Tiny white daisies

Squeeeeeeek!!

2012-01-19T12:33:00.001Z

THE best birthday present - EVER!!

today is a rather large birthday *cough* (40) So it's great to have something so utterly wonduferlous to take the edge off...... :o)

Gulp!

2011-11-30T12:59:00.000Z

I have never, ever spent so much money on wool. Never. Ever.

But it was worth it....

Madelinetosh vintage in Scarlet - lots of it..

Not so 'little' ladybug..

2011-11-28T12:20:00.001Z

Happy Birthday to my beautiful, smart, quirky and totally unique Ladybug!

Birthday cake - a 'strawberries and cream' baked cheesecake as requested by the lady herself...

Gifted

2011-09-05T15:22:00.001+01:00

While things may have been a tad quiet (ahem!) on the old blogging front, it doesn't mean that I've been sitting back and twiddling my thumbs - no siree!!

Apart from the usual busyness that summer holidays bring, this year they have brought along with them a number of tiny new arrivals (for friends, not me, I hasten to add..) And of course, new babies need presents....

Burp cloths, because you can never have too many of these...

An 'in threes' cardigan in deliciously squooshy Madelinetosh Vintage DK...

A teeny, tiny 'pebble' vest made out of a surprisingly soft skein of Noro Silk garden

To go with the vest, something I haven't made for aaaaages : a nappy cake!

It wasn't all about the babies though, oh no. A lovely little lady celebrated her first birthday too. On special request, a blanket for her doll's crib was made.

.. and because I liked the first one so much, another 'in threes' was produced.

Not too bad eh?!

Week two...

2011-07-13T11:19:00.000+01:00

The holidays continue apace. Just back from an amazing wedding in the UK and life goes back to normal!

Today's activity :

First one finished!

2011-04-16T22:50:00.001+01:00

Crochet bunny, a photo by tinywhitedaisies on Flickr.

Yay! First bunny finished. I've decided in my usual organised way, to try and make six of these for Easter gifts. Five to go.....

In the eye of the beholder.....

2011-04-15T16:37:00.002+01:00

Well, I think she looks a bit 'odd'...

But a certain four year old thinks that she is beautiful, so who am I to argue?!

Lula doll from this book, knitted with oddments of wool and without the flowery bits as a certain little lady was trying to be so very patient, and they would have taken longer!

Also being made this week:

crochet bunny from here

and a pile of felt squares destined to be coasters!

Still going stong!

2011-03-16T20:52:00.000Z

Nope. Still not fed up with it.....

Today I practised a little more and made three lavender bags.

I have just finished painting an old wardrobe for our newly decorated guest room, and wanted to get rid of the 'painty'smell. I also wanted one for the drawer in which I keep the spare bedlinen.

I really like the 'new' room, though it's not quite finished yet. I bought these for the wardrobe to replace the boring old pine ones, and they make me smile each time I see them.

..and have you seen my wallpaper? I love it!

And another one....

2011-02-23T14:38:00.000Z

I'll move on from houses soon, I promise.

Just as soon as everyone has finished moving!

I think I may be addicted....

2011-02-17T16:10:00.000Z

After a few false starts,

I have begun to get a feel for free motion embroidery.

I think I'm addicted....

Today we had...

2011-02-14T19:58:00.000Z

heart pie (otherwise known as Chicken Pie - from Jamie's 30 min cookbook)

..and heart potatoes!

Happy Valentine's day! xx

A New Arrival...

2011-02-04T09:44:00.000Z

Look who has joined us in our home this week...!

We have wanted a piano for so long, but we never had the room in our old house.

When we moved, we certainly had the room, but not the spare cash.

and then we heard about this old Lady who was looking for someone to take care of her - for free!

and so she came to live with us

Personally I think tutus and stripy tights are the 'must-have' uniform of every pianist....

Hexagon baby blanket - done!!

2010-12-02T07:54:00.000Z

Yay! It's finished, albeit a little later then planned.

160 hexagons of snuggliness (approx 90 x 120 cm)

I really want to hang on to it for myself

but there's a tiny wee girl who needs to keep warm in this snowy weather

hope she likes it....

Sunshine on a rainy day..

2010-11-24T11:15:00.001Z

Two lots of flowers.

Made by Miss Chatterbox

and Pickle.

Just for me.

(It makes me smile each time I see them...)

Oh, and just to let you know - another 3 posts will be my 100th! I'll be holding a give-away, so keep watching!

Stitch, by Cath Kidston : A Book review

2010-11-22T19:41:00.001Z

I was very excited last week when this book plopped through the letter box. It had been on my Amazon wish list for ages and when the opportunity arose to review it, I jumped at the chance!

As I already own both ‘Sew’ and ‘Make’ (disappointed with one, loved the other!) and am a complete stitching novice, I was intrigued as to how I would rate this book. I’m glad to say that it lived up to my expectations and is probably my favourite book of the three.

As regular readers of this blog may know, needlepoint and cross-stitch are not crafts that I would usually indulge in and so I found the introduction section particularly useful, clearly explaining the various stitches and techniques that would be needed for the projects. I was glad to see that the projects didn't stay at the beginner level though, but were graded through to more difficult or longer term projects such as the rug and seat cover.

Although there is a fair spread of projects in the book I did find the range slightly limited - there were a lot of cushions and pouches of various kinds, (and does anyone ever use a candle shade?!). I was particularly drawn to the use of soluble canvas to embroider designs onto clothes and other objects and am wondering if I can maybe use some of the needlepoint ideas as cross stitch designs in this way too. I am also thinking of possibly using some of the designs on a smaller scale to make pictures with.

Of all the projects included within the book, my favourites by far are the Union Jack designs and I can’t wait to start the cushion. I do however, also want to make the Electric Flowers cushion, the Stripe rug, the pincushion, the gadget case....

For those crafters who are not so keen on Cath’s instantly recognisable florals, don’t worry! There are plenty of her other designs included in the book and it would not be so difficult to adapt these to fit other projects.

Though the variety of projects seemed a little limited to me, the book does contain a lot of ideas and designs that could be used as a starting point for other gifts to make for yourself or others. As a long time lover of Cath Kidston's designs and products, I thought the book itself was wonderfully photographed and whether you buy it for yourself or for someone else, is a real addition for any Cath Kidston fans out there. Would I recommend it? Definitely.

Sometimes it's the small things...

2010-11-13T12:24:00.000Z

Today I walked into my local newsagents and found a copy of Country Living tucked away at the back of a shelf, hidden behind all the Dutch home magazines. It was a small thing, but it really cheered me up.

Somehow this other magazine managed to jump into my basket too, and so I spent a lovely quiet hour or so at home with a coffee, reading and wishing just a tiny bit that I was able to go to the Country Living Christmas Fayre as I would usually be doing about now.

If I'm really honest, I'm struggling at the moment. The initial excitement and euphoria of moving to another country have faded, the unpacking has long been finished and most of the first phase of redecoration which has kept me busy for so long has now been done. Reality has hit like a bulldozer and I'm feeling really homesick and lonely. I've really struggled with finding a new rhythm since the move and as you may have noticed, not much crafting has been done. On top of all this, I'm still struggling with the 'mystery illness' which began around this time last year, and no one seems to be able to tell me what the problem is, which means I have now been taking morphine for the pain since last November and am begininning to wonder if this is me now, forever.

Bleurgh!! There, that's how it really is in one big, rather-feeling-sorry-for-myself splurge. Phew. Sorry.

If you're still reading, well done. I'm sorry for being so glum. I don't want you to think it's all doom and gloom. It's not. I have so much to be thankful for and I am. It's just that sometimes it's the small things that are needed to make the day seem a little brighter..

Efteling.

2010-11-01T16:28:00.000Z

Yesterday, we had a day out at The Efteling courtesy of two lovely friends who wanted to thank us for letting them stay while they look for their new house.

We had a super time

and the sun even decided to shine for us.

There was a small hairy moment as we gazed upon the vast car park and realised that no-one had taken note of where we had left the car!

In the words of Pickle as we headed back, 'that was the best day ever. Shame we have to go home'...

P.S. I don't usually put pictures of the children on the blog, but this one of Chatterbox cracks me up each time I see it!

In the hood...!

2010-09-16T10:41:00.002+01:00

Once again, I had the chance to pattern test for the lovely Kitschycoo. This time it was for her reversible zipper hoody, and once again, it was a breeze to make!

Ladybug had the pleasure of modelling the finished article and helped to choose the fabrics. I love how it turned out and despite vowing never to sew with shaggy fleece/fur ever ever again ( 5 needles and HOW much fluff??) I can see another few of these on the horizon...

Amanda is having a give-away over on her blog for a chance to win the pattern. Pop over and say 'Hi' !

