Little Cotton Rabbits

If only I was an octopus...

Sometimes I wish I was an octopus - it would be so much easier to get everything done! It's amazing how quickly 6 hours of child-free time wizzes past. It always made me laugh when people heard my youngest was starting full-time school as they'd usually say "You won't know what to do with yourself". I had to resist bending their ear by going into nauseating detail about all the projects I had planned. Anyway, I'm certainly keeping busy although not much hoovering is getting done in our house (I like to think I have an ecclectic approach to housework!) I've been thrilled at all the lovely comments that people have left on my site.

So on to my works in progress:

Little E has departed for a new life in cornwall,

the two sisters are currently winging their way to Rebecca in Ireland (who sent me these lovely goodies, that chocolate didn't last long!),

I've designed some stocking tops (will get H to take a better picture shortly),

I've unearthed a christmas cake design from last year and started making a few

I'm also making fabric party-bags and trying to clean the house ready for Amy's birthday party on Sunday. Ten little girls will be descending on us for 3 hours of making crafts, playing party games, dancing and a sugar-coated party tea. Amy is beside herself with excitement and I'm beginning to wander if having it at home was such a good idea. Oh well, I'll just visualise that chilled bottle of Pinot Grigio waiting for me on Sunday evening - I think I'm going to need it! Wish me luck!

Autumn and my favourite game

I always think that there is something about autumn that is bittersweet. I suppose it's because it signals the end of summer and because it always takes me back to my very happy childhood. Memories seem to come thick and fast with the chilling of the nights and the changing colours of the leaves. Memories of gathering blackberries and coming home to hot buttered crumpets, walking in the woods with autumn colours blazing all around. Memories of walking to school past bushes dripping with the heavy morning dew and seeing spider webs defined with little drops sparkling in the hazy morning sun - sorry I've come over all poetic!  I do think autumn is my favourite time of year, a time for getting out your winter woolies, swapping your sheets to brushed cotton flannel that feels warm as toast as soon as you get into bed. Autumn makes me want to don my wellies and head off for the nearest woods - something I got to do recently with Amy's school nature ramble - a great morning spent digging in wet leaves, moving rotten logs and scooping up bugs with Amy and her classmates. Autumn makes me want to be a child again!

Anyway with thoughts of childhood in my head, I thought I'd share with you my favourite childhood game (courtesy of my Dad) which has now become one of Amy's favourites. I've been really enjoying reading Rebecca's senses series where she describes simple fun games to play with your children that encourage them to think about the world around them. This too is a simple game (all the best games are in my opinion). All you need is 1 sheet of paper and a pen per person (2 players or more). Fold the paper into quarters across the width and flatten out again. Then draw a head (human, animal or fantasy) and fold the paper over, hiding your drawing but leaving the bottom of the kneck showing. Then everyone passes their piece of paper on to the next person. In the 2nd quarter join a body, arms and top of legs onto the neck and fold the paper again so only the tops of legs are showing. Pass the drawing on again. Draw legs in the 3rd quarter (but not feet) wiggly, hairy, fat, thin etc then fold the paper leaving the ankles showing. After passing the drawing on again draw feet in the last quarter and fold up completely. Pass the drawing on one last time then everyone opens up to see what fantastical creatures have been drawn. Little kids love playing as part of a team with a grown-up. It's great fun seeing what funny creatures appear and never fails to make Amy laugh.

Raspberry delight!

I love getting packages in the post, especially when I'm eagerly anticipating the contents. So I was thrilled to bits this morning when a beautifully wrapped parcel from Raspberry arrived. Alice Bloor is a textile artist and felt-maker. She creates beautiful pieces and I fell in love with her pincushions. I also had to buy this brooch to pin on my favourite green corduroy jacket although I suspect that it will not remain mine for long - no doubt once Amy spies it, it will mysteriously be spirited away! Oh well, I'll enjoy it while I can. Thanks Alice (sorry the pics don't really do them justice - check out Raspberry's site for  much better  pictures).

Little E for Rebecca

Rebecca asked me to make a bunny for the newborn daughter of a friend. I've been itching to try out some designs for knitted letters that I did earlier in the year and here's the result - little E. Let me know what you think Rebecca.

autism insights and knitted stockings

Poor old Toby's been a bit under the weather this weekend. I think it's just a cold but it's not always that easy to tell. Sometimes it's hard to tell even if he is unwell and even when you establish that he is, it's usually impossible to say for certain whether he has a headache, earache, sore throat or all of the above because he just can't tell me where it hurts. There is a theory about autism known as mindblindness which sums all this up pretty well: autistic people assume that everyone knows what they are thinking so they don't understand the need to communicate that they're hungry, cold, in pain etc. Toby has never pointed at anything (a common autistic trait) nor has he ever drawn my attention to anything he is interested in. It is exactly like he just assumes I already know. One time I found him just standing in his room, all tangled up with the cord on his roman blind - he'd been upstairs for 20 minutes and I'd assumed he was playing quietly - goodness knows how long he'd been stuck but the point is he didn't utter a sound to get my attention, just stood there waiting for me. I felt like such a bad mummy and needless to say I don't really let him out of my sight anymore. Anyway, after 3 nights of little sleep because he was so snuffly, he's seeming a little better today and he's gone back to school.

