Oliver Boliver

New things

It was a good week this week and I've had a bout of creative rejuvenation. Team that together with my 6 week sign off at the doctors enabling me to drive again and I feel very much like my old self.  I'm reluctant to admit in case I jinx the situation but Zac is also starting to sleep for around 6 hours at night which feels positively luxurious after the 3 hour cycle we've had since he was born. Admittedly it's early days but I'm not looking the proverbial gift horse in the mouth and fully appreciate what feels akin to a lie in!

So this week I managed to finish my pink striped granny blanket which I edged with a pin striped-ish border. I sort've fell out with the colours of the blanket half way through but then after some careful "random" selections of the final third, fell back in love with it. Here it is in its full glory....

 

And here it is with Zac's bunny....! Oliver did insist on this one...

 

Unfortunately for me, but hurray for my pattern collection, the gaptastic cowl still has not made it on to my needles as the addi click points have still not arrived (boo). Instead, I dug through my stash and teamed it up with some lovely Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds DK undyed in Blue Faced Leicester Marl. I've had this ball hanging out in my stash of DK for too long waiting for a new creature to come to life and I'm pleased to say it's coming along quite nicely.

 

I'm knitting this little creature in 2 weights of yarn, DK and worsted (UK readers - aran weight popular in the US), in 2 different needle sizes which will give one larger and one smaller critter. Subject to Zac (pictured blurry in the background) behaving for his Mummy I should be able to get some knitting and pattern planning done over the next week and fingers crossed there should be a little critter to show you next week....

In the meantime, and I'm sorry for the gratutitous baby photo, but here is Zac after his first proper bath, all snuggly and warm...

 

Mmmm - nice clean baby! You can almost (not) smell him!!!

Hope you have a lovely weekend and get some knitting in!

Pen x

Round Up

This week I've been mostly:

1. Starting a new blanket - this time in pinks..... I love crocheting blankets so much; I even wake up thinking about it. (Did I say that out loud?)

 

2. Wishing I could start my gaptastic cowl with this lovely soft thick yarn.

 

 

3. Received some Addi Click cables in the post following another bout of internet yarn and notion shopping but no Addi Click needles. Apparently they are to follow in another 2 or even 3 weeks which means I can't start knitting my cowl until they arrive. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!

4. Cursing about receiving part orders (see 2&3)!!

5. Finished my 2 Arthur the Aliens in Cascade 220. I got there in the end and I rather like the blue one.

 

6. Practicing for my piano lesson which resumes next week after a few weeks grace to get over the shock of having a baby. I must admit I've not even touched one key for weeks so I'm expecting a bit of an ear bashing from my lovely teacher! Or rather it will be her ears that get a bashing as I strangle her concert pitch Yamaha.

 

6. Trimming my step son's Chinese Elm bonsai since he thinks, like his dirty washing magically appearing in the wash basket, that he doesn't need to do anything to it.

7. In disbelief it's nearly the middle of February already and March is only 2 weeks away. I'll be knitting flipping Christmas ornaments in less than no time. At least my cowl should be finished by then......

Pen x

A little festive crafting

 
 
I started knitting these cute little stockings ages ago with the best intentions that I was going to string them up, fill them with chocolate M&S goodies and make the kids a homemade advent calendar. It's now the 10th and I've still got another 5 to go so I don't think it's going to make the grade this year. Thankfully Gran saved the day with her traditional non-chocolate nativity scene advent calendar and Ollie is too young to know all about the badness that is really the goodness of a daily chocolatey treat in the countdown to Christmas.

Alex and Sarah are old enough to know when to pick their battles and have been dropping heavy hints about the promises made earlier in the year to make them some alpaca knitted socks. So having been distracted by my recent Attic 24 granny stripe blanket in readiness for the baby I've decided to add a little crocheted hanging loop to each one and will pop them on the tree complete with chocolate goodies instead. At least that way I can steal some chocolate out of them without feeling too much like a slummy mummy! 

The stockings are by Julie Williams at Little Cotton Rabbits and they are absolutely delightful!  I knitted mine using Rowan Pure Wool in 4ply and used 2.5mm needles, primarily because I couldn't find my other 2.75mm needle (I really must have a tidy up before the baby arrives!). I even planned on doing a little reindeer motif too but alas I ran out of time which was a shame. I'll keep the graph paper scribbles and if I get a spare moment between now and the big day I might see if I can knit one up.