This weeks makes..

2010-08-28T15:52:00.000+01:00

I'm getting back into my usual routine and am spending at least part of every day behind my sewing machine - yay!

This weeks makes have included a gift for a tiny new baby born ten weeks too early. I made it from the softest minky chenille and girly floral fabrics but am convinced that its going to be much bigger than she is. I've had the idea in my head for a while and managed to put it together in an evening. There are things that I'm definitely going to change for next time though.

I also managed to put together another idea that has been floating around in my head for a while - a cat collar!! our cats regularly come back home minus their collars and I really begrudge paying €7 or so for a collar that I don't really like. A month or so ago I ordered a whole batch of safety clasps and so when Mr Marmalade (guess which cat the children named..!) came home sans collar last night, it was a perfect time to put ideas into practice - and this is the result :

I am ridiculously pleased with it, though next time will do a double thickness of ribbon to make it a bit sturdier.

And here's a picture of the fat man himself wearing it!

This week I have also struggled with and given up on 'the dress that nightmares are made from'....
Will show you more next time!

Sugar and spice...

2010-08-23T19:22:00.000+01:00

Last week I did my first real 'making' since the move, and it felt soooooooo good to be back behind my desk! The office/workroom is all unpacked and apart from a minor re plastering job and a lick of paint, is all set up and ready to go.

Want to see what I made? Go on then....!

I hosted a baby shower for a friend, and as part of her gift, made her this pair of baby shoes and matching burp cloths.

I also made her a baby bouquet of vests and socks - I haven't made one of these for ages!

I had lots of fun preparing for the baby shower too, making cupcakes:

and decorations..

(I loved these. Was very tempted to leave them up, but my girls nabbed them all for their rooms!)

The very observant amongst you may have noticed a sneak peek of the blanket that I'm making for the baby too. It's still not finished, and the baby is due next Monday. I'll give you a closer look next time.. xx

Help needed...!!

2010-07-20T14:42:00.000+01:00

Can anyone identify the name/maker of this scrapbooking paper?

I really, really need it to make some decorations for a baby shower, but have only got two sheets left. I bought it about 4 years ago in the UK, but unfortunately it has no maker details on the back.

Fingers crossed... xx

Hidden Treasures

2010-07-18T20:03:00.002+01:00

Look what I found in my garden today..

I'm very excited, as I've never had a vine before. As soon as I saw the first bunch, I kept spotting more and more and more! The vine is so overgrown and neglected, that I didn't expect much from it - will have to wait a bit longer to see if they are edible.

All of our garden is sadly very neglected and overgrown. We have four fruit trees in there ( not sure what fruit they will grow!) but they are so overgrown and surrounded by weeds, they are hard to spot! Next year, next year, I will start on the garden..... (need to get the inside done first!)

Things that make me happy today....

2010-07-12T17:38:00.018+01:00

Living in a country where you can buy a huge bunch of flowers for just a few Euros

The new (to me!) Hipstamatic app on my iPhone - takes me back to the photograph albums of my childhood..

Glass bowls filled with diffent kinds of lovely balls, to be made into as yet unstarted projects..

The new addition to our family - brother and sister- and already a lot bigger than when this photograph was taken. As if we didn't have enough to do already!!!

My new white walls and furniture providing a clean backdrop for photographs...

And finally, the fact that I figured out how to upload my flickr photographs to my blog all by my very own, and I didn't have to ask Daddy Long Legs for help even once. It's not rocket science I know, but I'm quite chuffed!

Normal service shall resume shortly....

2010-05-28T14:41:00.011+01:00

... Honest!!

Wow, I can't believe that we've been in our new house for nearly a month now. Slowly, things are coming together, boxes are gradually unpacked, and our family starts to find its new, everyday rhythm.

We have a HUGE amount of decorating to do.

Our living area is starting to come together. We still need some coffee tables, another bookcase, curtains etc, but it's starting to feel a bit more homely.

Do you notice the sofas?...

Meanwhile, the rest of the house looks a little like this :

we're doing one room at a time while the occupants sleep in one of the 'spare' rooms. It will take a while, but we'll get there.

The children have done so well in adjusting. We have lots of phonecalls, emails and skyping to friends back in the UK, but I am so proud and amazed at how well they have coped with all the change - not least of which has been having to speak (and learn in) Dutch all day at school. It's not been easy, but they are doing so very well.

I'm too busy at the moment to take stock of things really, I'm trying to find my feet, decorate a house, remember to speak Dutch to everyone, look after the children, find my new 'place', make friends and work out the health system here to really stop and let things sink in. That will come. I miss my friends dearly and am yearning for company, but I know it will be baby steps, one at a time. Until then I have a visit of my closest friends to look forward to in September!!

I've missed blogging! Really have, but when my workroom looks like this

you can understand why there's not much 'making' going on at the moment, and it's only this past week that we've found our routine again. Hopefully things will settle down soon and I'll be updating a lot more regularly. Till then, please be patient with me!

xx

Just a quick 'hello'..

2010-03-20T22:05:00.005Z

I'm just popping by to say 'hello' and to let you know that I won't be around for a little while. I'm back in hospital again on Monday for another operation on my kidney and may be out of action for a little while. I just hope this op is more successful than the one a few weeks ago. Turns out, they did the 'wrong' op. Honest, no kidding, so this time I'm back in for the one that should have been done the first time. I just hope it leaves me in less pain and solves the problems I've been having, and yes, we are pursuing the matter of the previous debacle...

On a much more upbeat note, I have found the most perfect sofa for our new house. We are lucky enough to have two living areas, one I can imagine for the TV and mostly occupied by the children, the other I'm imagining as a more peaceful reading/knitting area for me. Guess where this sofa will hopefully be going....I saw this sofa tonight and squeaked out loud when I saw it (honest!!) It's a 'Klippan' sofa from Ikea in Lappmon covers - I love it! Now, just to persuade Daddy Long Legs.....

Butterflies, daisies and a generous helping of glitter!

2010-03-09T13:20:00.013Z

On Sunday, we celebrated Miss Chatterbox's sixth birthday.

I decided to make a cupcake tower instead of a Birthday Cake, the first time I had tried something like this.

I was really pleased with the results, and more importantly..

so was Miss Chatterbox!

Oh, go on then...!

2010-03-05T10:42:00.003Z

.. a little peek at my Spring Swap surprise.

Can you guess what it is yet?!

Oh My!!

2010-03-03T13:37:00.018Z

What a mad few weeks it's been here!! We had our offer on our favourite house accepted (they dropped €65 000 in the end!). This means that we have only 8 weeks to go before we move to Den Haag. Eeeek!! At the moment we are swamped with trying to find reasonably priced movers, arranging the mortgage, and sorting out schools - there is only a place for the Engineer at the local school so far, despite us being promised places for all 3 - and all the local schools are full up. We are really disappointed as we were keen for them all to be together locally so they could begin to make friends in the neighbourhood. At the moment we are looking at a long car drive to place the two girls. It's all a bit mad here!

On top of that, I had my operation last Monday, which unfortunately didn't go as planned. I'm in more pain now than I was before and need to have another op. in the coming weeks. Not fun.

I have been a little busy with crafty things though. I made a pencil roll as part of a present for one of Pickle's friends

and of course, had to make one for Pickle too (though it's not finished yet...)

I have been plodding on with my 'Granny a day' project,

I even found a snippet of time to make a brooch for my new coat!

Plus, I've been working on my spring swap project, though I can't show you anything yet! Pictures will follow soon though!

Scroll lace scarf (part two!)

2010-02-02T13:41:00.012Z

I knew when I finished this scarf only three weeks ago that I would probably be making another one soon as it was such a lovely easy pattern to do. Lo and behold, here is version two!

I made it as a thank you gift for a lovely friend who has been helping me out since my hospital trip in November by taking Pickle along to her ballet lessons. (Sigh, still on high doses of pain meds which mean I'm not terribly safe on the roads... I've got a date for my op. now though -22nd Feb - Hooray!)

Anyhow, I wanted to make her a little something to show how much I appreciate her help, which has had to continue for much longer than first anticipated. So here it is.

I knitted it in a sockweight yarn this time, which makes it a lovely thickness, perfect for spring, and which really shows off the lace border.

Picture courtesy of Abstract Cat

I used Green Granite from a rather larger order that I placed with Abstract Cat recently. I've already cast on a pair of socks using the 'spiced' - lovely and soft!

I did try using a couple of rows of garter stitch before the picot cast off for this one to stop the 'rolling issue', but it didn't work and I didn't like how it looked, so I re-did it. Any other ideas that may help?

Spring swap!

2010-01-27T13:21:00.002Z

I'm taking part in this swap, hosted by the Dutch sisters - why don't you sign up and join in too?

