The Vintage Shetland Project is Coming!

As the first snowdrops appear on the farm and we look forward to Springtime arriving, I thought that it would be helpful if I gave you a progress update on the Vintage Shetland Project.

Now that the weather is starting to improve, I will be heading back to Shetland for one last research trip later this month, to fill in the gaps on one or two of the stories I will be sharing in the book.  There are also a few last minute photos to take.  Once they are taken, the final sections of the layout can be completed, editing finalised, and the book will then be on its way to the printers!  If all goes according to plan, publication will be early April.  We then have the huge task of packing and sending all the orders out.  Crowdfund contributors will have their books despatched first in mid-April, followed directly by all pre-orders.  Anyone who has either funded the book via the crowdfunding platform or has pre-ordered through the website, will receive an email letting them know when their book has been despatched.  Only once all these orders have been despatched will we be able to commence despatching orders received after publication.

You can still pre-order your copy from my online shop for only £25 (plus p&p) for a few more weeks, although 'pre-orders' will close when the files head off to the printers.

I've sent a newsletter out to Crowd Funders today with more details about arranging the additional rewards chosen, so please check your inbox for it as it hopefully answers anything you may need to know.

If you're thinking of ordering yarn to get knitting projects from the book as soon as the books are ready, never fear! In the 'gap' between sending off the files to the printers and receiving them back, I will be getting yarns and project kits added to the website so orders can be placed at the earliest opportunity. With Fenella, I do only have a limited amount of yarn at any one time, so I would recommend getting your order in as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As if that wasn’t enough to be excited about, we will also for the first time, have lambs being born on the farm from the end of March onwards!  We had our flock scanned yesterday, to see how many lambs we could expect.  Our ladies are expecting 38!  Our four Zwartbles will be first to lamb at the end of March, with the Shetlands lambing in April.  We discovered yesterday that one of the Zwartbles is expecting triplets!  I have a feeling that Gavin and I will be very busy in April….

Our lovely ladies 'in lamb'.

I am so excited about my plans and projects for this year.  I want to thank you all for your patience and support whilst I have been writing and researching The Vintage Shetland Project, it has meant so much to me over the past few months and I cannot wait to be able to share the book with you.

For now,

Susan xxx

Me, My Life and David Bowie

This wasn't a post I ever imagined I would need to write. Bowie was immortal, some sort of other-wordly, supernatural creature that transcended normal earthly rules and would exist forever. The news of his death today has proven this foolish belief to, of course, be wrong. And so he is gone. Incredibly the end of his life would appear to have been beautifully, extraordinarily choreographed into a piece of art itself with the release of Black Star and the video of Lazarus, leaving a message for us all.

But just why did he matter so much? I can only speak for myself and for the people I knew back in the 1980s when as '2nd wave' Bowie fans we embraced him as our own, the spiritual leader of we, the freaks. I grew up in a Northern town struggling to survive in 1980s Britain. I felt 'apart' in school and becoming part of the 'real' world, getting a job at 16 in a local bank, made me feel even more different than I felt before. I was drawn to the alternative scene that already existed. Most towns and cities around me had at least one club in it which had an alternative night each week. On those nights we would come out of the shadows, put on our handmade or second hand costumes and dance until we dropped. Bowie would get played at least once every night and was the undisputed king of the scene. I had so many friends who could quote every line to every song he had ever written.

I rejoiced in the freedom those nights gave me. I wore more and more outrageous and inventive outfits, exploring the hidden me who was unable to escape otherwise. Like him (or so I believed) I took on the persona of the creature I became and it seemed to give me artistic and creative freedom.
I felt safe behind my mask and it gave me the strength to edge my way into the world. For the first time I had friends. We all felt the same about Bowie and the music scene that built up around that love. Interestingly for a 'scene' we each had our own very strong visual identities which could change depending on what look you were trying for at the time. It merged rockabillies and pre-goths, punks, vintage kids, new romantics, transvestites, straight guys who wore make up, ex-northern soulers, ska and two tone lovers, gay, straight, black, white, there were no rules. Basically if you didn't quite fit in with the norm, were non-conformist in some way, you could find a place at the Temple of Bowie. Out on the streets we would get threatened, sometimes beat up, often abused verbally, but there we were safe and accepted.

