Tuesday 17 April 2012

Nothing worse than cold eggs

I've been wanting to make an egg cosy since I was sorting through my collection of Donna Hay magazines yonks ago and found the issue with little cosies on it. They are so bizarrely cute!  I've made this funny wee one as a gift. Xo



Sunday 15 April 2012

Vests are best

I've just this weekend finished knitting Felix's vest and I think it is gorgeous (Grant thinks it's a wee bit feminine but oh well!).  It was so quick and simple and I managed to use up some of my stash of wool that seems to keep growing no matter what I do (don't think it helps that we stopped in at Holland Road Yarn Company http://hollandroadyarn.co.nz/ yesterday to buy some brown wool to knit Gus a vest too!)  




I got the pattern for Felix's vest from Ravelry and its one that Sam Lamb http://samlamb.blogspot.co.nz/ designed.  She has got a couple of beautiful vests which I just adore.  They are just so very practical and I love love love that they are knitted in the round.  My pet hate with knitting is seaming.  It drives me crazy as it is so fiddly and I never seem to manage a neat seam.


I have been really enjoying knitting in the round at the moment both with circular needles and double pointed needles but I think that I need to go to Tash's Knitting in the Round class again at HRYC to practice magic looping as I just can't do it.  My current project involving knitting in the round is leg warmers with gorgeous raspberry wool from Holland Road Yarn Company.  They are for a special someone's birthday - obviously not Gus! Here is a sneak peak.



I have been struggling for the past few weeks with losing nappies and wipes in my bag when suddenly I had an epiphany - I need a nappy wallet.  So I made a new and improved one this afternoon.  Someone suggested these alterations a long time ago but at the time my sewing skills weren't at a point where I could figure out how to do it.  But now I can!  I have created an extra pocket to allow a special space for putting tissues or sanitizer and a disposable change mat.  I'm pretty pleased with how it came out.





Xo


Wednesday 11 April 2012

I love my scarf

I feel so very silly taking my photo in the bathroom mirror but its the only way to get a photo.


For my delicious scarf I used 4 balls of 10 ply and 12 mm needles. Cast on 25 stitches using two balls of yarn at a time (double) and knit in rib (knit 1 purl 1) until you have used all four balls of wool. You could use any yarn really just add a few more stitches if you use 8 ply wool. Xo


Friday 6 April 2012

And the bigger bigger digger

Have you seen these cups?  They are an initiative by NZ Post to promote literacy.  The first page of popular children's books are printed on pepe cino (fluffy/babycino) cups and you "simply visit readwritegrow.co.nz" to read the rest of the book.  So cool!  Gus was super-excited to see the little yellow digger on his pepe cino this morning.  We were super-excited that Alicetown Espresso was open and serving coffee on Good Friday! Xo


Looking good Albert!

He is done - complete with the essential woollen scarf!  We're heading into winter here and it can get pretty cold in Wellington - even monkeys get cold. Isn't he just so cute. Xo



Wednesday 4 April 2012

We're going on a trip

No not really, only out to the airport to collect Grant later this evening.  Grant likes to bring back gifts for the boys when he has been away so I picked up this ever-so-cleverly designed and very detailed airplane for Grant to give to the boys. Its from this tiny modern craft shop on the main street of Featherston. It has really beautiful products, well worth a look. Just thought I'd share. Xo


Albert Monkey


My lovely Laura made the oh-so-sweet Albert Monkey some time ago as a birth present for a beautiful boy called Solomon, and for me it was love at first sight. I've always adored Albert (Solomon is very cute too) and so with Gus' birthday approaching as his kuri (dog) looking a bit sad I thought it was time for a new bedtime friend.  I'm so very excited to be making this little project and seeing him come together. He is so cute - just want to pinch him. 




Gus' birthday is all about handmade this year.  On the weekend I finished a teepee which I used some ship fabric that I'd purchased from IKEA last year and at the time had no idea what I would use it for so I was really happy to have found a use for it.  I'm trying really hard to use fabric I already have and so was thrilled to stumble upon three metres of fabric that contrasted nicely with my ship fabric, and which I'd found at an Op Shop for only a few dollars.  Now all I need is the doweling to construct it.  Here is the updated pattern that I used to make the teepee.  Photos will follow.  


http://thecraftyminx.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/MAKE-A-CHILDS-TEEPEE-OCTOBER-AWW.pdf


Gus has also just started engaging in superhero play and so is very much enjoying adorning a cape at playcentre and racing around like a mad-thing.  So his final present for his birthday is a cape.  I try to avoid the whole commercialisation of childhood so his cape is olive green with a great big cream circle on one side and cream on the other side.  Hopefully he'll love it even though it doesn't have a big 'S' or webs on it!  Xo