Yes, I know it was six weeks ago, but...

2010-01-26T10:58:00.015Z

.. in the madness of trips abroad and Christmas, I completely forgot to post about it! (So so sorry Karlyn..)

On the day before we left for Holland on out house finding trip (did I mention we found a great house, but need the seller to reduce the price?)
this wonderful package from Australia arrived on my doorstep:

It was sent by my Polka Dot Christmas swap partner and was full of lovely spotty goodness!

There was a decoration for my tree

bunting for our living room

goodies for the girls

goodies for me

and a really sweet shopping bag disgused as a strawberry!

Thank you Karlyn for your wonderful package, I loved everything in there!

This is what I sent to Karlyn - see here to find out more!

Drum roll please.....

2010-01-19T15:58:00.011Z

I've had a lovely day today, with lots of pampering and presents!

I've also spent a wee bit of time writing lots of names onto bits of paper...

...placing them into a handy bucket...

...and getting Pickle to draw out a pink one.....

....and an orange one!

Well done to Jennyflower and Nadine (The Cookie Cutter)! If you could send me your addresses, I'll pop your goodies into the post.

A big thank you to all of those who entered and left lovely comments. I have visited each and every one of you this past ten days and have discovered a lot of wonderful new blogs to add to my Bloglines feed!! For those of you who didn't get the goodies this time - hang around for a while - there'll be another give-away soon for my 100th post!

A Granny a Day!

2010-01-15T10:29:00.009Z

Nope, I'm not referring to a New Year's resolution to daily assist ladies if more 'mature years'!!

I've joined the 2010 crochet along over here at Meet me at Mikes . My poor blanket has languished abandoned for far too long in its basket, and I'm hoping this will be just the thing to inspire me to finish it!

Why don't you join in too?

Scroll lace scarf

2010-01-12T13:25:00.008Z

Yay! I finished my first project of twentyten - the Scroll Lace scarf mentioned in my last-but-two post.

It was such a quick and easy knit, and looks so lovely, that I know I'll be making a lot more of these. It does have a tendency to roll along the top edge, but having read comments on Ravelry, I know this is a common problem.

I'll try a few rows of garter stitch before I do the Picot cast off next time...

(Modelled by one of my Christmas presents from my lovely husband! I am a very lucky lady..)

I have now cast on this: Verity - (again by Ysolda) using the same wool.

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway if you haven't done so already. I'm really enjoying discovering all these new blogs!

One Year 'blog-versary' Give away!

2010-01-09T15:25:00.015Z

Well, I've had a little rummage and I've come up with two give-aways. The first one is for the knitters amongst you:

two balls each of Noro Silk Garden shades 282

and 236.

....should be enough to make this

- or anything else you may prefer! I've also included a pair of KnitPro wooden needles

as they are my all time favourites. I love these needles! they are wonderful to knit with, and I am slowly replacing all my older needles with pairs of these. I love their interchangeable circular needles too, and their DPN's......!! Lastly, the lucky winner will also receive a skein of 'Celebration' superwash merino sock yarn (thought it was apt!)

from the wonderful Abstract Cat Crafts on Folksy.

For the fabric junkies amongst you, I've put together a pile of Japanese Fat Quarters.

Most of these are of a pale linen background with wonderfully cute designs on. I'm not sure exactly which fabrics I'll be sending as I'm expecting a delivery any day soon....

and may swap some,

but you'll get at least six fat quarters and some of the lovely ribbon that I picked up on my last visit to Holland.

So, please leave a comment letting me know which package you'd like and I'll put all your names into a hat. Feel free to post about it on your blog and I'll put your name in again - I love to meet new people! Just let me know when you do, so I can give you another entry. I'll draw the names on the 19th January, so you have 10 days to enter. That's my birthday and I quite like the idea of giving presents away on my birthday!!

A good day.

2010-01-06T14:58:00.004Z

Now I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but nothing, absolutely nothing makes me happier in the morning than when I open up my curtains to see this:

Today is definitely a good day!

Ahhhh...

2010-01-05T13:17:00.002Z

Peace and tranquillity abound as normal routine returns to our home. Time to treat myself to a spot of this , I think....

Pattern: Scroll Lace Scarf, from Whimsical Little Knits 2, knitted in Artesano 100% Alpaca

Twelve months on...

2010-01-02T10:58:00.003Z

Well, it's exactly twelve months ago that I started this blog, and what a year it's been! I've really enjoyed getting to 'meet' so many people that I never would have done ordinarily. It's great to have a record of (nearly) all the things I've made, though I am slightly ashamed about all the WIP's that remain unfinished! I would love to mark this one year anniversary with a give-away to all my lovely bloggy friends out there. I'm thinking of doing two - one for the knitters and one for all you fabric lovers! Pop back later to see what I can put together.....

Wishing you all a really happy and fulfilling 2010, and thanks for sticking with me this past year!

Back ... but not for long!

2009-12-07T13:51:00.008Z

Well, that was a longer than expected absence. I'm back at home now, still in pain, but with no real idea about what's going on. It's been a strange month, mostly spent in bed, and watching a whole heap of daytime TV!

The drugs I'm on have left me feeling slightly spaced out and therefore not much crafting has been done - morphine influenced knitting is always an interesting experience!! I have managed to finish a pair of socks though - a nice straightforward pattern that doesn't require much thought.

I've also made a few gifts for a lovely baby boy who was born the day before went into hospital and who was three weeks old before I had my first cuddle - well worth the wait! Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures before I gave the presents. Doh!

I did manage to get my Christmas Polka Dot Swap off to Australia before the deadline (phew!) though nearly gave my husband a heart attack when he took it to the post office and was asked to pay a HUGE amount of postage!!! Must bear that in mind next time I do an international swap.......!!! Will post pictures when I know it has arrived.

On Friday we're off to The Netherlands to begin our search for a house. We have booked a cabin on the ferry even though it's a day crossing so that I can lie down whenever I need. It's also got a TV, sofa and internet connection, so (fingers crossed) it should be an easy journey for everyone. It's only 14 weeks to go before we intend to move and I'm in complete denial about the amount of packing that will need to be done! Hopefully our search around the Hague will be successful.

Ouch...

2009-11-13T10:11:00.003Z

..In case you were wondering where I've disappeared to, I've spent most of the last week in hospital with a recurring kidney problem.

Boo.

I've been home for a day and it looks as though I may have to go back.

Double Boo.

Normal service will resume soon - I promise!

Little oak trees...

2009-11-03T09:09:00.004Z

Having seen a number of these being made in Blogland,

I thought I'd have a go myself!

A whole bunch of needle felted acorns!

Mmmmmm!

2009-11-02T13:22:00.007Z

This book:

recently jumped into my trolley during a supermarket trip and now I am slowly working my way through it. Not so handy when you're trying to lose 2 1/2 stone by the end of the year (1 1/2 down already - Yay!) Fortunately, I have more than a few willing volunteers here to help me out!

Our absolute favourite recipe so far has to be the 'Dutch Apple cake' (though it's not like REAL Dutch apple cake you understand.....!!) It has been made at least three times already and I tried it last week with blackcurrants in the bottom instead of apple. Still very delicious, but a bit too soggy!!

Banana bread was good too (went too quickly to photograph!)

Snickerdoodles are next on the list.....

Rainy days and Mondays.....

2009-10-22T09:12:00.012+01:00

Not a lot of (finished) crafting going on over here at the moment. I'm finding it really hard to settle on one thing and so am flitting from one project to another without getting anything finished. Meanwhile the pile of chaos on my desk just grows and grows.

Feeling a bit grey and 'out of sorts' really..... (bit like the weather!)

In a feeble attempt to chase away the grey, thought I share some of the amazing colours I saw in a recent walk in our local park.

I do love this time of year

Swapping goodies...

2009-10-12T21:45:00.022+01:00

I know I promised pictures of Paris last week, but I've been soo busy and I'm afraid you won't get to see them today either...

I really need to blog about the lovely package I received in the Button Jewellery swap. I was partnered with Caroline , and these are the wonderful goodies that I received from her:

A lovely button bracelet in gorgeous soft pastels,

a beautiful embroidered cuff with teeny-tiny buttons ( I think this was my favourite),

a crochet brooch,

a brooch made with lovely dangling glass beads,

a hand- bound notebook embroidered with my 'name' and

a sweet box containing lots of lovely buttons!

I also received some chocolate, a lollipop and some sweets which are long gone by now I'm afraid!

Here are the items I sent to Caroline:

I really enjoy these swaps, you never know who you will meet and what you will receive and I love thinking of things to make for others that they (hopefully!) will appreciate. Can't wait for the next one!

Knitting and Stitching show

2009-10-09T19:17:00.002+01:00

As bit of a last minute and unplanned event, I've decided to go to the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace tomorrow. Any one else going?

