Six weeks old today

How time flies.  These last six weeks have flown by in a complete blur and our beautiful baby E is now six weeks old.  I miss my sleep, my bed and those eight hours of mainly uninterrupted sleep that I had every night before baby E arrived but took for granted.  Though despite longing for sleep, a routine and some order back into our lives I want to press pause because baby E is growing so fast.

I have made progress on Baby E's new pink cardigan but I still have the sleeves to do.

There are lots of projects in my head but they will have to stay put for now as I have no time for anything other than looking after my two perfect girls.
Bye for now x

Three weeks old today

I can't believe that our beautiful baby girl is three weeks old.  And that only recently we were a family of three and now we are four (well five if I include the dog who is currently holidaying with my parents) it seems that baby E has been here forever and to say we are blissfully happy is an understatement.  Yes we are tired and this little one is spending a fair few hours awake during the night but we are so lucky to have two perfect daughters.  Little L continues to behave well, she seems to have adjusted really well and provided she still gets her meals and bedtimes at the right time she is happy.  We have been venturing out to playgroups, swimming, the seaside, the park etc so Little L is kept busy.

This is baby E in the first cardigan I knit for her whilst I was pregnant.

I managed to knit a quick bobble hat in pink of course.

And I am currently knitting this cardigan but it is slow going in a very thin DK I should have gone for aran.

Bye for now

Baby's first Cardigan and Hat

I confess I finished both of these months ago and they have sat in the cupboard waiting for the ends to be sewn in and the buttons attached.  What can I say I get easily distracted.  So as the time is ticking by pretty quickly I decided I better finish them off so that baby will have something to wear.

I knitted the Zoom cardigan again because it is such an easy pattern to follow.  I used James C Brett Aran with wool which is lovely and soft.  Perfect for a winter baby. Added some cute ladybird buttons and ta-dah one newborn cardigan.

The hat pattern was Chunky Organic Cotton baby Beanie but I modified it to account for using Aran and hopefully it will fit a newborn.

Not knitting anything else until the baby arrives because I don't want to knit more unisex colours.  I probably won't have time to knit anything when the baby arrives but I can at least buy the wool and get other people to knit them??

Yarndale

On Saturday we had a day at Yarndale.  

Me, my Sister, Mum and Niece went (no Little L she was with her Daddy thank goodness as it would have been a nightmare with a pram) to Skipton.  It was a lovely sunny day and we were there early.  There was lots to see, some very talented people displaying there makes.  I saw a lovely stall Knitwits (don't think they have a website) but they sell beautiful cardigans, jumpers and hats for babies to toddlers.  Little L has a cardigan from them with butterflies on which we bought at the Westmorland Show.  If I had known what we were expecting I would have bought a cardigan for baby.  They do the neatest fairisle colourwork I have ever seen and they wash well.  If we have a baby girl she will certainly be wearing Little L's butterfly cardigan when it fits.  Another lady (Gwennol designer hand knits) was selling beautiful hand made baby blankets, I was tempted but again would need to be unisex!  

We had a lovely morning at the show and then down into Skipton for the afternoon on the free bus.  I didn't buy anything at the show, my pockets aren't that deep, and I like my yarn ready to go, I don't wind hanks into balls, I don't spin wool and I like to be able to buy enough for a project without breaking the bank.  But there was certainly some nice things to see and if it runs next year I will make the trip.   

Painting, diy and more painting

With the great weather we have been having of late we have been doing some general maintenance outside, boring you might say but as the most expensive thing we own we need to look after our house and I do love DIY. 

So far we have re-flagged a small section at the front of the house (with some help), dug and planted a new border in front of the flags, painted the front door, the window surrounds, the window sills, resealed and painted the patio door frame, patched up the garage door frame (this is very rotten but as our carpentry skills are not up to making a new frame it has been filled and filled and glossed a lot, hopefully it will last a few more years), painted the garage door, fixed up fence panels (again quite a few of these are rotten and need replacing but we hope to get a few more years out of them), painted fences (still doing this as it takes ages), and heavily pruned some trees.  Think that is it outside so far.  We still want to cut back the greengage plum tree but will wait till the fruit is ready for picking.  

Sorry no before photos and these after shots were pretty hastily taken (excuse the hydrangea it looks parched I will remember to water it).

It looks a lot better and bonus we don't need to step over a trench to get out of the front door.

