peasy with a twist

i decided to revisit the sweet peasy pattern after casting off the last one, i knitted the same size {5-6} but with a dk & a 3.5mm needle, much better this time round, although whilst knitting i tweaked the pattern to turn it into a jumper, this was easier than i thought it would be & worked out well, the colour of the yarn is a little bright, but it was recycled from my frogged brompton cardigan, so it felt good not to have brought any new yarn for the project, i'm still not 100% happy with it, not sure i like the 3/4 length sleeves, however it should work as a jumper for spring, & it does look quite sweet on her & she seemed happy to wear it {it stayed on all day} details found over here

my sweet peasy

here is the latest finished knitting project, a sweet peasy for my little O, although she is rather too little for this knit, i'd followed the 5-6 years instructions, thinking it may only be a little big, but it's actually quite a lot big - still at least she'll grow into it so not all is lost, it might make a nice school cardigan {for next year!} the pictures where taken pre blocking, i just had to grab the opportunity to take some when we had a little light, she's getting the hang of this modelling lark & is happy to goof about infront of the camera when needed, i knit this up in some cotton rope i'd brought from kemps {at a super cheap price} the yarn is lovely & soft, i just hope it stays the same after a few washes, it was also not too bad to knit with, i used this pattern, whilst i didn't think it was the easiest pattern to read it was an easy knit once i'd got the hang of it, so not bad value for money as it has quite a wide size range, the buttons are vintage ones i found from having a rummage in my button tin, i think they work with the grey, my project details can be found here

big bow

i always have a number of knitting projects on the go at any one time {& always more in the planning} these are often projects that take a while & i can pick up & knit a little when i find the time, well we all need a little instant pick me up now & again, that buzz you get when finishing a project, so i picked a super quick & easy project i could finish in a day, & what a cute one it was too! i think she had fun showing this one off {i also had to get the new trainers in too - they won't stay that box fresh for long}

in case anyone else fancies a quick fix, the pattern is this one, the details for mine can be found here, it was such fun that i might just have to make myself one!

christmas puds

i made a whole batch of knitted christmas puds to gift to the little folks school teachers, here they are before i added some silver thread so they could be hung on the tree, they are so so very cute, i really wanted to keep them all, i can't face making another one right now, especially as i'm busy finishing off the other last minute gifts i decided to make, these were made from a pattern i found on ravelry here, i was also lucky to have plenty of odds & ends in the right colours in my stash

settling in

well we are all settling into our new routine, the littlest has surprised us all & is doing so very well, the oldest is struggling most, having moved into year three he's found that it's all about hard work from here on in - poor chap, barney & i have found comfort in each others company & he's especially loving his longer week day walks {when i'm not at work that is} i've been able to finish off little O's new cardi, which was such a pleasure to knit, despite having to rip it back to start over in a bigger size! it's knit up in some debbie bliss 'fez' {which i'd got off ebay at a great price} such lovely yarn to work with, it's a shame i think it's been discontinued & i love the colour so much, luckily she's rather fond of it too & was most obliging when i asked to take some photos of it on her, i used rather a muddle of clear vintage buttons as i didn't have enough of one type! thankfully i think they work rather well on the cardigan, the pattern details are over here

the peaks

i feel i've just about recovered for our recent camping trip, the drive up to the peaks was not the best start, what should have been a four hour drive took us eight hours!!! not much fun, then unfortunately we had to pitch our tent in rain, which meant quite a bit of water got in, thank goodness our friends were already pitched up & were able to offer the kids a dry place to shelter & some sausage sarnies to tuck into, the weather did improve, although it was rather a mixed bag, with good company & some breathtaking countryside we still all had a great time,  the hubs was very pleased to have his cosy new cardi to keep out the chills, this was another project that took far longer than it should have done, but was worth all that hard work, as it fits & he's really happy with it

the pattern details can be found over on my ravelry page

a granny for camp

oh dear - having updated this project on ravelry it seems this took me almost a year to get finished - oops i hadn't thought it was quite so long - oh well, it's done now & just perfect for it's intended job, a blanket to come on our camping trips, to snuggle up the little people with when chilly, to keep me snug when staying up a little too late {chatting with friends over a glass of wine round the campfire} to be dragged into their den of choice & by the look of it, a comfy bed when captain barnacles fancies a nap & thrown in the washing machine every now & then

just a giant granny square, crocheted with some cheapo acrylic from kemps, in some rather clashing bright colours, just perfect! ravelry details over here

a 'little' knitting

i'd had a fathers day post all planned out - but sunday didn't quite go to plan {maybe i'll get around to posting about it this week} so thought i would post about the rather sweet little baby knit i finished up recently, my two little ones are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first cousin & i am loving the excuse to knit something quick & tiny

i've knit this pattern a few times before, it's great, quick & easy & you get a rather dapper little cardi at the end, i can't give too much info on this one apart from the pattern, as i'd used some yarn up-cycled from one of little O's lightly worn cardigans & have no idea what it was! oops

ravelry details over here:

keeping cosy

the idea of a long family dog walk round frensham ponds is not looking too appealing now the rain appears to have set in for the day, i'd much rather be keeping cosy, drinking lots of tea & finishing off the fairy cakes we made yesterday!

