Vintage Knitting, Retro Dressmaking, Make do and Mend, Original and Vintage Inspired Knitting Patterns, Vintage Inspired books

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas

Image Copyright Susan Crawford 2011

I had great fun creating my own Christmas card this year. I had even more fun with the 'verse' which reads:

I do hope everyone has a wonderful festive season and very best wishes for 2012.

for now
Ruby xxx

Monday, December 12, 2011

Where have I been?

Its been over a month since I last blogged but I do have an excuse. I've been at Knitting shows and book signings and trunk shows up and down the country taking all the projects from the A Stitch in Time, Vol 2 with me. I've had a great time watching lots and lots of people trying on the designs from the book and wearing them in many different ways. I've managed to capture some of these but missed as many if not more but I thought to bring the blog up to date I would share a selection of photos from around the country...




These three photos are all of Gathered Neckline with a Bow which is knitted in a cobweb or laceweight yarn from Posh Yarns. I bought some Juno Lace when at Loop to make one for myself.



and here we have Warm Jacket with a bubble stitch yoke knitted in Jamieson's Spindrift


This is the Lady's Jumper Cardigan knitted in Persian Grey Excelana 



Jan earlier in the year at Knit Nation. The first in an alpaca yarn and the second in Nile Green Excelana.


This is Cryscelle, the cover jumper and one of the earliest of the garments in the book, looking fabulously 80s. This jumper is knitted in Knitshop Mulberry Silk.


This is the Gay Bolero being worn in the first instance with the Sunday Pictorial Beret and secondly as very cool maternity wear.

And here's a whole host of the designs being worn in very different ways.

This Attractive Affair

This Winter's High Spot

This Charming Neckline

Cocktail Jumper

Designed in Paris

Quick Work in Thick Wool

Golden Eagle Jumper

The Swagger Coat with Blackberry Cardigan from Volume 1

Pretty for Everyday

Striped Sun Top

Ripple Jumper

Springtime Bolero

Trimmed with Roses Cardigan

Tyrolean Jacket



Dinah's Lacy Jumper


And here we have Dinah's Lacy Jumper again, shown here with Kasha.


 Here's Kasha being worn again as a very stylish jacket


And here being modelled by the very lovely Cookie A. Believe it or not I had forgotten I had this photo!


And here's me in my very own Kasha, knitted for me by my knitter in shining armour, Tom, photographed with me here at Prick Your Finger. This version is done in Lotus Cashmere from Skein Queen and I absolutely love it. Tom has done a beautiful job of knitting this pattern and you can read more about the extra little touches he introduced on his blog.

I have knitted a number of the designs for myself in larger sizes than the sample sizes done for the book, and over christmas I'll try and get some photos of me wearing them for the blog as I'm really pleased how, like Kasha, they have really worked for a lady of more ample proportions.

for now
Ruby xxx

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Further Dates for the Diary

We are off on the road again this weekend with our huge bags of garments. On Saturday I am at Prick Your Finger in Bethnall Green, London from 3-6pm, displaying the garments, signing books and cuddling Excelana which is available here. Then on Sunday I am visiting Nest in Crouch End, London where I will be from around 2pm, with the trunk show, signing books and getting to cuddle Excelana again :-)

Next week we stay north, with a visit to Fibre and Clay, Knutsford on Friday 18th November with the full trunk show and with Excelana too for the first time.

The following week its the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate from 24th to 27th November. The Susan Crawford Vintage stand will be there - on A600 - please do come by and say hello if you're at the show (I think the organisers may have listed it as Arbour House Publishing but its still me!). The garments will be on display and we will also have Excelana for sale and some of the Knitshop yarns used in the book. Do bring your voucher if you pre ordered the book for 10% discount on Excelana and 15% discount on Knitshop yarns.

Finally for now on Sunday 4th December I'll be at Purl City Yarns in Manchester from 12-3 pm for a trunk show and signing.

