Where were we...

Life is flying past. Busy, busy, busy. Baby E is 7 months, how did that happen? Little R is 2 and a half. I get so much pleasure from these two little people each and every day but they leave time for very little else, that's for sure! But oh my word, I love spending my days with them ♥♥ 

In the last few months we have redone the damp proofing in our house as the previous owners did a right botch job. This wasn't easy with (at the time) a 4 month old and a 2 year old. Not to bore anyone but this involved my husband and Daddy chipping plaster off walls, then the damp proof was done and then plaster put back on and then redecorating. At one point it looked like this...

I can't say it was easy doing this with two very small children (It was hell on earth! Dust everywhere and entertaining two little people from our bedroom and kitchen out of bounds!) but we want to sell next year and it needed done, timing wasn't perfect but hey. I'm so proud that we did it. We probably prematurely aged during that month but we did it! and survived to tell the tale. And one big bonus is that now everywhere is painted white - my new all time favourite wall colour.

Craft has been very slow but I have been working on a few things...

 A brooch for a friend

 A quilt for Baby E, similar to the one I made for Little R

I started work on this blanket but I don't think I'm sold on the colours. It's on hold for now...

Mainly I have been working on a new crochet blanket and I just finished it today (never mind that I started it late in May and it's only a giant granny square!). I guess this is a Ta-Dah moment!

 I made the cushions too!

I think I am a happy with this blanket. I had a crisis of confidence over the colours as usual and also wished I had done a different pattern rather than something so simple but I'm up against it time wise. So anyway it's done now and I can't wait to snuggle under it when it gets colder.

Oh and we potty trained Little R over the summer too. So very proud of him. So yep like I said busy, busy, busy. 

I am loving my maternity leave so much. I love spending my days with Little R and Baby E. They just make me so happy. Baby E is the happiest, smiliest baby. He giggles so much, usually at his older brother. He has the most intoxicating laugh. And Little R is a wee chatter box. We were at the fruit and veg shop the other day and he was wittering on about the names of fruit and a little old lady said that I wouldn't be lonely with him around and it's totally true, I love his chit chat and his company. I don't want my maternity leave to end, I would love to spend my days with them forever but in January I will be going back to work. I will probably be crying my eyes out again but for now I'm not thinking of that, I'm enjoying every second (well it's not all bliss, Little R is a toddler after all and babies aren't entirely easy!) with my little family. I know it's a total cliche but having children is probably the best thing I have ever done, I totally understand why some people say that now. I have a PhD, I have worked hard but it's my babies that bring me the most joy and contentment and I don't care if it's trite, it's true.

And finally :: After Baby E was born I discovered Instagram and while I'm not on Facebook and generally shun social media I really love and am fairly addicted to IG because for me it's like mini blogging, but without all the text and long photo editing. I love it for craft ideas and inspiration. I would love to be a more regular blogger but I can't see that happening any time soon as things are just too busy on the home front and I can't seem to blog quickly. I need to simplify the whole process, I take too long editing photos and making everything 'look right', this post is thrown together and none of the photos match in style, sorry. Anyway if you are an IGer, pop along and visit me there.

♥♥  Thanks for stopping by  ♥♥ 

And now for some Crochet

Well I thought I would share some crochet WIPs that I have on the go. I guess crochet is the reason that I started this blog but so far I haven't had anything significant to show and therefore post about. I've been working on a granny square blanket as my first ever crochet blanket and it is slow going. I started it at the very end of August while on holiday with my husband, baby R, doggies and friends (and friend's babies and doggies!), but it's still a WIP. I guess I did have a little break to work on baby R's quilt and I also made some bunting for his nursery (I should really share a pic of that with you). Maybe I should have started with something a little smaller and more manageable because, although I am absolutely loving crochet, I'm afraid I have fallen out of love with my blanket. Maybe if I share a wee photo that will reinvigorate me and I'll get it finished. 

A sneak preview: 5 round granny squares, 14 squares/row, 10 rows, joining as I go 

I had always set myself the target of finishing it for Christmas and that is still on the cards. I think it will be a nice Christmas present to myself (I'm imaging snuggling under it on Christmas Eve and then snuggling under it on Christmas morning with Baby R and his Dada, oh and maybe Luca & Monty too!). I think another reason for my stalling with this project is that I'm not entirely convinced of my colour choices. I love the dark pink and the dark blue (the photo doesn't do them justice - difficult light conditions on these autumnal days) but I'm really not convinced about the bottle green colour, I only chose it because the other green the shop had (which I really liked) was discontinued. Also the yarn is Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo (80% bamboo and 20% wool) which, while it does feel nice, is expensive and therefore I wish I had gone the whole hog and used Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino as so many lovely bloggers seem to use. The fact that the blanket is also costing me a fortune is putting me off it as well, the purse strings while on maternity leave are being pulled a bit tighter and there I go spending a fortune on yarn! Oh well... now that I have blogged about it I'll have to finish it. I'm on the 8th row out of 10, just need to keep 'er lit and not get distracted by other projects. Speaking of which...

/\/\/\/\ ripple-ripple-ripple /\/\/\/\

Well after reading so much about Lucy and her lovely ripple blankets, I decided I just had to have a go. I sought yarn advice from the lovely Lucy (as much as I'd love to use Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino as mentioned above I think I better save up or maybe wait for Father Christmas for this!) and decided to use Stylecraft Special DK. As I intended to order the yarn from the internet I thought it might be wise to order a yarn shade card to see what the colours were actually like as opposed to on a laptop screen (purchasing from the internet is sooo handy but difficult where colours are concerned). I decided to make a baby size blanket as I thought I would get this finished in a reasonable amount of time, so baby R gets another blanket (this was another reason for going for Stylecraft, being acrylic it will withstand lots of washing and wear&tear from baby R). Although I'm making a blanket for a boy I didn't really want to fall into the gender stereotype trap (blue only y'know) and I wanted to make something bright and fun, so in the end I went for (clockwise from left): Sunshine, Plum, Meadow, Aster, Cloud Blue, Lipstick and Turquoise.

Stylecraft Special DK

However once I started the blanket I sort of felt it was going in the territory of 70s rainbow hippie-ness, not that I have a problem with this as such it's just not the look I was going for, for a baby blanket! I guess I was a bit worried about the yellow and it being too ultra bright. Anyway this is how it looks so far...

From bottom: Cloud Blue, Aster, Plum, Lipstick, Turquoise & Meadow... 

143 chains and 12 ripply rows so far....

I guess I'm a little afraid of the yellow yarn and not too sure where to bring it in but I am happy with how it looks so far. Overall the colours kind of go against the grain for me as I prefer much more muted tones however I have to remember that this is for baby R and it really needs to be happy and sunshiny. I really wanted something that felt like Attic24 as this was the inspiration for the ripples in the first place so I just need to be brave and go for it. I must admit the ripple pattern is quite therapeutic and addictive so I just hope it doesn't distract me from the granny square blanket for too long!!