .. hence my love of pinterest. 

As usual I have been busy with a capital B.  It seems that running a shop is not a part time occupation, nor are designing knitting and crochet patterns, writing a book or being a mum. (Also need to add in there my Etsy, Ravelry and Folksy shops!!)  So life is fast and exciting!  It was especially exciting when I rolled my car on the ice in January, and since the snow and ice continued all the way through till Easter driving to work was so exciting it became at times a white knuckle ride.  Now that we have a smidgen of sun I am much less stressed about it all! Positively boring!

I am also in the process of taking over the whole shop.... I feel a shopping urge coming on.  Having recently visited a craft show for retailers at the NEC I have my head full of yummy colours and yarns that I just must have to fill up the new space that I will have in the shop come June.  Plans are also afoot to fill up some of the space with an exciting new Craft Gallery.

On the design front I have been working on simple designs to go with yarns in the shop and also a couple more sewing patterns.  These can be downloaded by instant download from Etsy and Ravelry.
My most recent is this lovely owl a must have for all owl collectors... What a Hoot!

This is the link to the pattern which costs $4.50 or about £3.00.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/129634261/owl-bag-crochet-pattern-pdf-instant?ref=shop_home_feat


And here's is the cute little girsl dress I made.  The pattern has loads of how to photos and its really simple.

This pattern costs approx £4.50 (approx as its actually $7.00) or get it half price when you buy the fabric at the shop.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/129537099/baby-dress-sewing-pattern-pdf-instant?ref=shop_home_active