August 4th 1992 - a very special day!

Charlie aged 5

Today is a very very special day. My wonderful daughter, Charlie, is 21 years of age. I cannot believe where the time has gone and how our lives have changed and how proud I am of how my beautiful child has developed into a caring, intelligent, determined, responsible, creative, loving, loyal, funny, energetic, erudite, stylish and even more beautiful young woman.

Aged about 8

 Charlie was born 10 weeks prematurely and weighed only 2lbs.

In an incubator at the Special Care Baby Unit where she lived for the first 9 weeks of her life

Her lungs were collapsed and she should not have survived and yet she did. Something back then should have told me what a strong little character she was going to be!
 

Posing for the camera!

 

About to go off for a cycle and proudly wearing sporting badges for swimming, cycling and gymnastics

in my mum and dad's garden

Wearing her Forever Friends cardigan

Since moving to Edinburgh to study for a degree in Film Production at Edinburgh College of Art she has matured even more and is handling the difficulties of adult life without complaint and with great maturity.

Developing her own sense of style

I am even more proud of her coping so well when she is only one of a very small percentage of students at ECA who are categorised as of a low income family. Her childhood was 'unstable' living as we did then, with her complex father who had quite extreme psychological problems and often very aggressive moods swings. This led to us moving home 12 times in 10 years with nowhere ever feeling like home. I did all I could to minimise the effects of living in the enviroment that we did but Charlie was still a witness to things that she should not have had to experience. We also existed on very little money as her father stopped working very soon after she was born and didn't work again for many years. Charlie therefore didn't have the things so many other children around her had and we suffered the humiliations of running out of money for the electric meter, school dinners, petrol, rent and much more, on many, many occasions. From the day I finally managed to break away from her father we never received any financial support from him so things remained difficult and yet Charlie never asked for anything, never complained, and was never jealous of her friends.

Happy as always having fun in Llandudno North wales

If anything, the things we went through together have probably bound us even closer together and when Gavin came into my life it was equally important that Charlie liked him too. She did and the rest is history. We moved in with Gavin shortly before Charlie was 13 and though life has remained a struggle financially we have had a stable, happy and warm home life ever since.

Being Avril lavigne

Charlie showed the type of woman she has become only a couple of weeks ago when she received a call in Edinburgh from her oldest friend, Helen. Helen's father, Tim, had been seriously ill for around three years but they had just been informed that he did not have long left to live. Helen and Charlie have been friends for so long they are truly like sisters and their lives have remained intertwined. Charlie immediately rang me after she had heard from Helen, desperate to come home. I agreed she should get the earliest train possible back to be with Helen. Sadly before Charlie could even get on to the train home, she had received a second call from Helen to tell her that Tim had passed away. Gavin was about to jump in our car and make the 4 hour drive to Edinburgh to bring Charlie home in case she was too distressed to travel, yet somehow she got herself on to the train and got home. She then spent the next week looking after Helen and her mum, assisting in arrangements and just by being there. She was amazing. After the funeral service, Janet, Helen's mum, told me what a wonderful woman my child had become and how Helen couldn't have got through the week without her.  And indeed she has.

Charlie with boyfriend Denis

Charlie and me ready for her 18th birthday party

Thank you Charlie from the core of my being for being the best daughter, friend and woman I could have ever have hoped for. My heart swells with pride at what you have accomplished and what you have become from such a dreadful beginning and a difficult life. I can't wait to see what you do with the rest of your life!  

with love
xxx

Follow me on bloglovin

If you are looking for a new way to keep up to date with my blog posts since google reader departed, you can now follow my blog with Bloglovin Look out for a new blog post tomorrow. for now Ruby xx

In the Summertime

This has been a jam packed summer up to now. For the last couple of weeks the weather has been wonderful and it has really felt like a proper summer for the first time in years. The relatively quiet summer that I had been envisaging has turned into a tremendously busy one with much happening - some things sad but many more things joyous. I have been making a conscious effort to take time out of the working week to spend time with mum and dad and also to tend my garden which has in turn rewarded me with an incredible crop.

