Pattern Flashback

 

I was browsing through some of my old patterns,

looking for inspiration...

When I stumbled on this little gal!

Shelly the Colourful Sea Turtle

is an adorable knitted toy, which I designed back in 2013...

Much as I love the pattern,

I think the reason this one makes my heart skip a beat 

is the precious little munchkin holding the toy.

Struggling to accept that this little girl is now five and a half years old,

and starts Primary School in just a week or so.

They say time flies... and I'm really starting to feel it!

Shelly the Colourful Sea Turtle 

is available as a FREE PDF PATTERN

click here for more information

and to download

Kiddie Mitts

Little Miss Katie was nagging me for a lacy pair of mitts...

So I worked up the Challenge Mitts in a kids size - and they turned out perfectly!

The adult size pattern is available as a free download from here.

And here are the alterations I made:

1. This yarn is a very fine 8ply - or maybe even a 5 ply!
2. Made a starting chain of 30, and worked 6 shells in each round
3. 6 rounds of shells before the thumb opening round
4. 3 rounds of shells after the thumb opening

LOVE - LOVE - LOVE the results... and I can see many more kiddie mitts in my future.

(Especially seeing how quick they are to make)

Mummy Time

It was a busy weekend, as always... but somewhere in the middle of it all, we manage to spend some quiet time together - just Little Miss Seven and I.

 

Katie has been totally absorbed in this Handbook for about two weeks now... and of course, wants to make EVERY single project inside it!

So we started with the Good Fairy.

Just noticed that we forgot to add her wings... Never mind!

Some recycled cardboard, colouring pens, a few fabric scraps, a little yarn, a glue stick and some glittery pom pom delights - kept her entertained for a good hour.

I drew the fairy, and Katie was in charge of the decorating and embellishing.

I'm REALLY loving this hair!

We used some variegated bamboo, and it's so very... well... HAIR like...

Katie even discovered that if she untwisted the ply a little before gluing the yarn down, that it looked like REAL strands of hair.

 

And here's my girl - admiring her handiwork...

(can't imagine who she takes after)

 

master six produces a necklace

You might remember I've talked about our plans for a hand made Christmas in the Goldfish household. Basically, instead of buying gifts for one another, we will be making them.

Well... over the weekend, Master Six worked on his gift for Little Miss Four. She is very much a girly girl who loves her jewellery, so he was very keen to create a necklace for her.

I was actually quite surprised at his forethought with this project. Twelve months ago he would have strung on a random handful of beads and the job would have been finished in two minutes flat. But he has matured a great deal this year. There was a long involved process of choosing the beads... then laying them out in the order he wanted... then measuring to check the length of the elastic... all very precise and planned. It was beautiful to watch him putting in so much effort, all because he wanted to make something really special for his little sister.

finished stockings

I always find it very hard not to 'take over' when the children are working on craft items. But I know how important it is for me to sit back, and allow them to be guided by their own imaginations.


Little Miss Four crafted this one. She needed help to thread the needle and tie knots... but handled the remainder of the task by herself. She hasn't done any type of sewing before, and I was really impressed with how quickly she picked it up and developed a rhythm.


Master Six worked on this piece. He also needed assistance with threading and knotting, but had quite good control over the needle... working the stitches successfully into the shapes he was after.


The final one was crafted by Master Nine. Entirely by himself. No help needed with threading, knotting, or separating strands. He has decorated both sides of the stocking, and then went ahead and made some pipe cleaner candy canes to put inside.

kids get in on the action

Before I start talking about the kids... I just wanted to say a super big THANKS to everyone who posted their 'curtain ring' ideas for me yesterday. I seriously loved hearing all those suggestions... some of which I would never have thought of in a million years. It was wonderful to get a different perspective on things... and I really, really appreciate your input.

On to the kids now...

Mine are aged nine, six and four years... boy, boy, girl... and they are ALWAYS wanting to be a part of whatever I am working on - which is lovely, but not always practical!

Especially now that I am starting work on Christmas themed decorations. They loved the embroidered felt stocking from the other day, so we planned for them to make their own. These ones will be to hang on their bedroom doors... and apparently will be filled with a never-ending supply of lollies!

They each chose their own felt, and I have cut out the stocking shapes for them. Today they are working at decorating them, and I will share the results when they are done.