The music that emanated from those clubs was equally alive and dangerous as Bowie. Some of my favourites were Empire State Human by the Human League (can you imagine Phil Oakey existing without Bowie going before him?), Homosapien by Pete Shelley, I was a teenage werewolf by the Cramps, anything by The Cure or Siouxsie and the Banshees and of course, Tainted Love by Soft Cell. Marc Almond has of course spoken at length about how Bowie freed him to be himself and escape from the narrow world he found himself in. Bands such as Frankie goes to Hollywood had come along with a sexual freedom that could only have emerged in a post-Bowie world. And so the list goes on. Boy George could not have been Boy George without Bowie. Its hard to imagine Ian McCulloch and Echo and the Bunnymen without Bowie going before. Its highly unlikely the glorious band Suede, would have the sound they have if they had not listened to and been influenced by him or whether Jarvis Cocker would quite be the Jarvis we know and love without Bowie in his life. I could go on and on and on. There are probably bands and artists who have been influenced without even knowing it. This influence continues to this day with artists continually being inspired by his music, his body as an artform, his merging of artistic genres, his collaborations, his individuality, his refusal to be pigeon-holed musically, creatively or as a human being.

We have all benefited from his presence on this planet. Only last night I watched a re-run of the first The Voice (UK) show of the current series.  On to the show came a young girl, Cody Frost, 16 years of age. Her look was a cross between skin head and punk. In fact I think she described herself as a failed punk. She sang the most amazing version of Lay All Your Love on Me by ABBA and reminded me of a young Sinead O'Connor. Asked what music she listened to, she said 'angry songs'. She looked and sounded amazing. A number of the judges tried to choose her for their teams but she went with Boy George. And I said to my husband how fantastic it is to live in a world where it is now perfectly acceptable for someone who looks, sounds, acts and represents 'difference' to appear on prime time BBC TV without comment, criticism or censorship. Its so easy to forget that this acceptance is a very recent thing and has been very hard fought for. We are lucky in Britain not to be routinely judged and censored for how we look, for who we are, for our sexual orientation and we owe much of this to trailblazers like Bowie who stood up and took the flack. My heart is broken today but we are better for having basked in his light than to have not.

If he is to have a lasting legacy beyond his music, this is what we must not forget - Bowie changed our lives & gave us permission to be whoever or whatever we want to be. Just imagine the world if he'd never opened that door for us.

for now,
Susan xx


If you've never listened to David Bowie or not sure where to begin, can I recommend the album Hunky Dory as your starting point - it features amongst others, the unbeatable songs, Oh you Pretty Things, The Bewlay Brothers, Kooks, Life on Mars, Queen Bitch - need I say more?

A Thank You Note

I want to thank everyone for all their words of support, advice and encouragement. I am still working my way through the comments and replying to them all but I just wanted to say thank you so much, your words have really, really helped. Sometimes just admitting you’re in the midst of a crisis is enough to start turning things around and I think this has been the case in this instance. 

I am still extremely tired; I’ve not yet had the confidence to begin writing again - although you could say that returning to writing my blog is doing just that; and the to do list is more like a to do encyclopedia. But - I can feel a change in my mood. Yesterday I wrote a long but prioritised list and managed to cross off a large proportion of the things on it and have started to try and make sense of the bigger picture. I think one of our problems since moving to the farm has been a need to be in fire fighting mode at all times. However, waking up each day and responding to what is thrown at us is probably not the best way to live and certainly brings about a feeling of impending chaos and panic at every turn. Sometimes we have no choice. Animals need care and take priority. The weather also plays an enormous part in our lives, unlike before. But there has to be some structure in our lives otherwise things just aren’t going to get done. I also believe that the chaos and uncertainty is having an impact on my mental state and inner confidence. 

And so, lists, goals, priorities, REALISTIC targets, relaxation time, moments to smell the roses, less self-critiquing - all these things and more are part of my plan for getting me back into some sort of mental shape. I’m going to give myself small writing challenges over the next week or two to get me back in the groove and get rid of some of the ‘pending’ jobs that keep hanging over my head like the proverbial albatross and that will hopefully make me feel like I am getting back on track.

