IT STARTED WITH A SNEEZE!

Having felt quite poorly at the beginning of February with a virus, I really thought that I would be able to avoid anything else floating around. However, on Friday with a nice weekend planned ahead it started with, a sneeze and before I knew it along came a sore throat. Funnily enough yesterday, with 3 grandchildren here to entertain I didn't have one symptom and in the evening even commented that I felt back to normal.

However this morning, I woke up to no voice and snuffles but fortunately the voice has returned and I'm hoping to start work this afternoon on a little doll for Jessica which she saw in a book that I had for Christmas. I'll post some pictures of that soon.

Since grandson Alfred arrived 2 weeks ago I have hardly knitted a stitch despite having a cushion cover on my needles that is to match this pouffe.

I am really pleased with the pouffe, knitted in Drops Polaris. It is supposed to be for the baby's nursery but as soon as Kate saw it her feet went up on it straight away and whether it's left her lounge 

yet remains to be seen.

There are 2 sizes on the Drops pattern and I made this one in the smallest size, it's ideal for a foot stool.

It was really easy to make and I would recommend the pattern, very easy to follow. It has a black lining and the filling is virtually the whole of an old double duvet. I'm thinking about making one for myself, I'll put it on my "to do" list!

Thank you for all your comments on my blog, my plan of replying to them all has slipped at present but would just like to say they're very much appreciated.

FRIDAY THE 13TH, UNLUCKY FOR SOME - WELL, NOT FOR US!

We had a nice weekend planned.

Friday night we had a meal and film with friends to look forward to and then Saturday, a lazy day pottering. Husband outside, painting the Lloyd loom chair for our daughter for the baby nursery before heading into his garage to work on his oars. Me, well I was going to spend the day working on the pouffe to go with the chair.

Mothering Sunday was going to be spent here with everyone coming to us for a late afternoon family lunch. 

Everything was organised, what could possibly change?

Our daughter had her last day at work on Friday, then she would be on maternity leave, with baby due to arrive in about 3 weeks. Except baby didn't want to wait 3 weeks, in fact baby didn't want to wait another day. So instead of going to work, our daughter went into labour and Alfred (Alfie) Joseph arrived just before 2pm that afternoon. 

There was so much excitement all around and I was so relieved that everything had gone ok. We couldn't wait to see him, our planned meal and film went right out of the window. Off we went to the hospital in the evening with my box of treasures.

As we didn't know the sex of the baby beforehand I went for a more neutral chest. Unfortunately the picture isn't that good but it was the only one I took.

  

Inside, was the first little outfit I had made which I had included in a past post. Afterwards I remembered that Kate sometimes reads my blog and if I posted anymore pictures of the things I was making she would have no surprises.

This little jacket also has a matching hat.

I found it really difficult to find patterns to make suitable for both boy and girl.

This one is made in Drops Fabel.

I really love this little jacket knitted in Drops Karisma. It's lovely yarn to work with. However this is also a 0-3mths pattern but it has come up much bigger than the other 2 little jackets.

I think the buttons are cute.

Here is the baby blanket, crotcheted in Drops Alpaca Silk. It is just so soft and Alfred looks very cosy snuggled underneath it.

I thank Heldasland for recommending this pattern and yarn, it's gorgeous!

Alfred is very tiny at the moment, he weighed just 6lb 4ozs but it won't be long before he'll be able to wear all of these things.

As you can probably imagine our planned Saturday went out of the window too. We spent our day collecting the pushchair and shopping for baby clothes. We did get to see our film and enjoy a meal with friends in the evening, that was really nice.

Our Mothering Sunday meal didn't go quite to plan either. My poor mum was poorly which meant that both of my parents stayed at home. My already well made little family of son, daughter in law and grandchildren arrived on time, but alas my new little family of daughter, son in law and grandson were running late. 

If you've ever arrived for last orders at a Sunday carvery, you'll probably understand how my dinner fared. Eight of the nine of us said they thought it was lovely. The ninth person, obviously me, reserved judgment.

With a new baby to celebrate we still had the most perfect three days and we welcome baby Alfred into our family.

A WEEKEND OF LOVELINESS!

1. Clear blue skies and fluffy white clouds.

2. Tidying a corner of the garden, then planting a couple of camellias there that were pot bound in           

    containers on the patio. Hopefully they will now flourish and eventually fill that space with colour  

    every year at this time.

3. Spring flowers poking up through the dappled shade and swaying in the breeze.

4. Uncovering the garden furniture and being able to sit outside and eat lunch.

5. Listening to the bees as they buzz around the cherry blossom.

6. The sound of the birds, tweeting and twittering.

7. Sitting by the open patio door knitting, whilst the sun shone through and warmed the toes of my    

     sock less feet.

8. Just pottering.

9.  Husband working happily in the garage making the oars to go with his canoe.

10. Peace and quiet.

Let's hope that the coming days ahead are as lovely as the weekend was.

Thank you all for the lovely comments on my last post, much appreciated.

Have a great week!

OUR LITTLE MAN IS ONE!

Our grandson Jack celebrated his 1st birthday yesterday.

One already, we just can't believe how quick his first year has gone.

Happy Birthday Jack!

I had my Saturday planned out this weekend, I was intending spending the afternoon decorating the birthday cake. But plans in this house often go hay wire and it wasn't until 6pm that I stood in the kitchen facing a few blocks of icing and a square slab sponge cake that I had thankfully made a few days earlier and had kept in the freezer.

I'd promised a train and a train I was going to construct and as I made the four carriages, I was quite happy with how things were going. However, as it got later and I got hungrier my husband, the engineer, decided he would come and offer to lend a hand. From then on the design became more complicated, he took charge of the rolling pin and with icing sugar flying all over the kitchen between us we put together this windowless, leaning, engine. As the time crept on, it was well past 8pm, the thought of meat pie, mash and veg was just a dream and Thomas the Tank Engine was looking more like the engine from Casey Jones! (If you remember that on TV you're as old as me!)

However, finally the cake was done and the kitchen looked like a bomb had dropped. I got on with the tidying while Michael cooked our much deserved dinner.

Throughout the rest of the evening we kept an eye on the leaning engine as it sat in the dining room and were so relieved in the morning when we got up to see that the engine had leant no further!

The cake fortunately, was much appreciated yesterday and it was only my mum, bless her, who commented that the train had no windows.

In my next life I am definitely coming back under a different name and I'm thinking, M.U.M Couldujust would be quite fitting.  On Friday morning with Kate's baby due possibly under a month away she decided that it would be nice if she had one of those knitted pouffes to rest her feet on while she's sitting holding the baby in her soon to be borrowed Lloyd Loom chair, on loan from my mother.

Is that something I could come up with? I was asked. 

The yarn delivery came on Saturday, enough for a pouffe and a matching cushion, plus huger needles than I've already got, ready to start this task.
I've got a couple of things finished, another on the needles, all for Kate but I'm going to save posting pictures until the baby has been born. Hopefully I'll be able to show you these two new items as well.

Hope all of my readers have a great week ahead!