Taffy blouse

I saw this cheery fabric in the remnants bin in the local fabric shop. A fairly old fashioned place so not always reliable for fabric but I often come away with some trim or other haberdashery that I just had to have. I was looking for some cheap fine fabric to make a muslin for this pattern, maybe green, and then I saw this.

The pattern is the Taffy blouse from the Colette sewing handbook. It suggests chiffon, georgette or lawn type fabric and this cotton did feel so fine. Until I washed and ironed it. Strange. But I carried on to make





It actually looks better off than on. The fabric is just too stiff. Rather than use the many meters of self made bias tape the pattern called for I used some ready made blue found in my pile for around the neckline (again, too stiff) and simply hemmed the sleeves. Those sleeves are larger than our largest dinner plates when spread out which makes wearing a cardy over the top rather bulky.

And yet I still like this top and have already worn it most days. Next time I shall heed those fabric suggestions...

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A purple birthday skirt

Hmmm... have spent the past few days with an achey sort of cold. Felt yuck. Still feeling slightly sorry for myself, as is Mr R. So not many makes as even too achey to knit. Today though that is what I plan to do... curl up with my knit needles.

At the start of all this yuckiness Patch had a party to go to at the weekend. A punk party. Had a vague idea that the delights of Primark or was it H&M had children's punk t-shirts, but couldn't find so decided to make use of some t-shirt transfer paper. Mr R printed a Ramones image which I ironed onto a plain white t of Patch's. Maybe a black t would have been more punk like, but the transfer paper was for light colours. And I had a white t. Patch didn't want his hair punkified, so the rest of the outfit was made up of a name tag necklace chain thingy (do I mean name tag?), black cord bracelet and brown cords as they are the only skinny leg trousers Patch has. All the best punks wear cords.

And the purple birthday skirt was for the birthday girl, whose favourite colour is purple.








The lovely fabrics are from m is for make, a combination chosen with the help of Kate. I hoped the plain purple was a good strong purple which Kate confirmed it was (even though it doesn't look so in these photos) and then suggested the lovely splodgy fabric to go with. A great choice and lovely, helpful service. So go buy lots of dreamy fabric there!

We wrapped the skirt and a Rosie Flo colouring book (the birthday girl loves to colour) in a suitably punkish manner - hope you like your presents Ilaria!


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Roaring dinosaur

Patch often asks if whatever item I am knitting is for him. Poor P. But I had the ideal pattern to use up some green leftover wool...




The roaring dinosaur from Zoe Mellor's knitted toys.

The red is yet again the cheap red used for Albert's kit blanket and trims on baby bonnets... and yes, still a small ball left. The variegated green was used for a tea-cosy made for Mum's birthday a few years ago (sounds most dull, but the green was the lining with the pretty green just peeking out for the dino's tum used for the outer and some sweet flowers sitting on top. Maybe a photo needed?). The pattern uses the same wool for all parts of the dinosaur, except the spines, but in useful stash busting style I finished off the variegated green with just enough to sew up the legs. Buttons from Great Gran's collection.

So simple to knit, not so simple to sew together. Oh, those spines. The spines are knitted in a long line and then sandwiched between the two bits of knitted body. In a sewn item I would have no problem, but keeping it neat when knitted. Oh my.

So worth it cause Patch loves his new, roaring dinosaur!



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Don't look Kate...

... unless your birthday parcel has arrived. Which it really should have done by now, so I think I'm safe. Here's what was inside Kate's parcel







The Purl Bee's big pom pom cowl. Without big pom poms. I used a dreamy light dusky blue swiss dot fabric with green ric rac trim and I love the combination. Hope the birthday girl is happy too!

I so want one to... s'okay to be tracy troopers, Kate?

Just back from watching Patch's school perform their Big Dance... twice. Oh my, I was worn out watching. Some parents were a little nervous about being expected to participate, but we would never have kept up with those moves. Patch's favourite moves were rowing and swimming... Did any other friends participate?

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the robot duvet cover

I was rather excited when I spied this robot duvet cover on the clearance shelf in that little boutique we all know! This was now a fair few months ago, just as Patch was moving to his single bed. I then tried to find a second duvet cover that Patch (I!) liked, but they seemed so very expensive. So I made one from some oh-so-soft red gingham, and that went on the bed. It wasn't until a washday, still a few months ago, that I realised when changing Patch's bedding that the robots just didn't fit. I still don't know whether because of peculiar duvet - though it was sold simply as a single - or was this the reason the robots were in the boutique in the first place?

