Photo flop!

I feel my crafty mojo creeping back after many months in hibernation. Even the thought of teeny baby knits couldn't lure it out of hiding. I guess that was for the best really as teeny baby knits wouldn't have lasted very long for this chunk of a girl. She's already outgrowing her 3-6 month clothes and she is the grand old age of 9 weeks! The few baby knits I made especially for her lasted roughly 2 weeks before they were too tiny.

So anyway, back to the rediscovered yarn love. Like I said, it's creeping back slowly. After the six week job of creating a little soft bunny, I gathered all the unfinished bits and decided to crack on with them. First up was this:

 Started when I was around seven months pregnant (even then I must have had an idea this baby was going to be a real biggie and so not to continue with the teeny knits), I just wanted to get cracking on winter cosiness. Oh, and use stash too :)

So I found a knitting magazine supplement that used a similar yarn weight and knitted up this hoodie for Cain. In the pattern it was stripey but that was a step too far for my tired, fuddled pregnancy brain. 

The photo's are pretty rubbish, but all I could grab between feeding, cuddling, and playing. It needs a button too for the collar, have to go search the stash for one later. Looks nice and warm though doesn't it? The only problem I had, besides the rubbish photography, was the arm length. Now I'm pretty certain Cain has average size arms, he's certainly not of gorilla upper body proportions, but when I knitted to the pattern the sleeves only came partway down his lower arms! Luckily they were knit top down so I unpicked and added another 13 rows, roughly 5cms, and they are now fine.  Just have to watch he doesn't fray the cuffs dragging his knuckles along the floor ;)

Another UFO on the needles right now, this time one that's been hanging around for maybe two years or more. Might even be able to share it within a couple of days.........

-x-

The hare and the tortoise

This is the hare.......well actually it's a knitted bunny - the first little toy for our lovely little girl:

Actually she's not so small, she loves her mama milk, which explains why it took me 6 weeks to knit this one thing. So the tortoise? Well that's me and my crafting of course :) Remember when I blogged the one Helen knitted up for Heather's birthday? Well that one took her 2 days. TWO days for a relative knitting novice. I thought this would take me roughly the same when fitted round cuddles and feeds and general other stuff. I never thought I would take six WEEKS to knit a toy bunny!!

Little bunny knitted in soft and cuddly Sirdar baby crofter on 4mm needles, using just under 50g for the whole thing.

Want to see the whole shot?

Aaaawwwwww! I know you're thinking it :)

-x-

The long project

For anyone who doesn't read the other blog.......

The 9 month make is finally ready to reveal:

Ivy Marian, 18-08-2012.

Did you guess?

All that tiredness and lack of motivation?

Broken only by a teeny knit or two.

I'm sure you won't mind if I stay a non-committed blogger for a while longer, although I do have a few things to share from the past few months. 

When I can tear myself away from the newest addition I'll try a proper catch up :)

-x-

Popping in.......

So's you know I'm still around :)

So much going on around here at the moment which means I haven't enough time to either craft, or blog about crafting! There has been some making going on but not sure it's that interesting to the world in general lol. We have been having a major sort out and shift around of our downstairs space which has meant lot's of painting, decorating, upcycling of furniture, sewing of curtains etc. We have lived here for eight years now and at last I know how our kitchen space works to the best, so lots of re-arranging in there, ready for it's final touch-ups when I get the energy. Maybe I'll share then?

I have crocheted some more little dishcloths in colours that are around and about the room:

Can you tell I wasn't paying much attention when I made the stripey one - haha, hiding it under the nice one is the best idea :)

 I love crocheted dishcloths, they last for ages. The ones I made 2 years ago are just about ready to move from the kitchen to the garden so about time I made some more.

There's another pretty big project that's been taking up a lot of my time and energy, but again that is not quite ready for a big reveal. Hopefully soon :)

So yes, still here, still reading all your lovely blogs, still gathering inspiration, just finding it really hard to find time to actually do anything!

Oh there was something I  wanted to share:

Isn't that so lovely? A cute handpainted darning mushroom that was one of my birthday presents. So what if I had to buy it for myself ;)

Catch you all soon with some big ta-dah's.

-x-

Oooh, that's Zingy.

I'm sure you've all seen the ad, and know someone who's fallen for this little guy. Owen definitely had, especially when a flyer came through the letterbox in the shape of the mascot. He really, really, really wanted his own Zingy to cuddle. So mama set to work - scrap yarn from the "oh my - why did  ever buy this colour? Oh yeah - knitted carrots!" bag, a pattern found free on Ravelry (not that it isn't easy enough to make up on the hoof), a few scraps of felt, and a spare hour whilst the littlies park themselves in front of a Tom and Jerry DVD.

