Granny's favourite.

We managed to take some photo's of Rose wearing her new cardigan this afternoon. I had the cardigan blocking on the floor just outside of the back door and she kept going to check if it was dry yet or not, she'd been desperate to have it on to wear ever since she saw me pinning it out early this morning.

 

In the end she actually only wore in for 10 minutes before saying "Mummy, too hot!" I did warn her it was too warm today to be wearing a cardigan but she wouldn't listen.. she is a very stubborn little girl!

The pattern is available to buy here on Ravelry and the yarn I used was Rooster almerino dk in colour 213 (cherry). I bought the yarn when I was back in Dorset from Bridport Yarn which is a gorgeous shop. I originally planned to knit a jumper for Arthur with the yarn but then I realised the colour was much more suited to Rose and I had other idea's for items I wanted to knit for him anyway. It was Amazing to knit with, glided over my needles and is so super soft now it's knitted up.

 

I've really got my knitting mojo back now...  I can't believe that there were Months when I was pregnant with Arthur that I didn't knit a single stitch! All of that time that I wasted where I could have gotten lovely things made.. ahh well, I must have felt Really tired if it meant that I couldn't face my knitting needles!

xxx

I do love little newborn handknits...

I had all of these photo's uploaded already in a draft post but I had completely forgotten that I still hadn't posted them on here. These are the little knitted things I made for one of my very good friend's who had her third baby around 6 weeks ago. 

Due to some tricky complications she had him 3 weeks earlier than was expected so I never actually got a chance to block them! The cardigan luckily was looking okay-ish without being blocked, so that was a big relief! It was all finished very last-minute. It's all been worn lots by her sweet little boy though, so I'm so glad I rushed to get it all done in time.

The cardigan is the Puerperium cardigan which is a brilliant free pattern on Ravelry.

I bought the buttons from The Eternal Maker which I'm lucky to have just down the road from me. My friend didn't know the sex of the baby, so I wanted to go for something quite natural and neutral looking.

The booties were knit from this pattern and are super quick and simple. I made a pair for Arthur out of an Aran weight yarn which he wore a Lot.

The little hat is knit from a pattern by Ginny at one of my favourite blogs Small Things. 

Here is the link to the pattern on Ravelry, it's a lovely sweet little knit.

Isn't he just the sweetest little boy!? He was so small that even though the hat was tiny, it was still a little baggy on his tiny little head! 

xxxx

Lots of knitting going on around here...

I've been doing a whole lot of knitting recently. Mainly due to the fact we went away for a week and I had time to knit! Well, more time that I usually get anyway... I went through a few months near the end of my pregnancy with Arthur where I just didn't have the motivation to craft very much. I felt a lotttt more tired than I ever did when pregnant with Rose but that's probably because I was having to look after a Very lively toddler this time round!

This was a slouchy beany hat I was knitting for my Mum for Mothers day. I've finished it now but only took a rushed photo on my phone as I just wanted to get it off in the post to her.. The yarn is Noro Silk garden which I got from this lovely lady in the craft swap shop at the Instagrannies meet-up that was organised by my good friend Sarah. Aren't the colours just gorgeous!?

Isn't it horribly bitterly cold outside at the moment!? It's supposed to be Spring for goodness sake! So anyway, I'm attempting to make the inside of the house seem spring-like by having pretty flowers indoors. 

I just cannot believe the difference between the weather this time last year and now. Come on sunshine, please shine!

I knit a sweet little maroon pebble vest for a lovely lady on Instagram who asked for a vest for her little boy, she's received it now and is happy so that's a relief!

I thought I would quickly show you the granny square cushion cover I finished a few weeks back. I only realised today that I hadn't actually taken any proper photo's of it, so I've done that now and it's gone onto my Ravelry page. I really need to update my projects on there... will have to do it when I get a spare minute!

Rose is currently napping and Arthur is pretty content at the moment so think I will carry on 

knitting a little more of the teeny cardigan that I'm making for my friends baby due in May. I don't have the right size DPN's needed for the arms so I've had to learn the magic loop method through youtube today. I have to say I'm finding it a little fiddly but then I suppose I found double pointed needles fiddly in the beginning too, I just need to get used to them.

xxxx

My attempt to get back in the blogging world before baby arrives!

So, tomorrow I will be turning 38 weeks pregnant. Believe me when I say that I already feel way further along than that though! This pregnancy has been a whole lot tougher second time round... probably mainly down to me having to care for a hyper toddler at the same time as growing this baby. I probably sound very dramatic as I know so many of you women have done exactlyyy the same thing at some point along the line. I'm an only child, where as Ray is 1 of 7 sibling's and I now have a wholeee new respect for his Mum!

