Category: winter

crafts & knitting · garden stuff · winter

snow and stitching

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)46 Comments

Thanks for all the good wishes for our garden plans. Although there will be lots of changes going on many of the things that I love about the garden will still be there – the raised beds are being reconfigured and I’m looking forward to planning out the veg garden soon – hopefully in time for spring (if it ever arrives!). We’re also keeping the chicken run, half of the herb wall, the table and chairs under the grapevine where I like to sit and knit with my radio in summer and of course Toby’s beloved trampoline. I will miss my messy little shed with it’s bench and shelves strewn with gardening bits and bobs, though my potting bench will have a new home outdoors so I can still potter at it.

It’s the loss of the climbing frame that has had the most impact on the garden and on me, to tell the truth I cried when it came down. It has served our family so well for many years and brought so much pleasure to Amy and Toby. I can still vividly remember the delight and amazement on Amy’s face when she saw the first swing that we put up, and Toby’s utter joy at the climbing frame, he was up there before it had even been finished! I have fed him lots of petit filous yoghurts up on the platform – it was always his favourite place to eat them on a summer’s day.

I suppose that what I am actually sad about is the ending of a chapter in family life. Taking down the climbing frame has felt like closing the door on childhood and I will miss it because it was loved by the little people who used to play and squeal and laugh on it. But it has been a year or two since Amy has played on it and Toby is getting too big to be completely safe on it. It is the right time to make a change – a garden is best adapted to suit the needs of those who use it and I’m sure we will come to love our new garden room and I will wonder ‘how ever did we manage without it? I am certainly grateful for the kindness and generosity of family and friends that has made it possible.

Over the weekend the work outside had to be put on hold due to a late winter storm and yet more snow!

Snuggling inside with lots of wool was definitely the best thing to do and I started planning how to join the stack of squares for my tiled blanket.

There have been a few false starts…

To begin with I sewed the pieces together through the front-most loops of the edging round. I thought it was going well but when I laid it out I wasn’t happy – it looked scruffy and messy and I didn’t like the wonky squares

Then I tried sewing through the back loops on the edging round…

…but was still not a happy bunny. I think it was better than the first attempt but still a bit scruffy at the corner joins.

So finally I tried sewing through the little line of bumps at the back of the edging…

…and at last I think I’m happy. I plan to keep on joining the squares like this and once it’s a bit bigger I’ll take some more photos – hopefully at that point I’ll not change my mind again as I’m now heartily sick of unpicking stitches!

general stuff · winter

a request for help

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)33 Comments

 

Earlier in this cold and snowy week I received a heartwarming email which I’m going to share here because it says everything so perfectly and shows in such an inspiring way the power of friendship.

Dear Julie,

I write to ask for your help. One happy day, when I happened upon your
blog, I also saw a post for a raffle being organised by Saving Rare Breeds. It
was a happy day, not just because I found your blog, but also because since
then, I have become more involved with Saving Rare Breeds and the work that they
do.
 
Unfortunately, Stephen and Tracy who are Saving Rare Breeds are having a
really rough time at the moment. Frankly, I don’t know where they find their
strength. They are struggling in lots of ways. This week, they have lost a
number of their animals to a mystery illness. They describe it as their worst
week ever.
 
They are presently trying to do two things. Firstly, they are running a
1000 club (http://www.savingrarebreeds.org/).
The take up has been slow to say the least. Secondly, they are trying to raise
votes through the following link -xxxxx
I understand that if they get enough votes, they will get a much needed
donation. Sadly, despite this second option costing nothing, again the take up
has been slow.
 
As your blog is so widely read and as you have helped Saving Rare Breeds in
the past, I wondered whether you might be able to post a link to the 1000 club
and the Animal Friends vote. If all of your readers took the time to vote,
they would easily reach their target.
 
I have become extremely fond of Stephen and Tracy and humbled by the work
that they do. I am desperate to help them in any way that I can. I am also
very grateful to you for leading me to them!

 

It has been such a cold few weeks here in the UK and for anyone working the land or caring for livestock it must be a challenging time. I don’t know if any of you are able to help, I know that there are so many worthy causes to choose from but if you are able to help in even the smallest way either by

giving a few moments of your time to vote for Saving Rare Breeds here

or by donating a few pounds to support their work here

I know that Stephen, Tracy and their animals would be incredibly grateful. Thanks so much x

image copyright: Olive & Harry

crafts & knitting · winter

Tiled blanket

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)42 Comments

Isn’t it strange how things sometimes go?  I have been coveting the blanket that I mentioned in the previous post for a few months now, but it was on a site that at the time had no link to the source – it does now 🙂

Then coincidence (in the form of a special joint project with some other lovely crafty people, Ros Badger included, which I’ll tell you about another day) led me to her blog where I found the original picture. And now thanks to mentioning it in the last post I’ve discovered that the pattern has just been published in the latest issue of Mollie Makes
magazine (thanks to everyone who left a comment or emailed to let me
know) and I’ve also been told it is in Ros’s latest book Homemade: knit, sew and crochet. I do love coincidence and it makes me certain that I was supposed to make this blanket (that’s what I’m telling H anyway)

I began working on this at the beginning of December before finding out there was a pattern and I’ve therefore used the original design as an inspiration rather than replicating it exactly. The main design elements that I admire most in the original are the ‘oriental carpetish’ colours and the lighter surround to each square that makes it look like a little tile. Those are the two elements that I’m incorporating into this blanket and here’s where I am so far …

I’ve been playing around with colour combinations and have ruled out using the deeper indigo (pictured in the basket at the end of the previous post) which seems to overpower the other colours. I’m also not quite sure yet whether to randomly order the squares or whether to be more structured. I’m leaning towards structure at the moment, but am keeping my options open (having learned my lesson with ‘the old china blanket’ when I had to unpick a load of squares because one of the colours didn’t make me happy).

This time I’m being un-characteristically patient and won’t start sewing the squares together until I’ve got a plan.

Unlike my previous blanket projects I’m not going to commit to one square a day – more ‘one when I feel like it’ and will just go with the flow and see how big it grows. Though I have a feeling that this will end up being a big blanket 🙂

Some blankety details:

Based on the Granny Square Blanket originally published in Homemade: Gorgeous things to make with love by Ros Badger and Elspeth Thompson (April 2009, republished May 2010).

using a 3.25mm hook

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers yarn in:

2425 provence, 2427 Glamour, 2431 chocolate, 2435 Japanese maple, 2437 kansas, 2440 vinci, 2442 fog hatt, 2444 flame, 2453 pumpkin spice, 4010 straw, 8013 walnut, 9332 sapphire, 9491 greystone, 9562 coffee bean, plus some oddments of yarn from my stash

and Cascade 220 8011 aspen heather as the surround for each square.

Meanwhile it has been snowing here all day today and we now have quite a covering.

H cleared the driveway earlier but it’s covered over again. If it continues to snow overnight we will no doubt have a snow day tomorrow and the children
will be off from school. The perfect excuse for a day of cosy cuddling and crochet!