A day in the garden

For the first time for ages I have actually had the time to spend a whole day pottering in the garden in the most glorious sunshine. I have tackled the weeding, sown seeds, planted out some Cosmos seedlings, potted up cherry tomatoes and rocket and sat in the sun with a glass of wine - bliss!
The Roses and Clematis are just starting to flower and the vine is working it's way over the pergola to provide some much needed shade.
During a clear out in the the mess that I call my potting shed I discovered a bucket of dried lavender that I had completely forgotten, so am going to spend this evening making up some lavender bag kits for KnitKits.

The little Minature Shnauzer guest who is staying with us for a couple of weeks seems to have settled in really well, although Bix and BeBop ignore her most of the time which is a bit sad as she is desperate to play with them.

Bix's Birthday

Bix the dog was 11 yesterday, which according the chart in our vets means he is 105 in dog years as large dogs age quicker than the standard 7 years to 1 of ours. Anyway he looks pretty good for it and had a good long walk through the woods with his dog club mates.

I managed to get the final samples for my latest book in the post on Monday, which was deadline day. It is so lovely to be able to relax a bit for the first time in the last 7 months. I am now on a major blitz on the house and sorting out the stock for Kangaroo. We have had b&b guests for two nights this week, which was great, hopefully with the lovely weather and Easter approaching there will be more bookings soon.

Learn to knit workshop in France with tutor Sue Culligan

'Back to Basics' is a knitting workshop for beginners and those that need a reminder. The residential workshop will be held at La Verderie in France and runs from Thursday 29th September to Tuesday 4th October. The holiday is designed for a maximum of five guests and the workshops will be spread over four days. The aim of the workshop is to complete a simple cushion cover made from squares knitted in different stitches. We will cover different methods of casting on, how to cast off and work simple increases and decreases, then go on to cover basic textured stitches and colour work.

For full details and programme email sueculligan@gmail.com. The cost of the holiday covers all the workshops, full board including wine with meals, outings to local towns and transfers from La Rochelle, Angouleme, Poitiers or Bordeaux. Book here.

Addi circular needles

I have more Addi's arriving tomorrow including longer cords in the circular needles. Some of the sizes are now available with 120cm (48 in) and 150cm (60 in) cords, also 2mm Addi lace circulars now available.

Knitting holiday in France with Rowan tutors Carol Meldrum and Nicole Wilson

Spaces still available for the Knitting workshop in France (12th-18th June). I have just two spaces left in single rooms and one space in a shared room, for more details email sue@kangaroo.uk.com or visit Workshops at Kangaroo.

The knitting week at Chateau St Julien l'Ars is approaching fast. Tutors Carol Meldrum and Nicole Wilson are working on the programme (see here). It is going to be design based with lots of useful hints and tips to include embellishments, beading, fairisle, intarsia and a bit of crochet. 

We are so lucky to have the run of this beautiful Chateau, it is the most gorgeous place for a knitting holiday. The first floor sitting room is perfect for working in, with natural light from the huge windows. Guests can retreat to their comfortable bedrooms for a bit of peace and quiet, relax on the sunny terraces or explore the acres of parkland attached to the Chateau. I am looking forward to starting to plan the menus, having got back into cake baking for our weekly dog walk here, feeling thin at the end of the week will definitely not be an option!

The move

I finally seem to be surfacing from the mountain of packing boxes, my office still looks like a tornado has gone through it but things are improving. Kangaroo is temporarily set up in a bedroom at La Verderie, where it will have to stay until we get the work to the chai and the barn finished (which could be some time!) I have signed the contract for another book with a deadline of early April so the pressure is on again.

The move was even more stressful than moving house, with the added complication of keeping the computers running, finding stock in the mass of collapsible boxes and black bin liners, sending out orders and trying to keep all the customers happy. On top of all this I have to complete half year accounts for the UK, complete my registrations in France, decide on the best postage options, re-price and change loads of things on the website, design some new kits for KnitKits and then there is the garden.......

My poor little courtyard has been totally neglected for the last 6 months, so am trying to spend a little time every day out there. The weather is fantastic at the moment, still cold at night with a frost but up to 23 degrees in the daytime.

The crochet workshop here in October with Jane Crowfoot is now fully booked, which is really exciting. I am emailing tutors this week to arrange some more dates for 2012, so watch this space! We have had a few chambres d'hotes enquiries and  http://www.accommodationcharente-maritime.com/ is starting to get more hits which is good news.

Freeform crochet, patchwork crochet and colour work crochet workshops in Sussex

Designer and author Jane Crowfoot is tutoring the following Crochet workshops in Sussex. Freeform Crochet is on 12th February at Kangaroo just outside of Lewes, Crochet Patchwork is at Hummingbird Studio in Brighton on the 26th March and Colourwork Crochet is on the 16th April, also at Hummingbird Studio in Brighton. The price of the workshop includes tea, coffee and biscuits, materials and 10% discount on any purchases from Kangaroo during the day. For more information or to book, click here