March madness

Julia's daffodils

Where did March go? Here I am on the cusp on April....April?!! It's been a flower filled month as my sister has decided to chase her dream of running a cut flower business. We've been looking at all sorts of websites for ideas and inspirations for this years blooms as well as sheds and cold frames. It's all very exciting as gardening and flowers are her thing. 

I firmly believe we all have a medium, wood or wool or flowers, something our talents really shine through in. It may take you a time to find yours, or it will find you.

I'm always more than happy to have bouquets of flowers from her. Here are some from last year...beautiful!

So she has put in some new raised beds to grow all these beauty's and there will soon be her 'she-shed' cum potting, cum cutting room arriving. A new project is always exciting and I'm glad to be involved especially as she has helped me so much with mine.

Mad march hares were leaping out from the shop to ship all over the world. I had a first sale to Dubai so that was a new pin in the map.

I finally finished Megan's hat. Still in love with this yarn adriafil knitcol and there's still more stashed away.

I also completed my brief of a cowl that Megan could hide her face in...no idea why.The yarn is

a king cole riot DK from The Wool Stop in Thornbury chosen as the purple matched her hair!

Finished hat.

I couldn't resist these little 4mm beads when I saw them, just my colours. Not sure how practical these markers will be but they sure are lovely to look at.

I had a custom request for a nautical theme huge set of markers for a lady who lives on a boat and is mad on the ocean. Apparently she was very pleased with her wide selection of sea motif charms and shells. I like being given these little challenges to complete for custom orders. I can honestly spend hours looking at beads and charms and often end up purchasing items I didn't have in mind at the start!

There were a few warmer days and the Harley was brought out into sunlight for the first time in months. We had a lovely if somewhat chilly afternoon pootling about the Cotswolds. It never fails to make me smile to zoom about the countryside, it's such a sense of freedom and incredibly exciting as even 50mph feels like 100! I may only be the pillion but I get to see what's going on out in the fields we zip by and can relax and enjoy the ride. I can thoroughly recommend biking, as long as you're dressed up warm!

Three things I never knew I needed this month. I actually went into the shop to buy the owl cushion that was beautifully displayed in their window (with several similar but different owl companions) and told them off, for having lovely but unnecessary things for sale that unwary shoppers felt compelled to purchase. They told me I needed stronger will power! The scarf and the bowl were in the charity shop and the bowl is used every day as a picking bowl for gathering up the days stitch markers orders and I've worn the scarf most days too. The owl cushion has just kept me company and occasionally been snuggled up to by a cat.

I had a desire to design a shawl pattern and this was my first sampler test knit. I chose colours I wasn't particularly fond of out of the stash and they took on a scheme of their own and it pulled together. I have completed a full size shawl now to perfect the design and I am currently working on the second to get the tech right in the pattern....if I can understand my notes. I think I shall probably knit another afterwards just to make sure.....anyone want to buy a shawl?

Primroses from Julia's garden.How they filled the room with scent. One of my favourite flower scents along with freesias and sweet williams.

Laika was back up to full fitness after her injury, our patch work dog. Here they both are hoping for a squirrel so they can run about madly, whimpering with excitement.

The woods are slowly starting to change. The catkins and daffodils are out in one area and the sticky buds look fit to burst too. The hawthorn has been the first to come out in leaf and the blackthorn is out in flower. The birds are busy nesting and sound full of life each morning...aaah Spring!!!

I had a few days off making markers over Easter and worked on the shawl. It felt naughty but also nice, once I let myself relax to just enjoy a really slow few days. It is hard to switch off when you work from home as I feel 'downtime' is wasted time. That's why I like to knit during that time as I still feel I'm being productive.

Easter flowers

Primroses

Easter Monday we took the dogs down to one of my favourite walks along the Severn at Purton. These old boats were scuppered here to prevent the river eroding the bank of the Gloucester & Sharpness canal. 

 Some are wooden and some concrete (how did they float?). A group was started called to preserve this part of local history and all barge names are recorded on this pillar and other information boards. Wellies advised as the river comes up quite high and it's always muddy.

View towards Sharpness.

I'll finish with some of the crafty cat nonsense captured this month...it was hard to choose!

Time at last.....

....to pause and catch up with things again. The Christmas period was incredibly busy and with only one pair of hands making, wrapping, packing, printing etc I've felt like an octopus on certain days! 
I had 2 new wholesale enquiries from the USA right on Christmas week from a shop in Florida and one in Alabama. Also you may have seen my markers in The Little Box of crochet by Amanda? She is a truly amazing, inspiring lady to work with. So those kept me busy along with the big USA order I do every few months 4900 markers this time...wow. 

In fact today is the first day that I've had time to do some rather ordinary but necessary little jobs. I filed quite a few months worth of personal paperwork. Did some accounting as I was 2 months behind on that...naughty, naughty! Cleared my work table back to a manageable level as there seemed to be more beads and bits out of storage and my work space (usually shared with a cat) was getting smaller and smaller. So there was a small cheer as I reclaimed some space..yay! 
And the daffodils cheered me up no end as Spring is on it's way! The light is different you can just tell the planet has moved that little bit further round the sun on it's travels and that we're heading towards warmer, longer days.

