Little Cotton Rabbits

7 days of specialness swap

I don't always have the time to take part in as many swaps as I'd like but when I do take the plunge I'm always thrilled that I did. Back in December Ali came up with the wonderful idea of a '7 days of specialness swap' to take place in February. The idea being that we'd be paired with a partner, make or buy 7 small items for them and that they should be opened over the course of 7 days. I'm especially excited about this swap as my specialness partner is Chloe Patricia of Ma Mercerie all the way across the world in Japan. Chloe Patricia is known for her beautifully intricate traditional japanese silk thimbles and her attention to detail is clear in the wonderful little packages that she's sent me, each one encased in a beautiful, delicate handmade paper envelope.

I can't wait to open each one and will post again with pictures of the gifts inside.

hooray for february

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is glad to see the end of dreary old January! February always seems to usher in brighter days - today being one of them, with the first blue sky we've seen in weeks. The promise of the first spring flowers, the planning of the veg garden for this year and a little bunny cosy knitting in preparation for Easter are all making me happy at the moment!

 

True, I have stalled a little on the shalom cardi (those big chunky needles are really making my thumbs ache); I'm still way behind in catching up with emails; Toby still isn't sleeping through the night (although he is much better - thanks so much for all of your good wishes) and the housework has been neglected lately but who cares? The sun is shining and spring is around the corner!

january blues

Toby has been quite poorly over the last week and a half. He's gone for days without eating and has not been sleeping much but it's been hard to know what is wrong - no temperature, no sickness - just lethargy, paleness etc. Of course he can't tell me how he feels but it's been clear he's not the little chap we are accustomed too. Still he seems to be on the mend now - he's now eating a little and hopefully the sleep will follow soon!

Anyway, this coupled with the murky, dull weather that has followed the snow melt has left me feeling a little blue and so to cheer myself up I'm making myself a cardi.

It's been over a decade since I knitted anything for myself other than scarves or mittens and I'm quite excited at the thought of wearing it. The pattern is Shalom - a generous freebie from Meghan McFarlane and is a quick and simple knit made with nice chunky needles and knitted from the top down. I'm also pleased as I was able to use up some of my attic stash - a bag of Annabel Fox Chunky Donegal, vintage 1993!

 

fire & ice

 

There's still a real contrast between inside and outside here. I have my fingers crossed for a thaw and for the schools to be open this week but for now with more snow forecast it's not looking good! Hope you're keeping warm if you're in the grip of the icy weather!

snow!

Sure enough there was a large enough fall of snow on wednesday for the schools to be closed and remain closed ever since. So we've been enjoying the world outside our window while snuggling around the fire.

Of course there was a brief snowman building session follwed by a quick dash back inside for some hot chocolate.

The poor old chickens don't quite know what to make of all this white stuff but we've been keeping them warm with daily feeds of porridge and honey mixed into a mash with their regular layers pellets.

It's all very beautiful but I'm hoping it won't last too much longer - having the children off from school means not much is getting done!