The photo

Blanket for Baby Silas

So this is the much anticipated photo for the earlier blanket I finished. It is folded here, but as you can see it is edged with the blue and alternates with green, blue and orange squares. It was extremely soft and I hope there are many many years of love for this one. It was hard to give away as my 10 year old was convinced it was going to be a throw rug for him. I guess I will just have to start another project (after the rest are finished!)

As for teddy, he was completed last night at about midnight. All arms, legs and head sewn on. I decided to not add a button nose and go with the natural shaping of the face. I think for a first time he turned out well enough. As for a photo, I am struggling to get the teddy of the 2 year old! The bear still needs a ribbon around the neck for completion and a photo taken so again, it will be posted shortly. Once I can sneak it off the bub while he's sleeping. This one was meant to be a gift as well, so it looks like I will be needing to start another one. I have to say, now that I have made one, the rest will be very quick and easy to complete. A great pattern to follow and once you are used to knitting with Giggles, it comes together nicely. Sewing together, I chose to use standard needle and thread as it is near impossible to sew with the Giggles yarn as there are so many loops it can get caught on, using a thinner, smoother thread was much easier.

Finished!!

Blanket for baby Amity

So it may have started over a year ago, but the Snowball blanket has been finished. The hold up was in finding a neat way to cast off, and I found last weekend the way to do it. The tension must have been right as I don't recall doing anything different than an ordinary cast off and it finished off beautifully.

I think this type of wool will be too hot to put over a baby as a true blanket, however the thickness of it and soft cushioning will be a perfect rug for a baby to lie on the floor with or for a pram. I made a tag as seen in the picture with Made for Amity on the front, and the washing instructions on the back and tied it to the blanket with some ribbon, which can be easily removed after. I thought it added a nice finishing touch to the gift. A quick card and it's in the post to Perth. I hope it is as much loved in using it as I had in making it. I must say I was very proud of the final product!

Busy times

It's been a while since last posting and I have been very busy with the usual parenting antics AND finishing the blanket for a friends baby. Yep a project is finished!! The picture isn't uploaded yet but will post soon, hopefully along with the Lincraft Giggles Teddy. I bought the nose yesterday to sew on and just have to find the perfect eyes to match and it's complete. The family are enjoying playing with the legs, arms and body in separate pieces and littlest Zac has had a great time stuffing the bear, so hopefully the finished product will be here soon. There maybe some contest as to who it goes to, so luckily I have enough wool to make another!

Now for the pattern. I must say having never knitted a toy before I didn't know what to expect. It has been a lot simpler than I first thought it would be. It helps that the Giggles wool is "fluffy" you could say, so that there are no defined stitches to match up, but it has been a good starter project. The trick I think is in the shaping when you add the stuffing as that is what defines the shape and character of the bear. I am finding the stuffing and shaping of the head something I intend to take some time on to get it looking right, otherwise I think the rest of the effort will be wasted if the face doesn't reflect a perfect finish. The next couple of weeks will tell. I need to explore for the right eye buttons. I can't believe out of all my button containers I don't have ones for the eyes. Oh well, I will enjoy the search and maybe find extras along the way.

So the blanket. It was meant to have 5 strips but in my late night efforts found that the picking up of stitches along the edge didn't work as well on two of the strips, it seemed to pull to tightly. So I sewed up the 3 finished strips and it worked well at that size so I left it at that. The edging on the pattern called for a larger border, however I felt having it the same size as the blue edging in the centre of the blanket gave it a better balance. Being a soft polyester, the squares do appear to be different sizes but the same number of stitches were used. I think not sitting and knitting in a shorter time frame has led to different tensions at the end. It is only really noticeable on one square, I am happy with the rest of the blanket. The people receiving the gift were happy, so I am happy and can't wait to do another blanket (after the remainder of outstanding projects are completed!)

Latest antics

A few years back I was given an old Singer sewing machine from my dear Aunt, a Style-O-Matic 328P and after travelling with it for 8 hours it was unpacked and left sitting in a room - until last night. I opened it up, read the manual and played with the fashion discs that change stitches and after moving the parts that I could, I was excited to give it a go. How amazing would the sewing feel on such a sturdy machine compared to my plastic Janome. All anticipation and excitement dwindled when I realised I had no needles to use. The mission begins. An email to Singer, phone call to Aunt and call out for anyone who might have a needle. I hope I find one, or two.

The baby blanket has progressed to be 5 strips in all and I am ready to knit the vertical row of colour, pick up 158 stitches on one row, then cast off the next!!! What have I got myself into?? Thats a huge amount of picking up stitches 4 times for only one row. Alas, it is on hold until this weekend when I can get myself a 4mm circular needle. The psyching up for the task at ahead begins.

So, I couldn't sit by and do nothing and I started to knit the Lincraft Giggles teddy bear. So far so good I must say for a beginner. The novelty yarn is very easy to use, but I wouldn't recommend making too many mistakes and trying to back track - that isn't that easy to follow.

Finally!!!!

Well, I guess here it is.....the first post! I suppose we all have one. Since wanting to start a blog and actually getting to this point, it has taken a firm hurry up and log in or we will delete you message - so thank you for the kick up the butt!

So I guess as a working mum I don't have as much time as I would like to attend to my hobbies, and I hear that echoed all over I am sure, however I do try and be spurred on by new babies on their way or new patterns I have come across that I think would look great finished on the children of my dear friends. It's good that they are dear friends as they are more likely to understand when the projects are not finished!

At the moment I have a blanket that I am trying to finish for a friend's baby due in March and I must say I am on schedule, however the hard part really is yet to come. It is a pattern I found in a magazine called Filati Infants at a newsagency just after the birth of baby number 3, that has probably been sitting around for a while as there is no possible site for me to purchase the exact wool recommended in the pattern. This happens all too often and I start out disappointed before I get the chance to enjoy the project. However, I have recently purchased Lincraft Giggle with all intentions to make the gorgeous jacket and teddy bear for the same baby as the blanket...so I have a pretty tight deadline. I hope to review the pattern and share the final photos in plenty of time before baby arrives. Fingers crossed!!!

Other interests include the de

sire to learn to crochet. I believe every knitter should be able to at least be competent to crochet borders to their work. So even though its an expensive way to approach

it, I embarked on the Art of Crochet weekly subscription from the newsagency. This is a week-by-week instruction guide with a ball of wool included to teach a number of techniques and in doing so construct a square a week to contribute to an overall throw rug. Well, I am about to get week 23 and I have to say I have only made one square, much to husband's disgust. More wool cluttering up the place and no finished projects to show for it.

My first passion was really sewing and I have a wonderful Auntie who was a dressmaker who showed be the basics. I loved the shirt I made for my then 3 yr old so much it was never worn and still hangs in the cupboard 14 years later, looking still like brand new. But, I say at least it is finished.. buttons sewn on and all and ironed just waiting for the right moment to be worn.

I have gone on to make a number of things including an irish dancing dress which I am finally ready to part with should someone like it, even though it was a brilliant achievement for me. Here are the photos to share.

I would prefer to show you the dress on my no longer little princess that wore it,but those ones are prior to digital so require scanning to upload!!! So easy now the life of digital photos - just awesome.

I will one day show it in style but didn't want to start my blog without any signs of creativity.

Well as I am off to work again tomorrow, I am being hounded to get my sleep for the next 5 days ahead. However, I certainly intend to sneak in a few rows at least of the baby blanket in process!! Night all, till next blog - hopefully not too far off...AND, thanks for reading!!!