A week in Provence..

2009-10-07T09:42:00.024+01:00

At the risk of stating the obvious - I'm back!

We had an amazing time away, though I missed my babies so much! I've found it really hard to get back into the swing of things since we got back home, though I suppose it hasn't helped leaving behind weather like this:

to get back to grey skies and rain!

(the view from our living room)

I took lots of knitting, but the only knitting that actually got done was a small bit of sock on the Eurostar on the way over!

I did however do lots of this:

drank lots of this:

swam in here:

walked here:

visited here:

and here:

and here!

It was an amazing part of Provence, there were vineyards everywhere..

We helped the local economy as much as we could by tasting the local produce....!

Will post Paris pictures tomorrow!

An apple a day...

2009-09-24T21:44:00.012+01:00

Due to a request to re-jiggle our sessions by the nursery, Pickle now does a whole day on Wednesdays, which means that she gets to stay for lunch. She was so excited to hear this and was so pleased that she too would have a lunch bag - just like her older brother and sisters!

It happened that only the week before, I had seen a link to these and so decided that Pickle would have her very own too (when will I learn?) . She chose the fabric she wanted - albeit from a 'selected' choice! - and so Tuesday night found me making this:

It went fairly smoothly...

I decided to make it out of fabric so that it could be washed and wanted it to be lined so that it looked pretty on the inside too (?!)

...to hide the seams, I really wanted to use this spotty bias tape that I had, but there wasn't enough - grrr!

as I had once again left it as late as I possible could, there was no time to get any more, so I used cotton webbing, which looks better than I thought, but I had a huge problem with the corners and my sewing machine.

As everything in the nursery needs to be labelled, I used my fledgling free-embroidery skills and made her a fabric covered button with her name embroidered on and sewed it to the front. She loved it (phew!)

I'm not happy at all with the corners though, really not happy. I do however have more fabric and tape. I feel a second lunch bag coming soon.....!!!

p.s. (once again, sorry for the quality of the photographs, but I took these at a time of day when I shouldn't even have been awake, let alone trying to take pictures of a flippin' lunch bag!)

Me? Excited? Never.......

2009-09-21T11:13:00.006+01:00

Next week Daddy Long Legs and I will be having a whole week away by ourselves - Yup, that's right - a WHOLE WEEK without children -eek!!

And the reason for this previously unheard of event?, well, it's our 12.5 year wedding anniversary. Yes, that's right - 12.5 years! You really have to be Dutch to get this one - it's an official anniversary (Copper) and you can even have a day off work to celebrate. Why 12.5 years? Well, because it's half way to 25 of course.....!!

Normally, couples would have a party to celebrate, but we will be staying at a friends house in the south of France, and then spending two night in Paris. Excited, me??

It's all made possible by my lovely parents in law who will be coming over to stay with the children for the week that we are away. They are sooooo wonderful!

Anyhow, the reason for this post is not to gloat or make anyone feel jealous, but to ask for help! We've never been to Paris before and will have 2.5 days to spend there. Does anyone have any tips for nice places to eat/ places to visit off the beaten track? And most importantly - any good wool shops/haberdashers/ fabric shops you can recommend?

(pictures have nothing to do with the post! I just haven't used them before....!!)

Just lovin'....

2009-09-17T19:16:00.006+01:00

...the colour of my latest pepper from our garden.

On a (mostly) grey day, it's lovely to have such a splash of colour!

I'm very proud of my peppers too - grown outside with no greenhouse - we've had a bumper crop and there's still plenty waiting to ripen. Yum!

Tiny toes and tutus

2009-09-10T21:50:00.015+01:00

Pickle started her ballet class today....

She has been wearing her sisters' outfits for about a year now whenever she can raid them from their bedrooms!

There is something so scrumptious about a three year old tummy and three year old legs in a ballet uniform....

Oh, and 'Beer' went too!

Thankyou!

2009-09-07T20:40:00.003+01:00

I just wanted to say thank you for all the lovely comments on Friday's post. Each and every one has been much appreciated. We are feeling much more positive now that we've had time to digest the news and are ready for whatever may lie ahead. Pickle will be Pickle no matter what. She's the same wonderful girl that she was before last Friday's assessment and will continue to be no matter what diagnoses are given!

Thank you!

One man's junk....

2009-09-07T20:05:00.008+01:00

Wow, look what I obtained from our local freecycle group !

I have been wanting one of these for so long, but couldn't justify buying one, and then all of a sudden, up popped this! It is going to be a perfect sewing machine to teach the girls how to sew on.It needs some TLC, but I'm looking forward to restoring it. First thing will be to take off this awful 'wood EFFECT' sticky back plastic, from the lovely REAL wood casing. AAARGH! Why would some one do that?!

I think I've identified it correctly as a 99k series, made in 1928. Now I'm off to browse eBay to see if I can find a manual...

It's been a hard day...

2009-09-04T17:40:00.008+01:00

Most of the time, blog posts seem to be about the good things in life; wonderful things that have been made, great days with family, the beautiful things we find around us. Unfortunately though, real life doesn't just consist of good things, though I know that as a family we have an abundance of them daily and for that I'm so grateful.

It's just that today life dropped one of its bombshells in our path. One of those things that puts you on a different course from the one you had intended. Remember this post where I wrote about the events surrounding the birth of Pickle, our youngest child? At the end I mentioned that we 'had concerns' about her. Well, today those concerns became a reality. I have had a niggle regarding Pickle since she was just a few months old, a really hard-to-define niggle, but one that just wouldn't go away. I put it down to my background - special needs teacher and Educational Psychologist, but I guess I knew it was a bit more than that.

I finally took the plunge and spoke to my health visitor about my concerns earlier this year and today was the latest in a series of appointments. It lasted for an hour and a half and we walked away with referrals to a speech and language therapist ( the paediatrician has 'grave concerns' about her speech and language development), an optometrist, a hearing specialist and a MDT (multi disciplinary team) for her 'Autistic traits'. We are reeling from the impact of it all and struggling to comprehend what this is going to mean for her future. I've been very tearful all day, even though I had my suspicions, it's so hard to see them in black and white. I can't deny it any more, it's real. I have been on the other side of the fence so many times before in my 'previous life' when I was working, but nothing can prepare you for the impact of hearing the news about one of your own.I'll be better in a few days, once it has all sunk in and will begin planning what we can do - after all, she is still our wonderful Pickle , who so deserves her nickname, who makes us all laugh every day and who charms everyone that she meets. She always will be, no matter what the outcome of all these referrals, and we love her very very much.

(and yes, she really did fall asleep half-way in a basket! We've found her asleep half way down the stairs too.....!!)

That still, still sound......

2009-09-03T13:36:00.006+01:00

Our house feels very empty today. Everyone has gone back to school and it's just me and Pickle left at home. We have had such a great summer holiday this year and for the first time ever, I really didn't want ! Pickle visibly drooped when everyone left this morning and so to cheer her up, we went shopping for her new ballet uniform. She has wanted to join her big sisters for ballet lessons for ages, and now she's 3 1/2 , she can! She was very excited in the dance shop and caused lots of smiles. We must practice saying 'Miss Trudi' rather than the current 'Mister Trudi' before next Thursday though!

Next Monday will be the start of a whole new chapter for me as Pickle will be going to nursery every morning, leaving me with more time for 'making'. It's the first time since the Engineer was born (9 1/2 years ago) that I will have had so much time for me during the day. I'm excited and have lots of plans, maybe I'll even finally put something in the Folksy shop that I've had for the past four months...... maybe.

The pictures are of the new pencil case that I made for Ladybug last night (nothing like being on top of things eh?) She really wanted me to make one for her rather than buy one from the shops and she chose the fabric herself on our 'girls day out' in London - (I'll blog about that another time!). It's just a simple , lined box pouch, big enough for all her things. She really liked it, which is the important bit! Sorry about the pictures, but it was already dark by the time I finished it.

Hope that everyone else had good holidays and that those with school age children are enjoying the breathing space!

A nice surprise

2009-08-14T09:42:00.002+01:00

A couple of weeks ago when I was sitting with Ladybug sorting out a problem with her knitting, The Engineer asked me if I could teach him how to knit too.

Completely taken by surprise, as he had shown absolutely no interest up until this point, I said 'of course', he chose his wool and we began.

He grasped the idea really quickly and has stuck with it ever since, picking it up each day. He even took it on holiday with him and knitted on the ferry!

It did take me a little by surprise though when I asked him to put his pyjamas on later that day and he replied 'can I just finish this row?' Not a phrase I had somehow ever imagined coming from my son's lips ...... !!