So here he is - Zingy:

Owen loves him, Cain wants one too. Whoever thought that a little orange blob on an energy suppliers advert would be such a big hit?

Mind you if you would have seen the price these knitted mascots were selling for when they first hit EBay I' sure you would have knitted up a few yourself. They were originally selling for up to £10+!! For barely 10g of acrylic DK and a scrap of felt. And not even an hours work. That power company certainly missed out on a moneyspinner. Makes a change for one of those companies ;)

Editing - Just realised when adding the link that the pattern is no longer free as some unscrupulous people have been taking advantage of the designer by selling the pattern on EBay.

-x-

Oops!

Well every three months isn't very regular is it?

The problem is that I can either craft....or write about craft. I don't seem to have the time or energy for both. And it's not just here, the other blog is fairly neglected to, although I am trying to make an effort over there. 

So why the lack of posts? Well I'm just so tired lately. Nine o'clock is about my regular bedtime, or earlier as often as I can manage it. Dear me, I feel old. 

There has been a little making going on though. I have some things to show. But really today I wanted to share a special something :)

A couple of weeks ago we were celebrating a third birthday. Yep, Heather is that old already. Doesn't it just fly? She had a lovely day and her most favourite gift was a handknitted friend:

Isn't she lovely?

She goes to bed every night with Heather, we can't possibly forget. And then back down every morning when attention becomes a little more hit and miss. Sometimes she joins us for breakfast, lunch, shopping trips, playtime, and so on. Other times she slides into the sofa cushions and stays there ignored all day long. Until the cry goes up at bedtime....."where's rabbit...?"

I can't take any credit for this much loved little friend though. The work was all Helen's. Pretty wonderful don't you think? Definitely her mama's daughter when it comes to hobbies, and ideas, and non commercialism too. Well you know, I fib a little. The whole work wasn't strictly Helen's. The knitting was, the stuffing and make up too, and the features. She presented the lovely gift wrapped naked bunny to Heather for her birthday where she was instantly loved, but a couple of days later Heather decided she needed clothes. And so I had to create the little dress. Helen might be becoming a dab hand at knitting but she still has no interest in the sewing machine. An unfortunate incident in school resulting in sore bleeding fingers has put her off this particular craft.

Still, she's a lovely rabbit, don't you agree?

Now to drop a few hints about another little person and how they might like a big sister handknitted friend...........

-x-

On the go....and not!

Sorting through my project bags today I realised I don't have that many on the go.

There's this:

A cardigan I was supposed to be knitting for a Christmas gift for a grown girl but which got cast on, quite literally, and then left without one further stitch worked. In fact I didn't even finish casting on, I was 14 stitches short when I pulled it out of it's bag today! So where did all those extra rows come from I know you're asking? Well after counting and finishing the cast on I decided to just work a couple of rows to see how the colour looks worked up. I love it. Hmm, I'm about the same size as the grown girl I had in mind, maybe I'll sneak this one away for myself?

Next up was this:

One single sad sock. Well actually it was a sock and a bit but I couldn't work out where I was up to with the lace pattern so I pulled the second one back ready for a fresh start. Probably a good idea as my tension may well be completely different by now - I completed this first sock getting on for two years ago now!

Then there's this:

Another of those little KC Dolman jackets. I enjoyed working the first one so much, after the initial worry over what I was actually doing, that I cast on this next one straight away. Haven't got too far have I? Well at least pulling it out of it's bag has reminded me that I owe Dawn an email (thanks for your pm btw - the patterns would be lovely and you got the email address right x).

And finally there's this:

The crochet bobbly cardigan. Not many projects on the go really is there?

Actually there's one less:

It wasn't the sore fingers making the bobbles that forced me ti rip it back - honest :) It was just that I felt the many colour changes in the yarn were swamping the pattern rather than allowing the bobbles to be the design feature. So it is no more. I still want to make that cardigan though, I'll just have to go through the stash and find a nice single colour yarn to work with.

Oooh, talking of stash, do you know I have bought only 2 skeins of yarn so far this year - how good am I? As always I started the year resolving not to buy yarn until I had seriously dented the stash. And then I lost my crafting mojo which meant I didn't even want to buy yarn, oooer. But now my mojo is back it seems, so I'm determined to start denting that stash......

Better get back to it then. Hmm, which project shall I pick up?

-x-