Lots and lots to squeeze in before we go so,

for now
Ruby xx

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Despatch Update

I'm very pleased to be able to announce that UK pre-orders for volume 2 of A Stitch in Time should have been delivered (or delivery attempted) by the end of the day tomorrow. We have used a courier in the end due to the weight of the book and if no one is home they will leave the book somewhere safe or with neighbours if possible, otherwise they will leave a card for you to ring and arrange a re-delivery. Its taken a bit of time to get the orders all processed but we have had confirmation that delivery to all mainland UK addresses should be completed tomorrow.

For all other countries, it is somewhat out of our hands as all countries own delivery times etc are different but we have endeavoured to get the books delivered in as timely but cost efficient way as we could achieve so that no one should hopefully be waiting too long.

I will be 'out of the office' for the rest of this week but hopefully the remaining UK despatch will go smoothly. If for any reason you do not receive your book tomorrow and no card is left, please allow 24 hours for despatch to be re-attempted the following day.

kind regards
Susan 

Monday, October 31, 2011

Dates for the Diary

November is going to continue where October left off by being extremely busy. Later this week Gavin and I hit the road for booksignings, trunk shows and events. We will have with us all 80 designs from A Stitch in Time Volume 2 and the book itself available to purchase.

Our first visits this week are to:

Marmalade Yarns, Catherine Hill, Frome, Somerset, on Wednesday 2nd November from 6.30-8.30 pm. This lovely little yarn shop is in my wonderful tech editor's village and I will then be spending a couple of days with Jen vintage button shopping!

We then travel to London on Sunday 6th November for our London book launch at Loop, 15 Camden passage, Islington were we will be from 2-4pm again with all the samples from the book and Loop will be offering 10% off a wide range of yarns to celebrate the launch.


We will then be home for a few days and then hitting the road again - more details of these in a few days!

for now
Ruby

Saturday, October 29, 2011

The next stage - signing!

Once we had received all the books the next step before they could be packaged up for sending out was signing. So it began

all calm and collected. Every book carefully signed with a message




And so the books began to pile up!

and up!

and up!

 and up!
 and up!

 Until finally the last book was signed


I was kept going by the thought of a roast dinner to follow after I had completed all the signings but unfortunately one or two purchasers almost received books with the charming message

"Best wishes, yorkshire puddings and gravy"

but they were spotted before it was too late!

but for now, 2 dislocated wrists, 1 dislocated thumb, 1 twisted shoulder and a raised collar bone later, the signings are complete :-)

Ruby xxx

(all images Copyright Gavin Crawford 2011)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Delivery Day!

An early morning phone call surprised us with the news yesterday that Volume 2 of A Stitch in Time was on its way to us and would be with us that day. It was all very exciting and Gavin raced off to the Studio to await the new arrival. We were also expecting a delivery of 100s of packaging boxes so I had to stay at home and wait for them.

I paced up and down, I jumped around and did a little dance as my nervous energy built and built. Eventually the call came from Gavin telling me the delivery had arrived.

Copyright Susan Crawford 2011
When I got there the unloading had almost finished with only 3 pallets remaining on the lorry. This is the friendly delivery man, who had the enormous task of manouvering all the pallets out of the van, down the drive and into the studio.

Copyright Susan Crawford 2011


This is what the room looked like as it began to fill up. And then the moment the delivery was complete the first box was opened. And here it is:

Copyright Susan Crawford 2011
400 pages of loveliness.

Copyright Susan Crawford 2011
Copyright Gavin Crawford 2011
And here I am exhausted and very shabby holding the first copy of A Stitch in Time Vol 2. Please excuse my tattiness. I didn't sleep the night before and as I've mentioned before we have no heating at the studio yet and we were moving 1000's of books around so I wasn't really dressed for an official photograph!

So then the first chance to actually look through the pages of our beautiful book -

Copyright Gavin Crawford 2011
Copyright Gavin Crawford 2011
Copyright Gavin Crawford 2011
It is everything I hoped and more. There were many times in this two year process when I doubted if we would actually get to this point as so much seemed to go against us but at the very end everything worked like clockwork and we have the most stunningly beautiful treasury of vintage patterns that I could ever have imagined. I love our book and I truly hope you all will too.

For now
Ruby xxx