Goodies revealed

2009-08-13T09:07:00.001+01:00

I have been a little tardy in revealing to you all what I sent to my swap partner for the seaside swap. Without further to-do, and because I know she received it aaaages ago, here it is :

A handy denim tote for all those beach essentials! I lined it in shocking pink and appliqued a beach hut to the front (as you all can see!) I also made some fabric badges and fastened those to the front.

Some wool (look at the name on the label...)

Vintage 'saucy' postcards

Ice cream sweets

A windmill - gotta have one of those!

fishy pencil

ice cream lip balm

and my first ever cushion and attempt at free motion embroidery! I was quite proud of this..... (not a very good photograph though

All found their way to my swap-partner, Rachel of Contented.

I have to confess, I didn't read the bit about it fitting into a shoebox size box until after I'd made it all -oops! So having had such fun with that swap, I'm looking for another one to take part in - anyone know of any?

Jammy goodness

2009-08-11T12:38:00.014+01:00

Before we left for holiday, we embarked on our annual jam making fest! It has become a bit of a tradition in our house and the children start asking when we can pick the fruit as soon as the sun starts shining in the spring! This year, we were a bit late with the picking, but still managed to get a bumper crop. We picked raspberries,

cherries,

strawberries,

and blackcurrants. After lots of mashing

boiling

and bottling,

we were left with 27 jars of deliciousness. Yum! Just got to wait for the blackberries now....

I hasten to add, they are not all for our consumption!

Oops!

2009-08-11T11:43:00.011+01:00

Sorry, sorry! Once again I've been absent for well over a week. I do have a good excuse - honest! We've just come back from a lovely and relaxed (yup, it is possible , even with four children!) holiday in Ireland. I had intended to have a few posts ready to go for while we we away, but never found the time to do them amidst the frantic preparations. Oh well, we're back now, so normal service shall resume once again.

We stayed in a gorgeous house in the south of the country, surrounded by fields and with a number of fantastic beaches within ten minutes or so.

We had nothing planned, and just took each day as it came. Lots of time at the beach, lots of ice cream, lots of walking and a little bit of rain! Wonderful.

Seaside swap

2009-07-27T21:20:00.017+01:00

Some people are very organised - unlike me, who, while I have been gathering things for weeks now, still need to finish the handmade bit of my seaside swap BEFORE Wednesday (eek!).

One of these very organised people is the lovely Rachel who organised the seaside swap and who sent me her swap package two whole weeks before the deadline!

There were lots of lovely goodies inside:

A very seasidey card

...yummy chocolate (didn't last long!)..

... a lovely handmade purse..

..a very apt sign..! (though I guess it would be raining there too)

.. a deliciously scented candle..

..some really cute embroidery patches...

..body milk (just the thing if the sun decides to shine!)..

.. and the best bit. This wonderful seasidey mini quilt....

Thank you Rachel, for organising the swap, and for my fantastic package of goodies! I will finish yours on time - honest!

Tea anyone?

2009-07-26T16:30:00.007+01:00

Remember this?

Well, I was asked to make another for the mother of a friend. So, not for a 3 year old this time, but a 73 year old!

Apparently, she loves it.

Catching up....

2009-07-25T20:31:00.013+01:00

Oh dear - it's been well over a week since I last wrote anything. I do have a good excuse, honest - two cases of suspected swine flu (one of them me) and 4 children at home for the summer holidays have meant that my time and energy levels have been somewhat depleted. It does mean that my posting may well be on the sporadic side for the coming six weeks, so please bear with me!

So, what have I been doing? Well, the visit from my 'in-laws' was lovely, as usual. We had a great time and I wished they could have stayed longer. I'm really looking forward to next year when we move back to The Netherlands so that we can see them more often. I'm not looking forward to the move itself though, nor the packing that that will entail!. Ah well, plenty of time yet.

While they were here, we spent some time in London, taking in a few sights. It's silly, we live less than an hour away, but rarely make the journey. Should do it more often...

We saw dinosaurs at the Natural History museum, and also paid a quick visit to the V&A. Ladybug and Miss Chatterbox were particularly taken with the jewellery exhibition, and Ladybug wants to be the Queen so that she 'can wear jewels and crowns (tiaras) like that....'

We also said 'hello' to the Queen, who was 'having a cup of tea' (Miss Chatterbox) and then went to see Big Ben as the girls had just done a project about it at school. The Engineer was noticeably absent for our little trip, spending instead the weekend under canvas, on his very first Cub camp without grown ups !

There's lots more to tell, lots of crafty makes and knitting progress, but I'll keep that for the next post! I need to finish my seaside swap first as the deadline is nearly upon me and I'm not finished yet - eek! I'll be sharing the lovely goodies I received from my swap partner next time too....

New Patterns...

2009-07-15T16:50:00.013+01:00

I was lucky enough to be asked to test another pattern by Amanda at Kitschy Coo. This time it was her new 'Mod Dress'.

So I set to.....

Once again a very clear and easy to follow pattern...

...which resulted in this:

which was loved by Little Pickle.

Unfortunately she didn't like the thought of posing for pictures quite so much -

hence all the 'action shots'!

The pattern will be available to buy soon. Pop on over to the shop or have a look at Kitschy Coo's blog for more great patterns and ready made clothing!

Spreading the word....

2009-07-07T15:58:00.013+01:00

A few weeks ago, I was having coffee with my usual group of friends when one of them asked me if I could teach her to knit. The others thought this was a great idea and somehow it ended up with all of them wanting to join in! Last Wednesday was our first 'lesson', I had three non-knitters (two left handed) , one who did knitting when she was a child, but not since and one who could knit, but wanted me to teach her how to crochet!

I was a bit daunted at the thought of teaching them all, but fortified by a glass of wine and a slice of cake, I began!. We had so much fun and laughed most of the evening! They wouldn't let me take any photographs as all of their tongues were sticking out as they tried to concentrate, and they all chose totally unsuitable wool from my stash - but would they listen?.... nooooo! Could I get them to do a sample square?..... nooooo! They wanted to be off and away right from the beginning. I'm going to try and get them to do a sort of sample scarf with blocks of different patterns on it, but we'll see....

Last week was casting on and the knit stitch, this week we'll try purling - if they've done their homework.....!

It really was a great night. We had originally planned to meet once a month, but at the end of the evening they asked if we could do it again next week and so we're meeting again tomorrow. This time I will take my camera and try to get some pictures - if not of them, of the work they've done.

I'm really looking forward to it, and tonight I was stopped in the playground by one of the school mums who asked if I would maybe start another group up in the daytime. Who knows where this will lead, but it will be interesting to find out!

Comings and goings!

2009-07-06T21:30:00.008+01:00

Sorry for the absence, things have been a tad busy around here! (What's new? I hear you ask!) This last week, we have had one of my oldest friends staying here with us for a while. We don't get to see each other very often - usually only for a week or so at Christmas when she makes her annual visit back from South Africa to the UK, so it has been wonderful to have this 'bonus week'! Ems has worked as a volunteer for the past five years, setting up and pioneering work with Aids victims in Africa. She is an amazing woman who has done things neither she nor I would have dreamed of before she went! It's not easy for her, the work is draining, and being a single woman, it's often lonely and hard without someone to unburden to at the end of the day, but she is so inspiring and just keeps finding the strength and determination from somewhere! This visit was a wonderful surprise extra, and meant that we got to see her twice this year - hooray! We've had a fab time together, but I'm feeling a bit sad now that she's gone....

I also had the very strange (but very lovely!) experience of meeting someone who knew me only through my blog for the first time! It was a bit scary - I hoped that the real me wasn't too much a disappointment from the 'blog me'! It was so lovely to meet though, and so wonderful to talk about wool and fabric and sewing and lots of other things without the other person's eyes glazing over after the first sentence. We had so much in common and it's such a shame that we didn't have longer to get to know each other. I don't know if we'll ever meet again either - as she too lives in South Africa. Nadine - it was fantastic to meet you - I just wish we lived closer!

This is a picture of one of her amazing cakes - wow! I wish I could do this......

Daddy Long Leg's parents are over on Friday for a week, so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to blog. I'm really fortunate to have great 'in-laws' and am really looking forward to them coming.

I love having visitors!

Hooray!

2009-06-28T19:31:00.002+01:00

I never ever seem to do very well when it comes to winning things. Give-aways - nope, raffles - absolutely not, tombola - not a chance! So I was very excited to find out that I had won a give-away from Annette on her blog The Ward House. It arrived last week, and I am so pleased! Two lovely sunshine yellow washcloths and a bar of handmade soap containing bergamot, which reminds me of Earl grey tea. Thank you Annette!

I had never used (or made) hand crochet washcloths before, but am converted! So much better than the flimsy ones you get from the supermarket (or the old baby vests I had been using too..) So quick to crochet up and I can get to use up all those odds and ends of cotton I have.

