Bags, Baskets and Backpacks

July 24, 2020September 5, 2025 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)13 Comments

Before I started the Little Cotton Rabbits Facebook group it hadn’t occurred to me how much people like to give their knitted animals accessories. Seeing lots of projects there with little shoulder bags and backpacks started me thinking that it might be nice to have a range of bag accessories for my animals, and so here they are.

There are 5 little patterns within one, though lots of extra options within that so that you can customise each bag or basket:

A backpack/rucksack with a gusseted flat bottom so it can stand on it’s own, a front flap to keep any treasures inside secure and the option of fastening the flap with either a strap and loop or a button and buttonhole.
A basic basket that can be made in 3 different styles depending on the type, length and attachment points for the handles.
A little shoulder bag which can be made in colour-work or texture.
A shopping/market bag in a choice of 2 different open-work patterns
A cross-body/handbag in either a 2 or 3 colour tweed pattern or a honeycomb texture pattern.

The pattern is up on Ravelry and over on Etsy too if you’re interested in giving it a go. As always I am excited to see what people do with these and as they knit up quickly I’m hoping they’ll be good fun to knit.

Well, I’m off to do some housework (reluctantly, I’d definitely rather be knitting) and get things ready for Amy coming home tomorrow. It’s been 4 months since I last saw her and I’ve missed her so much, it will be lovely to have her back here for the next few weeks. Hope you have a good weekend in store too, J x

crafts & knitting

happy Summer

July 17, 2020September 16, 2025 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)9 Comments

Just popping in briefly to wish you all the very best for a happy Summer (or Winter if you’re in the Southern hemisphere). The school summer break has just started here and although Toby had only been back at school for a few weeks and with shorter days, he had begun to settle into a routine, so there’s a new one for him to adjust to now. Not that he’ll be complaining, as he definitely would choose a long lie in each morning 🙂

I’m looking forward to next weekend when Amy is coming home. I’ve not seen her since the beginning of March and although we’ve texted almost every day I’ve missed her so much. I’m so grateful that she was able to stay with her boyfriend’s family during the lockdown, it’s definitely helped her cope with these trying times.

The summer break from school is 7 weeks long, so I might not be here very often during that time, though I do hope to pop in now and again and I’m also hoping to hang out on the Facebook and Ravelry groups too, so maybe see you there. I’ll will be back soon though with news of the latest pattern which I finished off earlier today and is currently in testing. Can’t wait to share it with everyone – it’s for accessories and there’s a sneak peek in the picture above at the basket that’s included. I’m so pleased with how it’s turned out and the bunny twins Charlie & Coco have had fun testing out how many strawberries they can fit into their baskets (these bunnies and their clothes are knitted from my small rabbit pattern and the new small clothing patterns for the dress, sweaters and dungarees).

Well, wishing you a happy weekend, hopefully I’ll be back next week with some new pattern news, J x

countryside · wildlife

A Panshanger picnic

July 10, 2020September 25, 2025 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)12 Comments

On Tuesday, which looked like the best day of this week weather-wise, I took myself off for a picnic and my first solitary walk since March. Throughout the lockdown Toby and I have walked almost every day in his favourite woods, rain or shine (and sometimes very heavy rain), and the same route because sameness is a comfort to Toby and he has definite ideas about which paths to take in the woods so I am happy to let him lead. Walking so frequently in the same place as spring developed into summer has been fascinating – seeing the progression of greenery throughout the wood, the growth of different plants and emergence of different insects. But walking with Toby is all about his wants and needs and so there’s not been time for the leisurely wandering that I like to do on my own with my camera in hand.

For my walk I head to Panshanger park, which is a nature reserve on the edge of Hertford. It’s a wonderful site with the ruins of an old orangery (all that is left of a once grand country house); lots of ancient trees, including the famous one called the Panshanger oak and a system of lakes that are former gravel extraction sites now returned to nature and linked by River Mimram – a crystal clear and swift running chalk river. The park gets busy near to the carpark but once you work your way along the river and through the meadows you leave the picnicking families behind and it feels as though you are deep in natural countryside. I spent 4 hours there, wandering over 5 miles, stopping for a picnic lunch and taking my time to notice all of the natural wonders that can be seen by slowing down and paying attention. It was a wonderful tonic and I arrived home again tired, a little sunburnt (despite the lack of obvious sunshine) and feeling the peaceful contentment that I always rediscover when I’ve had a day out on my own in nature. So here are some photos of my day: the wandering pathways through frothy cow parsley and hog weed; the meadows full of wild flowers buzzing and chirrupping with thousands of insects; the cool and vibrant green-ness that banks the river course; the beautiful longhorn cattle that are now resident in the pastures and the wonderful variety of flowers, plants and bugs, some of them quite scary looking! I hope you enjoy them, I’ll certainly enjoy looking at them again in the future, especially when I’m back to walks with Toby over the long summer break.

Well I hope your weekend brings you a little of what you love, and that you find the same peace and contentment that Panshanger brought me this week 🙂