I've been measuring rather big this pregnancy and at my 35 week appointment my midwife measured me as over 40cm's when I should have only been 35. This meant that I went for a growth scan on my birthday last week and the baby is actually measuring 3 weeks bigger than he should be at this stage... and apparently has a rather large head!! (Ouch!) So after having a perfect homebirth with Rose first time round, my plans have changed somewhat and instead I'll be going into the birthing centre at the hospital to have the baby. I felt quite upset about it originally but have now come round to the idea of it and after going for a tour around the maternity unit today, I'm actually feeling really positive about going into hospital. The most important thing is mine and the baby's safety and I'll still have a gorgeous bundle at the end of it all... even if he is a big bruiser! haha

So I thought I would update you all (unless you're on Instagram) on how much Rose has grown! She's now 22 months and a complete handful! She seems to have reached the 'terrible two's' a bit early and we've been having plenty of tantrums and tears around here... I have everything crossed that it's just a phase she's going through and we'll all come out of it at the end okay! One thing's for sure, she's not gonna know what's hit her when this baby brother of hers arrives!

Even though I've not been blogging much recently, I have been doing a bit of crafting... I'll give you a quick catch-up. I'm afraid these are all Instagram photo's so some of you may have seen them before but I need to get using my Canon much more again!

I made this little snuggle comfort blanket for the baby... I'd seen quite a few other baby's with them but they were sooo expensive, so I thought I would give it a go making my own instead and I was really happy with the end result.

I knit/crocheted this tea cosy for a lovely lady who's a family friend of Ray's family, she loved it which I was relieved about!

I finally got my act together and finished knitting this little cable vest for the baby. I made a couple of little mistakes on it but thankfully they don't really notice unless I were to point them right out. 

I've been working on my 'Alice Caterpillar' mitts, I've Almost finished them but am working on Christmas presents at the moment so they've temporarily been put to the side...

I started a blue baby blanket for the baby and I've actually finished it! I just need to take some good photo's on my camera to show you the end result. I knitted it in Debbie Bliss 'Glen' yarn that I bought at the Knit and Stitch show in London and am over the moon with it, it's so so soft and cosy.

 

I've sewn an apron for my Nan for Christmas. (I've made her aware that getting down on the floor to cut up the fabric was pretty much impossible with my size at the moment and so she'd better wear it at least once even if she hates it!)

And here are a couple more shots of Rose... just in case you forgot what she looks like! haha

(Ray took her for a trip into town yesterday to get an all-in-one rain suit, it's fleece-lined and means that she can now have as much fun as she wants splashing in puddles! Before, we were getting through countless changes of clothing because I'm just Not quick enough to keep her out of the water... seriously, she'll spot a puddle a mile off and just Run for it!

This was my size 2 weeks ago... 

...and I'm now at this stage, of feeling the size of a whale and bouncing on the birthing ball daily trying to tempt the little one to come say hello already! 

Sorry, I know it's been a bit of a long babble this post.. at least I've kind of caught up with myself now so I can get back into a regular routine with my blogging. Oh how I've missed it... :-(

I hope you are all well and I'm planning to come on by to your blogs to catch up with them too...

Love Ashley xxxxx

Crafty goings-on...

How pretty are these stitch markers!? 

The only stitch markers I had before were these awful ugly plastic ones that kept catching on my knitting so I decided to look for something a little more pleasing to the eye and hopefully something that wouldn't have an opening for the yarn to snag on. I found these stitch markers here on Etsy for a brilliant price and they came in the post today. One of the cute little blue ones was put straight to use on my current knitting project.

I've been crocheting a little too.

I made up a couple of sweet little coasters that will be a present for a friend, well... they will help to make up the whole present anyway.

I had enough of the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino aran yarn to make up 3 coasters and one of them now has pride of place on my desk in the living room. :-)

The petals of the coaster look really pretty even when it is in use and you can't even see half of the coaster. I'm definitely going to be having a search through my little stash to see if I can find anymore aran yarn to make up a few more. I came across the pattern on Pinterest and here is the link for you.

Here's a little sneak peek of what I've been working on most recently for the little bubba that's due in December. I'd only tried knitting cables once before on a pair of hand warmers but this is the first time I've used them in knitting a garment and especially when there are so many of them! I made on mistake but I don't think it's tooo noticeable. You can also see one of my new knitting stitch markers in use, So pretty!

It's been one Busy day today so am definitely looking forward to my bed tonight, I'm going to attempt to catch up on some of my emails first though.

xxx

(This was the bump just over a week ago)

A couple of finished items to show you...

Yesterday evening I finished sewing these little booties together whilst catching up with some of the Olympic action on my laptop... it felt like I was the only one who hadn't yet seen Jessica Ennis win her Gold medal. I don't know if it's because of my pregnancy hormones or not but I got quite emotional watching it! Very exciting. :-)

They are made with a Debbie Bliss yarn called Fez, which is an Arun wool so they knitted up really quickly. The pattern was one that was given to me by my auntie, I don't even know the name of the pattern though so can't share it I'm afraid. The booties look very cute indeed and are so soft and squidgy. That's one item finished for the little boy in my belly anyway..!

I haven't been getting much crafting done recently as I have been getting on with this blanket. I said yes to a friend of a friend when she asked me to make it for her but that was before I even found out I was pregnant and began to feel totally exhausted. 

