Something new...

Actually this is not a new project but I don't believe I blogged about it when I started it (whenever that might have been as I didn't log it on Ravelry either!) but it is a new technique for me. Stranded colourwork. I have been wittering on about having a proper go at this for ages (I've knit mini Christmas stockings in the past but so tiny they hardly even count) and I think it has been on my knitting resolutions list since I started knitting. Still I've avoided it until now. I had two balls of K1 Yarns Scappa purchased when we were in Edinburgh in March 2011 purchased with colourwork in mind and at some point I purchased the Manzanita Tam pattern as it allegedly uses the amount of yarn I have, we'll see! I don't expect it to be fabulous and it's slow going but I'm doing it and I will get there. I made yet another yarny purchase, I know I know...supposed to be banned. Lovely squishy hand dyed BFL yarn from the lovely Kirsty at Wharefdale Woolworks this is to make a winter hat for the lovely mini monkey girl. I haven't forgotten her cardigan by the way...just got temporarily distracted by other things! I'll finish it I promise. The little monkey has been doing her own creating as Mr.Monkey bought her an Aquadoodle on a very cheap offer from Amazon. She does use pens and paints but it's nice to have something mess free as well, particularly for visiting family who may be less impressed by her drawing on things other than paper (she's pretty good but we have had some pen on the carpet, it all washed off though) My mum has been continuing excellent grandma duties and churning out cardigans at an enviable rate, the latest was worn on a recent trip to visit Mr.Monkey's Nain in North Wales, mini monkey is a big fan of the garden but not so great at cardigan modelling (well I think she looks great but it doesn't exactly show off the knitting!) That's about it from me. I've had a miserable ear infection recently that has kept me off work but I think I'm just about on the mend all be it with vastly reduced hearing in one ear...supposed to be going to a concert on Saturday which is going to be interesting if I can't hear in one ear but never mind. I'm just glad to not be in the horrible pain I was in with it initially. I am trying to plan some holiday knitting for a trip away we have coming up but perhaps I should only take the cardigan and focus for a bit. See you soon :)

A woolly purchase

Today I made my first woolly purchase in nearly two years! Yep I've not bought yarn (for me, I bought some as a gift for my mum) since late 2011, unbelievable. I couldn't resist today though. It was not so much the wool as it's nothing fancy but a pattern that has gotten itself into my head and I just can't shake it. 

Lovely green King Cole merino blend DK. I really rare this range of yarns. They're budget friendly but still natural fibres and they wash really well and come in a huge range of colours. Budget friendly and machine washable are key at the moment though as this is for a garment for the always mucky and rapidly growing Abigail. I'm not saying she's not worth expensive hand wash only yarn, she totally is, I'd just rather wait until I have time for hand washing (so never then) and when covered in food, mud and paint aren't a constant probability.

I'll keep the pattern itself under my hat for now but I am excited...just have to finish my current knitting project first.

The current project is progressing, slowly but progressing. I do expect to finish it before she outgrows it. I have a back, a front and very nearly a second front. Only sleeves, button bands and making up to do.

One thing I will tell you about the pattern that drove me to a yarny purchase...it's knit in one piece to the underarms then sleeves in the round and all joined together. Making up can bite me, I'm already dreading it for this cardi :-/

I do have a few days off work coming up with little miss still going to nursery so I can catch up on a few jobs round the house so I am hoping to fit in some crafting between jobs...fingers crossed.

Have a lovely week everyone x

Bonus cute baby pic, the cardigan is a grandma special, this nap is to thank for my nearly finished second front :-)

She sews too...

So I am generally the world's worst blogger and have been for two years now as this Friday marks two years since I found out I was pregnant and my brain instantly turned to mush! I read a lot of parenting blogs or blogs by parents of babies and toddlers, plenty of them younger than mine, some with multiple babies and toddlers and I can't help wondering how they do it and where they find the time. It's possible (likely) they got the type of child who sleeps though meaning they may be able to grab moments to knit/sew/blog. I got the type of child who still strongly believes that sleep is for the weak and is to be fought tooth and nail and all other wakeing moments are to be spent on the go meaning the times she is asleep I am far too tired to even consider crafting or blogging. Sigh.

I do however have some crafts to share. It's not knitting but it is something I have made, hurrah!