The sun is shining and calling me today but there was no dog walk, as on Monday Laika injured her rib on something in the woods so badly she had to have a GA and 6 stitches. She is wearing an old long sleeved top of mine and her greyhound t shirt to keep the wound clean and away from tongue and nibbly teeth.

She did take some stitches out once and we had to start all over with another GA, so I'm not taking any risks this time. In fact I've ordered her some PJ's which I know she's going to love as she loves her clothes. I think she was a chihuahua in a previous life happily wearing bling and tutu's!! 

 Snowdrops in the woods

So in solidarity Moushka and I aren't having a walk for a few days until David comes home as Laika is a real baby and cries and whines if left on her own and I don't want to upset the neighbours. I'm really missing my mid morning walks and seeing big skies, hearing the birds, the rustling trees and the ponds out on the common and watching the dogs play and have fun.

 The frosty walks were lovely and invigorating too.

 I've been knitting quite a few small projects, mainly hats as I fell in love with the swirly cast off.

 But there was a scarf and a few other bits too. I went on a yarn feast whilst everyone else seemed to be on a yarn diet so I'm enjoying just looking at it all and making plans currently. Sometimes just looking at pictures of yarn is enough to satisfy me!

So I intend to get back into writing the blog from now on. Sometimes all this social media is a little overwhelming as if an invisible hand is pushing all the time to do more, be better, be everywhere. But actually I'm just happy sharing the little things that make up my life, the knitting, the pets, the creating and I hope you are too.

Goodbye 2015

What a year of change in the crafty cat household! But it just goes to show you can turn your life around and chase your dream. I've had lots of support from family and friends during this time and I would like to thank them all for being there through all the tears, tantrums, panicked moments and 'oh no what have I done?'. It was so heart breaking to let the pet shop go but four months on it was so the right thing to do. This is the first Christmas I haven't felt pulled in a million directions and I've really enjoyed this slightly slower pace of life.

So wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous 2016 I can't wait to see what it will bring!

All change........

I've been very quiet as life has changed quite a bit since my last post and it's been very emotional too. For the last 6 years I have been running two businesses, one a bricks and mortar pet store and the other my stitch marker business. The pet business did very well but if I'm entirely honest my I fell out of love with it. Although I had been in the pet trade for almost 20 years I found myself not quite as interested in new products as I did thinking about my craft business.

After last Christmas it all got very stressful and I realised that for my own health and sanity I needed to only run one business and I had to choose. I chose stitch markers and had to tell an awful lot of very faithful pet store customers that from August 31st it would be no more. 

It was a very difficult 6 weeks telling people every day why you had decided to do something. I had no idea if I was making the right choice either and I had built up a store that was part of the local pet community and suddenly I was taking it away from them. Most had no idea about the stitch marker business so were utterly bemused as they thought of me as just the crazy cat and pet food lady. Some days it was more traumatic than emotional after lots of explaining! 

But my lovely customers were amazing as pet owners are and very supportive of my choice. I had flowers and cards on that last day which meant so much to me as I cried from 9am till we closed the door for the last time.

So the store went from looking like the above photos to these below. It only took 2 weeks to clear through the stock and remove everything and take it home.

My old pet/ craft workspace...see all the markers hanging from their board above my PC...what a mess it looks now!

Maumau moved too!

Empty

How fast you can change your life around when you put your mind to it. At first I missed it so much but some days it's like it never happened.

The hardest part was leaving Mr Thomas. Where the store was on a small industrial estate there was a colony of feral cats that were fed and looked after. Mr Tom  who was King cat of the colony decided to adopt us and move in when he wasn't out fighting or seeing the ladies. We had to warn customers not to touch him as he was feral and not very nice but we looked after him and there were long discussions with several friends and customers about the right thing to do with him when we left. Was it fair to neuter and leave him, he's still a feral cat and doesn't like being shut in so rehoming wasn't an option. We didn't think he would fit in with our 15 cats at home and would upset their colony. Rehoming to stable or outbuilding...would he still wander as he has a very big patch even neutered? In the end we had no option but to leave him there knowing he would be fed and an eye kept on him, but it was still hard letting him go. 

On one of the last days he jumped in the car determined to come with me and I wish he could have, grumpy old thing he is. I know he's OK as I've had reports.

So my new storage cupboard full of crafty goodness.

That cat again enjoying her new window view. Lovely Maumau is still the office cat just in a new place. The introduction to the other 14 is a very slow progress.

My new desk space with this actual post up on the screen!

So it's been a very emotional few months and I can finally feel myself letting go of all the stresses and I'm much happier now and excited to have time to devote to one business fully. I also have time for projects for me 

  Long scarf wip, pattern on Ravelry soon.

Cat face garland hanging above my desk. I saw one for sale online somewhere and spent 2 whole days looking for it. Couldn't find it again...(maybe I dreamt it) so I made one. 

Dog walks in the middle of the day 

 

and you get to work in your slippers and stare at cats staring at you!

Suddenly all seems good with the world and I wish I had made the decision earlier!