It is one of those things that non-knitters/crocheters often don't get though - a bit like knitting your own socks. I have been met with incredulity when people realise my cloths are 'hand made' and many don't quite understand why I would want to spend twelve pounds on a skein of sock wool and then spend hours knitting a pair of socks when I can get a pack of 5 from the supermarket for half the price and no effort! But then, they don't get to wear them......

Bits 'n pieces

2009-06-25T14:17:00.015+01:00

A short while ago, I decided that I needed to make a quilt - or blanket - preferably both -or even better, two of each! You see, one of the things most fought over in our living room are the two blankets 'draped' over the chair and one of the sofas.

All four children love to snuggle under when watching television or reading, but there's not enough to go around and (ahem) they are actually 'artistically draped' to cover nasty awful splodges caused by aforementioned children, that just won't wash out of the covers (ink anyone?) So actually, I seem to spend half my time 'artistically re-arranging' them back over the spots-to-be-hidden, or adjudicating between who is to have them.

So, as you do, I set myself the task of making four covers - quilts, blankets, whatever, that can be used to snuggle under, while keeping the functional ones in place. Not that I have anything else to do with my time......?!

Consequently, I've been following (very much lagging behind actually!) the 'Mystery Quilt' that has been featured in the last four issues of 'Sew Hip' magazine, choosing red, green and blue as my base colours.

Four blocks pieced together,

five cut out ready to sew...

and three still to be started.

I've got no idea what it will look like when finished, but it sure will be bright! I'm a bit nervous about the whole quilting bit of the escapade though - I've never done any before and it seems awfully tricky - any tips?

Lazy Days

2009-06-22T09:13:00.008+01:00

Not a lot of anything went on here this weekend. Daddy Long Legs and the Engineer were away at a 'Father and Son' Scout camp, which left me and the girlies home together. It was so different in a house full of females. Much quieter and much more laid back! We watched movies, went into town for coffee (me!) and cake and continued the weekend baking theme over from last week! Yes - MORE cake!

The girls wanted to make a Father's Day cake (though Pickle was convinced it was a Farmer's Day cake...) and so with a little help, they came up with this! Ok, Ok, it's pink - but what else can you expect from three girls under 8??

I managed to do a little crochet outside, but not much more.

I'm feeling a little guilty at all the half finished projects that are around at the moment. I'm having a really hard time completing anything this year, but find it very easy to be distracted by starting something new. I'm really going to try to work my way through the line of spotty bags on my shelf containing all my WIP's before I cast on or cut out anything more. I'll try... but I can't promise!

Cake, and lots of it!

2009-06-14T22:13:00.007+01:00

I seem to have spent the whole weekend baking and eating cake!

I know there are worse ways to pass the time, but I need to think of better ones too or my waist and wardrobe won't forgive me!

Saturday was scones, freshly baked, with jam and cream

Today was an afternoon spent out in the sun with friends, eating cake - sponge with fresh strawberries and whipped cream - and drinking tea while the children played. It's not often our weekends are so quiet, but it was a lovely relaxed time.

Wish we could have more (but maybe less cake next time!)

Today's treat...

2009-06-10T21:23:00.012+01:00

Roses....
...freshly picked from the garden..

...still with raindrops on their petals..

..three different kinds...

..one very special rose..

..put into vases...

..and scattered around the house!

(extra points for those who spot the creepy-crawlies that hitched a lift inside!)

Quick update

2009-06-04T13:45:00.002+01:00

..just back from the hospital and Ladybug's bones seems to be staying put, so there's no need to put in any pins. One more week and we'll be in the clear - hooray!

Well that wasn't expected - the sequel..

2009-06-02T19:29:00.007+01:00

Some of you may remember this post in February. Well, part2 (the sequel) just carries on...

On Saturday afternoon, Ladybug came running into the house from the garden shouting "I've broken my arm, I've broken my arm..". We hadn't seen or heard anything happen, so my first reaction was that it wasn't particularly serious. That was until she moved her hand away, and what should have been a straight bone was decidedly 's' shaped. It was straight from the elbow, 'till half way along the forearm, where it dropped a good few centimetres until the wrist where it sort of went up a bit again. Straight to A&E we went, with a surprisingly calm ladybug, who didn't cry, but refused to look. All this time, I couldn't quite take it in and was still mulling over the possibility that she may have just dislocated something.. (erm - in the middle of her arm?) It wasn't until I saw the x-ray that I couldn't deny it. It looked something like this:

..but on both bones..

Ladybug had an operation Saturday evening to put everything straight, and we had to stay in the rest of the weekend.
She felt very sorry for herself.

We have to go back on Thursday to check that everything has stayed where it should be. If not, there is the possibility that she may need a couple of pins in. I hope not.

She's happy enough today, but is understandably, very cautious.

Those of you who don't know me 'in the real world' could well be forgiven for thinking this happens regularly to us - but it doesn't, honest! Nine years of being parents, and this is only the 4th trip to A&E that we've had - and three of those have been in the past year! We are becoming quite regular visitors to the children's ward though, and I hope this doesn't continue. Ah well, will let you know the progress on Thursday.

Glorious, glorious days!

2009-05-25T21:01:00.020+01:00

The past two days have been wonderful outdoor days, when we have only come inside when it's time for the children to go to bed. On Sunday, we had our first barbecue of the year and today we set about clearing the jungle that was taking over our back garden. Everyone was outside.

We built dens...

we blew bubbles...

we splashed in the water...

we found a hidden rose...

I did a bit more crochet...

Daddy Long legs did lots of digging...

we planted...

we skipped...

we swung...

we rode bikes...

and we sunbathed!

What a perfect weekend!

A little bit of luxury

2009-05-19T19:40:00.017+01:00

I think that after daisies, my favourite flower has to be the peony. It's so easy to walk past them in the shop. After all, let's be honest, they're not much to look at when they are all bunched up in their buds.

Pretty uninteresting really...

... but then the magic starts to happen...

..bit by bit the leaves start to unfurl...

..until you are left with these huge, vibrant, wonderful scented flowers!
A bit decadent to have flowers in your bedroom, but as these were reduced to £4 in the supermarket, totally justified!

..going over to the other side!

2009-05-16T19:23:00.009+01:00

Now that all the birthdays are done with until September and there are no more 'big events' to prepare for, I have a little time to myself again. Phew!

So, on Wednesday night, I cast on this - Ishbel, out of the 'Whimsical Little Knits' book by Ysolda Teague

I have had this scrumptious wool in my stash for a little while now and thought it would be perfect.

The first part of this pattern is primarily stocking stitch which was perfect for the cunning plan that I had in mind. You see, I've decided that I want to learn how to knit 'Continental style', using the left hand.

Not sure why, but it's something I've been planning to do for ages! So, I thought, there's no better time to learn, but boy! is it frustrating! It feels so awkward, and I feel like a beginner all over again. I have heard that it's possible to knit more quickly using this method, but that certainly isn't the case at the moment. I'm sure it will come. I hope it will come, otherwise I'm pretty sure my little trip over to the 'other side' will be very brief...!

a day of remembering..... (This is a long post, sorry!)

2009-05-12T08:55:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow is Pickles third birthday. I'm really looking forward to celebrating with her. I'm so glad to have been given these past three years with such a wonderful little girl. It could have been so different. According to statistics and my consultant, we shouldn't be here.

During my labour with Pickle, I had an extremely rare and usually fatal condition called an Amniotic Fluid Embolism. It's also sometimes described as an Anaphylactic Syndrome of pregnancy. In a nutshell, some cells from the amniotic fluid enter the mothers bloodstream and the body has a violent reaction, shutting down the major organs and losing all clotting factor, which results in massive haemorrhage. I can't remember much about the labour and have no recollection of Pickle being born. Since then, I have a brief 10 minute or so patch of memory that has come back to me. I can remember being in the theatre as they tried to find out what was going on. I knew that I was dying, I can't tell you how, but I did, and the midwives wouldn't answer me if I asked them if I would be OK. My husband was with me at that time and I remember having an overwhelming need to tell him that I loved him, to let him know, because it might be the last thing he heard me say. I can remember the blood flowing out of me with each heartbeat, for it was at this time that my clotting factor had gone. They decided to put me under and I remember shouting desperately out to my husband that I loved him.

I woke in ITU on a ventilator, confused, in a lot of pain, with no memory of what had happened and not realising that my baby had been born. I had been in surgery for nearly seven hours, received over 25 units of blood and products and had been resuscitated once. My surgeon had not thought that I would survive , he told me later, and neither had my poor husband, who faced the possibility of being a widower, with four children under 7. He was the one who had spent the day at the hospital with his newborn daughter, who had given her her first feed, never letting her go, but who had left late that evening without his wife or his baby.

