Little Cotton Rabbits

a finished misty afghan

During the darker, colder evenings of last week I managed to finish off the misty afghan.

 

If I'm honest I am a bit previous in saying 'finish off' because I'm ignoring the fact that there are still lots of ends to sew in on the back. From the front it looks finished though...

 

I'm really pleased with how this has turned out and it's my favourite blanket so far. I love the muted colours and I'm enjoying looking at it draped over the sofa or on the bed.

 

I'd definitely make another blanket in Cascade 220 - it's a nice yarn to work in and is very reasonably priced which is a good thing considering how much you get through when blanket making. I want to take a picture of the whole thing but I need to hang it up somewhere outside and it's just been too damp and dull to get any decent pictures. I'll keep trying and will post any new pics on my ravelry project page.

 

Thanks for coming back to visit despite a longish break from me (again!) and thanks too to those who have emailed me and asked about Toby. At the moment I am being reminded that he finds life harder in the winter months than the summer ones. He has hardly been out in the garden at all during this last month, disliking the feel of wet surfaces and finding the ground too cold beneath his feet (he simply won't wear shoes to go in the garden - in his mind those are what you put on to go out of the front door not the back door). It will probably be spring before we hear the squeak of the swing ropes or the creak of the trampoline springs again.

Without his garden playtime Toby gets more easily agitated and frustrated and no doubt very bored at home and because he has no interests it takes full time adult intervention to keep him busy. Keeping him occupied him is the only way to limit his repetitive stimming behaviours which include hand-biting, strange hand movements, banging his chin, pacing or moving around the room with a skip and making repetitive moaning or clicking noises. These bouts of stimming can last hours or even a whole day if he is not distracted and they can be hard to live with and make it impossible for anyone to relax. So much more of my time is currently taken in being with things like playing tickles. Toby loves the anticipation of being tickled though you do have to watch out because he can suddenly switch to being very upset or aggressive if the stimulation becomes to much for him. The other reliable way to keep him busy is a bubble bath and he'll happily have 4 baths a day, playing in there for half an hour at a time. It's a great way to keep him occupied and is good for me too because I can sit and knit while watching over him.

We are still getting our 6 hours a week of respite though it is becoming harder to get it allocated at weekends and school holidays as the facility where he goes is now full and the demand for prime slots is fierce. It is frustrating and depressing to be forced into taking respite time after school (when it has far less of a positive impact for us) but as in everything you have to find the energy to fight for what you need and I will keep on fighting. Luckily whilst Toby is at school life is calmer and more relaxed and I knit virtually constantly as it's a great antidote to the full on activity that starts when he arrives back home at 4pm.

Anyway, that's us at the moment. I'll pop back soon and show you some of the wristwarmers that I've been making with all of the sock yarn that I couldn't resist buying recently um, have had for ages (incase H is reading this because he thinks I need help with my yarn addiction but I know I'm not the only one who finds it to tempting to resist!) *waving hello* to all you fellow yarn stashers out there xxx

 

autumn in the air

Thanks so much for all of the birthday wishes for Toby. I think he enjoyed his day - he certainly enjoyed the party rings that I let him eat because it was his birthday!

There has been a definite coolness in the air when I've been opening up the chicken coop in the morning and the evenings are getting shorter. Autumn is arriving here and I am happy because it is my favourite season.

All around things are changing and preparing for the harshness of winter. The garden spiders are fat and busy with their spinning,

 

The leaves are gradually colouring and falling from the trees

 

 

The birds have been heading south. We're in the Lea Valley and it must be a popular migration route because recently the evening skies over our house have been populated by v shaped flocks heading to warmer climes.

 

The sun is getting tired and going to bed noticeably earlier each day.

 

My thoughts are now definitely focused on indoor activities and it's time to put the paddling pool and summer garden cushions away for another year.

 

The wood store is stocked and I have a feeling it may not be long before I'm thinking of lighting the fire of an evening and curling up with my knitting - I feel the urge to make yet another pair of mittens coming on! But first I'll finish off the batch of autumny animals and hedgehogs that I'm currently working on.

 

 

In print

Thanks so much for all of the feedback on the pouch pattern. I've drawn the two winners and have posted the details at the end of the previous post. As promised I am planning another little giveaway (of a knitted animal) to celebrate the start of my 7th year of blogging but I've not quite finished the batch that I'm working on, so they're not quite ready for their close-ups yet.

