Our Bank Holiday Weekend

Our May Bank Holiday Weekend has come and gone...and with it the sunshine, as it seems that we are to have 24hrs of rain tomorrow!

But while the sun shone we made the most of it...

At Audley End House...

...we had a picnic and play

...we relaxed in the beautiful walled gardens

and we played dress up in the old stable block.

At the Henry Moore Foundation...

...we learnt how to print on textiles

...Lj and I did a daisy pattern (she loves daisies, picking them up where ever she sees them) while MJ etched out a steam ship. MJ really engaged with the activity and is keen to do some more.

oh and just so I don't forget...we laid a new laminate floor and painted M's study, went to church, played with our neighbours, painted another section of our 'blue' fence, planted out the beans at the allotment and harvested a whole lot more rhubarb!

A new hat for Lj

The sun is shining and Lj needed a new summer hat. I got out a few fabrics and let Lj have a look. She choose the strawberry and toad stool fabric. Not sure if this is because she LOVES strawberries or that her favourite colours are red and pink. Unfortunately I only had a little left so not enough to do the whole hat but I do have a lot of M's shirts in my fabric stash so I used those for the brim and the reversed side. I used a pattern taken from 'Making Children's clothes' by Emma Hardy. It was my first time using this pattern and found it surprisingly easy to follow and construct. I'm now wondering if I could enlarge the pattern to make one for myself!

Handmade Christmas #2

While MJ has been rehearsing and performing as a Toy Soldier in his school play, Lj and I continue the homemade Christmas at home.

:: Christmas pudding hats for my friends in Ireland
:: An adult sized elf hat for M's work Christmas dinner (picture to be taken tonight...Insitu...I hope!)

Initially MJ requested the colosseum to be made out of Gingerbread for Christmas but he was persuaded that for our first try we stick with a house! Lj and I have been trying out some recipes and a lot of tasting!

This week in our house

We have been busy making this past week...

M and MJ are building their first Willow Dome

A finished hat and hot water bottle for MJ.

Our first attempt at Raspberry Jam. Lj kept telling me that she was my helper, I think it would be more accurate to say that she was my taster!

Another first. I have just discovered Zentangle and am having fun relating it to Christmas.

Winter is coming

Sorry I haven't been blogging much recently, there are a number of reasons.
Myself and a few friends are having our first Christmas craft stall at the local toddlers group in a couple of weeks, so I have been busy making, sewing and crocheting in order to have a good display.
Also I'm looking forward to Christmas and am making lots of presents for family and friends so I don't want to give all the surprises away.

But as the days and evenings get colder I have been wrapping up and thinking of ways to keep myself and my family warm this winter. So there is a bit of a theme with the latest batch of making.

Keeping our...

Heads and hands...

Beds...

and toes, all cosy and warm.

I found a wool blanket which was passed onto me a few years ago and thought I would give it a hot wash to felt it. Then I had a go cutting and sewing a hot water bottle cover and a pair of slippers. The slippers need a little bit of fanciness but they are certainly functioning, my toes are toasty...now I'm off to bed to try out my new hot water bottle cover!

Night night!

A hat for Patrick

 As we walked past the library in town on Friday, MJ asked if we could go in. Quite surprised by his request, of course I agreed. He said he wanted a book on trains because he would like to be a train driver when he is a grown up! I asked him if he would like a story book about trains or a book about how trains work. Of course I knew the answer...' a book about how trains work' he replied!

Anyway, we took Grandad with us and came out of the library with books on trains, tanks, rockets and ships. We got a few story books for Lj and I found a couple of nice knitting books.

Patrick was born a week or so ago and I wanted to make him a little pressie. I found the pattern for a striped hat in my library book, Special family knits by Debbie Bliss. Rather than use 4 needles I tried using my 60cm circular needle with the method explained to me by the owner of 'Wool', Bath. She gave me the name of the method but I can't remember what it was and I can't explain how to do it....but it works and is quicker than using 4 needles and just as tidy!
 

Winter woollies

I struggle with winter. I dislike the lack of light and the hot to cold and back again which happens all day as we move from inside to outside. Our conservatory becomes too cold to use (unless I am organised and pre heat it) which means I have no where to use my sewing machine. I crave chocolate even more and become disinterested in being active and creative. So, at the beginning of the year I was in 'embrace the seasons' mood and knowing that I can't do much sewing over winter I decided I would concentrate on learning to knit. When I say 'learn' to knit. I could already knit but I tended to stick to the basic which doesn't require a pattern. So the aim was to learn to knit following a pattern and therefore widen my knitting achievements.

First, I started with Kelly Hindrich's pattern, In threes. It is a great pattern. Easy to follow and gives rapid results. 

 

Then I decided it would be cute for Lj to wear a Christmas pudding hat. She loves her hats, which is just as well as she needs them alot these days! I couldn't find the pattern I needed so used Woolly Wormhead's Jester pattern to get me started. My first attempt was too small but it gave me a good template for the next attempt. 

Next, I feel MJ needs a winter woolly so am going to attempt a stripped jumper for him (another first!).

I really want to embrace winter and learn to enjoy this season. I find Soulemama really inspiring...in fact her blog was one that encouraged me to start blogging. She loves winter, so I'm going to try and tap into her energry and see what happens.

Just now...2

Just now my sister has taken MJ to the park. In theory this means that I can relax and get some jobs done.

In reality my head is bursting with the things I need to do.

A list is required.

I need to-

:: Choose some relaxing music to calm me down- just discovered Habib Koité in my i Tunes, not sure how it got there and who he really is but I like!

:: Stop stuffing chocolate into my mouth in the hope that it will give me supersonic energy...I have already bit my tongue I am devouring it so quickly.

:: Tidy out my box of bits

:: Sort out my clothes drawers...it frustrates me so much when I have to push things down in order to get them closed.

:: Consider the jobs I have offered to do for others and when I can achieve them rather than stressing about it but not actually doing anything...consider if I have issues saying 'No' and not feeling bad about it.

:: Clean out the cutlery drawer. I feel ashamed any time someone apart from me opens it!

:: Take a little time today to read another page of 'Great expectations'. I promised myself I would read some classical literature and I am actually enjoying the story but very slowly!

:: Order the photos I have been meaning to get printed...and send copies to family.

Okay this is calming me down but I'm afraid the list is endless so rather than continue to bore you with my minds ramblings I will leave you with a couple of photos of 'the hat'. Thankfully, the hat fits! Well it is maybe a touch big but that is easily sorted.





Now to start ticking off items on the list.

A new summer hat

It felt like one day it was winter, we were wrapped up in woolly hats and gloves and then the next day we woke up to sunshine and immediately sandals and suncream were required.

The weekend was beautifully warm but brought to my attention that MJ needed a new summer hat to keep the sun off his nose. So the quilting was put on hold while a new hat was sewn together. I used the same pattern as last year's summer hat: Amy Butler's Military Style Cap. It was a bit tricky as the pattern sizing only goes to 12 months...not much good for a 32 month boy. So a little adapting had to be done and as I have just finished it and MJ is sound asleep I can't get him to try it on and find out if my adapting was successful!

This is last summer's hat...it brings back great memories, especially of those days we camped in Cornwall and visited almost every National Trust property and garden in the area.



This years hat :: please let it fit! :: I hope it too sees many happy, hot and fun summer days in 2010.