I was in hospital for nearly two weeks, and went back in two weeks later in for another week with a suspected blood clot. When I came home, I went into a tailspin. I needed, wanted to make sense of it all, but couldn't. I asked myself constantly why I survived, and became dissatisfied with all that I had. I thought that if I had died, what legacy would I have left? What would I have achieved? I got really cross with the kind of magazine articles that said ' I faced death and now I live every second of every day', because for me it felt like my life had been thrown into the air and scattered all around. Besides this, I was battling health issues and Post Traumatic Stress that arose as a result of the AFE, and trying to be a mum to four small ones.

I did calm down eventually, my husband was a rock and didn't waver, no matter what I threw at him. I am so grateful for that. My life has changed. I have battled with ME for the past two years, though that particular battle seems to be mostly won. I also was left with some brain damage, affecting my short term memory and word retrieval, but have found ways to cope with that and it's usually only apparent when I'm tired.

The last three years have been hard, stripping away all that I used to value, all that I used to identify myself by. I used to be someone always on the go, always busy, usually out with friends. Many people have fallen away as I have had to turn down many invitations and for a long time could only manage a short period of activity each day, usually the school run! but because of this, I rediscovered my love of crafting, found what it was like to just sit and do nothing, and have discovered dear and true friends. Things are better, are getting better every day, they will never be as they were before, but that's OK.

I think our family can get through anything now. The children are aware of mummy's tiredness and broken brain (- their words, not mine!) and sometimes I do feel guilty that we haven't done all the days out and activities that others have done, but that will come. They are used to me spending a lot of time in bed, though hopefully that will continue to get less and less, and it's just another place to gather and chat!

So tomorrow is a day of celebration, my precious little girl survived too and though there are concerns, I am blessed. I will save the sadness that sometimes comes, till after she is in bed and 'her' day is over and will remind myself of just how lucky I am.

Here is a link for someone else who describes the experience much better than I can...

..and breathe..!

2009-05-11T10:08:00.010+01:00

Well, that's most of the mad mad busy time over with for a while. The shopping evening is all finished and while not my most successful sale, was still worth while. This however, is the state of my study at the moment...!

I had plans for the proceeds, and it has been carefully distributed between my 'overlocker fund', my 'Knitting-and-Stitch-show-splurge-fund', my 'I-love-this-fabric-and-have-to-have-it-fund' and one other pot which will remain anonymous for now!

It's nice to feel that I have a little bit more freedom to do things for me again.

Just the Everest size ironing pile

and Pickle's birthday on Wednesday to go!

Thought I'd share this with you...

I had seen it on Jodie's blog and fell in love with it straight away. As soon as the patterns appeared in her Etsy shop, I had to have one!

I made this one for Pickle's birthday and used it on Saturday as a prop for my felt cakes. I have plans to make six bigger plates and to adapt the cup pattern to make a milk jug and sugar bowl too. I love it!

Arrrgggh!

2009-04-29T19:09:00.031+01:00

Ever have one of those days? I'm in the middle of one at the moment....

I'm madly trying to make things for a shopping evening that I have a stall at. I do these maybe three or four times a year and while I always get stressed in the week leading up to them, I really enjoy the nights themselves and come home buzzing. I always use the profits to buy myself something, a real treat, something that I would otherwise never have, rather than just frittering it away. This way, each time I look at my purchase, I can think ' I bought that' and feel a teensy bit proud of myself!

Two years ago, I made enough to buy this:

(Pretty in Pink - Doug Hyde)

I loved this picture the first time that I saw it. I had no idea who had painted it and it took me a while to find out. I was gutted to find that there were no prints of it, and a bit taken aback by the price. But still I loved it and would look at it now and again! When I finished my first evening two Christmases ago, it was the one thing that I wanted to buy, and so I did! I felt a little guilty spending all that money, but it has so been worth it. Every time I look at the picture it makes me smile. Well, last year's Christmas shopping evening was very successful and I knew just what I was going to get:

(Deeply - Doug Hyde)

Well, I've never done a shopping evening at this time of year and so am intrigued as to how it will be. Each time, very different things have sold and I always am convinced that 'I don't have enough' but usually do!

This is what my desk looks like right now...

so far, I have a bunch of corsages ready to be finished and carded:

a small pile of spotty bags..

some bags for 'grown ups' and knitting bags. These just need finishing touches and corsages adding

a basket of Hairclip holders and hearts to be finished..

badges that need to be carded...

bunting - finished!

Matryoshka dolls that need to be sewn and appliqued..

A pile of felted jumpers that need to be turned into cushions...

Wooden plaques - finished!

felt cakes - finished!

Lavender hangers - finished!

Nappy cakes that just need wrapping..

but my to do list is oh so long : bibs, baby shoes, cards, applique bags, zip pouches, storage cubes (nearly done), crayon rolls... help!

as if time wasn't stretched enough, it's The Engineer's 9th birthday on Friday, we have a wedding in Portsmouth on Saturday (a good 2 hour drive away) and we havefriends coming to visit on Monday. Oh, and the car refused to start today, which means a 1.5 hour school 'run' twice a day - walking with all four children. As I said earlier - AAAAARRRGHHH!

Holiday shopping

2009-04-25T11:26:00.017+01:00

As mentioned in my previous post, I was very restrained on our recent trip to The Netherlands, and bought no yarn at all. I hardly bought any fabric either - but I couldn't resist these when I saw them...

I did however, buy ribbon from the market.
Lots of it. Lots and lots of it!

The stallholder knew he was onto a good thing, and kept producing more.

"oh, have you seen this one? I think you'll like it..."

He was right!
But look.. little birds and hearts!

Owls!

...little gnomes in spotty hats!

Spotty toadstools on spotty background!
(I think this one is my favourite)

Russian dolls..

spring flowers...

Windmills... (had to really, seeing as where we were!)

..more flowers

Little Red Riding hood (can you spot the wolf?)

..more spotty toadstools, more owls, more gnomes!

All are really lovely woven ribbons and none were more than 1.50 Euro a metre. Daddy Long Legs was very accommodating, and only flinched ever so slightly when the man kept producing more rolls.

I have a few ideas for the ribbons, but for now, I'll just sit happily looking at them for a bit longer!

Remember this?

2009-04-22T20:29:00.006+01:00

Remember this?

Well, today it became this...

Little Miss Chatterbox spent today back in hospital, having the pin removed. Just one more visit to Physio, another course of antibiotics (her fourth!) , one last appointment with the consultant, and we can put the whole thing behind us.

Phew! Since February, we have averaged one visit a week to the hospital, and I don't even want to imagine how much money we've put into the parking machines. Well, lovely as the nurses were, I do hope it's a long time before we see them again!

Back in good ol' Blighty!

2009-04-20T10:57:00.035+01:00

We spent Easter with my In-Laws in the Netherlands. I had hoped to post something before we left home, but in the frantic washing-ironing-packing madness, I just never found the time. I don't know whether it was the weather, or the fact that we deliberately hadn't made too many appointments to meet up with friends, but it was so very relaxed and felt just like a holiday.

I had decided to make everyone a rabbit cos y for Easter morning breakfast, but hadn't realised that DLL's brother and family would be there at the same time too, and so I was knitting frantically to get the rabbits for them finished on the ferry over! Fortunately, they all got finished in time, though it was a very close call

In the afternoon, we had an egg hunt

For the rest of our stay, it was a delicious time of having to do nothing apart from the odd visit to friends.

The children discovered old classics

and on Wednesday, it was warm enough to go to the beach.

I managed to do some other knitting, apart from the bunnies, and did a few more squares of my blanket.

I also started these socks, with Paper Moon (50% merino, 50% silk) from Posh Yarn. Mrs Stash Basket, you have a lot to answer for - I'm refusing to think about the money I have spent here, since you introduced me to it!

I also did a bit of shopping, though this time was very restrained and didn't buy any yarn. (It is sooo much cheaper than in the UK) Instead, I treated myself to some ribbon and fabric - will show pictures in the next post.

It's good to be back, though I'm trying to ignore the enormous pile of washing that is lurking behind the utility room door....!

Wash day blues...

2009-04-08T21:26:00.006+01:00

Oh I do like hanging out the washing on a sunny day!...

... and I love that special 'dried outside smell' that you get when putting the clothes away...

...it's just the ironing bit in the middle that ruins it all!

Lollipop flowers, daisies and cupcakes!

2009-04-04T19:01:00.022+01:00

Making cards was one of the first crafty things that really got me hooked, and was the first time that I ever got paid to make something for someone else. I have made so many over the years, birth cards, wedding invites, Valentines and hundreds of greetings cards!