With all the work outside my knitting has taken a backseat.  I have just finished a baby cardigan (which I will try to photo soon) and have attempted to cast on several hats but haven't landed on the right pattern for the wool I am using (or for my skill level) 

Zoom cardigan and bootees

I finished this a few weeks ago but have only just been able to sew the buttons on.  It is the Zoom cardigan from Ravelry

The pattern is really simple.   It is top down and with raglan increase which gives a really neat finish I think. The hardest part was picking up the stitches for the sleeves and then knitting the sleeves on dpn's was really hard going on my hands.

The wool I used is really soft James c brett aran with wool.  I went for a beige colour as I didn't know whether it was for a boy or girl.  Well they have had a beautiful baby boy so I choose some cute baby blue ducks.  Notice I only went for two buttons because I forgot to put the third button hole in??

I also knit these really quick bootee's, again from ravelry.  Very easy pattern I cast on 34 and knit 13 rows then cast off 13 knit to end followed by co 13 knit to end to get a T shape rather than start with the narrow bit and then cast on stitches.  I think this way is much easier.  Wish I had blocked them but I didn't have time.  Who knows how big newborn feet are?? I don't think they will fit but they are cute.

We are heading down to the Peak District tomorrow to meet baby J, can't wait not sure what Little L will make of him though.  Anyway must go and wrap his pressies (newborn clothes are the cutest)

Finished Cowl

I cast this on last week because I just couldn't decide on what to knit next.  So an easy and quick  knit was called for.  I used some leftover wool from my swing cardigan and I found the perfect pattern on Ravelry for this cowl,  I love the weave effect (think its called basket weave) and it is reasonably snug so easy to slip on under my coat. 

Knitting this in the round on such short needles was pretty hard on my hands though.

 

This weekend we have been outside a lot as it has been a bit warmer and sunny.  We have been walking down the canal, been to the park and done some gardening and general pottering.  This morning though my other half was busy collecting our free set of garden furniture.  Three trips were involved and we now have two benches like this

Two chairs like this

 

And one huge table.  I will paint them all and if I get fed up of any of them they can be added to our wood stack or put back onto Freecycle.  

Top down baby cardigan

So I just cast off the last sleeve on the baby cardigan I had been knitting.  It looks really cute.  It is no way newborn size but I'm not sure what size it is.  I could do with a few different sized babies to gauge the size.  Maybe I will try to estimate when I'm next at playgroup.  It could be around 9-12 months.  I haven't blocked it yet and I haven't put buttons on it.  I will wait until I know who the recipient is.  Probably my friends baby when it arrives.

 

 

 

So what to knit next maybe another baby cardigan but try to get a newborn size.  I love this little cardigan Zoom

 

And I love this cardigan Baby sophisticate

 

Or maybe this for me Abalone

 

Not sure anyway must go for now

 

 

Weekend potterings

The weather last week was pretty bad and we had got pretty wet and freezing on our trips out and about.  And since it snowed a lot on Friday and was due to snow on Saturday we didn't plan to do much.  Little L has a really bad cough and so Saturday afternoon we played in front of the stove and watched Up.  I love this film and Little L seemed mildly amused with it at times especially when the dog speaks and she loves balloons.

 

Sunday was a quiet day here as again it was freezing.  So food shopping was done and after lunch I managed to work on the cardigan I cast on the other week.  It is a really easy pattern to follow.  But my sizing seems a bit off as it is no way going to be newborn size as stated in the pattern.  Oh well it will come in handy when my friends baby is bigger.  I might use this pattern again but use aran as then it might fit Little L as it would be even bigger.

 

P was outside doing wood collecting/chopping/stacking not sure really but he has been getting lots of wood recently to stack and dry for winter.  It is so nice to see a big stack of wood outside.

 

Also managed to plant up some pots with winter pansies.  Just need some warmth to get them growing.

 

 

 This last week I have also been working on my Upcycled retro table but progress is slow as it has been too cold in the garage for my little helper so I haven't done much.  Maybe this week I will finish it.  But its unlikely as this is another busy week with my car at the garage so a day back home for us, playgroup, shopping and my favourite 17 year old niece turns 18!!.   And only 5 more days until Easter and the end of lent so I can finally eat chocolate and crisps. 