totally inspired by these tea cosies, i set about making my own, made from yarn left over from other projects - a quick, cute & easy pattern, as if i needed any encouragement to be drinking more tea! hope your mondays are a little less rainy

a moochi moch

i have sneaked in a little time here & there to knit myself a little summer cardi, i'd started it over the easter holidays & am rather pleased to have finished it in time for the may bank holiday weekend, this was a bargain-tastic project, aside from the cost of the pattern, i eeked it out of 6 balls of twilleys' freedom gorgeous dk'   in catkin, which was only £1.29 a ball at kemps, i'm pretty keen to buy some more at that price & knit myself another one! i used the moch cardi pattern by the shetland trader, i did make a few tweeks, which you can see over on my ravelry page, i had intended to block it but put in on to take some photos {another grey day!} but then couldn't take it off all day - it's just too cosy!

wiped out

i have had a rather quite & home based start to March, having given in to the rather nasty virus that has been doing the rounds this way, i've been totally wiped out {i know i must be ill when i can't even be tempted by my knitting needles} i'm still not there yet but am now headed in the right direction at least, i had finished off a very small project just before i got poorly, some new knitwear for mummy baby, a very sweet & easy little cardi, finished off perfectly with a lilac vintage button,

pattern details found over here

happy little hands

being so bored of knitting the hubs jumper {having missed the christmas deadline i had moved it to valentines day - hum, maybe his birthday in August is looking more promising} i really needed a quick pick me up knitting project, these little chunky mittens were the perfect thing, they knitted up so quickly, the pattern was very easy to follow & the yarn was nice & soft to work with too! pattern details found here

good timing

i couldn't finish these socks quick enough - i've been 'right down to my bones' cold today, so cold that after i'd finished off a few tasks which couldn't be avoided, i made a cuppa, a hot water bottle & snuggled up on the sofa with the dog, the socks & a film i'd recorded a while back, what a treat eh - it really was lovely, the socks got finished & put straight on, where they still are, not sure i'm going to want to take them off any time soon, it's still so cold

these socks make me very happy, they are knitted up in some regia 'world college' yarn {which was on special at kemps but think they have now sold out} in the library colour way, i used my usual 'go to' sock pattern, but took the textured pattern from these socks, they turned out a treat!

ravelry details here

day 29

a short while ago my mum was after a quick knitting project, this pattern immediately sprang to mind -not for its quickness, although it appears to be a straight forward pattern, but because it had been on my to knit list for a while & i had the yarn ready & waiting, it seems to have been a straight forward pattern & the outcome is a very sweet dress for little O, she knit the age 4 size, using DK yarn, but on the smaller needles, the dress fits fine but is a little long, so O can do some growing! the yarns used was the sublime soya cotton i'd had for a while, you can see the rest of the notes over on my ravelry page

& teamed with the hat i think she looks just like a little gnome!

just in time

new slouchy hat for me finished - just in time for the colder weathers arrival, tested on this mornings walk to school, yep nice & toasty! more details over on ravelry

in the dog house

barney has been in big trouble this week, firstly he ate through the power lead for my netbook, so now i'm eeking out what is left of the battery until a new one is delivered {please please let it arrive on monday}then later the same day he got hold of one of my knitting bags, i found it strewn around the garden, this time he left the yarn alone but has managed to chew/eat/lose a pair of my wooden knitpro interchangeable needles - aaaarrhhh {whose idea was it to get a dog anyway- oh yeah mine} 

luckily i had finished a little birthday knitting for a friend of mine before he'd got his cheeky paws on the knitting bag, as i now know its arrived safely i can also share it here too!

at cute quick hat pattern, which when i'd finished it i loved so much that i cast on for another one straight away {clearly still avoiding starting the big christmas knit for the mr!} for this one i used some light grey pompero, which i wasn't too keen on in the ball but it looked & felt lovely knitted up, so i might have to order a few more balls from kemps, my ravelry details are here

will be back as soon as Mr Amazon delivers my new lead

autumn boneyard

i'm just about to embark on a big knitting project as a christmas present for the man in my life, i'm finding this thought quite daunting, so i needed a quick little something i could get done for myself before the colder weather sets in {after having been spoilt with the recent heatwave} the yarn is from kemps {where else do i buy my wool from these days} it's rowan pure life 100% organic wool, in the 'alder buckthorn' colour-way, i knitted it up into my second boneyard shawl, this wool is a real joy to knit with, so soft & warm, i'm sure it will get lots of use once the weather does turn!

ravelry details over here