Bloom

So happy to find plants quietly flourishing in the allotment at this time of the year. Quince flowering at the top, then an unknown plant Freecycled to me a couple of years ago flowering for the first time and I've included the Bronze Fennel too, just because it's lovely. All those pretty feathery fronds sprouting from the base of the dead stalks. At some point I'm looking forward to getting out there and having a good clear out of all the winter debris and seeing what other gems are lurking in there.

macaroni

Hope

Yes! We finally had some sunny days at last.... We made the most of it, spent a lot of Sunday at the beach with all the other smiley folk and their dogs liberated from their rained-in indoors lives... Jess had her first go on a proper bike without stabilisers which I'd picked up a few weeks back on Freecycle and was full of her achievement! Milly also had fun scooting about on the little bike outside for a change (she normally cycles through the house). And I spent a good hour knitting in the sun while Tula snoozed in the car. Win win! 

A stray ray of sun striking my heart!

I'm finally at the stage of sewing the long strips of blanket together using mattress stitch. It's a very slow process so I'm glad I still have a little knitting left to do for when the novelty has worn off. 

I'm quite pleased with my progress so far; I don't mind the odd wobble, it's part of the joy of handmade, after all! It is a little frustrating that so much of the blanket is knitted purlwise because it is recommended that instead of picking up two stitches at a time from each side (as you would for a knitted side) it's best to pick every row, so obviously it will take twice as long! Still aiming for June...

And on a slightly random note, I was admiring this jar of macaroni in my larder the other day and wondering whether it might turn into something quilty... I love all those circles!

Have a good week! xx

January

Hibernating as much as possible: evenings by the fire to warm us and lift our hearts

Listening to Cat Power's 'Sun' over and over (and over)

Holding poorly children   all    day    long

Thinking about rainbows and spectrums

Eating 'Grand Mange' sarnies with salami and spinach

Feeling the endlessly grey January sky weigh too heavily

Reading and enjoying 'Surface Detail' by Iain M. Banks

I've been AWOL for a while, sorry! All the girls have been poorly; Tula being the worst and still no cessation of snot in sight. It's been a real struggle these past few weeks: this is my worst time of year when I find it hard to be a human being let alone a mum to three little ones or a wife or housekeeper. I don't like writing negative posts, but this is just how it is.

Jess is in France with Granny and Grandad, having a fine old time I'm sure. I miss her dreadfully, especially as when she returns she'll be straight back to school.

Trying to stop myself from plunging into any new projects until I've finished something first... I'm itching to start another quilt but can't stand the thought of having yet another pile of fabric hanging around for ever. I just don't have enough hands. So, I'm determined to finish the knitted blanket hopefully in time for Granny's birthday this year. So only a year late.

Not much left to do, but then I still have to sew it all together and knit the border too:

I bought this lovely patchwork skirt in a charity shop before Christmas and then caught it on a cupboard handle, so I'm hoping to add this new piece of silk (second pic) to cover the rip, though I have to say I'm struggling already with it, silk is near impossible to keep still!

And sticking to just dreaming about future quilt projects for now...

Here's to spring on it's way!

Two hours without kids

And

One finished phone case! Off to bed now :-)

Slowly getting it together

So here is a sample of the gifts I've finally starting making for Christmas....

Squirrel and acorn coaster

I am working from my lovely new book 'Super-Cute Felt' by Laura Howard of Lupin Handmade, who has a blog over at Bugs and Fishes.

Hedgehog phone cover

Still lots to do, and I haven't quite worked out what to do for the boys in the family...

Jess played an angel in her nativity play, which was really lovely.

Thankfully I'd managed to persuade her not to go in this rather fetching outfit she was sporting earlier in the week:

Mainly by turning her worn-out shoes into sparkly angel disco shoes! They just about lasted for the two performances; here they are looking slightly less fantastic, but still rather fun!

And the lovely sun-filled but frosty days we've had lately have returned to the more usual grey rain :-(

Luckily we made the most of this glorious morning to have a quick frolic on the beach before school started.

Slightly belatedly joining Fiona at Raindrops and Daisies for Green Day xx

Hello sunshine!

Hey there! Been a while, so sorry.... mostly we have been busy partying... 

Birthday flowers for me :-)

Birthday celebratory dinner at an excellent pub with most of the family in attendance 

(sadly no pictures yet of the Milly's Monster bash, but it was Berilliant!!!! - I was too busy to take pics, so I'm relying on sis-in-law's phone pics when she returns from Goa - no I'm not in the slightest bit jealous... 

Birthday girl being chomped by the Enormous Crococdile

enjoying the brief bursts of glorious sunshine between the grey rainy days... 

More birthday flowers! 

buying books (eek! - don't tell Jude!)... 

and watching the flowers grow :-)

Another lovely birthday gift for me and an early Christmas present bought for Tula peeking out on the left: slippers from Funky Feet

I've also been given a rather handsome stack of old magazines to snip up - yippee! At over three quid a pop, this is quite a haul! So that'll keep me and the girls busy for a bit....

and of course, it's nearly that time of year again....