Baby cardigan

Having finished my cardigan last week I have been itching to start something new.  We have a really good wool stall at a local market and the wool is really cheap and good quality but its only on once a week.  Last Thursday he wasn't there and as this Thursday was forecast rain I knew he wouldn't be there this week (wool and rain don't mix).  So I have been trying to match wool that I have to a pattern that I haven't found yet.  So cue endless hours looking at ravelry trying to find a good pattern but everything is either the wrong size, not the right wool etc so with evening boredom levels at a maximum I finally picked a top down raglan baby cardigan.  This pattern is very easy so far (top-down-raglan-baby-sweater) and looks like it will be a perfect little cardigan for our friends new baby which is due early May. I am using Sirdar breeze in a light beige (has to be a unisex colour) and this wool is so soft just perfect for a newborn.  When the baby arrives I will knit something in pink or blue but for now this will keep me busy for a week or so.

Swinging Cardigan Finished

So I started this cardigan (Swinging stripe cardigan) early in January and it was really quick to knit.  The pattern is very simple and easy to follow.  I love doing raglan sleeves and doing this top down was so easy.  It knit really fast and no seems to sew up which is a bonus.  I needed double pointed needles for the sleeves and so I ordered some off Ebay of course (from Hong Kong much cheapness) but they haven't come yet.  So this cardigan has sat on the shelf for three weeks waiting for the sleeves to be finished until I'd had enough waiting and just bought some needles from the a shop.  So Thursday afternoon when little L was having her sleep I sat down to finish it.

 

Strong coffee

And a big bundle of knitting

Finished and blocked on Friday

And ta dah.  For my first adult knit  I'm pretty pleased with it.  It is a bit big and I would make a few modifications to it if I were to knit it again but its very warm. 

 

Just thinking what to knit next something big for me or small for little L??

Bye for now

Provence Baby Cardigan Finished

I started this cardigan last November and I got on with it really quickly and I was on course for it to be sent to Father Christmas for little L but then I started the front panels.  Urgh  .... it was a simple enough pattern but I just kept going wrong.  And I am rubbish at taking work back (I can never get the stitches back on and the right way round) so each time I just had to pull it all back and start again.  So as with many of my projects it got put to the side whilst I got on with other new projects.

I picked it up in January and having established that it would be huge on her there seemed no rush so again it sat on the shelf unloved.  Until last night, I finished it finally.

I haven't blocked it yet (not sure if I will bother) and I'm pretty happy.  I love the moss stitch ribbing and the simple garter stitch edging to the collar.  If I did it again I would probably do the button band in the same size needle as the body and just pick up stitches evenly rather than a set number because the button bands are too pinched.  Also it is pretty big for an 18 month size ??  It will fit her one day

I am currently knitting this cardigan for me but without the stripes!  Bye for now

A year of change

Just over a week ago we got the news that we had been dreading.  My other half is being made redundant.  The possibility of this has hung over his head for the last 18 months and then last Friday his boss dropped it on him.  Happy new year you are going to lose your job!  Seventeen years of hard work and bye bye.

So this year will be a year of change, changes to our plans, our focus, jobs etc. 

I saw this on Tina's blog the other day and thought it quite fitting for us:

"I welcome change, and regard it as a friend. This present uncertain situation has more power for good than for evil. No matter how complicated the plot, it can be the opening sentence to a new rich chapter in my life."

~ Thomas Bartram 

We are trying to see this as a challenge and count our blessings for all that we have. 

And finally keeping me sane this week has mainly been our very supportive family but also:

This is a brilliant book, I got it for Christmas and I definitely recommend it for novice or expert knitters.

Some exciting new knitting on my needles, will share details soon promise

A mini snowman made by my sister, I love the snow but I'm glad its nearly gone

Bye for now

Knitted Humpty Dumpty

After a really busy morning of general jobs, making mince pies and a visit from our friendly builder who kindly went on the roof for me to remove our chimney cowl I managed to just make it to Knit and Natter this afternoon.

The lovely ladies are always very pleased to see Little L.  And she is usually very well behaved as we knit she plays with toys, looks at books and is a little charmer.  And today she came away with two Christmas presents, one which is a surprise for under the tree and the other is a beautiful knitted Humpty Dumpty.

 

 

 

The lady who knitted humpty is such a fast and skilled knitter.  She has really made some lovely things. 

So a big thank you to her I love my Humpty Dumpty er I mean little L does!

