A whirlwind of publicity

It's an exciting time! My first book is out next week at last.

Though Amazon have been advertising it for quite a few months with apparently a completely different cover!

This more intense blast of colour would have been my preference but I can only guess that the lovely people at Quarto had their own reasons for the change, I'm sure related to the fact that it's part of a series. Shame though, and I crocheted that colour splash piece especially!

Also this week I have a design in Inside Crochet Magazine - in fact, there's a little inset on the cover, which pleased me of course, but still leaves my ambition to make the main pic as yet unfulfilled. Next time, maybe? I've received the commissioning editor's brief for new ideas next year so I'll get stuck into that shortly. What's really nice is the number of photos of my Starlight Sweater in the pattern pages, AS WELL as in the How to Tunisian Crochet pages. It was commissioned to relate to the free gift of a 6mm Tunisian hook that came with this month's issue.

Meanwhile, I've been having a lot of fun with the Knitting and Crochet Guild this year. I attended the Annual Convention in Sheffield in July where I taught Improvers Tunisian in a workshop, and generally had a marvellous time amongst my own kind for a whole weekend.

Guild Treasurer Tricia Basham made these samplers after attending my workshop!

I have upped my volunteering game this year by re-designing the 40 year old Guild Newsletter - 'Slipknot', and now every quarter I am doing the layout. I've had mostly positive feedback about that, thank goodness, so haven't lost my graphic design touch (phew!). I should be working on the next edition right now actually.

With regard to my teaching I've, as usual, been having fun at gorgeous Denman College. Beginners weekends, Granny Square and Broomstick days, as well as an Introduction to Tunisian day. Most recently I did the Glamorgan Federation weekend and we made crocheted or knitted and felted bags.

And finally, I've not neglected my local area - teaching Beginners at Stag and Bow in Forest Hill, where I met my new and very good friend Susannah, who now comes to my Tuesday night sessions, has joined the Guild and came with me to Kirsty Allsopp's Handmade Fair in September. Crochet changes lives!

I've also started teaching at Fancy Moon in Crystal Palace - which is lovely and I look forward to an ongoing relationship with this lovely little shop.

What with the book coming out and whatnot, I'm being featured as a designer on a couple of other blogs this month too….

Firstly Margaret Etherington's site Craft Notebook - I'm being launched this coming Sunday!

And also on the Knitting and Crochet Guild's website which is already advertising my book on their news page and will shortly post an interview with me.

But WHAT, you may well ask, is ACTUALLY ON MY HOOK??? Well, as usual, several things but right at this minute, I'm making Georgina the Hippopotamus from Toft's Edward's Menagerie, out of Sirdar Smudge in a beautiful muted shade of heather. Should be done by tonight - lovely. And then I can start preparing my next course at Denman - Crochet for Christmas!