  

broccoli and kale plants

one of my lavender plants

pears forming on the tree

Beautiful pea plants

 turning into pea pods!

A pumpkin flower which opened this morning

A few sprigs from the impending redcurrant haul

My first sage flower

A days harvest

 A few weeks ago we also built this beauty in the garden where I hope to spend many a day working on various projects. There's a lot of work to be done to make it 'user friendly' as yet though.

the summerhouse still au naturel

The first step is protecting it from the elements and making it look pretty. I chose a soft blue edged in white to soften the structure and work with the surrounding planting. Still so much more to do but is beginning to look so so lovely.

and after its coat of paint

 We were also very lucky to be invited to Wolf Lowe Farm on the border of Staffordshire and Shropshire. Wolf Lowe Farm is a beautiful smallholding set in an unbelievably tranquil setting. I'll be writing a full blog post about our fabulous day with them next week but here is one of the main reasons why we were invited:

 This beautiful hebridean ewe is one of a small flock that live on the small holding. Alongside the Hebrideans are these magnificent - and somewhat larger - Poll Dorsets.

 We went to "watch" the sheering but as I should have expected, Gavin couldn't wait to get involved and he spent the day acting as unofficial sheep hand!

Gavin collecting the newly shorn fleece from the sheering pen

Rolling the fleece ready to go into the Wool Board bag

Inbetween all this gardening and shepherding we have also been working hard on the Vintage Shetland Project. Here's a little teaser of the latest pattern nearing completion.

We are using Gavin's own Fair Isle Visualiser programme that works hand in hand with the earlier colour readings we did at the Shetland Museum many moons ago. Again there will be more on the progress of the Project over the next few weeks.


We then took the time out to visit some National Trust properties with mum and dad. The most recent trip was to Speke Hall in Liverpool. Building began in the early 1500s with the the most 'modern' part of the building shown here being completed around 1600.  One of my personal favourite things about this house is the large amount of original William Morris wallpaper used by Frederick Leyton in the 1800s to decorate much of the interior. Archive information about William Morris wallpapers is also available to view in the house. Unfortunately photographs are not allowed in the delicate interior of the house so instead I would strongly recommend a visit!

This is the main entrance to the house over the former moat.

Here are mum and dad having a great time heading off to the house. 

And here I am with them both. I hope we get to spend many more days like this.

Finally a few nights ago I headed off to the beach with daughter Charlie and her boyfriend Denis to take some photos of some fabulous hand knitted swimsuits knitted in pure Shetland wool.

Look out for my next blog post which will tell you all about them but in the meantime here's a little taster:

I am off to Edinburgh today to help Charlie move into her new flat and spend a bit of time in my favourite city but I'll be back in a few days. I do hope you are all having a wonderful, sun filled summer.

but for now,
Ruby xx

Introducing Agutter

Agutter is the cardigan I have always been searching for, combining both a contemporary and vintage aesthetic and a casual yet elegant silhouette. I have been waiting for a chance for a long time to design it and finally with the arrival of Excelana DK I got the opportunity.  

Agutter is knitted in 4 separate pieces from the bottom up, the seams integral to providing structure to the cardigan and ensuring a long life. The pattern is written for 11 sizes from 30-50 inch (76 - 81 cm) and can be worn closely fitted by knitting the recommended size for you or more sloppy and slouchy by choosing a slightly larger size as demonstrated by our model. It is knitted using Excelana DK 100% British wool and is shown in Powdered Egg. The yarn has great stitch definition so is perfect for the large lace motif running down the cardigan. It is also wonderfully soft, just what you need for your favourite cardigan.

It is knitted to a 23 st tension on 4mm needles so knits up pretty quickly - especially when you spend your time on much smaller needles. The lace pattern is a delight to knit and is very quick to learn. 

The lace pattern is shown as both written and charted instructions. 

Charlie is modelling Agutter in the photos wearing a size 38 inch as she particularly wanted the cardigan to have a bit of a ‘sloppy Joe’ feel, whilst still looking smart. The large arrow head lace pattern is worked down the centre back and a single repeat is also worked on each side of the front. Rather than a ribbed welt and band a slip stitch mock rib is worked integral to the main pieces. The cardigan is fastened with clear plastic poppers which have beautiful vintage buttons sewn in place over them. 

