feeling good

waking early & sneaking up the stairs to the attic (yes we have stairs - unfinished stairs but stairs none the less)

to soak in the view

as the sun was coming up

seeing a little of the sunshine really makes all the difference,

as does finding you've got a pear tree at the bottom of the garden (anyone know when they'll be ready for the picking?)

& more knitting on the needles, 

yes, autumn may be on the way but i for one am feeling good about it, 


*& thank you for all the lovely comments on my last post - that grin is most definitely still there!*

clever bean

*apologies in advance for the crazy amount of photos in this post*

i am feeling ever so slightly pleased with myself, because you see, i made myself a dress, well i made the practice version of a dress, using the Japanese pattern book i brought a few weeks ago from m is for make

i did take my time with this, having traced the pattern a few weeks ago, then spent an evening cutting out the fabric, 

i then spent yesterday afternoon sewing it all together, thanks mostly to the very helpful diagrams in the book, it all came together very easily

the sleeves were the trickiest part,

most unlike me, i thought it best to have a practice run before i went out & brought some fabric with which to make this, so i used the off cuts from a cheapo pair of ikea curtains i had taken up when we moved, so it's just a light natural cotton, 

but thinking i may just be able to wear this around the house i couldn't resist adding a little touch of colour!

i love how it all turned out & even more i love the fact that i made it, i have spent today day dreaming about the possible fabrics i will use to make the 'real' version (i'm thinking a fine baby cord for the winter - worn with tights & boots)

now i just need to wipe this silly grin off my face!

what a wash out

third time unlucky in the case of our last camping trip of the summer, i won't bore you all with the details but let's just say that waking at 2am to find our tent was floating in a rather large puddle of water was not part of the plan! 

in fact there was just so much water (& it was still raining) that we loaded up the car, woke the sleeping children, abandoned the tent & drove home at 3am, 

still driving there & back the following day to collect the soggy (& very muddy) tent gave me plenty of car knitting time, in which to finish off my 'summer' cotton cardigan (yes just in time for autumns arrival)

still i love it & am so very happy with how it turned out, the pattern & yarn details can be found over on ravelry

i have of course cast on straight away for another project (determined that this one will become a Christmas present) & have also been at the sewing machine today & am feeling ever so proud of myself - details of which i will share as soon as i can get some pictures of said project

*i promise i have not forgotten about the previously mentioned giveaway i'm planning, it will be coming soon* 

winter knitting

i started on these mittens, thinking i'd stash them away as a Christmas present, being the organised person i am (he he)

it may be the weather turning more autumnal or thinking about spending playtimes outside with the little ones when i'm back at work next month, but i don't think i'll be able to part with these as i have fallen in love with them myself, 

i spent every evening whilst we were camping, knitting by candle light & finished the first one super quickly, i hope to finish the second one tonight at the little knit & sew group we've set up with a few like-minded folks - just in time to be able to wear them on our third camping trip of the summer, as the weather forecast is not looking too great for next week!

this pattern is really great & far easier than i had thought it would be, details can be found here on ravelry,

my kind of treasure

a little visit to a local charity shop came up trumps yesterday

this rather large pot of buttons was taped shut, so i couldn't get a peek inside, but at only £2 i thought it worth a shot

how right i was

it is chocked full of buttony goodness

i've barely made a dent in sorting through it but have found many treasures of the button kind & spent some time thinking on where these buttons may have been in the past & how someone else must have thought them to be their kind of treasure too

lots

we've certainly been keeping ourselves busy this summer holiday, doing lots & lots & lots, 

little O turned two this week 

& what a happy & lovely little birthday girl she was

i have been helping big G to write out (what felt like a million) thank you notes

printed out from here

& along with planning & buying for some winter knitting projects (mostly planned to become Christmas presents) i have set myself a little challenge & got myself this pattern book (from here) now i just need a few extra hours in the day to attempt to make myself something from it

must dash, the oven is beeping to let me know the banana loaf is cooked & i have to start packing for yet another camping trip  - after wondering how i'd ever cope with the long summer holiday i'm starting think i might need an extra couple of weeks!

time flies

& we have indeed been having fun

camp bestival was a blast, 

we all had a great time

(& the noro shawl got lots of use by both me & the little folks

upon return i had a 5th birthday party to prepare for, big G turned 5 whilst we were camping so he had a party this week for him, 

as per usual i decided to make the party bags the day before (yes all 20 of them)

the party was a great success & the bags went down well (may have been helped by the sweets they contained)  - made up the pattern myself & used some ikea fabric i had stashed a year or  two ago

i'm away visiting my folks with the little ones this weekend, hoping to find some time for a little quiet knitting! back next week

*i've not forgotten about the give-away i promised- i just need some time to get round to organising it!*