As I'm sure you're aware these little monkeys come with quite a bit of added stuff to carry around. Nappies, snacks, drinks, spare clothes, toys...all that. For my shame as someone who tries not to overload on "stuff" I have had two changing bags (plus one that came free with joining the Boots parenting club) and neither really fit the bill. Both were/are good in their own way but both were very definitely made for hanging off the back of a buggy which is fine...if you use a buggy. However this is my little monkey's preferred mode of transport (by the way rocking another lovingly handknit cardigan from grandma - my mum)

So I turned to the internet and this tutorial from Geeky Sweetheart and got my sewing machine out. This was serious stuff. A bag with lining...and a zip! So far my sewing machine adventures have been limited to a laundry bag, a skirt made from two rectangles, a very basic curtain and a little stuffed toy for a friend.  It was fine though. I managed to follow the pattern, I bossed using that zipper foot and now I have a bag with straps that can be worn either across the body or threaded through little hoops to make a backpack. It's great.

I mostly use it if I'm out alone and it's big enough for all her essentials (no mean feat as we use cloth nappies that do take up a fair bit more room than the disposable ones) plus my purse and phone. It's comfortable to carry as a backpack or if I'm carrying her on my back the strap is soft and lies flat with no buckles so it can be tied over her with no issue (understandably she doesn't like heavy or buckled straps being over her!) If Mr NM is with me we take his manbag and just throw the baby related stuff in there and one of us carries that whilst the other carries baby monkey. It works for us anyway. Also most yarn shops and little trinket shops (my favourite type of shops) really aren't pram/pushchair/buggy friendly so carrying works well for us. She's walking now though...scary stuff!

OK so obligatory cute baby picture with her sitting on another handmade item, not by me though! My great-uncle made me this chair when I was little. It's lovely that now she's getting to use it (and she's very fond of her special chair)

And finally...some crafting by the little monkey herself! A painting she did at nursery...ahhh! She loves painting and drawing and I'm rather excited to start collecting all her little pieces of artwork though I know long term I probably can't keep all of them. For now though I will get very excited over them and display them proudly on our boiler (the highest metal object we can attach them to with magnets, our fridge and freezer are both under counter so if I put it on there she'd pull it off).

I am going to try to blog more (I know I've said that before!) and I think the answer for me is to worry less about whether I have craft projects and knitting to show off and to blog more about all the other things we do. It will be nice to have some record.



When mummy can't knit ask grandma...

Various life events have rather gotten in the way of my knitting time, boo hiss and all that. The cardigan is progressing oh so slowly and we are a front and a half and two sleeves from an FO post. Oh dear.

It's ok though, Abigail is not going cold and handknit-less. Oh no. Never in this family! We are good Yorkshire women, we all knit and where I have failed Grandma stepped in. Another gorgeous little cardigan using Sirdar Crofter Snuggly...you wouldn't think this was an acrylic/nylon yarn, it's sooooo soft and as the name suggests snuggly. The bonus is being acrylic/nylon it washes well and can take a beating, essential where babies are concerned...especially babies rapidly turning into toddlers who are into everything and making messes! This is the third of this cardigan Abigail has had, the first was in a pink, yellow and cream Crofter, the second in the lilac, white and blue and this in my most favourite (and my mum's!) GREEN (with some blue, cream and brown) Hurrah! Also green is just gorgeous with her beautiful ginger hair. I must steam iron that bottom edging so it lies flat but my mum handed it over today and I couldn't wait to get it on her.

 Ahh cute baby pics...my lack of posts and my own knitting is forgiven with cute baby pics surely? 

I'm back!

So a little someone has rather got in the way of my knitting over the last nearly 12 months. I've knit practically nothing, shocking when I have an adorable little person to knit for but there you go.

I am not sure how often I'll be blogging or how many WIPs will be turning into FOs but I am going to give it a bash, especially as I am back at work and can attempt to knit in my lunch breaks.

My current WIP is for my little monkey. A new cardigan that I'm really hoping to finish for her birthday in two weeks...hopefully it won't go the way of the cardigan I was knitting this time lady year and be finished in about July! I am almost done with the back and it's a quick and simple pattern to ease me back to my needles.

Also a gratuitous baby picture showing how she tries to thwart my knitting attempts with acts of terror such as chewing on tape measures! (Cardigan by grandma who has been stepping in with knitting whilst my brain has been steeped in baby fog)

Anyway I will try to blog and knit and get back in the swing of it, she has to see me knitting if I want her to take it up right?! :-)