I shot the photographs once again at our local botanical gardens, using the exquisite wrought iron entrance gates as a backdrop for the cardigan. I am so lucky to have two stunning victorian parks within walking distance of my house. It certainly makes finding a good location for a photoshoot easier!

The printed pattern will be available ONLY to Woolfest customers this weekend, before being released generally on Monday 1st July. Woolfest takes place this Friday and Saturday - 28th & 29th June, in Cockermouth, Cumbria and you can find me on both these days on stand no D80-81 so please do come and say hello. In addition to Agutter there will be other extra special goodies for the show which I will tell you all about tomorrow. 

Agutter pattern details

Sizes: 76, 81, 86, 92, 97, 102, 107, 112, 117, 122, 127 cm (30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50 in)

Yarn: Excelana Luxury DK 100% British wool, 

7 (7, 7, 9, 9, 10, 11, 11, 12, 13, 14) balls shade Powdered Egg 

Needles:1 pair 4mm needles (plus 1 spare needle for three needle cast off)

Tension: 23 sts and 29 rows = 10cm (4in) using 4mm needles over stocking stitch

Other Materials: 4 large clear plastic press studs; 4 buttons

Pricing:

Print pattern £5

Download pattern £4

With special thanks to the all equally wonderful:

Model: Charlie Moon

Graphic Designer: Gavin Crawford

Tech Editor: Kate Atherley

Agutter is now available to download from my ravelry shop

 for only £4

You can purchase the pattern here.

so for now,

Ruby xx

All images copyright Susan Crawford 2013

A fond farewell but not goodbye, to Purlesque

For nearly seven years now there has been a wonderful independent haberdashery, yarn shop and maker in Liverpool called Purlesque. It was set up and run by the lovely Susan and Jane whose passion for making shone through everything they did.

We have been friends and worked together throughout that time. Purlesque did my first ever book signing on a cold November night back in 2008. Susan and Jane were also there at the launch party for A Stitch in Time Volume 1 around the same time. 

Jane & Susan of Purlesque at the Stitch in Time Volume 1 book launch in 2008

At this point they had moved from their stall in Grand Central to a pretty little shop in Bluecoat Chambers. 

Purlesque in Grand Central

Purlesque at Bluecoat Chambers

The Purlesque ladies had a stand at Make Do and Knit and also helped organise volunteers for the event. 

When the tenancy expired at Bluecoat Chambers, Purlesque moved and worked on a new concept of a haberdashery within a vintage shop - Pop  Boutique. From here Susan and Jane continued to offer their own unique mix of yarn, haberdashery, fabric and handmade pieces. Over the last year, we began to collaborate on knitting and sewing workshops initially held in a wonderful cake shop in Liverpool - Cuthberts - and then more recently, from the shop itself. The workshops have been a great success and have brought students along from Cheshire, The Wirral and beyond. 

Sewing in a zip at my skirt making workshop at Purlesque within Pop Boutique

Unfortunately the vagaries of city centre leasing has meant that the shop lease which was due for renewal has been taken by a taxi hire company and Purlesque has to again find a new home. This all happened with very short notice and the girls have not been able to find the right place as yet for their shop to move to. So as from 4pm today Purlesque will close its shop doors for a little while whilst the search continues. In the meantime, workshops are still being planned at exciting venues around the city and handmade pretties will be available from their online shop. So if you want to be kept informed of all the news you can sign up for the Purlesque newsletter here.

Adieu, Purlesque. I look forward to sharing in your future plans.

for now,

Ruby xx

Shetland Lace, Lorna Doone & my great grandfather

Now I know I said it would be a little quieter on the blog over the next few weeks but it has actually been even more quiet than I ever intended. Working on two books - A Stitch in Time, Volume 1 and The Vintage Shetland Project (more on this in a few days) and some new pattern releases in time for Woolfest and finding myself with a really nasty summer flu has meant the blog has been seriously neglected in the last few weeks. In addition to all the above I have also had a number of other projects to complete. One of the other tasks I have been busy with is creating some Shetland Lace. I've been working on two pieces, a small sampler or table centre piece and a humungous shawl, both initially for a Shetland Lace workshop I have been putting together.

