Knit two, purl two

I am forever saying I will one day learn to knit, and admiring Kyoko and Ms Cleavers creations always gets me. And, we have a fabulous local wool shop that I go to for thread and buttons and the like. So, at the weekend I went in there and said "Help me! Where do I start?". The very patient lady showed me some options and gave me a little tutorial on casting on, knit and purl and sent me on my merry (for I was most excited) way with my wool and needles.


I spent from 4pm until 10pm (with a small break for putting the boy to bed and eating supper) knitting, and making mistakes that I couldn't identify and unraveling all my work and then starting again not getting past three rows of 22 stitches... argh!


I got very good at casting on, and took this picture on Sunday morning to demonstrate that I could at least get this far, and set to again, and look...

...knitting!! Lovely ribbed knitting! I now have to go back into the shop to have the lady show me how to cast off. Can you guess what it is yet?

Between my furious bouts of knitting this weekend I have been painting like a woman possessed and it finally feels like our new bedroom is in sight... this is what all the fuss has been about. The carpet arrives today and will be fitted on Wednesday. Exciting stuff.

Look...

what the optician did to B's eyes today...

Baby bunting safe and dry

B's brother and his wife were here visiting at the weekend. They are due to have their first baby in May, and we spent some time going through M's old baby kit which has just been returned to us from my brother. Don't you love the way these things get passed around between family? Although it seems they are coming thick and fast at the moment, we have been very good and staggered them perfectly for this!


The moses basket that M spent his first months in was second hand when we bought it - 99p on eBay, and it has seen two more babies since, and it shows. Look at that handle! Not sure you would want to carry a football up the stairs in that, let alone your newborn!


So on Monday, in between outings in the weather, I set to making some new handles. I am very pleased with the end result. A much finer set of handles than the basket was made new with, and I love a mending project that breathes fresh life into something.

Here is the bottom view of one of the handles... don't you love the pattern the stitching has made? And it is strong... that is double threaded nylbond, stitched twice! Oooer!

The title of this post references Each Peach Pear Plum, a classic picture book which I remember enjoying in my childhood. It is a new one in our collection and M is bananas for it right now.

My very own sticky dust

A little while ago DottyCookie posted about a shelf in her kitchen that was prone to collecting 'sticky dust' an evil that seems to escape no kitchen. The comments on that post were all of us cursing the stuff. Well, since we have been having building work done, I have had to give my house over to the filth, and I am just starting to get back on top of it. This weekend I tackled our glasses shelf. The following will explain why we have been using the same few clean glasses from the front, and leaving the ones at the back.



Oh, the horror! Will you just look at that! You might think I shouldn't have let it get so bad, but what is the point in spring cleaning if there is a new layer of plaster/ coal/ saw dust every day? Good riddance builders!

Ugh, can you see the grime on top of the glasses? But look, hot soapy water.

And, just look at that... anyone for an orange squash?

Brittle Elastic

So, I haven't posted in quite a while.

It feels like we are sinking in this house at the moment... too many big, time consuming and disruptive tasks all on at the same time. There has been no crafting, unless you count taking up a new pair of jeans?! The builders have gone, which is a relief, but we are left with a stack of DIY and it seems no time in which to complete it. We have to keep remembering that it will be finished soon and it will be worth it!

Now, I normally take pictures specifically to blog, but as it appears I am not blogging I thought I might just bung up some randoms...

If you are still reading, then thanks, and I shall endeavour to share a bit more often.

Some biscuits for a Christmas thank you card.

Our landing as it looks at the moment... up those stairs is where we will be sleeping, and through that door is where we will have our office and sewing room... Hang on in there!

Dads, sons, uncles and cousins out walking at the weekend.

Head above water

It has been busy around here. One thing after another. Firstly, I've been trickling along with the Christmas crafting: some napkins for gifts...

with applique vegetables.

And than we had a bit of chicken pox

which meant that M wasn't allowed to come to B's brothers wedding and wear this...

and for which I had been tearing my hair out making this...

The result was passable (although the pictures barely are),

And, we still have scaffolding all over the house, and builders tramping in and out,

But yesterday after driving back from the London wedding, we got our tree, and now the place feels much jollier!

Three Christmas Cooks

Not that you would know it on here, but I have been pretty busy of late. I am frustrated with myself for not keeping the blog up to date, but I think I have to relax and realise that it is going to slip a bit until we have finished this run of building work - the house and our lives are chaos.

The beauty of it is that when this run of building work is finished, I will have a dedicated sewing space... I will be able to spread out and leave it spread out... I can't wait.

Back to the now though...

I have started and finished three little cooks sets, for three little people for Christmas.

They each get an apron with their initials,

a rolling pin and a couple of cutters,

and a matching bag to keep it all in.

Lovely.