A couple of friends have suggested therapy to help me with my negativity, my never-ending propensity to criticise, compare and pull apart everything that I do. This is something I’m very keen to explore further. I would like to get out of this undulating cycle of  feeling up, then feeling down, then having to build myself back up again. Its tiring. It affects my creativity. That energy could be much better spent elsewhere. I have felt comforted by so many of you expressing similar feelings - I feel less of a freak and therefore more prepared to talk these things through with a professional. If I learn how to spot the signs I can hopefully stop it before it gets into full flow? It might not be an easy journey and I think its going to take me some considerable time to unlearn the habits and responses I’ve developed over the years, but I’m always up for learning something new and if 2016 is the year I manage to face and tackle my demons then its going to be a good year and a brighter future.

And yes, one of the jobs on the list is to get the jumper pattern in the picture above released as a single pattern!!

for now,

Susan xx

New Year Introspection

Like so many other people I would imagine, I find myself at this time of year becoming increasingly introspective, internally interrogating myself on the previous year's achievements or perceived lack of.

The year – and in particular, the elements – has been difficult and draining, throwing many spanners in the works, preventing or delaying plans. It began this time last year, with gales ripping apart my studio, sometime later a fire destroyed a barn containing the year's fleece, then we lost our prize Icelandic tup to a bacterial infection. A working trip to Shetland culminated in the first of the autumn storms beginning their rampage across the British Isles trapping us on the island of Vaila for several days.

Back at the farm, our old stone buildings developed structural problems which were then exacerbated by rain and flood waters. Three barns currently lay empty, unfit for use until repair work and drying out can be accomplished. Our home now houses most of the accumulation from those three barns and feels extremely cramped and complicated to navigate physically and mentally as a result. We lost power, phone lines and internet for several days during the floods. We feared for a number of our ewes spending the breeding season in the North Lakes in the middle of the worst of the flooding. In lulls in the storms, we travelled up to bring them home surrounded by rising waters as we travelled. At home, we worried constantly, watching the waters and the weather by day, listening to it rampage all around us at night.

Add to that, ending the year with a dislocated upper rib directly below my collar bone, preventing me from either knitting or typing for more than a few minutes at a time, and you will forgive me for wanting to see off 2015 as quickly as possible! And yet, despite my total exhaustion, my inner self still had the energy to begin dissecting and criticising my achievements, leaving me riddled with self doubt. It makes me want to hide, disappear, never to have to offer myself up for public or private scrutiny ever again.

This is nothing new. Sometime during every major project – in this case, The Vintage Shetland Project – I seem to go through this debilitating, negative and non-productive phase. It always seems to come close to the end of a project when I really need to get my act together and get everything finished. I begin to truly believe I am not up to the job at hand, that everyone is going to be disappointed in my work, most particularly me, that it will be criticised, torn apart, and that it won't sell. I find myself waking up anxious, with a gnawing pit inside me, churning away. My brain refuses to settle and prevents me from concentrating on what needs to be focussed on and completely refuses to be silenced even for a moment. I reject each and every piece of work that I've created, desperately wanting to start again from scratch, convinced that the next time will be so much better. The perfectionist in me is never, every satisfied and delights in tearing apart my self confidence from within. I can't write prose, I can't write patterns, I can't take photographs – and so it goes on. It compares me to others and always finds me wanting.

Self-analysis is an important part of the creative process yet I cannot prevent myself from taking this to extremes. Like the bad weather I know to expect it, yet when it arrives I can do nothing to stop it from tearing me asunder. I find myself drowning in a deluge of my own insecurities. Despite being so tired I drive myself constantly. I can barely string a coherent sentence together, yet I work day and night. I don't take days off, I don't have time to knit or do other activities for pleasure. I don't go out or even to the shops. I feel intense guilt if I take a few hours off during a week or phone a friend and feel this will result in the failure of the Project. I push myself to the point of collapse.