Both use exactly the same patterns and construction but have differing stitch counts.  The sample piece is knitted using Jamieson & Smith 2 ply Lace in shade L1. The sample took two 25g balls which have approximately 169m on each ball.

I began with a centre construction working loops at each end to be picked up to knit 4 separate border panels.

Once each border panel was completed I then worked the lace edging for each piece.

With all four borders knitted and the lace edging worked right around, the border pieces can then be joined together. I wanted to experiment a little here and instead of working a regular herringbone join I created a more open, abstract version which would hopefully look quite random and cobwebby.

What I particularly love about this type of join is that its very difficult to see where the knitting ends and the sewing begins which then leaves the observer questioning how it has been achieved. Blocked it is about 60 cm square.

This lace panel is destined to hang on a wall in our house next to a vintage embroidery that I recently rescued and framed. I hope to stitch the panel to a background which I will then mount inside a frame before hanging.

So on to my humungous shawl. I was very lucky to be gifted two skeins of Lorna Doone from Natural Dye Studio.

The yarn is a blend of 40% Exmoor Horn, 30% Zwartbles and 30% Wensleydale. Exmoor Horn is also where my very own Excelana begins so I was very excited to try a different blend based on it. It is a 4 ply/sport weight yarn available in 100g skeins with 335m on each skein. The very dark brown tones of the Zwartbles fleece is combined with the lighter natural tones of the Exmoor and Wensleydale to create the overall effect of a grey yarn. And it has also been spun by John Arbon at his mill in Devon just like Excelana. The yarn is a joy with which to knit. It has incredible stretch and surprisingly good stitch definition for so flecked a yarn. It is soft, light and warm making it the perfect choice for this type of shawl. I can't wait to get it finished and be able to wear it.

The shawl in its entirety uses 4 skeins of Lorna Doone, so around 1400m of 4 ply weight yarn and is knitted throughout on a 4mm needle and it will be around 1.5 metres square once blocked. I particularly love how the pattern looks so different using such contrasting yarns.

There is another less yarny reason why I so wanted to try out this yarn though. And it is its name. Named after the main character Lorna Doone in the book of the same name by R D Blackmore, it shares its first name with my mum, who was also named after Lorna Doone.

In actual fact, my mum was named after a Red Funnel paddle steamer which first sailed in 1896 and was in turn named after the then very recently published book. My great grandfather, Reuben Jones from Aberdovey in Wales, was born in 1897 and by the time he was 14 years of age he had joined the Royal Navy.

My great grandfather, Reuben Jones

He then served throughout the First World War apparently on the Lorna Doone which had been converted into a minesweeper for the war effort.

The Lorna Doone in its civilian role as a pleasure steamer

After hostilities ended Reuben remained in the Royal Navy reserves and worked for the Pacific Steam Navigation Company until his untimely death at the age of 33 in 1930.

Reuben, centre front, on board a PSN vessel, not long before he passed away

My nan (named Rubina & known of course, as Ruby) was 11 at the time he died. My great grandmother left a widow was forced to place my nan's two younger brothers in the local seamen's mission to be looked after as she couldn't afford to look after them herself. Shockingly on the eve of Reuben's funeral she miscarried and lost the baby she had been carrying. The baby was buried alongside its father shortly after.

Lilian Margerite Jones - or 'Ninnie Barc' as she became known in later years

My great grandmother - known to me only as 'Ninnie Barc' - eventually remarried but never forgot her first love and when my nan gave birth to a daughter, it was Ninnie Barc who decreed that she should be christened Lorna.

There is so much more of this story to be researched and told and a pattern to create around it but at least for now a little part of Reuben and Lilian's story is known and the connection between them, Lorna Doone and a shetland lace shawl has been made.

for now,
Ruby xx