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.

Counting chickens...

Okay, you'll have to excuse me a big pun on this one, but I couldn't resist! You see, we treated ourselves to a lovely breakfast at Low Sizergh Barn this morning en route to Kendal (shoe shopping, yarn shopping and haircut!). We've still to get around to the Farm Trail, but had a little visit to the chickens on our way in.

Those chickens were, of course, fully hatched and ready for counting, but I do have a bit of a superstition about counting chicks of the human baby kind until they are safely here e.g. I don't like making things for the new arrival until they have arrived. My way around it is to make stuff for 'non specific babies who may just turn up'. Just now there are a couple of these imminent, not to mention our own, so I've been indulging in rather too much purchasing of Debbie Bliss Eco Aran and Eco Baby. I'm really enjoying knitting with soft but vibrant colours and yarn that feels gorgeous. Won't say anymore about what and for whom, but keep your fingers crossed for those hatchings!

Gratitude (part two)

Definitely, definitely much gratitude for sunshine and warmer weather. As well as lifting the spirits it's also really opened up our 'outdoor classroom' (not that we're exactly aiming on education with a nearly-two-year-old, but every day is learning when you're that size!)
So we've had music...at Grizedale Forest, where he's finally got the hang of banging on the different sized wood blocks to get different sounds...


Imaginative play and a bit of Botany as he and his little pal discover 'treasure' in the form of pine cones, dry leaves and sticks in their own den at Tarn Hows...where a certain amount of Science came in too (from a stream to sticky mud, where does liquid become solid? And what happens if you sit in it, or go in deeper than your wellies?)



Back home, another warm evening saw a little Horticulture- the home move is still up in the air, but wherever we are this summer there will surely be space for pots and tubs of tomatoes, courguettes and squash...



...and lastly some Cookery, as we had our first outdoor-cooked meal of the year- not our first meal eaten outdoors though! That honour must go to some slightly chilly picnics while on walks.

Gratitude (part one)

Yep, it's Wednesday again and having to have a steroid injection this morning wasn't exactly a good way to make me feel better about my least favourite day of the week. So I'm doing my best to concentrate on gratitude for the good stuff! This is part one, more later I hope. I don't always find being a stay-at-home mum (I love my wee man, but I also love teaching and really miss it at the moment) the easiest but when you get to take time having a leisurely breakfast with your little boy, including having leaf tea from a proper teapot, and the sun streams through the window it has to be admitted that there are perks.
PS I've posted a pic of my quilt on the V&A's 'Quilt of Quilts'. Much gratitude coming to you if you go and rate it here!