 

I'm really hoping to finish them next week, so I'll post about the giveaway then.

In the meantime I am sitting here feeling rather happy because I have the latest copy of Crafts Beautiful next to my cup of tea and it has a feature about my knitting in it (thanks to Natalie for the lovely write up). It's the Christmas special issue and it's full of great ideas and some fab freebies too, so I'm off to have a read in the last hour of peace before the start of a busy weekend.

 

Hope you have a great weekend, see you next week with news of that giveaway.

 

quiet time again

 

Here in my little corner of the world there are few things that I prize more highly than time that is completely and utterly my own. Over the 6 weeks of the school summer break such time has been in short supply, for although Toby has had 11 days of respite and 4 days of CHIPs summer club, I've spent most of those days either with Amy or doing householdy chores and necessities. The rest of the time I have been Toby's constant companion both day and night as I've fed, bathed, dressed and comforted him; fetched things he can't get for himself; fixed toys; loaded dvds and videos into their respective players; removed things from his mouth and generally kept him content and safe from the various harms he often seems intent of inflicting on himself.

 

It's not that I begrudge any time spent with my children you understand, it's just that the absence of quiet time on my own makes me appreciate all the more what today has brought my way once again. Because today brings the return to school term-time routines for the children and for me it brings 7 hours and 15 minutes of time to mostly spend in any way that I choose. So while I do feel slightly guilty for looking forward to my children returning to school, it's mostly outweighed by the pleasure of the current peace that has settled on my home.

Right now the only sounds that I can hear are the ticking of the kitchen clock; a similar ticking noise from the kettle which is cooling down having just been boiled for tea; a chinking of pebbles from the chicken run as they are scraped aside in the hunt for unsuspecting worms and the twitterings of two small birds in the bush outside the window. There is however mostly stillness and quiet and at this moment I feel overwhelmingly content.

Once I've finished writing this, I plan to settle myself in the garden with a good strong cup of tea, my radio, a basket of bunny heads waiting to be given faces, a copy of the wonderful Four Hedges by Clare Leighton which I'm currently reading (thanks to Emma @ Silverpebble for the excellent recommendation) and a copy of the newly released Three Good Things by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall which contains the recipe for pasta with tomatoes and blue cheese that I'll be making for lunch today.

 

 

 

Thanks for coming to visit with me here despite the lack of anything new from me for a few weeks. If you're around later in the week please pop back again as I'll have news of that little pouch pattern and a giveaway or two.

 

more snippets from recent days

I am really missing having the time to pop in here and keep up with everyone but the school summer holidays are, as usual, chaotic and all consuming without much quiet time. As a result my brain is incapable of much coherent thought, so more random snippets from our days is all I can offer at the moment!

Toby has been having a couple of respite days per week, which have been great for helping keep him busy and happy and so I have had a little time to myself (which has been spent either knitting or gardening) but I've also been trying to spend as much time as possible with Amy. Afterall she is soon to be 13 and so my days as escort and companion in fun activities are certainly numbered!

 

 
Camping out in the garden is always on our list of activities, though Toby only joins us in the morning - setting a precedent of sleeping outside would be too risky as he'd probably want to sleep outside for evermore and I really don't fancy camping out in the snow.

 

 

I always look forward to berry picking with my lovely girl, a time to chat and enjoy just being together

 

 

The first of our homegrown harvest - lots of rocquencourt french beans, a decent amount of cherry tomatoes and a puny collection of courgettes. Hopefully the plants will produce more before the end of the season.

 

 

Bunches of fragrant sweet peas from our neighbour as a thank you for looking after their cat. It's nice to care for an animal again and it's got me pondering about pets (I'd love to get a dog) but I'm not sure it would work out with Toby who is not keen on anything bigger than a hamster!

 

Well, that's it. I know a few of you are waiting for the little pouch pattern and I've just about got it written up but am still fiddling about with the chart so I'm aiming to have it ready at the start of the new school term in September. I hope to pop in again soon, though Toby's respite days are tailing off towards the end of the school holidays so it will depend on whether he lets me! Enjoy the rest of your week x