Knitting progress

Hope you are all managing to keep warm!  It is pretty chilly here and has been all week.  But at least it is nice and warm in the front room.  I did feel a bit guilty putting Little L to bed as it's cold up there but she has lots of blankets, a sleeping bag, sleepsuit and a cardigan so she will be fine.  Wish I could go to bed with all that on.

 

Knitting wise progress has been slow.  The last couple of weeks have been busy with time visiting family, days out, a few birthdays and just normal life.  But the thought of going to knit and natter tomorrow made me speed up a bit. 

On Tuesday the postie delivered not one but two lovely parcels from Hong Kong yes my round needles had arrived.  Very impressed it only took two weeks for postage and they were a bargain.

So I couldn't resist casting on the Gap tastic Cowl (or towel as I call it) from Ravelry. 

 

 

I got the wool (silver grey chunky)at the knit and stitch show two weeks ago and with the weather I am definitely in need of a scarf (at the rate I knit it should be finished by spring!).  I am still going with the Provence Baby Cardigan. 

 

The lace leaves pattern was a bit tricky and I had to pull it back a couple of times but I mastered it so I am nearly finished.  I just have another front to do and the button bands.  Nothing else crafty at the moment, I can't face getting my sewing machine out as it is too cold in the dining room..... but at weekend I may be making a little Lamb costume for a certain somebody who might be in a Nativity next week ( not sure if there is room in the cast for another sheep!!). 

 

Anyway a bit more knitting whilst watching Kirstie on TV ......... Rock n roll

Bye for now

Time flies on Ravelry and Ebay

Still looking through endless patterns on Ravelry.  I kind of love and hate Ravelry.  I am very indecisive and think I have become a lot worse with my constant indecision since leaving work.  I fear my brain is being turned to mush through too much Mega blocks and Cbeebies.  Anyhow Ravelry has just endless patterns and I think I am going to have to try knitting in the round as all the decent modern patterns seem to be in the round and top down (another thing I've not done).  So cue Ebay and some searching and i have two sets  (40cm and 80cm) of 18 sizes of circular knitting needles.  Much cheapness and they are only coming half way round the world from Hong Kong

 

 

Watch this space I might be knitting in the round by Christmas   

This and That

Where have I been?  Sorry I haven't posted for a while.  I can't say I've been away on some exciting holiday or been doing anything much out of the ordinary but time just passes so quickly.

So we have been loving the new stove in the front room and there was much excitement on Friday morning (just from me) when the coal man came and delivered 3 bags of coal!  So much warmer than just burning wood.

Christmas is creeping into my thoughts and home.  And I ventured into the kitchen and made some mince pies.  Hhhhm the smell and you can't beat mince pies.  I think you are allowed to eat mince pies from Nov to Feb by then after consuming 100's of them you stop and start the New Year diet (ahem)!  I was impressed as the pastry worked quite well and didn't crack.

Also some Daffodil bulb planting and winter pansies.  I'm never quite sure how deep to put bulbs in so fingers crossed these will come up.

 

And some knitting of course.  Done the back and one sleeve of little L's next cardy and I also started a cowl.  No pattern just knit mainly as I wanted to test out the jumbo 9mm needles I bought on Saturday. 

 

Just wish I could knit a bit faster, one of the ladies at knit and natter finished a cardy the other day, in a toddler size, and it only took her 3 days!!! I'd be lucky to get it done in 3 weeks.  I am off to Harrogate Knit and Stitch Show on Friday (can't wait) so no doubt my things to knit list will get a lot longer.

Bye for now x 

Weekend

Had lots of visitors over the weekend.  I think it is because our house is usually soooo cold.  Not that its boiling now but probably the living room is normal temperature for people who put there heating on. 

 

Friday night whilst others were out having fun me, the other half and little L were loading wood into our car in the dark and the rain.  Well it was a bargain we didn't want to miss and as he had finished work a bit early we went straight away.  So now our garage is full of two ton bags worth of wood not bad.

 

A cute spinning owl from York, a lovely pressie from sister J who visited us on Friday (wish we had been to York)!

 

 

Some knitting which I did at knit and natter on Friday whilst little L looked at books and tried to grab my needles. 

 

Saturday more visitors and much amusement watching Little L's new dance move combo.

 

Sunday more visitors and a little walk down the canal. 

 

 

And then home to a lovely warm house

 

Anyway bye for now, off to watch Homeland and do some knitting.