Robots then sat in my work basket for more months. I promise I did wash Patch's only duvet cover in these months, but it was a little tiresome having to dry to put straight back on the bed. I don't know why I didn't sort out those robots before, it really was a simple sewing of two strips of yet more red gingham to each side to make fit. Patch loves his robots...





And a peek at Patch's newly decorated bedroom. Thank you Grandpa! Robots, vintage cars, cowboys... they all get mixed together. Just need to finish a few things (curtain pole, curtains and storage) then shall share some more of this sweet room!

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another baby bonnet...

This time using the baby bonnet pattern from Claire Montgomerie's easy baby knits. I followed the errata available on montyknits.blogspot.com which made a more rounded bonnet shape than the original pattern. Still not sure how to photograph a baby bonnet without a baby...





The red wool looks a little strange in the photo. It is rather bright, a true bright red, used for Albert's kit blankets. And I still have some left! The brown wool was left over from the moss stitch bonnet. This wasn't the most successful use-up-bits make as fairly near the end I ran out of the brown wool. Of course by then I had invested too much to simply unravel, so went and purchased more brown wool. For all of about ten rows. Look forward to seeing some baby in it this autumn...

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a baby bonnet...

... for no baby in particular! I just have one basket of wool waiting to be knitted, and it is all remnants of balls used for previous makes. I don't think this amount of wool is too worrying. Unlike my piles of fabric... Anyway, last week I looked through my knitting books and decided which projects would be nice to try that would help use up these bits of wool. A lot of my knit books are for babies, and this suits the small amounts of leftover wool. And though I don't have any newborns to knit presents for right now I know of a few who will be arriving this autumn.

So, here is the modern baby bonnet from Hadley Fierlinger's vintage knits for modern babies. Dreamy patterns!





Obviously would look much better on a baby's head, but no babies around here to model. I do hope it fits a baby OK! Both the brown and olive green wool are bits of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino left over from a cardigan knitted for Patch from a few years ago. And finished with a button from my Great Gran's button tin. Lovely.

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A baby snuggler

So sweet... though I think will look a lot better with a baby Jude all cosy inside.





These gloomy days mean gloomy photos, sorry. The pattern is from Lotta Jansdotter's simple sewing for baby. And it was just that. Simple. I only slightly changed the pattern by topstitching around the wrap edges and along the top at the back. So added to, rather than changed. This snuggler is lined with one of Patch's cotbed sheets and is so soft. And that is all for Baby Jude.

So, what next?

Popped to the local plant sale this morn and came home with yet another bleeding heart. I just can't walk past them. And some Granny white pelargoniums, which will hopefully be less Granny-like when planted in my collection of old terracotta pots and my pale blue watering can which sadly developed a leak last year...

On the way home then popped to Halfords to look at a possible new bike for me. Oh, it is so difficult! I like my old bike, mainly because it is a Pashley and I know we'll never afford a new one. But it is oh-so-heavy, with only three gears and an increasing amount of rust. The one in Halfords is a sit-up-and-beg style, cornflower blue with cream trim and seven gears. What to do with them all? And oh, what to do? Go look on the Halford's website and let me know your thoughts!

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cute booties for Jude

A pair of cute booties from Amy Butler's little stitches for little ones





A sweet make and so fun to do. I slightly ignored parts of the pattern - there is no interfacing and I like the squid gayness (oh my, can you believe that is what the i-pad comes up with when you type squidgyness?) I did use fusible fleece type but only cut one pair of soles, and ironed them onto the exterior soles.

The parcel was finally sent to Baby Jude today, so hopefully there will be some teeny pink toes in these soon. Or not, as I made the 3-6 month size...


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Ribbon blanket

Though blanket may be somewhat grand for this small ribboned present for Baby Jude. Not sure what the wool is, as from my overflowing basket, bought last summer to make new kit blankets for Albert. The back is an oh-so-soft dimply fleece type which is oh-so-slippery to sew. And just so I remember for next time

CO 41
Moss stitch first 8 rows
Moss stitch 6 sts, stocking stitch to last 6 sts, moss stitch to end
Continue til square-ish then moss stitch 8 rows.

Only another two Baby Jude presents to show, though all made so I am off to parcel them all up.

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