making winter February

February 23, 2012 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)27 Comments

Part of the Making Winter series started by Silverpebble and Thriftyhousehold.

Actually it's difficult to think about winter because today feels decidedly spring-like. The sun is shining and the forecast is for temperatures of 15^oc, which is a far cry from the snow and freezing weather of early February. The warmer weather makes me want to get outside and tackle all of the garden jobs that I've been too wimpish to face in the cold winds. But first I need to do a little planning, so this morning after the children went off the school I got out my seed box and started organising my veggie garden.

Sitting and pondering what to grow and where is one of my favourite end-of-winter jobs and a nice way to celebrate the arrival spring (oh please say we're done with the snow for this year!)

So, after I finish my elevensies cup of tea and cheese scone I'll be donning my wellies and heading off outside. The beds need tidying up after the weight of the snow dislodged the protective plastic and I'll be digging in some chicken poo and composted kitchen peelings to top up the nutrient levels. Then comes the fun part of planting seeds into little coir pellets – they come as compressed discs and swell delightfully after you add water. Then they're ready for you to drop in a couple of seeds and get the magic started!

Hooray for the end of winter (hopefully!) and for the start of making some delicious summer veg!

PS: The herb labels and green seed tidy came from Sarah Raven x

germy half termy

February 20, 2012 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)42 Comments

Last weeks half term break turned into a rather germy affair for us when poor Toby came down with a mystery virus and reacted with his usual high temperature fever of 103^o – 104^o. He looked really awful and was groaning a lot and that together with the really high temperature had me on high alert. I always find these episodes rather scary as it is difficult to gauge how ill he really is because he simply can’t tell anyone how he’s feeling, and like all things Tobyish you have to rely on guess work and trust your instincts. After 2 days of lying flaked out in bed refusing all but the tiniest sips of water his temperature started coming down and when he started requesting chocolate ice-cream again we knew he was feeling better! Having his big sister on hand for tickles and cuddles cheered him too.

Today they are both back at school and I’m enjoying some time to knit again. I have been working on lots of animals over the last 2 months but seem to be having difficulty with knuckling down to finishing them off. Recently I’ve been in a real knit phase and the thought of sewing up and stuffing is a chore, so for now I’m going with the knitting urge and as a result have this big old tangled basket of bits and pieces. I’ve been especially enjoying making clothes – mostly lots of dresses with flowers which are probably a result of my yearning for the arrival of spring!

Hopefully the desire to sew up and stuff will seize me soon and a few more finished animals will emerge from the mess!

crafts & knitting

Patterns to buy

February 11, 2012 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)

All of my patterns are digital and supplied as instantly downloadable PDF files.

You can find the entire range (including all free patterns and supplements) over on Ravelry.

Please note that the only official and valid locations that you can purchase or download my patterns from are on Ravelry, Etsy and LoveCrafts. If you find my patterns available for download anywhere else please be advised that they will be pirated copies, taken without permission and supplied to you illegally, most likely with a side order of malware/ransomware. Please be careful out there and don’t fall victim to any other websites offering my patterns for free or in exchange for ‘tokens’

Clicking on any of the pictures below will take you to that marketplace, where the patterns are available to purchase

Happy knitting x

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