So it's been a bit of a chore to work on as the colours aren't really to my liking and everything just kind of felt like it took a huge amount of effort to do, let alone crocheting a big blanket.

But it's now finished! :-)

I can't wait to hand it over and get working on a few projects for myself that I really want to start...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Our 2nd wedding anniversary!

I had a lovely day on Tuesday as it was our 2nd year wedding anniversary. Considering we weren't Supposed to be 'doing' presents this year (we are trying to save our pennies for Ray's big GP exam and our little arrival due at the end of the year, not to mention that big occasion in December that tends to cost quite a bit of money....!) I was thoroughly spoilt! 

Not that I reallllyyy minded all that much though! ;-)

Ray had hinted that I had to stay in for a morning delivery of the floral kind, he couldn't get to the shops to buy some nice flowers due to work apparently... but when the doorbell went I was surprised to have the delivery man hand me one Huge box, I thought it must be one Huge bouquet of flowers! haha

But inside the massive box was This shiny new laptop! :D I will point out that my previous laptop was really on it's last legs and as well as the hinge being so broken that the screen couldn't be adjusted at all, there were  dodgy wires on show... (not great when you have a very curious toddler in your home!), you couldn't unplug it even for a minute and the fan was so loud that Ray would have to turn the TV up high just to drown out the noise! So it was only a matter of time before it died and we Had to get a new one... but Wow was it a great surprise as I had no idea Ray had even ordered it. :-) 

I'm sat here tonight,  laid back on the comfy sofa as the laptop stays alive without being plugged into the plug point at all times... and it's pretty much silent as the fan is So quiet on this laptop. I'm chuffed to bits with it as you can Probably tell! 

I didn't expect flowers after that extravagant gift but in the afternoon the doorbell went again and I was given these beauties! The lilies are just Stunning and fill the room with the most amazing scent - Thank you my lovely xXx

Ray really earnt his brownie points that day as then in the evening my friend had Rose to stay for the night and we went out for dinner, then to a show at the theatre, it was amazing and it just felt so great to be out for a night out together in the evening time!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ta-dah! Mini quilt for my Nan x

Finally I have finished the mini quilt made for my Nan's birthday and it's in the post to her, so she should get it today when they return from having a few day's away.

I hope she likes it, I've sewn a few mini curtain/blind rings on the back for her to hang it up somewhere. I've said she can put it up somewhere that people won't have to look at it too much if she wants! 

I used a paper-piecing template that my auntie gave to me and used fabric that I had bought at The Make Lounge, it did take quite a while... but that was solely down to me being lazy and putting it aside about a hundred times!

I did my best at embroidering a label to go on the back of the quilt for her but the handwriting wasn't as neat as I would have liked but then again, I'm not a very experienced embroiderer!

Rose is becoming a bit of a bean-pole, she seems to be getting taller and taller every day. She's already the same height as my friends little girl that is over two now. I always remember being quite tall when I was a child though so she'll probably end up the same as myself. We had a bit of a disturbed night's sleep last night, as she seems to have caught a bad cold. There was a Lot of runny noses at the Wednesday toddler group that we go to, so I suppose she was bound to catch it off of somebody there..!

Right, I'm off to package up some parcels. I've been having a bit of a clear-out and have sold a load of clothes and things on eBay to raise some funds. But now it's the boring bit of having to get everything ready to post... not my favourite job in the world I have to say!

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Now that's a lotta stripes!

I'm currently half way through knitting the second sleeve of the little jumper for my friends new baby. I've never knitted stripes before but it's actually a lot simpler than I thought it would be... although having two balls of wool on the go at once, I do keep getting them all tangled around each other!

Rose had two of her friends around this afternoon for lunch, along with their mums who I'm good friends with. They all tired each other out, along with us Mums too! Rose went down for a nice long sleep after they left, I think I could actually have done with going down for a nice nap myself! I took the opportunity to get some sewing done though... my Mum's coming to visit tomorrow for the weekend (Yay!) and I'd like to finish what I'm working on before she gets here if possible.

We've been having a lot of family time together at one of our local parks... that girl Loves the swings! Whether it's on her own in the baby swing or on either one of our laps..!

We hadn't been to this park before and so Rose enjoyed discovering this purple tunnel to climb through... 

lots of new experiences every day!

We have some lovely neighbours and the elderly couple next door are always interested on how Rose is getting on, they gave her the sweetest little toy for her 1st birthday. I regularly have a chat with them when we're all out in our garden's (we live in a terrace house) and Rose can never quite understand how she can see someone through our fence in the garden. She always seems to get the giggles when I'm talking to them out in the garden and she spots them through the gaps in the fence. The other day she offered me some old toys and books that she used to have at her house for when the grandchildren came to visit, it was a lovely thought. :-)

Right, Rose is currently enjoying a little post-nap Cbeebies and a little pot of mini cheddars and she's nice and quiet... so I'm going enjoy a few more minutes of sewing!

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