Take a seat...

...or take four to be precise. Our home improvements are taking a long while to get done, partly because we are on a learning curve with most things, partly because free weekends are hard to come by and partly because two small children don't really speed things along! These chairs were a nice exception to the rule, though, turning out to be an easier and quicker job than I expected. My Grandma had given us money to spend as a housewarming present, so I bought some 'Provence Rose Green' cotton duck from Cath Kidston. It was a simple case of unscrew the seats from their bases, use a (borrowed) staple gun to secure the fabric over the old covers and replace the seats. The only challenge I have is to try and make an extra slipcover for the chair P uses. He insists on a big chair rather than his lovely adjustable high chair to sit up to the table and I don't want my lovely new fabric splattered with porridge, pasta sauce etc, so I want a removable, washable version. Sewing machine out later this weekend then, to finish the job.

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.

Just because I can do magic loop doesn't mean I have to like it...

The magic loop in question is being deployed on the Pirate jumper I'm making for P. It's working instead of DPNs for the sleeves, but I'm finding it pretty tedious and annoying work. This is probably why I'm giving it a break for a while. That and the fact that given how fussy the intended audience is when it comes to clothes, especially tops, at the moment. I'm not sure I can take the rejection of my specially designed, handknitted from BFL yarn offering just yet, so I'll go back to it in a wee while and maybe he'll be feeling slightly more cooperative.
I also have huge temptation in the form of spoils from a trip to Kendal last weekend. The trip took place for an initially bad reason- C's phone going on the blink and needing to go there to be fixed- but unexpected post the day before turned it into a bit of a treat. The post in question was a letter from the Inland Revenue, explaining I'd overpaid tax last year and enclosing a cheque!!! Okay, so the overdraft swallowed it, but we decided that a few treats were still in order, therefore new boots, a yummy lunch out and a visit to William's Wools made it a very nice day indeed. The yarn shop visit was not entirely selfish, as both purchases were in preparation for Christmas presents. Can't say much about the Noro in case the wrong eyes read this, but the golden Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino is destined to be a teddy bear like the one I made for P. It's hard to know what to get as a Christmas present for a 6 month old baby, so I've decided M should have something handmade with love. Hopefully she'll love it as much as P loves 'Edmund' bear. I'll keep some yarn back for essential darning in case she does!

My Boy

P had a twenty minute tantrum today. I think it was something about the colour of top he was wearing. He's two years old, so looking for logic just isn't worth the time. As I waited for the screams to fade down, I got on with making lunch and looked down into the sweet smiling face of my little girl, finding it so hard to believe that in a couple of years she'll probably having moments like that.
However, for all that it's tough at times living in the crazy world of the toddler, of course I wouldn't change him, wouldn't even freeze or reverse time so that he stayed the placid little baby he was. I know that the tantrums are all part of the process of him growing up, growing more and more into his personality every day.
So today's blog is an indulgence, for which I make no excuses! It's a tribute to what he's becoming and a bit of a chance to remind myself that he does a lot more than scream and kick, this boy of mine:









With any luck, another thing he'll do is wear the pirate jumper I'm making for him...although who knows if it's the right colour!

Hatched Again!

Happy news today- our very dear friends announced the safe arrival of their first child. Welcome to the world baby Isaac! I don't need much prompting to get the knitting needles out and had already bought some Debbie Bliss Eco-Baby in preparation. I adapted a pattern from her 'Simply Baby' book to make a little hat with the little man's initial on it. It'll go in the post tomorrow, ready for when he comes home.

Pirates and Dragons

Ok, I'll deal with the dragons first- Ysolda Teague's Snapdragon mittens to be precise. I finished the first one ages ago but after swearing and struggling with complicated cables over four needles I just couldn't face doing it all over again so the second mitten was somewhat abandoned as summer came around. Well, summer is well and truly over and with cold hands to spur me on I conquered my dragon and completed the matching mitten with only one frogging and minimal bad language.
While I feel the cold a lot, P is like his father in that he would happily run around in shorts and a tshirt all year. I really want him to at least wear a hat when he goes out in the cold, but he has perfected the sentence 'I don't like it, Mummy'. Undeterred by the prospect of failure, I used leftovers from my Manu cardigan (Inca Cloud), entrelac scarf (King Cole Riot) and the Snapdragon mittens (Artesano Alpaca) to make a pirate hat:

Yes, I know it doesn't look like anything a pirate would wear but Shhh! Don't tell a certain two year old who loves pirates and is therefore just about persuaded that a 'pirate hat' is acceptable. For five minutes to take a photo anyway.
The pattern was one I made up because I couldn't find a pattern for the weight of yarn I had (DK) or that wasn't on four needles (I'm off DPNs at the moment after the mittens, see above!) or a circular (just wasn't in the mood for circular, and would have needed DPNs for the top anyway). I'm a bit of a straights girl myself, even though I hate seaming at the end, so this is how I made an earflap hat on straights:
P's 'Pirate' Hat
Fits a 20in circumference toddler head.

Cast on 110 stitches on 3.75mm needles, in five provisional cast ons as follows:
15 for left back, 20 for ear flap, 40 for front, 20 for ear flap, 15 for right back. I used different coloured yarns for the different sections so that it was easier later. Neat knitters of a nervous disposition look away now...

Choose the colour you want for the ear flaps and make sure you have enough left to knit them later. Join yarn and knit across all stitches.
Continue in stocking stitch, adding in colours/stripes as desired until hat is desired depth from brow to 10cm below crown.
Begin decreases as follows:
On next knit row, *K9, k2tog, rep from * until end
Next row, purl
Next row *K8, k2tog, rep from * until end
Next row, purl
Continue in this manner until 22 stitches remain.
Next knit row, K2tog across row.
Break long yarn, thread through all stitches to gather.

Undo provisional cast-on for an ear flap and pick up all stitches.
With right side facing, P3, K14, P3
Row 2: K3, P14, K3
Repeat these two rows nine times more.
Next row: K2tog, P2, K12, P2, K2tog
Next row: K3, P12, K3
Next row: K2tog, P2, K10, P2, K2tog
Next row: K3, P12, K3
Next row: K2tog,K12, K2tog
Knit two rows, place stitches on holder.

Complete second ear flap to match.

Join seam at back of hat. Undo back provisional cast ons and place all back stitches on needle. With right side facing to begin, complete three rows of reverse stocking stitch then place stitches on a holder.

Place front stitches on needle, complete three rows reverse stocking stitch as for back. Place stitches on holder.

Join ends of reverse stocking stitch rows to sides of ear flaps.

Using a circular needle (I know, I know, but I only used it for this bit!) pick up 12 stitches down side of left ear flap, pick up stitches from holder along the bottom, 12 stitches up other side of right ear flap, pick up stitches along front, pick up stitches around right ear flap in same way then pick up stitches along back.
Using contrast yarn if desired, use i-cord cast off all the way around edge:
K3, *pass 3 stitches back onto left needle, K2, K2 together, repeat from * until three stitches remain. K2 tog, pass stitch back to left needle, K2tog and thread yarn through loop.

Weave in ends, join up i-cord edging and persuade your two-year-old it's a pirate hat.

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.