Conscious in Apricot and Plum

I hate anything going to waste and feel a real sense of achievement if I can use something and have minimal waste.







I bought a ball of yarn from The Wool Warehouse (along with several others!) and this 100g ball of yarn ... King Cole "Splash" in Apricot ... isn't it lovely?  It's actually even prettier in person.


My first pattern was my go-to Beyond Puerperium by Kelly van Niekerk of Pekapeka Design Studio.  I love this pattern and could almost do it blindfold now!  It is such a gorgeous pattern with that little twist of having a side button band which just makes it so quirky and different.  My sister-in-law loves this pattern and has received several for her sons (my gorgeous nephews).

So here is my latest Beyond Puerperium which I think I'll name Apricot Splash Beyond Puerperium.

 Really pretty and effective, isn't it?

 After much rummaging through my (ahem three) button tin(s) ... 

I decided to go with three orange buttons and two purple. 

So, with making a 3 month size cardigan I had some of my 100g ball left.  

As I said earlier I hate to waste anything and I thought I'd like to try another pattern.  

After much deliberation I decided to go for Conscious, another pattern by Kelly van Niekerk.  

This is a little jumper that goes from newborn to ten years.  

It is a pattern that is designed to make the most of lovely gradient-style dyed yarns.  These yarns carry a higher price tag as they are a labour intensive process for indie dyers.  Using like this you can keep the cost down by using a neutral to team it with.  Hence the name "Conscious"!

Another confession - my Apricot Splash is not dyed by an indie dyer and hence not so expensive.  But I felt that it made the most of the pattern of the yarn - 

and I wanted to see how the pattern knitted up.

I decided to go for the 0-3 months size as I wasn't sure how far the Apricot Splash yarn would go.  

 

I teamed it with a part ball of a plum coloured double knitting yarn 

(I confess I've lost the ball band and am not sure which brand this is ... oops)

as I thought it would bring out the heathery plum colour in the Splash yarn.

What do you think?

I personally love it!  I think it makes for a very pretty little sweater 

... and it used up most of what was left of that 100g ball of yarn!

I've also crocheted a little Barbie skirt and still a little left for perhaps another one!

See how far one pretty100g ball of yarn can go!

PS Both items will be in The Emporium, Princes Street, Yeovil on Thursday!

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#craftyphoenixlady #thecraftyphoenixlady #beyondpuerperium #conscious #kellyvanniekerk #Pekapeka #me1ske11 #theemporiumyeovil #KingColeSplash #Woolwarehouse

Happy Sundays

I recently started a new blanket ... which may take some time 

as it is supposed to be worked on once a week - on a Sunday.

I joined a little club to receive a wonderfully happy parcel of little bags every month.  

These little bags contain two brightly dyed mini-skeins of Cuddlebums yarn to be 

knitted up every Sunday into a "Happy Blanket".  

(Check out the facebook page for Cuddlebums).

I decided to knit mitred squares as in the Sock Yarn Blankie pattern.

I cast on 47 stitches for my square.  

It makes up a nice size square and means that I can join-as-I-go known as JAG (anything for an easy life!) 

I also decided to alternate with a darker coloured yarn to make the bright happy colours really POP!

You can see my project page  here

It is so much fun and makes me smile every time I add to it!

PS There are leftovers from each mini-skein so these are being knitted up into another scrappy blanket!

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#CraftyPhoenxLady #thecraftyphoenix lady #Cuddlebums #HappyBlanket #sockyarnblankie #mitredsquare

Prettiness in the Wilderness

We're not gardeners!  

Isn't that an awful confession to make?!  

Well it is on my part as my parents are - and are really really into their garden!  

I think they sigh and shake their heads when they see what we attempt to call "our garden"!

I tend to potter.

I like to pot up the hanging baskets and the wire window boxes and have them looking pretty.  

I have lots of pots with nice flowers in.  

But the rest of the garden has been kind of let go of!  The lawn has sprouted so many weeds I'm not sure there is any grass there at all.  

We are slowly getting round to clearing some of it - and when I say slowly - I mean slower than a snail's pace!  (It is a bit like the sorting out of the house - it all takes time!  Sadly not helped by my lack of energy levels at times and with J being away at work for most weeks.)

I went out to the car yesterday to go and pick up my youngest from school 

and noticed this glorious flash of red ... and it was this gorgeous poppy.  I love poppies. 

 I got out the handy mobile phone and photographed it.

Along with this bright yellow iris 

Isn't it the most stunning yellow?  I have always loved irises too.  

I had to draw a vase of irises for my 'O' Level Art and always have fond memories of that!

And these hollyhocks ...

Aren't they pretty?

They always remind me of Beatrix Potter's Jemima Puddleduck.

Notice the crafty shooting of these photos?  You can't really see the wilderness from these, can you?!

#craftyphoenixlady #thecraftyphoenixlady #prettyflowers #thewilderness #lucy.mclaurin

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School Pick Up = Knitting Time + a little rage

Does anyone else suffer the mental school run, drop off and pick up?

You know, when everyone forgets their highway code and drive like maniacs; ignore the hashed yellow lines outside the school; cause umpteen bottle-necks; and consequently those two times of the day are literally hell with you driving white-knuckled trying to find a safe and considerate parking space in order to drop off your little darling or to pick them up.  Surely I can't be the only one that endures this?!

We only have one child that requires this level of parenting now.  My daughter is now working - and no longer at home - and she drives herself!  The two eldest are now at college and catch a bus in; my eldest son is at secondary school and he has a school bus pick him up literally from our gate!  The youngest son is in his final year of primary school and will be catching the said bus with his brother come September.

Whilst this is exciting and the next step in his life, it is also scary and rather sad.  

This is my youngest and he will no longer be at Primary School.  I want to shout from the roof tops that I will no longer have to do the dreaded school run ... but I also won't be having the short period of time with him where he reflects on his day and sometimes just chats on about anything ... and there is no more little ones to go through the younger schools.  They are all growing up so fast!  And there is no stopping that.  So at the end of July when he has his final day at this school, I'll be sad as I'll be losing that time and his younger days.  My last baby is growing up.

Anyway, I digressed fully from what I was going to write!

I have come up with a solution for when I pick him up.  I go half an hour early and park up - safely - outside the school.  This has become ideal time for me to do a bit of knitting (or crocheting or reading) whilst I wait - so I gain a little sanity and manage some knitting at the same time.  

Win win in my view!

So, today, I snapped a photo or two of the blanket I was knitting whilst waiting for school to end.

I bought a couple of King Cole Curiosity Cakes in Ocean colour-way 

when they were reduced in my local craft shop.

I though they would be ideal to make a little baby blanket - 

the size that will go over them in a pram or buggy or whilst in their car-seat.  

I also wanted to take the "Ocean" further and make it reminiscent of waves.  

It looks quite effective, doesn't it?

And rather soothing to be able to knit a simple pattern whilst waiting in the car!

And this sweet little blanket will be in The Emporium, Princes Street, Yeovil this Thursday!

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#craftyphoenixlady #thecraftyphoenixlady #theemporiumyeovil  #lucy.mclaurin #kingcole #knittingincar #school run