Today, I decided to try and meet this force head on – Creative or Writer's Block accompanied with a liberal dose of crippling self doubt, perfectionism gone wrong, whatever it may be – and voice the dread I am feeling. It feels more powerful, more overwhelming than ever before and I think this is because the project and the book mean so much to me, and that so many people are excited about it, anticipating just how good it is going to be, supporting me in my endeavour, and perversely this in itself applies pressure and stress. Many of you are eagerly waiting for the book and probably don't want to hear that I am going through this, but if I don't finally let this dam burst, release my own flood of fear and doubts, it will continue to stifle and choke me. I desperately don't want to disappoint, so what happens? The road blocks go up inside my head and prevent the creative process, implementing my self-fulfilling prophesy. I hope this post today is the first step in tackling the fear. I have never spoken up about this before and just writing the post scares the living daylights out of me, but at the end of the day it is all part of what makes me tick and I have to try and learn how to deal with it somehow. I have lately found myself visualising it as a long, arduous walk to the bottom of a gorge. Once at the bottom I know that at some point I will start to climb out – once I am strong enough. But how do I build myself back up to climb back up the other side of the valley? And how do I make that journey without ruining the experience? I am so close to creating the best piece of work that I have ever done and the only thing that is stopping me is me.

I believe stresses manifest themselves physically and a couple of days ago I came down with the worst cold I've had in years. I think its telling me I've hit the bottom and it will soon be time to set about clambering back up. Additionally, this is actually the longest blog post I have written in some time, so maybe I have already taken the first positive step forward by acknowledging the struggle I am having? Yesterday I started on a small creative project unconnected with 'work' to force me to have some down-time. I feel I am taking steps in the right direction. I'm sure I'm not the only person to hit these barriers either creatively, professionally or otherwise. Maybe you have ways of tackling these anxieties that would help me? Your thoughts and experiences would be so very greatly appreciated.

For now,

a very weary, but infinitely calmer,

Susan xx

Seasons Greetings

The latter part of 2015 has not been the calmest for myself or many others on the North West coast of Britain and with more storms to come I suspect this is not going to be the year for long walks across the fields to work off my Christmas excesses. However I am so very lucky. I am warm, dry, well fed and safe. My thoughts are with everyone for whom life has been less kind and I wish you all a peaceful, happy Christmas with the ones you love.

I'll be back very soon,
but
for now,
Susan xx

Image copyright Susan Crawford 2015. Not to be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder

Bring Me Sunshine - A Free Festive Corsage Pattern

The Festive season is drawing ever nearer, so to continue my theme of bringing you some sunshine, I’ve decided to share with you an incredibly simple pattern for a knitted corsage.  You can really let your creativity run wild with this pattern, as it provides the starting blocks to all manner of beautiful corsages, brooches and hair decorations.  It only takes around an hour to make so is perfect for making last minute gifts. An added bonus is it only takes a few grams of yarn to make one. In fact you could knit the petals in different colours to use up the smallest of left overs!

The pattern can be followed using thicker or thinner yarn, smaller or bigger needles, all just resulting in bigger or smaller finished items.  Decorate with oddments of ribbon, lace, buttons and beads for a truly unique looking piece.

You can download your PDF copy of the free pattern by following this link.  Don't forget, you don’t need to be a member of Ravelry to do this. 

I do hope you enjoy this little ray of Yuletide sunshine! 

For now, 
Susan xx

Images copyright Susan Crawford 2015 Images not to be used without permission of the copyright holder

Bring Me Some Sunshine Soup!

I thought I would share with you an old favourite recipe of mine which I originally shared on the blog, back in 2012, but if you haven't yet planned your Christmas menu this is a great starter to consider. Rather fittingly it looks like sunshine in a bowl! It is creamy, well flavoured but not too heavy so great for when there are multiple courses. Served with garlic bread or my favourite, soda bread, it also works as a great lunchtime filler. 

So, today’s #bringmesunshine is my Pumpkin, Sage and Parmesan Soup.