 
 
I also started making some Attic 24 crocheted snowflakes way back in October. I started going a bit bonkers (although Mr C would say bit bonkers is an understatement!) and was even making them in the car whilst waiting for Sarah after school. It felt like I'd made at least a hundred! Hmm - at my last count I think there are 11! Oh well! I can't decide whether I'm going to pop them on the tree or hang them in the kitchen windows.... Choices, choices... Maybe if I make a few more, then I can do both!

 
 
Sarah's crazy choice of sock wool (middle right) has finally made it on to the needles and I'm hoping that this project at least will make it onto Father Christmas' sleigh. She's asked for them to be long in the leg so she can wear them with her short Uggs so fingers crossed there will be enough wool in the 150g skein the Artesano Hummingbird comes in.

I've also promised Oliver a cute pair of dino gloves for Christmas. How cute are these? 

 

The wool has arrived and there's still 15 days left to Christmas and I suspect there will be tears if they don't make it on FC's sleigh.... No pressure eh?

Right - off to trim the tree; now, where did I put those snowflakes??!!!

Pen x

Free Pattern - Frog Hat for Innocent Smoothie Big Knit 2010

I've just added a new page for a crochet frog hat. I'll be adding a knitted version soon so watch this space..! I hope you like him. As with the other patterns it is easily adapted to make an egg cosy just by adding a few extra rows.

Enjoy!

 

Free Crochet and Knitting Patterns for Big Knit 2010 - Innocent Smoothie Hats - Kiwi Hats

I've just added a page to my free pattern index containing a crochet and knitting pattern for a Kiwi Hat. I'm having a few problems in uploading pics but you can see them on Ravelry and hopefully I'll sort out my blog problems shortly! I hope you like them!

 

 

 

The Big Knit 2010 - Innocent Smoothies

I received an email from Innocent yesterday confirming that the Big Knit is on again this year!

 

The task is simple - knit or crochet as many cute hats as possible and send them by Friday 15th October to:

The Big Knit
Fruit Towers
1 The Goldhawk Estate
Brackenbury Road
London
W6 0BA

The hats will be displayed on small sized smoothie bottles which will be for sale in Boots and Sainsbury during November.

There is a selection of patterns on the homepage for the Big Knit or you could make up your own. There is a weekly competition for the best hat which is on their blog. I am hoping to get busy with my needles and thinking cap and will post some free original patterns here too and also on Ravelry. Watch this space!!

They are aiming for 800,000 hats which will raise £200,000 for Age UK (previously Age Concern) and it will take the total raised by the Big Knit, first started in 2003, to £1m!

So what are you waiting for!!

I'd love to hear how you get on!!!

Happy Easter!

Firstly, Happy Easter! I hope you are having a peaceful time and enjoying the sunshine. Here are some bunnies and some lovely daffs (my favourite) which I hope will make you smile.

Well, Oliver couldn't quite believe his luck this morning when he was allowed...no.. positively encouraged to eat chocolate easter eggs for breakfast.  Although we did pay for that rather reckless decision about an hour later when he became the Sugar Monster. Thankfully I managed to locate Wallace and Gromit and 20 minutes later the sugar tide inside him had quelled and he returned to being a relatively normal (?) 2 year old.

 
I've been meaning to plant my sweetpea seeds since last October - no - really! I always get them planted early so they flower in May and I just don't know where the time has gone. I also had the task of sorting out my chaotic greenhouse --(I'm sure I left a greenhouse in the garden here somewhere....) and I had promised myself that I would tidy it up before making any more mess. I guess that was the fly in the ointment which is why I only got round to doing it today.

So, 6 packets of sweet peas and about 100 toilet rolls later, Oliver and I managed to get most of the seeds and some of the soil in the right place and fingers crossed they should be poking their little pea shoot heads up soon. I'll pop a picture on the blog then as they just look like bog rolls filled with mud and aren't very Easter-ish or particularly inspiring.  The pictures on the empty seed packets are nice though - so here you go.....

I've been making a new non-Easter amigurumi creature and I'll post more about him once he's all sewn together. He's a bit different to other bunnies and chick and will take longer to crochet but he's worth the effort I promise!  More soon...