Little Cotton Rabbits

Looking closely

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We've had the perfect growing weather here recently - lots of rain and warm temperatures and everything in the garden and surrounding countryside is green and growing. In my little patch I've been planting some new fruit and herb plants. I've given up on growing veggies for now as they were lots of work for a rather meagre harvest - mostly thanks to cabbage white butterflies, aphids and a host of other chompers who set about nibbling my homegrown produce. Not that I really mind, planting herbs keeps things simple for me and I like to see creatures in my garden - chives, borage,  thyme and lavender are perfect plants for attracting bees and other wildlife.

I would much rather have a little corner of this Earth that is busy and brimming with life, unlike some of my neighbours it seems - two of them have recently had their 'gardens' worked on and carpeted with plastic fake grass - they are now sterile, dead squares surrounded by stark fences. And our immediate next door neighbour has just chopped down every tree and bush in their garden in favour of grass, including a really big and beautiful lilac that was a springtime magnet to so many butterflies and bees emerging from annual hibernation.

So, in an attempt to compensate the local wildlife, I'm happily letting things go a bit more wild in our garden and it lifts my spirits to see some of these tiny creatures that I'm sharing my garden with - lots of different bee species are happily buzzing from one chive head to another; many ladybird larvae are starting to cocoon up and transform into their adult form, and tiny yellow orb-weaver spiderlings that hatched on a hellebore are flinging out their silken strands, leaving their 300 or so siblings and heading out on their own.

Of course I'm very lucky to have larger visitors to my garden too. The fox is still calling in regularly and I've got some lovely pictures of her which I'll share soon.

Hope you find some tiny delights in your own corner of our beautiful Earth - if you have time to, please share what plants or creatures you are co-inhabiting with. 'Til next time x

 

Deer, supplement to the fox pattern

 

 

 

Hello and happy summer solstice. Just popping in here briefly today to let you know that I've just finished and uploaded the free deer supplement pattern over on Ravelry. Within it you will find instructions for knitting a pair of antlers and detailed notes on how to adapt either of my two fox patterns (Fox in a flowered frock or Fox in a star spangled sweater).

Please note that in order to make a complete deer toy you will need to have purchased one of these fox patterns and follow the full instructions within that, together with the instructions detailed in this free pattern supplement.

I'm looking forward to seeing the deer that are made using the pattern, so if you give it a go please come and share pictures of your project on the Little Cotton Rabbits Ravelry group. Hope you enjoy the new pattern,

J x

 

A week of finishings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Firstly, thank you so very much for all of the kind comments on the previous post. Things do get a bit wobbly here when routines are shaken up and it's hard to concentrate on anything in the school breaks when Toby needs 24 hour care, so it's easiest not to try - that way everyone stays calm and happy. During the recent half term break we had lots of wood walks and outdoor adventures but when we were at home and he was happily occupied I had a little time for some simple knitting - some nice undemanding projects that were easy to put down when he needed something. Knitting is the ultimate portable activity and I love that from a young age Toby has known that if he carries off my knitting bag I will follow. So in between keeping him safe and happy over half term, I was also following him around the house and nomadically finishing off some of my many W.I.P.s - mostly a case of weaving in the ends, which is something I seem to have a problem getting around to - most likely because it is the most boring bit of knitting something.

Finished projects:

The wristwarmers that I started in February. Just a simple ribbed tube with a little twisted cable detail (notes on them here), knitted in beautiful neppy Donegal yarn from Ocean Rose. 

The socks that I had just started knitting in the previous post using 'Wildflowers and honeycomb socks' pattern from Olivia at This Handmade Life. Yarn details are here.

A shawl that I started back in February, knitted from a lovely pattern by Tammy Gore called 'Out of winter' in the most gorgeous hand-dyed yarn that I am slightly obsessed with and now want to buy more of - 'Owl feather' from Grenouille

I might have cast on a couple of new projects too, mostly of the socky kind, but now that Toby is back at school again I have returned to animal knitting and have been working on a new pattern, which actually isn't new at all. I'll be writing this up as a free supplement pattern with instructions on using my existing fox patterns to knit deer - I'll explain in more detail soon :)