Cable Seat Belt Cover Pattern

DD is getting getting bbigger every day. Growing up has all sorts of problems to deal with,  bit this one I've got covered...literally! On journeys over 10-15 mminutes DD complains about her belt rubbing on her neck. So mummy whipped out the needles and created a simple belt cover. In case you fancy a go yourself heres the pattern. 

Size  5 needles 

Chunk wool

Cast on 28 stitches

Knit three rows

*Row 1 - K3, P22, K3

Row 2 - K all

Repeat rows 1 and 2 

K1, S1, K1, PSSO, P22, K3  (this row makes a button hole)

Next row; K till last 3. Kfb K1. (Adds back the stitch lost last row)

Repeat rows 1and 2 once more. 

K11, C3 to back (C3, K3 K cabled 3) K11*

Repeat from * until you have your desired length ending with three rows knit.

 To finish off simply add your buttons and away you go. 

Library Sunflowers

Today I was nipping into the public loo with DD, When we spotted a board outside 

the library that looked interesting.  Once we'd taken care of the necessaries we investigated.  

 The library was holding a free drop in craft event. Not having much else to do we decided to join in.

Forty five mminutes later we had made a pretty pot and decoration for a freshly planted sunflower seed. DD was also given a handful of coloring pages featuring sunflowers and butterflies to take home. 

DD is thrilled with her new "pet' and is very attentive plant parent. 

Let's hope it grows big and beautiful for the summer.

X x x

Shabby Chic bag - Tutorial link

 The wonderful Tanya over on Larger Family Life recently shared a fab tutorial for a reversable shabby chic bag. Feeling inspired and surrounded by some fabric scraps I took the plunge and had a go.
 My bag differs slightly from the instructions given as I had to hand-stitch it, so I opted to tack the centers of the squares together rather than stitch the full X shape. I also omitted the strap due to lack of fabric and used the left over strip from some horrible net curtains I cut up a while back.
 The pale squares are from an old pillowcase, the blue squares are from a stained Laura Ashley skirt I was given, the inside fabric is the beige check curtains from DD's room. I needed nothing new to make it and it took me just over a week of sewing in the evening which isn't bad for me.

 Currently it's being used as a peg bag as it's just the right size and length to keep the laundry pegs handy.

x x x

Preserving season begins

The first batch 

of home brew is officially started. Elderflower champagne is brewing in the big bucket. It should be ready to bottle by the weekend hopefully.

And 

the elderflower syrup is infusing overnight for stage two tomorrow.  I've not tried home made elderflower syrup before so I'm hoping it's a winner for cordials, crumbles and cakes.
SoFSo far though it's making my house smell wonderful! !!

X x x

Vintage recipe swap reveal

The wonderful Taz over at Butter and Buntings recently arranged a vintage recipe swap through her blog. I was kindly welcomed to join in and was teemed up with New Zealand blogger Cat from Catalinas Cottage. To say it went smoothly is a lie but we struggled through and completed our swap sometime after everyone else. But as the adage goes "better late than never".
 I sent Cat a handful of typical English goodies (sweets, tea) a little book of English tea etiquette and a postcard of the Queen (as close as I could get to tea with the Queen). I hope you enjoy them Cat :)

And here is what I gratefully received from New  Zealand. Three vintage tea towels which make me smiles whenever I see them.  Two packs of New Zealand liquorice which were shared with Hubby. They are beyond delicious!  And a book of preserve recipes by Aunt Daisy. There are several inside I've never come across before so I'm rather excited about trying them out later in the year.

 Thank you so much Cat. The whole parcel was perfect in every way. 

X x x

Early Morning

It's not often a wife doesn't mind being kicked out of the marital bed by two younger women,  but in this case I will let it slide. 

I went to bed last night about 7pm due a horrid head cold I've picked up from somewhere.  When DD climbed in with us at 5.30 I was already half awake. I decided to leave the sleepy heads to it and head down stairs for a peaceful coffee.

By 6am I was wide awake and needing some entertainment. So I picked a random film on Sky and started organising my seed drawer. It's been on my to do list for a while.  

I made small packets from a book of sheet music and cut out the pictures from an old seed catalogue destined for the recycle bin. Now I can see at a glance which packet contains which seeds. They look really sweet in my seed drawer all together. 

 Not bad for a mornings work. 