The ingredients you need are as follows:

The flesh of a medium pumpkin, chopped into cubes (I often use homegrown frozen pumpkin)

25g of unsalted butter

1 chopped white onion

1 chopped clove of garlic

Nutmeg 

A good handful of freshly chopped sage leaves

800ml of vegetable stock (I use Marigold Vegetable Bouillion)

3 tablespoons double cream

Parmesan

Salt

Black Pepper

Begin by melting the butter in medium sized pan with a good heavy bottom. Add the onion and gently cook for about 5/10 mins, then add the garlic for a minute or so. 

Next add all of the chopped pumpkin, along with the sage and a healthy grating of nutmeg. (I like a lot of nutmeg but obviously that's down to personal taste, however I think pumpkin needs plenty of other flavours added to it so don't be nervous of the nutmeg or the sage). 

Finally add the vegetable stock. Now keeping the heat pretty low, cook until the pumpkin is 'pulpy' stirring occasionally - mine takes about 20 minutes with the lid partly over the pan, but use your own judgement on this. 

Turn off the heat and either mash or preferably roughly blend the soup. I use a cheap little hand blender for this and it does the job in next to no time. Don't over blend as you don't want a completely smooth soup. Pour in the cream and gently stir.

When serving add a plentiful quantity of grated parmesan all over the surface of the soup so that it melts into the soup. Add salt and pepper as preferred (you can always add the seasoning during cooking, but I like to do it at the end so that everyone gets it seasoned as they like it).

Serve immediately. Enjoy!

For now,

Susan xx

My Friend Woolly Wormhead

This post was actually due to be published on Monday (two days ago). Unfortunately on Saturday evening disaster struck the North West coast of Britain with unprecedented rain fall causing flooding throughout Cumbria and North Lancashire. I was very fortunate. Areas of my village have been flooded and further afield friends have been cut off from the outside world or forced to abandon their homes as the flood waters have reached them. At the farm we found ourselves without power for several days. Mobile phone masts went down along with our landline telephone. We had no light, cooker or hot water. We however were very lucky. We have wood burning stoves and ample supply of wood so were able to keep warm and cook using these. Light was provided by candles and paraffin lamps but the most difficult part was communicating with the outside world. Without power though we had no way of charging up our phones or using the internet. The roads all around us were flooded, the bridges damaged and closed so we were genuinely cut off. And so, I was unable to publish my planned post until now. It did however give me more time to contemplate what I actually wanted to say.

It has been difficult as I have struggled over these last few days to find the 'sunshine' that I have been trying to bring to the blog recently but despite the devastation all around me at the moment, the one thing I have witnessed and heard about repeatedly is the friendship and support people have been showing each other to help others get back on their feet, to have somewhere dry to stay, to have some warm food to eat. So I guess the 'sunshine' I'm trying so hard to find right now is just that - friendship - and that's what I want to talk about.

Woolly in a very familiar pose

Woolly Wormhead is an incredibly skilled craftsperson, an amazing designer and photographer but what she is to me is far more than that. Woolly is my friend. We have been friends for eight of the ten years as a Hat designer that Woolly is celebrating. During that time I have been her publisher, her distributor, a collaborator. Gavin and Woolly have also worked together on the graphic side of things. These connections gave us the opportunity to get to know each other better. Talking regularly via email, phone, skype and enjoying the occasions when work brings us together and allows us to unwind together. Our friendship has grown over the years, as good friendships do. I travel to Italy to stay with Woolly. Woolly, Tom and Aran come and stay on the farm to escape the heat of the Italian summer. Tom and Gavin are friends and most wonderful of all Gavin and Aran are friends. Aran waking up early in the morning to accompany Gavin on the farm rounds, feeding the chickens and checking the sheep. Woolly has also become friends with my daughter, Charlie, helping her with her final film for her degree, allowing Charlie into her and her family's life so that Charlie could create a truly beautiful film about Aran's life on the 'yard'.

Teaser Trailer - Mutoid from charliemoon on Vimeo.

Charlie and Aran are also firm friends. Woolly supported Charlie through this, giving her advice and encouragement when the creative process stuttered.

Charlie and Aran at the farm

 Woolly and I don't get to see each other often but we are always there for each other if needed. We have both created new lives for ourselves in a slightly unorthodox way and are both the 'bread winners' in our family group. Both of our lives are complex and sometimes difficult but having someone to talk to who instinctively understands is something everyone needs in their lives and I am very very lucky to have Woolly.

