Thursday, March 28, 2013

Lady Bugs and the Impending Arrival of Spring!

For about 3 weeks now, the lady bugs have been coming out of our walls - I do not know where they go all winter. I never see them one bit. Year after year, in the autumn, they swarm into our farmhouse. And when I say swarm - I mean swarm. Thousands of them come into the upstairs bedrooms especially. Then year after year in the warming lengthening days of spring, they come out of wherever they have been hiding and start hitting the screens and bouncing around the windows. 


I've been working in my studio a lot this week - big windows and a lot of solar energy there. It is a constant percussion solo listening to the lady bugs banging into the screens all day long pinging and bouncing.

Tomorrow I have a meeting with my new editor Jenn from Roost Books. I'm pretty excited about my upcoming project and next week I will let you all in on it. Do you know Roost? They publish a lot of beautiful creative crafting books including those by uber blogger Amanda Soule, cookbooks including this new one by Alice Hart and Beatrice Peltre's La Tartine Gourmande, and many parenting and creative titles.

But today I want to share with you a ladybug of the crochet variety. 

 

This is one of the fun crochet projects from my newly released St. Martin's Press title 50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet, and Felt. (By the way - there is a giveaway chance over on the SMP blog that ends tonight. Check it out here.)

 

Is this not the cutest little thing? I used my worsted weight Color By Kristin for the little guy. His legs are made out of hairpins. 

 

I know I am not known very well for crochet designs but as Julia told me yesterday - "This is your break-out book Mommy." She sure knows the phrases, doesn't she? Let's hope the book does well. Fingers crossed. Nothing I can do but hope that it strikes a chord with knitters and crocheters.

If you have ordered directly 50 Sunflowers from me, I thank you. You should have received it or should any day as I have shipped all the orders.  I still have plenty of books here if you would like a signed copy. You can order on my Shop Page Here. I'm including a set of my sheep photo postcards with every order as a thank you for supporting our farm and family. Have a great night everyone.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a darling lady bug!

Auntie Shan said...

..so...They're "IN" your house?? -- Seriously. THAT can't be "good"..? You know, just because They're "cute", doesn't mean that They aren't doing something *nasty* to the house's "infrastructure". [just saying...]

;-D BTW, let me guess... On Your Farm "Corporation" paperwork, JULIA is listed as "PUBLICIST"..? - It wouldn't surprise to ever learn that She has Her own *secret* Farming-BLOG going on!

Anyhoo.. You ALL have a GOOD EASTER WEEKEND!! -- *HUGS*!!

MicheleinMaine said...

I saw my first spring ladybug in the house today (actually my tiger cat saw it first). We don't have as many as you do though.

Love my book! It arrived a couple days ago and is a shot of spring for sure! thanks also for the postcards, I will put them to good use!

Have a wonderful Easter! The lambing must be slowing down by now. A woman at church always brings a brand new lamb at the end of the service for all of us to coo over!

Adaliza said...

That's the cutest ladybug! Happy Easter to you and yours across the pond.

Louise CF said...

Tell Julia I think she is right.

And I love your lady bug!

Anonymous said...

I would be really excited if you expanded more into crochet! I love your color and design sense in your knitting patterns, but I do not enjoy knitting very much (yet -- maybe that will change someday), so if you got more into crochet design, I could start making your patterns now, instead of "maybe someday when I'm a champion knitter." :)

Anonymous said...

Very creative! New blog on the History of the Ladybug go to eblogger dot com to search.

Kristin Is Now Writing Over on Substack

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