September Summer

I don't know quite how to start a blog again. When you haven't blogged for so long, you kind of forget how to do it without sounding funny. So bear with me, it could be a strange one.

Last week, we thought winter was upon us. And we wore gloves one afternoon and a jumper. Then it all turned out to be another twist in this, the strangest of summers, and the sun came out again on Sunday. Great joy all round, people smiling at each other again and frantic painting of toenails that we thought we'd bid farewell to until April. So who knows, we may get our summer after all, I am keeping my toes well and truly painted, and my shorts at the ready.

The lovely Apricot knitters have been busy knitting up some gorgeous new designs and colours for this winter, and I can't wait to share them with you. Once I work out how to put pretty pictures on the blog, I will be sure to post all the lovely new Apricot snuggliness. The hats, scarves and mittens are now on sale in various shops across the country, and as the cold days creep up on us, don't forget to have a look at the website to keep those Littles lovely and warm. www.apricotdesigns.co.uk

Keep in touch and I promise to blog more often, thanks for reading.

Mrs A xx

Sunshine and caramel

This sunshine is simply soul lifting! Everyone appears happier and busier too, what is it about a bit of sun that makes you get things done? Washing on lines, soapy cars and ice lollies have all come out this week along with the primroses.

We live in a beautiful part of the world and I never appreciate it more than in these first few days of Spring when the land turns green again and the sky goes on for miles. Today I am out in the Apricot Garden, finishing off tidying jobs that should have been done in colder weather. So far all I appear to have done is drink tea, tie some lavender up in an attempt to save it from itself and discover four long lost golf balls. Not exactly the most productive morning but fun nonetheless.

Reading Mrs M's post this morning reminded me that Apricot Knitting is now on Twitter! I'm not promising anything particularly inspiring but it's good fun so far, and frankly I could do with a few followers! @apricotknitting

Apricot Curry was a huge hit with Little and Littlest Apricots this week so I will be adding it to the recipe repertoire, along with the scrumdiddlyumptious Maldon Salted Caramel Squares courtesy of River Cottage, naughty but oh so fab!

Birthdays

This week has been a birthday week in Apricot House as our littlest apricot turned one. He had a party tea with a bumblebee cake and jam sandwiches and a trip out to Blenheim Palace to try out his new wheels. He was delighted with all the fuss if slightly bemused as to why he had to eat so much cake.

Hats are flying out to far away lands, and gorgeous new arrivals in Italy and Germany will be kept warm and snuggly in Apricot Hats sent by air mail with love. The first fair is swiftly approaching and I am getting a little anxious about the arrangement of my stall. Several trial sessions have proved messy at best, downright disastrous at worst. Time to enlist the help of the special friend, the one whose presents are wrapped just beautifully with ribbons and rice paper that make you sigh as you receive them. She will know what to do.

Flapjacks are a regular feature of Apricot House teatime, and I've always been pretty happy with my reliable recipe. This week, however, I baked them in a deeper, narrower tin and for less time. They came out really rather fabulously and were gone before I could blink. Littlest Apricot, although relatively impressed by birthday cake, hoovers up flapjacks and squawks for more.

Friday night would normally be a curry or risotto night. But I think the Apricots may head out to enjoy this fabulous evening sunshine with a pint and a basket of chips at the pub.

Warming up

It's been too long since the last blog post, as the residents of Apricot House have been fighting off various winter ills. Fingers crossed we're all on the mend now. And the blog is back!

Of course Apricot Designs can't wait around so it's been business as usual. The website is up and running although the hats are still 'coming soon' and without photos. We have a wonderful photographer ready to take some fabulous shots of the hats and as soon as the whole collection is ready we will be hoping for some crisp sunny weather and some beautiful photos. Then they will be uploaded and business online can begin!

In the meantime, if anyone would like information about the hats, designs, or anything else Apricot, there is a Contact page on the website or alternatively our email is hats@apricotdesigns.co.uk. We would love to hear from you.

We are receiving some lovely emails from some very happy customers with fab pictures of their little Apricots wearing our snuggly Apricot Hats. A gallery of these is being set up on the website; enquiries on the Contact page.

With these winter chills, we've been enjoying spicy butternut squash soup, leek and potato soup, thai style chicken broth - you get the picture.

But today is Sunday, and it's cold outside, which can mean only one thing...lasagne in all its glory.

Snug as a bug in an Apricot Hat...

Apricot Alpaca Hats are in production now and will be on the website by the end of February. Beautifully snuggly, they actually get warmer as the air gets colder, fabulous natural technology!

Meanwhile, designs for girls' hats are in the final stages so some gorgeous Apricot Hats with flowers and bows will be making their appearance soon. Things are very busy, and this week has been windy and cold here at Apricot House, plenty of time for cuddling up on the sofa and knitting in front of the fire. Our little robin has been brave enough to come to the back door for food, he must be hungry to come close to the chaos in our kitchen!

Saturday is baking day in the Apricot Kitchen, today a yummy Victoria sponge and some chocolate chip cookies disappeared very shortly after they came out of the oven when the extended Apricot family descended.

Keeping those heads warm

Today I've finally finished the design for a men's hat, poor Mr Apricot has had to model several versions, including one with giant bulky bubbles sticking out of the sides (he stuck to washing up in that one).

Each time I design a new hat I have to knit a few to get it right. Each time I knit a hat I do it in a different colour scheme so by the time my design is perfect, so is my colour range!

Apricot Men's Hats now come in classic grey, chocolate brown, electric blue and a classic racing green. They look fabulous and are snuggly warm - very important for Mr Apricot as he stands in the cold at half past six waiting for the bus to work!

And cooking in the Apricot Kitchen tonight is a chicken, leek and mushroom hotpot - a classic to use up the contents of the fridge on a Friday evening.

Busy busy busy...

So time has passed (quite a lot of time!) and things are moving forward. I have been so busy that I haven't had a moment to sit down, never mind blog, but this is good news!

The website is taking shape and I am looking into different ways to display all of the products, I really want the site to be super user-friendly and I need some lovely photos to help me out. This may sound easy but as my only models at the moment are a three-and-a-half-year-old whirlwind and a ten-month-old crawler who's more interested in pulling bottles of wine off the rack than posing for photos, it's proving a small challenge. My plan is to make lots of yummy cakes, especially ones loved by babies, invite lots of mums round and put hats on everyone in the hope I'll get some lovely pictures, it may work, or if it doesn't at least everyone can eat cake.

Some beautiful British alpaca wool arrived this week. Completely gorgeous and soft, and best of all, spun and dyed in the UK using British alpaca fleeces. So far I have chocolate, silvery grey, a cream, and several colours to combine with these base colours. I'm very keen to keep my Apricot Alpaca Range as natural as possible with the colour choices, as alpacas already come in such wonderful colours themselves!

The oven has beeped in the Apricot House, which can only mean one thing...Apricot Flapjacks! Will write soon, promise.