If you don't already have any of Woolly's patterns or books then you really should. From Going Straight, her first book to Painted Woolly Toppers, each and every one contains the patterns to some of the most exciting Hats design you are likely to see and Woolly's website includes some of the best technique tutorials around. I for one go back to them again and again. And just in time for this blog post she even has a fabulous new pattern out in the latest knitty. In the background of Woolly's stunning photographs you can just make out the time machine, an imposing structure, built by fellow artists living in Mutonia, and an important visual reference in much of Woolly's work.



Time Machine Teaser from charliemoon on Vimeo.

I don't know what the next ten years will bring but I do know that Woolly will continue to be creative, exciting, unpredictable and will continue to grow as a craftsperson and designer and I for one just cannot wait to see what she comes up with. Here's to you Woolly, I consider myself incredible fortunate to have you as a friend.

for now,
Susan xx

Images copyright Susan Crawford except for cover image of Painted Woolly Toppers copyright Woolly Wormhead. Film shorts copyright Charlie Moon. Not to be used without permission of the copyright holders.

Bring Me Sunshine - Easy Carrot Soup

One of my favourite and certainly one of the easiest soups that I make is Carrot soup. Sounds boring? Not at all. It is packed full of flavour but is very easy to make and only really uses store cupboard ingredients. You can increase the quantities and freeze it in batches. I often serve it with some grated parmesan on top and some freshly baked soda bread.

Easy Carrot Soup

(for 2-4 people)

4 large carrots

1 large red onion

2 cloves garlic

1 medium potato

Parsley

Thyme

Black Pepper

Worcestershire Sauce

Olive Oil

Marigold vegetable bouillon (or other vegetable stock)

Finely chop garlic cloves and red onion. Add a little olive oil to large pan on a medium heat then add the garlic and onion. Sweat for a few minutes. In the meantime chop the carrots and the potato into small chunks. I usually only top and tail the carrots and certainly don't bother to peel the potato.

When they're chopped add them to the pan, stir for a couple of minutes whilst boiling the kettle. Make up 1.5 litres of vegetable bouillon and add to the pan. Add dried parsley and thyme and ground black pepper and a healthy dash of Worcestershire Sauce. Turn down the heat to low and leave to simmer with the lid partly covering the pan for a good hour or until carrots and potato are soft. Remove from the heat and blend thoroughly. Can be eaten right away or can be reheated and is also great for freezing.

Enjoy!

for now, 

Susan xx

Bring Me Sunshine - The Bowtie Tie Free Pattern

So to get this party started here is the Bowtie Tie knitting pattern. The tie is knitted in a standard 4ply yarn and can be customised to suit whatever colour or style you might fancy knitting.

The pattern includes charts for two logos which can be knitted as part of the tie - the Chevrolet logo - known as the Bowtie and the International Harvester logo - known as Man on Tractor. You can knit the tie with or without the logos. You could add your own logo or knit it in one colour or striped if you prefer. The world is your oyster!

The pattern also includes instructions on how to back the tie with fabric if you prefer.

And the pattern is completely free. Just follow the download link below to obtain your PDF of the pattern.

download now

I hope you enjoy it. Stop by tomorrow for a delicious and simple soup recipe.

for now,
Susan xx

Bring Me Sunshine

With Advent upon us and with so much sadness and conflict all around, I felt I needed to do something positive to bring just a little light and happiness - to the pages of my blog at least.

So for the whole of the Christmas period, I will be sharing some quick posts which will include free patterns, recipes, tips and hints, favourite songs - whatever makes me happy on a given day - in the hope that it will bring a little sunshine into your day too.

As I tried to think of a working title for these posts, the theme tune to the immortal comedy duo, Morecambe and Wise came into my head.