I have written up the pattern for the stockings - hopefully in some kind of understandable knitting jargon. I've added some photos to show certain steps and will be improving on these and adding some pattern design suggestions shortly. If you are feeling adventurous and fancy giving it a go please drop me a note and let me know how you got on (this is my first foray into pattern writing - I usually work off scribbled notes and memory!) Similarly if you try it and get stuck just contact me and I'll try to help. Good luck!!!

Brain drain

Before I had children I used to think that I was a reasonably intelligent person with the ability to simultaneously have an intelligent conversation whilst secretly thinking about what to cook for dinner that night. These days I am beyond help and can't even carry on a conversation without getting sidetracked - see I'm waffling now. Anyway, for a few days I've been thinking about dusting off some christmas ideas from last year. So today I rummaged through my work boxes for a pattern that I had designed and found 3 versions of it. I've now had to spend all morning knitting up each pattern to work out which was the final perfected design. And the morale of the verbose story is: BE MORE ORGANISED!

So here are some samples of what I'm aiming for 
Knitted christmas tree stockings to fill with goodies (choccy coins and tiny gifts). I'm also planning to write it down in meaningful knitting language and post it on my blog as a free pattern. So if anyone out there fancies trying it out - watch this space!

Indian summers and aran jumpers

Am feeling all relaxed today, having had a better than expected weekend. I did expect Toby to have difficulty as he'd been up and out of the house at school all week but happily he was quite content to potter and have lazy days in the garden. We even got the paddling pool out yesterday afternoon - I love indian summers, and obviously so does Amy.

On the knitting front I've been busy knitting up that nice ball of Rowan felted tweed and here is the result - Aran boy. It's quite fiddly cabling on 2 and a quarter mm needles but I'm pleased with the result. More new rabbits later in the week as I have more new wool in 100% baby alpaca - soooo soft.

wool, glorious wool

What is it about a new ball of wool that excites me? Am I a bit of a saddo, an anorak of knitting? I love buying new wool, it's full of promise and potential, for with two long sticks and a bit of patience it can be transformed into just about anything you can imagine. I once came accross a website from New Zealand where a group of elderly people had knitted an entire spread for tea including the teapot, loaf of bread with board and bread knife, sandwiches, cakes etc. It was quite accomplished, if a wee bit redundant and just goes to show what you can do with a humble ball of wool.

I've enjoyed having time to myself this week and beginning to catch up with all the things I've not had a chance to do whilst being full-time carer to Toby. I'm really pleased with this shade card. Because I knit with a range of yarns (Rowan, Jaeger, Sirdar and Patons) I often find it difficult to imagine which different colour combinations will work together and so I decided to make a shade card incorporating all the cotton 4ply yarn that I have in stock. I think it's almost worthy of being framed and I'm enjoying looking at it propped in the corner. Well I'm off to enjoy the rest of the day. Funny to think I was dreading this week - wasn't so bad afterall! Have a great weekend all.

On autism & shopping

One of the most frustrating things about autism is the lack of communication. I can't tell Toby stuff as he doesn't comprehend language. I couldn't tell him that he was going to school, how long he'd be there and that I'd be missing him every second that he was gone. Toby is at distance from the world we know - this picture pretty much sums it up

Having said that he is coping very well with starting school this week. He's been a little blotchy around the eyes on his arrival home each afternoon (a sure sign of tears during the day) and he was bitten by one of the other children but on the whole he's pretty relaxed considering how monumentally upended his secure little world has been.

Toby & I do have an wonderful non-verbal language of our own involving touch, hugs, kisses and giggles. He gives big cuddles and fat, wet kisses as soon as he gets home and snuggles into my lap with a contentment that clearly communicates he's pleased to see me. He can communicate his basic needs through PECS where he brings a picture of the thing he wants to me. As you can imagine though this is pretty limited (mostly to food and toys) but I hope as he grows he'll be able to expand his vocabulary and communicate more about how he feels, maybe one day he may even learn to speak. For now I'm just happy that he's managed the big step of starting school so well. The old chestnut 'Live one day at a time' is the motto in our house.

on a lighter note:

I love this time of year as it heralds the arrival of lots of fat glossy mail order catalogues. I am addicted - much to Huw's disgust as he spends 10 mins searching through the stacks for his mail. There are so many beautiful things out there and I like to browse and pick out what I'd buy if money were no object. Sometimes I actually order stuff!! In fact I have just treated myself to a beautiful new knitting bag

(courtesy of Cath Kidston)

and a wonderful pair of gardening shoes from the fabulous Plantstuff.

Am now off to enjoying perusing the selection of catalogues that arrived today.

fairy cake T-shirt

Toby seemed to cope well yesterday and was pretty calm amd happy after arriving home on the minibus. It's so strange not having him around in the day and I'm like a butterfly - just flitting from one thing to another. As usual knitting is keeping me sane! I've been playing around with ideas and considering that knitted corsages are 'all that' right now I thought I'd vary the theme. The result is a knitted badge / T shirt decoration on my favourite theme of fairy cakes. Modelled here by the lovely Amy:

Will try some more of these and perfect the design - also like the idea of ice-cream cones.