Another busy week at Roses & Rue

A quick catch up to let you know whats been going on at Roses & Rue - maybe we can tempt you to come and join us to learn a new skill or take up an old one again.
Last week we had a patchwork class, a children's party, the usual knit and natter and crochet clubs and knitting for beginners - phew!
The knitting for beginners group was nice and easy because the ladies had all had a go at least once before, thus making my job easier. The patchwork class, as always, is all about colour and choosing fabric before we get anywhere near the sewing machines.Hopefully I'll have some lovely pics to show later in the week when the qulits are finished.
The childrens parties always take a lot of planning. The birthday girl decided that she wanted to make sock monkeys. Trust me, it is impossible to make 8 sock monkeys in two hours, so preparation is vital. A big thank you must go to Rosie and Joel for helping me stuff monkey bodies all week, ready for the party.

Monkey love!

Amongst all this chaos I have been crocheting up oddballs to make a lovely granny square cushion and matching blanket. When the blanket is finished they will go in the shop window for sale. We've been selling a lot of handmade stuff lately. In fact we are having a job keeping up. Luckily I have a band of dedicated friends who are creative and enjoy adding to the window display.

Rumer modelling the granny square cushion

Granny square cushion with unfinshed blanket made using oddballs of Debbie Bliss Babycashmerino

When it comes to knitting for the shop display or customers, I have a secret weapon - a Pat! She is quite simply the best knitter I know and I'm not prepared to share her with anyone. Aside from being the best knitter in the world she has also become a dear friend over the last two years - dare I say a mother figure (that might embarrass her, since she is so modest). She supports me all the way and is an integral part of the business. How she puts up with me I dont know, frankly, but I'm glad she does as I'd be lost without her.

Three quarter sleeved cardi knitted by Pat in Louisa Harding 'Aimee' (modelled by Rosie).

The week in pictures

What a great first week in the shop as a full timer!

It's been a roller coaster of fun and emotion and I feel pleasantly exhausted as we go into the weekend. First of all, on Tuesday I attended a first aid course, which was really interesting and useful. Tuesday evening was very special as Sam finally finished her first project. I have to say Sam, you are a star. The jumper is great and you made it in less than a year after all!!!!!

Not bad for a first effort, Sam!

Then on Wednesday we had an apron making session as you can see. It really brought out the domestic goddess in us all.  It's amazing how wearing our finished articles made us want to rush home to bake.

Pat went with a flamenco feel, the pockets are handy for her castanets...

Then Friday, Jen visited to show us her poorly foot.  And spot the nail varnish!  She may be in plaster but she has standards!!!!  Never a dull moment at Roses and Rue!

No Jen, YOU get in the car!

Frankly, for sartorial elegance nothing competes with Jen's foot covered by a blue plastic bag during a rain storm, where Jen leads Vogue will follow.

Fancy Nancy!

Last night marked the return of 'knit & natter' in its full glory and it was lovely to see the 'old' ladies as well as some new ladies. It made everything seem as if Autumn is here, although officially its not time yet. Everyone's attention has turned to their winter projects and ideas abound. New yarn is arriving in the shop and there are some fantastic new books with gorgeous patterns. There seems to be a real 40's revival as well as a 'folky' theme going on with some gorgeous tweedie yarns and lots of sludgy shades of green and taupe and grey. Yum!

Nancy brought with her an absolutely divine crocheted blanket that she has just finished. It was crocheted in 'granny square' rows and lookes really effective in a delicious colour palette, (which I think was mainly Rooster yarn). The edging is a real triumph and sets the whole blanket off.

Knit & Natter

It's been a relatively quiet morning at K & N, which is quite nice because it gives the girls a chance to have a proper chat. On a busy day it gets a bit loud and sometimes quite manic. Either way we always have a lovely time. This morning lovely Lara brought us some 'melting moments'. Being new to this blogging lark, it only occurred to me to take a picture of these delicious treats after they had all been eaten!

Anyway, a bit of background....

The K & N group has been going for nearly a year now and it is one of the highlights of my week. There are two groups which run on Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings and we are an eclectic bunch of ladies, ranging in age and taste and with varied skills and talents. One of the things I like most is the way that the more experienced ladies are so willing to help the beginners. And, of course, seeing all the fantastic fruits of our labours is a big bonus. The only down side to all of this is that I never receive my post on Thursday's because the postman is a little scared of coming in to the shop when the ladies are there!