This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember. Inspired by SouleMama

Learning at all ages

Note the label on the jar of Rhubarb and Ginger jam we were given today. How did my sister know it had 55 airmiles on it? Because she actually flew those 55 miles across the county to give it to us. Okay, not just to give us jam, but because her other half has learned to fly small planes as a hobby. And he's already a train driver- what a 'Boys Own' dream eh? I think a certain little man who seems intent on fulfilling the cliche that boys love all types of transport will be a bit of a fan when he's older!

Speaking of that little man, I am revelling in being a proud mummy today. We knew he was very dextrous, but given that he loves to be on the move all the time, it can be surprising how he can be still, concentrate and persevere. At a bit of a loss this afternoon, after our trip to the airfield, I grabbed these beads, sat with him on the sofa and showed him how to thread them. He watched, he attempted to copy but kept pulling the cord back out, tried a few more times and boom! after about ten minutes he had it! Lots of cheers and kisses followed, and soon he was threading up bead after bead, demanding a kiss for each one. Even when he struggled, he kept trying, working out which hand was best to use, adjusting his grip on the cord or the bead. Sorry to gush- I've no idea whether this is impressive or not for his age, but I'm very proud all the same!

This Moment

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

inspired by Amanda Blake Soule

Hatched #2

More happy news, as my pal Kate (friend since I was three! That's a lot more years than I care to mention!) has had her second little girl. All is safe and well and I got to send off another project I'd been working on. For the new arrival I was a bit uninspired about making something, so I got this instead, because I've always thought they were kind of cool. However, I also thought the newly minted 'big sister' needed a treat, so I got a t-shirt, also from Green Baby, then cut out some letters from scrap fabric and ironed them onto interfacing:



I pinned them in place (ooh, fiddly! Many pricked fingers!):



I over-stitched the letters by hand, et voila!, personalised 'Ra-Ra! Big Sister!' t-shirt.


Excuse the mood lighting in the photos- cutting, ironing, pinning and stitching just don't mix with a nearly-two year old, so it was all done in a couple of evenings.

Spots and stripes

I love spots and stripes! My feet seem to be getting further away, but they've not changed shape with pregnancy so I decided they needed a treat- hence these little darlings from Cath Kidston.
My new spotty shoes are certainly helping me to deal with galloping heartburn, house-sale hassles and a grumpy little boy, as are the stripes on my completed baby blanket. The Liberty print binding worked out fine; I machine stitched on one side, found a couple of tutorials on YouTube to help me with the corners and hand stitched the other side to finish. I'm really happy with the result- Liberty lawn is so soft, which means the edge should be fine tucked under the owner's little chin and the loose garter stitch in aran-weight cotton has a really nice, breathable drape. I think I like the 'wrong' side as much as the 'right' but the way the binding looks I don't see why it can't be reversible. Now then, what next? Maybe that cardigan for me...

Breathe

Lots of people seemed to say last week was a long one for some reason, and ours was no exception. The weekend then seemed to go really fast, but nevertheless there have been some chances to just breathe. I have mixed feelings about finishing the knitting part of the blanket I'm working on. Although I'm enjoying the challenge of edging it in some leftover Liberty print cotton (I've even managed mitred corners! Thank you, YouTube!) I miss the calming effect of chugging across those garter stitch rows- breathe in, breathe out.
The farm on Sunday was full of Springtime- daffodils, newly mown lawn for P to drive a re-found tractor (one very careful owner 20 something years ago apparently!) on and lambs all over! Things are looking more hopeful that our little boy will have more space to run in at home soon, but in the meantime, isn't he lucky to have so much space when he goes to see Granny and Grandpa?

Hatched!

Okay, one chick than can be counted now! I was so happy to hear of the birth of my friend Liz's son today. All is well, and he's been given the same name as our boy, so obviously we approve of the choice! This means that I can assign two knitted projects to a safe arrival. The baby hat was from a pattern I improvised, having made similar over the years. The ball was made using this Ravelry pattern which was a lot easier than I expected, just lots of short rows over a couple of evenings. Both are made from Debbie Bliss Ecobaby which is a lovely soft cotton that's a pleasure to knit with. I'm going to get them in the post tomorrow.
As fast as I finish one project, however, I add another to the list. I'm after knitting a new cardigan for myself, but can't decide between this and this but as P has decided to develop an obsession with trains and only really wants to wear a pyjama top that has a train on it, I might have to think of an applique/embroidery idea to transform some of his plain t-shirts.