Little Cotton Rabbits

one a day

It's been dawning on me that I'm not doing too well with my new year's resolution to look for the best in each day. In theory it's a simple one, but in practice I find when I sit down at the end of the day my mind starts going over all of the negative bits. So I started thinking of ways to make me focus on the positive moments and I think I've come up with a way to end each day on a happy note.

It was love at first sight when I saw Solveig's gorgeous blanket but at the time I was all cack-handed on the crochet front. Now I've got a few crochet projects under my belt and I feel ready to take on a bit of a challenge. I'm going to take it slow and steady, just doing one square at the end of each day and as I work on each one I'll be mulling over the day's good bits.

For my one-a-day blanket I've chosen Amy Butler's Belle Organic DK yarn by Rowan because I love the softness of it and I've decided on a limited palette, using just 7 of the gorgeous collection of colours: Robin's egg, Cornflower, Peony, Hibiscus, Persimmon, Basil and Cilantro along with the main colour 'moonflower' which is a cream.

I know it will take me most of the rest of the year but at the end of it I'll have a lovely blanket (well hopefully if it turns out even half as nicely as Solveig's) and I like the idea that it will be made with happy thoughts in my head.

woolly wonderfulness

Thanks again to everyone who has left me such kind messages over the last few weeks. I was hoping to write a fabulously glowing post about the wonders of melatonin but unfortunately the reality hasn't quite matched up to our expectation. Things are however slightly improved as the melatonin is having a positive effect at bedtime - Toby has been settling to sleep much more calmly and at a more reasonable time (between 9.30 - 10.30pm most nights). The effect is short lived though as he's still waking every night around 5 hours after going to sleep. Most nights he's been awake for around 2 hours before settling back to sleep but this morning he decided to start the day at 3.36am so he'll hopefully be a tired little bunny later (as opposed to a grumpy one!).

I've stayed in my jammies again today and have curled up with my needles and some rather scrumptious new wool...

 

Pure merino yarn, kettle and hand-dyed in toast, violin, cinnabar, beige and rich chocolate (wouldn't it be great to have a job dreaming up yarn names? I don't think I'd have settled for beige though, I'd have preferred cookie dough or shortbread).

It's good that knitting is not especially taxing as I think it's about all I can manage after such an early start. It's lucky too that I've made so many bunnies over the years as if I do doze off shortly I could probably carry on knitting them in my sleep!

 

teacher's pressies

This year I was really stumped about what to do for the teacher's presents. It doesn't help that between the two children there are 11 teachers, helpers and therapists to send presents to. Anyway, I'd done well with decorations for the bags having crocheted some sweet little snowflakes (very easy and quick) from a free pattern on Attic 24 but I was still feeling uninspired about what to actually put inside the bags. Thankfully you can always rely on bloggers to provide the perfect inspiration and thanks to a post on Soulemama which led me to Orangette our bags are now full of peppermint bark...

... our tummies too - it took a lot of trimming to get the block square ready for cutting!

I used 6 bars of Green and Blacks white vanilla chocolate and 3 bars of dark 70% cocoa (each 100gms), a teaspoon of peppermint essence, 9 tablespoons of double cream and 4 smashed up peppermint candy canes.

I followed the recipe although I did cheat and melt the chocolate in the microwave (on low setting). I spread the first layer of melted chocolate on a sheet of washable, reuseable teflon (I use this for all my cookie baking) and it just peeled off easy as anything at the end.

Chopping the block was hard and I got lots of uneven shapes. I may have made my layers too thick and the chocolate was splintering a bit but I think that adds to the charm of a homemade gift and the really mis-shapen ones just had to be eaten!

I'll be scouring the shops and stocking up on peppermint candy canes so I'm ready to make more of this next year. It's very easy and great for children to help with and is a hundred times nicer to make than the candied chestnuts I slaved over last year. It is also absolutely delicious!

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PS: Thanks for all of the kind comments about my mittens on the last post. All three pairs are based on exactly the same pattern (a very generous free pattern at that) Endpaper mitts by Eunny Jang (which I can now recite in my sleep having made eight pairs based on it). I've written up my modifications over on ravelry so you can see what yarns I used and which different stitches.

knitting by the fire

I still haven't ventured out into the crowds of christmas shoppers, I'd much rather be right here...

...knitting mittens. The top left ones are for my Dad (made with yarn gifted to me a while ago by the lovely Michaela). Last christmas I'd only finished one and wrapped it for him with the promise that the second would follow shortly and suddenly here we are 12 months later! You will get your pair of mittens this Christmas Dad! The other two pairs are for me because you can never have too many mittens!

Anyway all this mitten knitting has led me to resort to internet shopping for our most of my present buying and our Christmas food and drink. I just hope that the deliveries don't get stuck in Christmas snow! I'm remembering an episode of The Good Life where Margot's entire christmas delivery didn't arrive. I do hope I won't be saying 'Christmas has not been delivered to this house' on Christmas morning!

Done!

Time for a quick family portrait before they all go their separate ways.

Off to rest my fingers and have a cuppa!

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PS: better individual photos over on flickr