Getting All My Ducks in a Row .....

During my visit home at Christmas last year my mother and I visited this really cool thrift shop where you can find hard back craft books for 50p ... one of the things I pounced on was this book of Beatrix Potter knitting patterns ...
... the designs are very dated and I really purchased it for bunny themed knitting ideas - but flicking through it the other day I found a pattern for Jemima Puddle Duck ... a baby blanket with duckies I thought - that would be sweet. Jemima, I decided, was more goose like than a duck so I changed the pattern to this ...
I used some of the wool given to me by Auntie Chris (it is amazing how much I have already used!) and it took a while to get the blanket correct as I discovered that designing shapes or pictures in a knitting pattern is not that simple!
I must have knitted and unravelled at least 15 times ... but finally I got all my ducks in a row ...
... and here is my little duckie baby blanket.
It measures 33 1/2" x 28" and has a moss stitch border. Perfect for a crib or a stroller or just for general snuggles.
I quite like ducks ... not quite as much as bunnies ... but they make me smile a lot. Can you believe it is nearly August? Where has the year gone?

Swap Shots

I've sent off my cupcake themed apron for the Cupcake and Tea Swap. My apron (based on the cakeland number in A Is for Apron) went to the girls at A Spoonful of Sugar and I was glad that they were kind about it!
And I also sent off my goodies for the Alabama Stitch Swap to Betty Ninja. Of course I had to make the bunny project!
These are my photos - but I can't believe the pictures that Betty took of the little bunny and needle book I made .... she really has an amazing talent with a camera.

I have to say that I really enjoyed making the goodies for both these swaps - I will be signing up for more swaps in the future for sure!

These Little Piggies Go Home

Occasionally one of those projects that is super fun comes along. A lady had seen Kristen’s baby playmat and wanted something similar for her friend. My guidelines were modern, chocolate brown, light green and piggies - I set to work.The first idea that popped into my head was mummy piggie with some baby piggies. Mummy piggie looks awfully proud of her well dressed babies - can you blame her?
... but where would they live – in a sty of course! And Mummy piggie would be very proud of her clean and straw filled sty – the phrase “Sty Sweet Sty” wouldn't leave my piggie filled head ...
... so here it is – my piggie playmat ...... (it also has buttons and little hangers on the back so that it can be a wall hanging too)... ... a double layer of cotton batting makes it extra thick and comfy for baby to play and roll around on. And of course we hope that the first word to be learnt will be 'piggie'!
So I know it isn't the same as the first playmat - but I hope it fills all the requirements and gets the Oink Oink seal of approval.

Heavenly Hemp

My resolution not to use plastic bags is going quite well and recently I've been thinking about Christmas (I know I know it is far far too early) .... but my thought was that wrapping paper is kind of a waste too and why not just make beautiful gift bags to present your presents in that they can be reused and reused and reused. After all - Santa just uses one big sack no? And it was Santa's sack that made me think of making reusable gift bags for this years pressies.

So on a recent trip to JoAnn's (have you seen the price of fabric at that place? choose carefully and you can save SO much cash while adding to your material stash ... perhaps that is bad advice to all you material addicts!) I purchased some hemp (cream and brown) and here are my first attempts at reusable gift sacks. (These are just the first version of the wine bottle sacks - I'm working on much bigger sacks too.)
Each little sack as a felt applique image and embroidered message ...
It was so bright and sunny outside that I thought myself crazy for making Christmas goodies and the sun and the texture of the hemp made me think of straw beach bags ... and straw made me think of bunnies and then I was off and made this ... my rabbit hutch bag ... I know it doesn't look like a rabbit or a hutch but it was named after my thoughts of sunny straw and bouncy bunnies ...
... and I'm really not a big bag person so I'm not sure why I keep making bags but there was something about this one that made me feel happy and smiley. Perhaps it was the polka dots? or the little felt flower with sparkles ...
... or perhaps it was just the love I have of making things that got to me.

A Day in the Life of the Dino Family

Deep in a grassy valley lives the Dino Family. They live at 1740 Triassic Lane. Here they are standing outside their front door (although the photo seems to have been crashed by a rather sweet pooch.)
Mrs. Dino is outside hunting for her son Owen who is supposed to be doing his home work. 'Where are you Owen?' Mrs. Dino looks everywhere - in the house and in the garden making sure she checks behind all the bushes. But she can't find Owen anywhere because he is hiding up a tree. He he - naughty Owen!
Finally Owen comes down and settles inside to do his English homework. He has to read a poem by Yeats - quite advanced stuff for a dinosaur in high school don't you think. Mr. Dino takes this quiet time to play his favorite piece on the piano by Dinovorák ...
... and Mrs. Dino sits outside by her favorite lavender bush to do some knitting. The Dino Family love nothing else but to end their day doing one thing - and that is to play a game of Monopoly together. Mr. Dino is sporting a rather crafty smile - do you think he could be cheating??