X X X

Time for a new project

 I finished my pudding kit yesterday afternoon. This morning I found that hubby had very kindly attached it to the card for me. I've added it to my little pile of cards ready for writing out and posting at Christmas.  It leaves me twiddling my thumbs though for another project. A quick rummage in the stash later and ....

Voilà! My next project is a bit bigger than my usual card sized attempts but as it's half time and I will be home more with the girls I will be able to snatch a few more crafting moments here and there. 

X x X

Too early to date?

Baby D has a boyfriend! Today at our local Splat! group they sat together for snack time holding hands. How cute would their mini wedding be if it all works out? 

Do you remember those vintage cards they used to do? A little boy and girl dressed up like itit's their wedding day? In my head right now, that's what I'm picturing. 

X X X

Knitting progress

 I've been learning to cable this week with the kind help of the knit and natter ladies.  The photo above shows my current progress. It isn't the most even and neat but as a learning piece I'm pretty dang plearsed with myself. Learning a basic cable pattern has been on my to do list for an age! It feels good to finally tick it off the list.
 I'm planning to knit it until it's about the length of a tea towel so I can sew it up into a carrier bag tidy. I swear those things breed in my cupboards when I'm not looking.

X x x

Surviving a thunderstorm

As I type we have listening to the overtures of a big thunderstorm.  The weather report said it would arrive this evening, but it would appear no one told the storm that.
So I'm sat in our little video game store with two little girls who are full of beans and a little fearful of the long loud rumbles. And one grumpy husband trying to run a business around us. 
Knowing how to whip up a calm and quiet activity for the girls in this situation saves a huge amount of stress for everyone. Being stuck indoors in a small space can drive a family mad in minutes.
Here's my two secret weapons.

For Baby D it's a simple game.  A handful of paper strips (a cut up flyer in this case) and an empty drink bottle.  She will happily sit for a whole afternoon posting the paper into the bottle and then tipping them out again.

For DD we give her a cardboard box from a recent delivery (if we don't have a box an envelope will also do) and some pens. DD loves imagination play and will happily turn the box into anything from a baby cot to a rocket ship,  narnia wardrobe or treasure chest. 
It might not work for everyone but it works for us.
X x x

Christmas Puddings in May

I thought I'd share my new cross stitch project with you while testing out the Blogger app.
My mum has very kindly passed on a bag full of these little kits.  They are just the right size for me and I usually do some while on holiday as they are light to pack and great for beach crafting. 
I also sneak in a few stitches while settling Baby D for the night. Our usual routine is sitting next to her in the cot as she drifts off listening to some gentle tunes.

X x X

Making a Chocolate farm

Naughty mummy and daddy scoffed a cheap box of chocolates the other night while we watching a movie. We had to! I needed the box for crafting and I couldn't waste the sweets now could I?

 So once the box was empty  we busted out some sugar paper, some shiny card and a glue stick and got to work.

And about 20 minutes later we had created our very own farm in a box. Baby D chose to use the different colour papers as a pretty floor for her animals, but DD choose to use each section as a field or enclosure to sort her animals. In case you didn't know zebra and cows live very happily together on Chocolate farm, and the farmers wife has trained the big cats to round up the sheep.

 x X x

P.S; In order to start blogging more (time escapes me at the moment) I am trying out the Blogger mobile app again. Wish me luck!

Bank Holiday with the Randoms

 .
Its been a hectic morning for the Randoms today. I ccan't believe quite how much we've managed to get done.
 Our poor old car has broken down so the next few weeks need to be super frugal while we save up sone funds to replace it.
 I've made an inventory of food from the freezer and cupboards so we can reduce our food bills this month as much as possible.  While digging around I discovered half a jar of popping corn. We made it on the hob together for snack time,  the girls were fascinated with watching it pop.

After snack time I did a few little jobs in the garden. This included tepotting a blackcurrant bush with DD from the 99p shop. Hopefully we can find some top soil soon and get it into a more permanent home for the future. Blackcurrent squash a huge ofavourite in this household so I'm hoping in a few years we can start picking a few handfuls of our own.

After all our gardening had used up some physical energy, DD and I sat down and used up some mental energy. I picked up some workbooks on a recent visit to the 99p shop. This month we are focussing on the  letters of the alphabet.  DD is getting really good at the common letters but still struggles with unusual ones like q and k.

And finally a little update on my prayer plant which has recovered nicely since we bouht it. Now in its new pot and getting plenty of sun its really cone on nicely. As you can see from the photo it now curls its leaves up properly and everything.  Definitely a bargain for £1!

 X x x