 
As a child of the 70s and 80s I grew up watching Morecambe and Wise every Christmas. I still watch them at every opportunity to this day and I only need to see Eric Morecambe on screen for the briefest of moments to start to giggle. They are so much a part of me that I bought the videos and then all the DVDs of their TV shows so I could introduce my daughter to them and keep watching them myself. My Albert grand-dad modelled himself on Eric and to me as a child I guess they became almost interchangeable and watching Eric on TV was as though I was getting to see my grand-dad on the small screen.

I now live not far from Morecambe Bay and to the seaside town of Morecambe itself, where Eric Bartholomew was born, and from where he took his stage name. The rest as they say is history. A fabulous statue now stands on Morecambe promenade dedicated to the town's most famous and most loveable son.

So without further ado, for our first ray of sunshine on a cold, miserable day, here are the dynamic duo singing their famous rendition of the song

And here are the words if you want to sing along - try it. There's something about it that cheers the soul no matter how bleak the world is around you.

Bring me Sunshine, in your smile,
Bring me Laughter, all the while,
In this world where we live, there should be more happiness,
So much joy you can give, to each brand new bright tomorrow,

Make me happy, through the years,
Never bring me, any tears,
Let your arms be as warm as the sun from up above,
Bring me fun, bring me sunshine, bring me love.

Bring me Sunshine, in your eyes,
Bring me rainbows, from the skies,
Life's too short to be spent having anything but fun,
We can be so content, if we gather little sunbeams,

Be light-hearted, all day long,
Keep me singing, happy songs,
Let your arms be as warm as the sun from up above,
Bring me fun, bring me sunshine, bring me love.

Sylvia Dee & Arthur Kent

For more wonderful clips from this amazing duo, head to youtube and search for Morecambe and Wise and while away a few hours!

Call back tomorrow morning for our first free pattern. Just perfect for rustling up a quick hand made gift.

for now,
Susan xx

Susan Crawford Vintage at The Knitting and Stitching Show

Its already that time of year again and as is fast becoming a tradition, I will be having a stand at The Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate, Yorkshire, next week! 

The show is open from Thursday 26th to Sunday 29th November and is at the Harrogate International Conference and Exhibition Centre. 

You will find the Susan Crawford Vintage stand at the back of Hall A, stand number A696. As always we will have a wide range of our yarns, books, kits and patterns available, plus a small selection of preview garments from the Vintage Shetland Project for you to see. There will also be a rail of ex-display/sample garments for sale! These are a variety of sizes and designs and all one of a kind. Come and have a look!

As an Autumn treat to brighten your day, we are offering a 10% discount at the show for all newsletter subscribers. If you're not already a subscriber you can join by following the sign up link on my website.

It will be wonderful to meet friends old and new at the Show so please do drop by to say hello!

For now, Susan xx

My Shetland Adventure Continues

The last few weeks have been incredibly busy.  I’ve recently returned from a trip to Shetland and the beautiful island of Vaila, where I was working on further research and photoshoots for the Vintage Shetland Project book.

Arriving on Shetland - copyright Jeni Reid 2015

We had originally intended to stay a week, but this turned into just short of two, as gale force winds and high seas whipped up around Vaila preventing our departure. Our wonderful hosts, plentiful food and a huge amount of work to do meant our extended stay was in no way a hardship or a waste of time!

The stormy seas around Vaila

The limited hours of daylight at 60 degrees north latitude, caused a few challenges during the photoshoots.  However, the beautiful images captured on the visit were worth the horizontal rain and gale force winds.

Copyright Jeni Reid 2015

Here I am being held upright by the wind as we walked to the extreme western edge of the island for a very special view. Hidden inside her parka, is my daughter Charlie, who, along with her chap, Denis, accompanied us to Vaila. Charlie in her role as moving picture Director and Camera-Woman filmed behind the scenes, the photoshoot, and the incredible island of Vaila itself. This stunning footage will be edited together into a short film revealing a unique glimpse of our time on Vaila. Look out for further information of when the film will be available to view.

Denis was also with us for a very good reason, agreeing to be the primary male model in the book. Here he is somehow managing to look completely relaxed whilst surrounded by cameras. You may be aware of an additional photographer behind me in this shot and this is Jeni Reid, who took some amazing 'backstage' photos of the trip which will help decorate the book. 

