PROFILE: FRANK& OLIVE
Frank&Olive’s Ruby McGrath chats cute crochet for kids and empowering retreats.
R uby McGrath came to crochet as a form of rebellion against a growing trend. “When I was pregnant in 2011, I wanted to make nice things for my baby, Olive,” she says. “Everything in store was not to my taste and I wanted Olive to wear things that I actually liked instead of the ‘I love my Mummy’ and ‘Princess’ onesies which seemed to be everywhere.” This gut reaction has served Ruby (and Olive) extremely well, resulting in Ruby’s gorgeous Frank& Olive brand of patterns for adorable kiddie clothing, garments for grown ups, and more. THE BIRTH OF A BRAND The name Frank&Olive originates from Ruby’s first pregnancy. “My partner Pete and I weren’t sure if we were having a boy or a girl and those were the two names we had picked out – Frank for a boy or Olive for a girl,” says Ruby. “Olive is simply a name that Pete and I both loved, and Frank was after my Grandad Frank who had recently passed away. He had always been, and still is, one of the most important people in my life and he would have been proud of my hard work and success. I’m doing it all for him really.”
Two years after their Olive came along, Pete and Ruby’s son Frank was born. The launch of Frank&Olive as a brand came about in response to public demand! “Olive was a head-to-toe crochet-wearing baby,” says Ruby. “As I’d created most of her clothing, people kept stopping me in the street to admire what she was wearing or the blankets she was wrapped in. They couldn’t believe I’d made them and would ask if I had a website, which I thought was bonkers! After lots of friends, family and complete strangers started placing orders, I started to think that maybe I should create a Facebook page so that people could contact me. It kinda snowballed from there, really.”
Both the company and Ruby’s skills have developed a lot since then. After years of practice, Ruby has reached a point where she can take her crochet in any direction she chooses. “I can look at something and work out how to crochet it,” she exclaims. “There are no limits! I started the business when I was only 21, so I’ve also grown up a lot. I’m now more sure of my own style.”
Ruby loves to draw inspiration from the world around her. “I’m attracted to the
quirky and unusual designs that I see on the catwalk, in magazines, in the shops and online. I love colour!”
From the start Ruby has been keen to make her patterns accessible to all skill levels. “Frank& Olive is all about keeping things simple and bold in a way that enables even the most inexperienced crocheter to create impressive projects,” she says. With this in mind, the projects use simple, straightforward techniques, even if in her own time she loves to challenge herself.
“I’ve made plenty of mistakes and had crochet disasters,” she admits. “It’s probably to do with my impulsiveness and my lack of patience. I just fall in love with a ball of wool and I’m away, usually without knowing what I’m going to make.” Any big fails? “Oh yes. My favourite crochet fails are the turtleneck that was so small it wouldn’t have even fitted a doll, and the corner-to- corner attempt that resembled a rude hand gesture…” TAKING ON THE WORLD Ruby was soon besieged by requests to teach workshops. “People kept asking me, but I worried that if I showed people what I could do, then I would be losing their custom,” she says. “Eventually, I realised that these two things were separate markets. Once I’d found the courage, I took the plunge and I ran the workshops from my living room. I soon figured out that I should have been doing these a long time ago!”
The pleasure of the workshops themselves was only one of their benefits, as shortly after our sister title Mollie Makes got in touch. “I collaborated with them and we ran workshops together,” she says. “This projected me onto the journey I’m now on.”
One of the most challenging aspects is balancing her family life with an expanding business. “It’s a really tricky thing to do, run a business and be a mum on a daily basis,” says Ruby, “but my drive and determination just makes it work. The fact that I love what I do makes it easier to make time for it.”
Encouragement from the crafting community helps Ruby stay on track. “I spend a lot of my time on Instagram, where I have a really strong friendship group of other designers and crochet lovers,” she says. “We support and inspire each other and we have recently created a new hashtag, #instagrlgng, to strengthen our creative girl gang.”
One of Ruby’s light-bulb moments opened up into a new area of the business. “One night just as I was falling asleep, I sat bolt upright in bed,” she recalls. “I shot downstairs and got my best mate on the phone; I needed to run it by her to make sure that crochet retreats were a viable plan and not just one of my impulsive crazy ideas.” Far from being crazy, the retreats proved to be a stroke of genius. “The first one sold out within a fortnight and just two months later I was hosting my first retreat.”
Ruby is now preparing for her first overseas Frank& Olive retreat, amid the bustle and beauty of Barcelona. “I chose Barcelona for the first overseas retreat simply because I love it,” she enthuses. “The atmosphere, the weather (not too hot for crochet!), the architecture and the people. Plus, once I discovered the GORGEOUS villa we are going to be staying in, I just knew it had to be held there.” The retreat will be a long weekend of, Ruby promises, “unlimited yarn, delicious food, beautiful accommodation, workshops and brilliant company – all in a gorgeous city!”
Ruby has also just begun putting together the very first ever Frank&Olive book, which we’re thrilled about! “I’m still in the design stages so I’m yet to choose a publisher, though we’ve had a number of exciting offers,” she says. “It’s going to be a sleek and stylish book with patterns in the back.” She’s already determined that the book will be “bright, bold and modern with an impressive selection of womenswear designs. I have some fantastic yarn brands supporting me.”
The aim is to release the book in 2018, but for now Ruby is happy to enjoy planning, dreaming, creating, and making sure she gets the design exactly right. It’s a method that’s proven golden for Frank&Olive so far, and that’s good enough for us.
“I FALL IN LOVE WITH A WOOL AND I’M AWAY, WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT I’M GOING TO MAKE.”