half term - part two

i have to say there have certainly been more highs than lows to the second half of the holiday, but this has also meant it's gone all too quickly & can't get my head round having to go back to work tomorrow! our trip to london was great fun, having packed the little ones off to granny's early in the morning, we headed off to catch the train, our first stop was the v&a, i love the building, it was a treat to wander round at my own pace,

(& the gift shop, where i stocked up on a few stocking fillers for the kids), then after lunch, we had a stroll a around the shops, highlights being liberty, where their christmas section got me very excited (as well as the yarns bit too)

& a visit to art box, where a few more little goodies found their way into my bag

despite the miserable weather over the weekend we've had lots of fun, the children have pretty much been in a constant state of various dressing up outfits, well we have had a halloween party & trick or treating as a good excuse

hope you've all had a happy halloween too 

highs & lows of half term part one

half term happily kicked of with my sister-in-laws wedding, both my little ones played their parts very well, causing a few innocent chuckles from the other guests, in the way only small children can!

a sunny afternoon spent at alice holt  forest with a group of friends

wearing us all out 

only to then go down with a cold & receive some disappointing news re the house chain one up from us! all on hold for now, keeping my fingers & toes very much crossed

i started a new knitting project (the hat for colette) only for the battery on my camera to run out just as i was about to take a photo, 

still, i'm so very looking forward to a child free day out in london tomorrow (even if it means dosing myself with cold medicines)

& i think i'm almost as excited about halloween as big G is!

clothes for Kitty

we were over at the in laws at the weekend & whilst having a rummage in the attic for some more (vintage) playmoblie for big G to play with, Granny came across this, 

sadly she couldn't remember what happened to the rest of the bits, but here we have some (un-sewn) clothing for clothkits Cloth Kitty (which they are now selling a re-print of the original)

these are the original 70's pieces but i should think they'd fit the dolls clothkits make now, there are the bits to make a bag, blouse & dungarees, along with the instructions, 

so if anyone fancies a go at making these i'd be happy to pass them on, just let me know either in the comments or send me an email (& if you're the first to get in touch they are yours)

stylish top b

i'd been itching to sew myself something & found time to cut this pattern out last week & then with fitting in a little sewing time where i could, i've made myself this lovely top

i used the 'stylish dress book' again, this time opting for pattern b, i'd stashed this fabric away ages ago, i have no idea what it is, but it feels like a soft 'almost but not quite' brushed cotton & the second best thing about it is it only cost me 50p from a charity shop (the first being i absolutely adore the colours & print)

i didn't have enough of the fabric to make the sleeves as they are in the pattern (i had a small nagging voice in the back of my head telling me to make something sweet for little O) but i was so determined for this to be mine (as little O is growing so very quickly) i just went with it & made my own version of the sleeves,

& it works, i love it (so much so that i've had it on all weekend) my nearest & dearest even asked me if i'd really made it myself! (how could he doubt me) i was so pleased to tell him that it had only cost me 50p! 

which on another note is a good thing as we've had an offer accepted on the house (trying not to get too excited but fingers crossed) 

sweet as the chestnut (& the handmade hat winner!)

i almost forgot that today was the day to pick a winner for the handmade hat give-away, as we have had a busy afternoon spent in the woods, searching for sweet chestnuts, our village has a 'junior society' which organise monthly walks in the local area, as they had planned a shorter walk this week i was keen to go along with my little ones,

we spent about an hour wandering  through the local woods, collecting many chestnuts on our way, i was very impressed with how my children just on with it, no moaning about being tired & wanting a 'carry', it helped that lot's of their friends came along too! even little O walked all the way, we ended the walk at the scout hut, where a small fire had been lit to roast the chestnuts, 

this was the part of the walk which had appealed to me most, my two weren't that keen on the nuts, but happily tucked into the satsumas i'd thankfully remembered to bring along too!

i did remember we needed to pick a winner though & big G happily took the role on

congratulations to Colette, i'll drop you an email so we can plan the hat you'd like, sorry i couldn't knit everyone a hat! (you really would be waiting till next year if that was the case)

swing coat

having read this post over at flora & purl a few weeks back, i was too tempted & paid a visit to the etsy shop Charley mentioned, well they had a lot of very sweet patterns but i fell for the 'chic cocktail swing coat pattern',

the pattern was great & very easy to follow, i knew that i would not make it with the bow the first time, so i made a few little changes, but oh how cute it turned out, a little on the big side, but better that than too small, (i would love to make one to fit me)

i used a few poppers on the inside to do it up & then just sewed some buttons from my stash on the front, 

(despite the tugging she likes it too!)

the fabric - cream needle cord on the outside, small floral print for the lining, was all brought from fabric land in Brighton (you need to have a rummage but that shop has some great bargains, i think i spent about £8 on 3m & made it out of much less)

as it turns out i think i used the same lining that Charley used for her dress!

there will also most definitely be more of these! (i'm already planning the next)

a grand day out

on Sunday we were treated to some tickets to the races, so after getting a little dressed up & packing the little folks off to see granny, we set off to Goodwood

it really was glorious,

we won on the first race, lost most of the winnings on the following races, (then got a little back on the last race) 

drank a little too much of this!

and soaked up a lot of this

the great handmade hat give-away

that's the plan, i will pick one lucky winner for which i will knit a hat for! simple as that, well maybe not that simple, there will be a few rules!

one - you can choose the pattern, but it must be one that is either free on ravelry  or you can always send me a copy of a pattern you've got, the hat can be for yourself, your other half, or one of little ones, i really don't mind

two - i get to choose the yarn, but you can let me know what colours you really like / dislike,  (i promise it will be the good stuff as i only really like working with nice yarns!) you'd also need to let me know if for example you have an allergy to pure wool (you are of course welcome to send me the yarn too if you have something special in mind)

three - i can't set a date for when you will get your hat, what with work, children and about a million other things going on round here, although i will promise it will be this side of christmas (& i can normally get one finished within a couple of weeks)

just leave a comment on this post, i will leave the give-away open for a week & will pick the winner on the 16th October

okay trying really hard to add a button for this! hoping it works

eta: comments now closed -will pick a winner later today - good luck!

today

i have started another knitting project, having realised that little O's dress for my sister in law's wedding in a few weeks time is not going to be suitable for the autumnal weather, so a little shrug is needed

i have been pricking like a million (well it felt like it) sloe berries, which i had collected from my mums hedgerows over the weekend, i just hope the sloe gin will be ready in time for christmas

i have been stopping to collect some autumnal treasure on the walk home from school

& lugging a bedrooms worth of furniture up to the finished attic room, having this very week put in an offer on our (my) dream house

i'll be back, hopefully by the weekend with details of a giveaway!

all about the hats

it really is all about the hats round here right now, i have spent the last few weeks trying to make up my own pattern for a mini hat, to gift as the perfect presents for two little girls just about to turn two

i now (almost) have two finished hats, just need to finish the flower for the second one, as you can see little O wasn't too delighted to be modelling a hat which she knew was not for her (i had to make this point very clear before showing her the said hat, as i know how attached she becomes to these things)

(there you go, without flash & looking slightly less grumpy)

i had to knit each hat twice as well, as one came up too small, then the next too big but i am very pleased with how they have turned out, 

for this one i used some patons 'merino wool dk' which had come out of an odd ball bin, & was surprisingly lovely to knit with, then just added a crochet flower, which i also made up as i went along

i have just cast on for another aviatrix hat today, as big G's teacher is about to go on maternity leave, so i'll be back with more hats soon!