Two days were also spent at the Shetland Museum Archive, where we set up a temporary studio to photograph each of the original museum pieces which are in the book. This was something I desperately wanted to be able to include in the book and thanks to the Crowd Funding campaign I have been able to do so.

Copyright Jeni Reid 2015

Exciting new research has revealed some crucial new stories and developments, which were previously unknown to me, but which are pivotal to the Vintage Shetland Project story and the completeness of the study as a whole. Whilst at the Museum, an additional garment came to light - the missing jigsaw piece in a way - that brings everything together and completes the collection. I felt it essential to include these new details. So this piece is now already being knitted and will be part of the final photoshoot.

This extra research, knitting and pattern writing is obviously going to take up more time so I have had to move the date of release to the Crowdfunders. All Crowdfunding books will still be sent out first with other pre-orders being sent out shortly afterwards. However for Crowdfunders this does mean that their books won't be despatched until early in 2016. If you are a Crowdfunder you should have been receiving regular newsletters about progress including one earlier this week telling you about this. If you've not been receiving your newsletters please check your spam box for emails from newsletter@susancrawfordvintage.com If there's nothing there either please let us know by contacting tracy@susancrawfordvintage.com 

You can also sign up for my regular newsletter by following the sign up link on my website. And don't forget you can still pre-order your very own copy of The Vintage Shetland Project here.

More news very soon, but

For now,
Susan xx

All images copyright Susan Crawford unless otherwise stated. Images not to be used without the written permission of the copyright holder.

A Glimpse Inside The Vintage Shetland Project

As many of you know, I'm currently working hard on bringing together my research, patterns, photography and history for The Vintage Shetland Project. 

This very special book is based on garments held in the collection at the Shetland Archives.  I've selected a number of items from the collection and have meticulously charted and recorded stitch counts and patterns, to enable me to recreate them and from this information create multi-sized knitting patterns.  My choice of pieces has not only been based on beauty, but also on the stories which they have each revealed. From the Suffragette Movement to WWII, prize winning knits to highly experimental work the book is proving to be incredibly rewarding and fascinating work. 

I've recently held a photoshoot for the book, on the island of Vaila which is off the West coast of Shetland and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.  It is a truly awe-inspiring and majestic location - but more of that later, first let me introduce you to some of the patterns that will be in the book and also give you a peek at some behind-the-scenes photos.

Here is my beautiful model, Ria, knocking at the door of Vaila Hall whilst wearing these beautiful pair of gloves featuring a Norwegian flower motif and knitted in organic Shetland wool produced from the sheep of Vaila.

Here I am hard at work, photographing Ria in the gardens of Vaila Hall. She is also wearing a stunning Aquascutum coat from the 1950s.

Here's a detailed shot of the mittens. Typically of the late 1940s/early 50s these mittens have extra long cuffs to ensure the gap between coat and hand is protected. These mittens are knitted in Jamieson & Smith 2ply jumper weight wool.

One of my absolute favourites is this amazing and highly unusual sleeveless pullover whose pattern and colours echo the rugged landscape and coast of Vaila. If you look to the horizon you can just see the island of Foula in the far distance.

The Vintage Shetland Project featuring 26 patterns, essays and histories is available for pre-order for only £25 (plus p&p). 

You can pre-order your copy here 

Please note that despatch will commence in early 2016.

The island of Vaila is a very special place, owned by Richard Rowland and his wife Dorota, accessible only by boat and home to Shetland sheep, ponies, seals and many, many sea birds.  Richard describes Vaila as a microcosm of all that is Shetland - incredible scenery, nature, space and peace.  I'm so very fortunate to be able to use the island as the backdrop for my book.

When you arrive on Vaila you feel you have stepped into a fairy tale - after all how many places do you know that has a watchtower at the bottom of the garden!

And so, my thoughts are turning to the next photoshoot for the book.  I'm now on my way back up to Shetland and then to Vaila.  I'm excited to see how the landscape has changed since I was there a few weeks ago and also very excited to see the newly prepared pieces in this stunning location!  Look out for more behind the scenes photos and shots of beautiful Vaila on my Instagram feed in the next few days.

For now,

Susan xx