not not knitting...

Lest anyone should think I've not been busy making in the silence, I counted the projects in my knitting bag today and found no less than five ongoing - that's not counting the ones that will almost certainly never be finished that lurk, guilt-inducing at the bottom... Plenty of Christmas projects on the way - even a horrible cold can't stop them and it's nice to have an excuse to cuddle up on the sofa and feel I'm being useful. All secret of course, but nothing wrong with a hint or two... textures in muted shades and miles of stocking stitch for some fun with hot water next week! And I have been starting to knit for our March arrival and have just finished his first cardigan in the palest lime green alpaca bought in Paris. Based on this pattern though I didn't add the fabric insert and of course included three buttons for luck. Very easy to knit, and just unusual enough to be interesting. I have more of this alpaca in the palest of grey and have spent more hours than I should browsing Ravelry looking for the perfect pattern... And is it wrong to crave teeny tiny coat hangers to hang his teeny tiny garments on? C

home is where the heart(h) is

With England's "big chill" on the way, and a very definite nip in the air here in London, I decided to stay at home today by the hearth (well, gas fired central heating). We may get slightly hysterical about the thought of -3 degrees, but without real summers as compensation, I think we're entitled... To pass the time, I've been clearing out and making room for March's arrival, but predictably enough I was distracted by the Liberty lawn scraps left over from the top I made in the summer. Having some lovely organic lavender from Neals' Yard Remedies, where in their Covent Garden you can buy herbs of all sorts by the ounce from big jars like an old fashioned sweetie shop, albeit an apothecary one. With a silk ribbon hoop attached with shell buttons for hanging on hangars, and firmly stitched so they can be popped in the dryer for a little summer freshness now that winter is here. Sweet smelling lavender sachets to sooth the mind and heart... C

buns for the soul!

been a lot of thinking about the past recently and i was feeling a bit blue and decided to make some buns - granny's buns i always call them! they are the easiest buns in the world - 4oz flour 3oz sugar 2oz butter 1 egg - as in 4321 granny buns!

you can add whatever you have to hand - a few raisins, some lemon juice, icing on top and cherries or slice off the top and make buterflies with butter cream!

they really are emergency buns for the soul! ...A

here's one I made earlier!

okay! okay! I know it was a while since I made this one! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHLOE! we love you!!

watch this space!

So the 'other two' are making complaints that I am not blogging enough and if I don't pull up my socks - or indeed knit some! - they might have to make it 'wetwocreate' - well girls just watch this space!!..A

bowling along

Finally found a yarn that knits and felts and shapes like a dream for my little felted bowls - Cascade 220 - fairly mystical to us UK dwellers until recently, though now it's available here. Knitted in garter stitch for a bit more structure, these felted really well at 60 degrees in a front loader, with the week's towels, so I don't even feel any green guilt!...C

back to my roots

Before I put my career on hold to stay at home and concentrate on creating a family (due for arrival March '09!), I was a graphic designer. I worked for almost 18 years in the industry, in later years as a design director, but always as a very hands on designer alongside my team. Since setting that aside, I have found it difficult to imagine returning to the discipline. Spending time working on the re:made project with my sister has been fun, but it was with a certain amount of relief that I turned to the graphics we'd need for our enterprise. For the last few days, I've been working on my mac to create our identity and implement it. Still a great deal more hand work than my usual job, punching and hand tying tags, but it's comforting that the crispness, the order and the control my computer brings me still appeals...C