Although now I make nowhere near as many these days, as there are so many other things to make, I still have a regular supply of people who like to buy them. Today, I really needed to build up my depleted stock.

As I do more and more with fabric and my sewing machine, my cards seem to reflect this. I think part of it is that I'm such a hoarder. I can't seem to throw away fabric, no matter how small the piece is and have various boxes filled with scraps dotted around.

Making cards is such a perfect way to use up these tiny pieces, and I really like how today's cards have turned out. I didn't have chance to photograph them all as it's getting dark and the light is not so good, but here are some of the ones that I made.

Cows 'n bugs 'n things

2009-04-01T14:27:00.008+01:00

Sorry for the long absence, last week saw me hit with a particularly horrid lurgy which confined me to bed and meant that I didn't leave the house from Monday through to Friday. While the thought of staying in bed for a day is one that often flits through my brain, it's usually accompanied by the picture of me knitting away, watching daytime TV and with a large cup of coffee on the bedside table. (I have to clarify here that this always remains just a thought - it never materialises into reality!) Instead, when I finally did get a few 'days off' I was ill to do anything more strenuous than sniffle feebly and walk the few steps to the bathroom.

Not a sausage of crafting was done, not a needle picked up, though a fair bit of daytime TV was watched! I slept for 15 hours on Monday night and still felt wretched. Fortunately my husband works for himself, from his office here in the house and so was able to take over the school runs and cooking duties for a few days.

So there's not a lot to show today, other than this!

I have just finished sewing another of Amanda's patterns prior to release. This time it was her matinee jacket, which again is reversible. I already had the cotton cowprint in my stash and with not feeling very well and with our nearest good fabric store over 40 minutes away, I decided to use up some of my stash for the other side too. I proably wouldn't have gone for black if I'd had the choice, but it was about the only fabric I had enough of that didn't clash too badly with the cow fabric!

Pickle liked it, her new 'cow coat' and even obliged by posing in it for some pictures!

Oh and the rose at the beginning? A gift from my wonderful husband - "just because"!

2009-03-23T16:08:00.009Z

I have just finished testing a pattern for the very talented Amanda of Kitschy Coo. She asked me to make up a version of her asymmetrical reversible jacket to check whether the pattern was OK to release. I have to say that it was such a pleasure to make up.

The instructions were very clear and straightforward and the finished coat looks amazing. I decided to use some lightweight brown needle cord and some fabric that I picked up at last years Knitting and Stitching show.

Unfortunately, Pickle wasn't in a very co-operative mood, so I couldn't get any good pictures of her wearing it!

Pop along to Amanda's website for more lovely patterns.

Twelve years ago today...

2009-03-22T19:28:00.006Z

...I married my wonderful husband. We have been through lots in these past twelve years, two countries, four houses, five jobs, two miscarriages, four wonderful children and after the birth of our youngest, the very real possibility that I wouldn't make it and he would be left with three young children and a newborn baby. We've had amazing highs and very low lows, lots of fun, many arguments and some fabulous snowboarding! I had no idea what the future held when we got married, but I know that if I had the choice, I'd do it again. I love him more now, than I did then. He may not be perfect, but he's the best husband for me, and I know that he often peeks at my blog so, ' Love you, and thanks for the last twelve years!'

Crochet rediscovered.

2009-03-18T11:11:00.011Z

It is a long while ago that I did any crochet apart from a quick flower corsage for a present or two. That was until I followed a link to the lovely colourful Lucy of Attic 24. I have been so inspired by the wonderful, bright things that she has made and when she posted the pattern to her latest project, the Summer garden granny square blanket

I just had to have a go and now I'm addicted! The pattern is easily memorised, which means that I can pick it up and do a couple of minutes here and there, waiting in the car for the children after school, while I'm waiting for the dinner to cook - anywhere! They are so quick to crochet and it's not long before you have a satisfying pile of bright little squares ready to be joined together.

I have little bags of wool dotted all around the house and am completely addicted! I did try using different combinations of colours, but I have to admit that I love the originals the best and so have gone back to those.

I'm determined that this won't be a work that gets abandoned in the 'I'll finish this someday box' and am really excited to see the finished result. My husband will laugh at this point as he doesn't understand how I can be excited about wool - but I can and I am and so there!

....the more observant of you may also notice another project from Lucy's blog that I've been inspired by to try and make my myself!

Sunny Bunnies!

2009-03-16T13:30:00.007Z

This weekend, I thought I'd get organised and start making little bunnies for my girls as part of their Easter present. They are always so disappointed when the things I make go to other homes, so I decided to make something just for them. This is what I came up with - little pocket sized bunnies!

Only I had such fun making them that I carried on!.It's my first attempt at making something from scratch with no pattern and it took a little while and a number of disastrous attempts, but I'm pleased with how they have turned out.

Here's a sneak preview of another bunny in the process of being made.....

- but you'll just have to wait until he's finished before you see all of him!

Can't decide if I like this or not......

2009-03-12T13:46:00.007Z

Yesterday evening, both my husband and I were sitting at our computers when he turned to me and said " here's a notebook for you ".. I had no idea what he was talking about , but he showed me this and I had to smile! I can't decide if I like it or not and am not sure whether it really will ' complement this spring's outfits perfectly' as it claims. The selling point of it having a 'matching embroidered storage sleeve that protects the mini PC as you carry it' doesn't do it for me either, I'd probably need to make one of my own!

Needless to say, we won't be getting it. Three computers, a laptop and enough parts for another undetermined amount of computers is plenty enough for this house. Mind you, I'm sure he thinks that about my wool and fabric stashes!

2009-03-07T17:09:00.013Z

As I was wandering around the house this morning my attention was caught by the sun streaming in through the windows. Spring is definitely on it's way and all of a sudden there are bright vibrant colours everywhere. I love the crispness of spring sunshine - even if it does make it very obvious that I haven't cleaned my windows in ages!

A pot of miniature roses on the windowsill...

A pile of granny squares waiting to be joined together...

Crochet flowers in lovely sunny spring colours...

A collection of WIP's , waiting patiently on the bookshelf!

Hello again!

2009-03-06T11:05:00.015Z

Well, things are settling down a bit here. Everyone is home and healthy and Miss Chatterbox's finger is responding well to her second lot of antibiotics. They aim to take the pin out on Wednesday, so hopefully we'll be able to draw a line under that chapter of events!

Meanwhile, I've become the owner of two lovely new gadgets. The first one has a bit of a story - for years now, I have been looking at the muffins in Starbucks and other coffee chains wondering how on earth they get them so domed and high. I've been trying out lots of different ways to get the same effect at home, different kinds of muffin cases, different amount of fillings, different recipes, but to no avail. If I filled the cases to the top, then inevitably the mixture would spill over during cooking and I'd end up with a flat muffin. I became a woman on a mission, determined to find out how they were made and developed a theory that the manufacturers had a special cake tin that was shaped to allow the muffins to spill over the side and then continue to rise, but I think everyone here thought I was becoming a bit obsessed and just humored me!

Well, it must have been about October when I followed a link from a blog to another blog and what did I find, but a lady who had EXACTLY the same theory as me, but who had in fact found the tin that was used and it was shaped just as I thought!! Ha! Only problem was, they were only available in America.

Well, I must have mentioned it so many times that my wonderful husband ordered one for me for Christmas, but due to delays, it only got here last week, and look, it is shaped!

and since then we have had an almost daily baking of muffins! Each time I use the tin I think HA! and the novelty still hasn't worn off. So far this week, we have had:

Cranberry, cherry and white chocolate

Triple choc and toffee

and my all-time favourite - lemon and Poppy seed. No picture here I'm afraid, as they disappeared too quickly!

I still can't decide whether I am so pleased because I can make muffins just like the ones in the shops for a fraction of the price or because I was right even when people humored me and my ideas! Whatever, I am enjoying the products of my quest, and so is the rest of the family.

This is one of the 'super muffins' next to what we had previously thought of as a big muffin....

Oh and for those who are wondering, I can't remember the blog where I found the tin, but it's called a crown muffin pan, and my husband ordered it from here. It's been a long post, so I'll tell you about my other gadget in another post.

Feel free to drop by for a cup of coffee and a muffin any time....!

It's all a bit too much at the moment...

2009-02-28T21:07:00.003Z

No pictures today I'm afraid - just a quick post to say I may not be around for a while. Miss Chatterbox's finger has become horribly infected and she's being re-admitted to hospital. Meanwhile Pickle looks like she may be heading the same way too as an old recurring problem seems to be rearing its head again. Trouble is our hospital is split into two sites and yep, one child will be on one site and the other child on the second site. Will let you know how things progress....

Back soon (hopefully!)
xx

Oh, and Jellybelly jellybrain is having a giveaway on her site. Check here to have a look!