sweet little blue

this is the new cardigan i finished for little O over the weekend, we're both rather pleased with how it turned out

i used some 'sidar click aran with wool' i got from kemps clearance, it knitted up using much less yarn than i had thought it would need, i only used about 30g of the third ball, the pattern was very easy & because i used aran weight it also knitted up quite quickly,  the pattern was easy to adapt, i added extra rows to the main body & sleeves & also did less of the a-line increase, to give it a more subtle a-line shape

having knitted this once, i would knit it again, maybe a more colourful version next time (i would also quite like to size the pattern up & make one for myself) details found over here on ravelry

making me happy

seeing the sunshine

haircut

my (very old) red Mary Jane's, teamed with stripy socks

finished jumper for little O

& a listening to a little Alice

the missing pom pom

we're making slow progress with the house, but then that's to be expected with small children & work to get in the way, i've picked up the needles again too & it feels good, i felt the urge to start a new project, partly because little O is in need of a new cardi & partly because Kemps have got a load of lovely new clearance yarns in, so i've got a few small, quick projects planned, but today i'm sharing a project i started & finished just before we moved,

a pompom hat - but without the pompom! i made this for a friend, it came out a little big really, which is why i missed off the pompom, as the weight of it would have just pulled the hat down too much

despite it's faults, the yarn is super soft & warm (Sublime Organic Merino Wool D.K ) & i also really like the pattern, so may plan to make myself one for next winter, but will used the suggested weight of yarn next time, you can see my notes on ravelry

hope the sun has been shinning on you too today (& i really hope it comes back tomorrow)

out the loop

first time we've had our own drive-way

i'm still feeling this way, we've been in the new house a week today, the internet took a little longer to get hooked back up, but that was probably a good thing as i've had far too much to be getting on with, i've still got to go back & clean the old house this weekend before we hand the keys back,

looking forward to filling up the wood store

that said, i couldn't be happier, the new house is going to be perfect for us, it's just going to take a few weeks to get it it the way we want it, but it will be well worth it

little O's first bed, in her very girlie bedroom

as you can guess, there has not been much crafting going on, i didn't manage to finish either the crochet blanket or the pin-wheel quilt, so i'll have plenty to be getting on with (when i find the power cord for my sewing machine that is!) i hope to be back soon to share a little more

the tidiest corner of G's room

don't be fooled by the photos - there are many more boxes to unpack & lot's of tidying up to be done, i just chose to ignore those corners of the house!

on the move

if all goes to plan we should complete on the new house tomorrow, so i'm likely to be without the internet for a little while,

i'm feeling rather disorganised, but we've given ourselves a small amount of cross-over as we're moving from rented, so i'm maybe a little too laid back about it all!

the little ones are super excited too

hope to be back really soon to share some of the finer details, 

(photos taken on our half term trip to the lavender line in west sussex)

pea pod cuties

one of the lovely ladies i.work with at pre-school recently lent me this japanese knitting & crochet craft book, it's full of sweet patterns, mostly for house slippers & socks, 

the downside is that there are no english translations for any of it, there are lots of diagrams & a few pictures of what stitches some of the symbols mean, but with regards to sizes & yarn weights i was a little lost  (my friend is japanese, so i can always ask if i get really stuck)

i thought it best to try a small pattern out first, these baby shoes were the smallest in the book, relatively easy to follow & also very quick to make, i used some sublime organic cotton dk, (in the 'pea pod' shade) which i'd brought from kemps last summer,

i'm guessing they have turned out at about 12-18 month size? (if anyone has a 12-18 month old foot in their house, it would great to know how long their little feet actually are?) i'm sure by adjusting the yarn weight & hook size i can make up a smaller pair, as i think these would be better suited to a smaller baby, 

ravelry notes found here