Time flies when you are having fun.

The summer holidays are nearly over - only one week left much to my sons disappointment. 7 weeks of school holiday seemed such a long time in June, but it has flown by.

We had a tree removed in the back garden earlier in the year and when I was in hospital the landscapers came to flatten the space it had occupied. We now have a lovely piece of flat lawn (our house is on a slope) and I had visions of paddling pools and my boy running through the sprinkler on long hot summer days. It has rained so much that we haven't even managed to sit and have a cup of tea on it!

I've had to do with looking at it through the bedroom window. We managed to spend some time in the garden today, not because we have been busy, but simply because the weather was good enough. It made me realise how much I have neglected it over the past year or so. Last year because I focused on my business, this year because I am focusing on my baby.

The bambino is now 9 weeks old and is finally getting into a bit of a routine, I'm managing to get a few hours to myself in the evening and tonight has been the first time in months that I have even looked at other blogs. It's made me realise that my business, like my garden, needs a bit of attention and TLC and definitely needs to be put into a routine (that's the hard mother in me). My baby continues to delight me, and I suppose my business has now reached the terrible twos. It's going to be a challenge combining my young family and growing my young business over the next year, but one I am looking forward to, especially now I am getting more sleep!

I never thought two years ago when I finally gave up being an architect that I would have another baby and would be planning the next year of My Baboo. I had originally given myself 6 months to see if I could make my hobby into a business (probably nowhere near long enough), where does the time go?

It does fly when you are having fun.

Word of Mouth

Advertising is an expensive mine field to me, I've been lucky so far in that most of my advertising has been generated through magazine articles where I have been approached by a publication who have found my story interesting.

Some articles generate interest, others not so much - it all depends on who reads them I suppose.

One of my new stockist this year is Many Thanks in Mauchline. Carol called me last week to tell me she had used a picture of my sheep in an advert she placed with the Daily Record (one of Scotlands biggest newspapers). She thought she was taking a bit of a risk placing the advert. Naturally she had to pay for it, and would that outlay generate enough interest in her shop that would lead to some sales?

She also mentioned that she will have a stall at the Ayr Flower Show this weekend. My friend Is has a stand there also and she has always done well at it. I haven't been myself, but by all accounts its a great (and busy) show.

In fact I have only attended one 'craft fair' this year, my priorities are elsewhere at the moment with the baby. Selling through stockists like Many Thanks has also meant that I have been busy with wholesale.

And yes I know I need to update my stockist list on my web site - the more shops I supply the more people will see and hopefully buy my work, so I guess it is sort of word of mouth...

Here's hoping Carol does well at Ayr this weekend and she gets some good feedback from her advert - she has plenty of my sheep and sheep knitting kits to sell!

Rip it up and start again...

One thing I like about knitting is you can so easily personalise a project, from choosing your favourite colour for a pattern, making the size you really want or to taking a pattern and using it as a basic guide to make something unique.

This weekend we are off to a friends baby's Christening, and my girls wardrobe is lacking in cardigans. She was given a beautiful dress from a friend which is a perfect outfit for our day out, but given the current Scottish weather (rain) a 'wee cardy' is definitely needed to keep the chill off.

Obviously clothes manufacturers seem to think that we are all basking in glorious sunshine as I couldn't find a simple cardigan to go with her dress in any of the high street shops - just little summer dresses - not much use for our weather.

I knew I had a long sleeve cardigan pattern as I knitted one for a friends new baby last year, I also (as most knitters do) have a varied selection of odds and ends of yarn that I will never throw out. So a bit of rummaging about in the cupboard under the stairs resulted in me finding some yarn that picked up the colours of her dress perfectly.

Not having the recommended amount of yarn for the pattern I decided to make the cardigan short sleeved, putting in a nice little puff detail to finish the sleeves off.
I'm delighted with the result, particularly as I also found this dress in a well known supermarket for £1 - and the cardigan matches it too.

And as for the title of this post, another good thing about knitting is if you don't like your finished product you can always rip it up and start again!

All For A Good Cause

I feel a bit like one of the current 'Give Blood' adverts you see on TV. When I was having Lexie, certain complications resulted in me receiving 7 pints of blood. This made me realise how important it is to donate, a simple procedure can go wrong so you never know when you will be relying on the Blood Bank.

I felt great after my transfusion and still do so I guess the blood I received was top quality. A big thank you to whoever it was - certainly more than one person - all of you who donate can feel good about yourself!
Whilst I was in hospital an old school friend decided to cycle from Landsend to John O'Groats (from the bottom to the top of Great Britain) 1000 miles on a bike, sleeping under the stars at night - before the good weather arrived.
His aim is to raise a mere £1000 for CHAS (Childrens Hospice Association Scotland) and Radio Forths Cash for Kids, that's only £1 a mile. Have a look at his donation web site for a bit of background to his story.

If you are feeling generous why not donate a little cash, or a pint of blood -it's all for a good cause.

Lynne
x

My New Creation

Well here she is, exactly two weeks early -
Lexie Wallace Seaton born 2nd June 2010, 8lbs 11oz.
One of my best creations yet!

Lets Knit!

I was delighted to receive this months copy of Lets Knit! magazine in the post today (available at all major retailers!!) Especially as the last page is a feature on myself and My Baboo. It's a good article and I think conveys how I feel about changing careers and how satisfying knitting for a living has become for me.

On a personal note, I'm biding my time till Jnr arrives, only a matter of weeks now so I'm trying to put my feet up and enjoy the sunshine whilst it lasts. I remember waiting for my first child to be born, sitting in the garden with my feet in a cool basin of water (the same time of year) and thinking about the long work free months ahead of me on maternity leave.

This time round I seem to have a million ideas swirling around my head, I'm already planning next years shows and wondering how I will strike that work/ baby balance. However I manage it I know that working for myself will allow me to get it right for all my family.

Will keep you informed of any baby news - promise!

Lynne
x

Logierait Country Market returns

This weekend sees the return of the Logierait Country Market, North of Dunkeld and south of Pitlochry off of the A9.

This year it has been taken over by Fiona and Peter. There is always a great buzz at the market, with lots of local produce, crafts, refreshments and live music.

It is being held on Saturday 17th April from 10am - 2pm.

Although its a bit out of the way for me I love attending as I'm originally from the area, so get a chance to catch up with few old friends and might even squeeze in an evening out (courtesy of grandparents babysitting in Pitlochry!)

Hopefully the weather will remain dry for the weekend. The past few days have been glorious in Balfron, it's hard to believe that at the beginning of the Easter Holidays we had 4" of snow, yesterday we had to slapon the suntan lotion.

I'm still busy getting orders ready for new stcokists, I'll be updating my list of where to buy on my web site soon.

Jnr is busy kicking away and only have 9 weeks to go before he/she arrives. Been busy painting the nursery and 'nesting' which has consisted so far of cleaning my car, I'll get round to the rest of the house soon.....

Hope to see you in Logierait, my first craft market of the year.

Lynne