Biding Time...

After the wettest January on record, and what looks like the wettest February too, it was good to be able to get out in the garden for a bit of a tidy up yesterday.  There are hundreds of bulbs poking their noses out of the ground and one lone daffodil open already.  I also found this pretty bloom on my small potted camelia.

Spring is just around the corner!

As I currently have no yarn projects on the go, I have been playing around with some amigurumi  - this tiny crochet baby took my fancy - how cute is that?  He is about 2 inches tall.  Not sure what to do with all the little creatures and people that I make - perhaps I had better do one of those Little Acts of Kindness and leave them for people to find...

After a rubbish year for sales and commissions last year, this year has started off well - two painting sales and a commission for a dog portrait that I shall be starting this week - long may it continue!
 

Small Things...

I've been playing around with yarn while I waited for a larger project to be confirmed.  I bought a book called Amigurumi Dolls a long time ago but never made anything from it until now.  These little babies are about 2 inches tall and cute as a button.  I love the teeny-weeny teddy!

This one is also the same size.  Not sure what I will do with these, it was just fun to crochet them.

I've also knitted a Katmai hat from the book Knit The National Parks - Ithink this one has a home already.

These two baby Katmai hats are already on their way to their new home - twins!

On the easel - a new dog portrait, a Yorkshire terrier this time.
 

Looking Sheepish...

 Last week I knitted this dress for my granddaughter, and finished off the appliqued sheep last night.

This is a combination of two patterns - the one I found with the sheep design had a fancy smock style bodice with a Peter Pan collar, which I didn't like at all, too fussy.  The other pattern had a lacy skirt, but a nice plain bodice.  So I knitted the second pattern, omitting the lace.  Initially I tried knitting the sheep into the skirt as per the first pattern, but my work was tight and lumpy and did not look good.  So instead I knitted the dress plain, and then made little sheep bodies to be sewn on with their legs, tails & heads embroidered over the top.  I think it came out pretty well!

Now we just have to see if it fits the young lady in question!

Booties Too...

Another pair of these - after showing the first pair, I got an order for some more.  I'm not planning on going into production though, fun as they are to make!  I'll make the occasional pair if anyone wants them but not a regular thing.
 

Boots & Budgies...

Last week we had a new patio door fitted - which meant I had to clear out that corner of the sitting room - which meant I discovered a pile of craft magazines that had been hidden under a side table - and on the cover of one of them was a picture of these cuties with a pattern inside - so of course I had to make them!  They are tiny, about 8 cm long - hopefully will fit the new granddaughter!

The previous week we had a sad few days when we had to have our budgie put to sleep as he had a large tumour on the side of his face and was not well at all.  He wasn't very old, about 4, but I think as we had bought him from a garden centre he probably did not have the best start in life which contributed to his health problems.  It was horribly quiet in the house without him so I set about looking for a new feathered companion.  Turns out that due to recent legislation plus Covid, finding baby budgies is a lot harder than I thought!  However, we tracked down a shop that had 6 little budgies coming in last weekend so we made the drive (down to the coast!) and picked one up - I had to reserve one as apparently there had been about 100 enquiries!  So meet JoJo, a seven week old little chap/chappess who is settling in slowly but surely.  I am hoping this one will also be a bit less frightened of handling than his precedessor as he has had a gentler start to his life.
 

Crochet Baby...

I did not realise when I ordered several balls of baby wool in order to knit a few things for my granddaughter just how far one ball of it would go.  Having given the baby two jumpers, a hat, a pair of socks, and a blanket, I thought that was probably enough for now, especially as my sister appears to have gone on a knitting marathon and made twice that amount of small clothes. But I was left with quite a lot of yarn - so decided to crochet another blanket anyway as we have another baby in the family due in the summer. I've also knitted another small jumper...and there is STILL yarn left over!  I've run out of enthusiasm now - the leftover yarn can be put away for another day!
 

Now We Just Need A Baby...

 It's been a race against time, but I have managed to complete this lot before the appearance of my first grandchild - which we know to be a girl by the way!  The baby was due yesterday, but when was a first baby ever on time?

Baby, Baby...

 More knitting for my future granddaughter.  The blanket has taken me weeks, nay months, to complete as I have had so much other knitted work to complete lately.

The blanket is crocheted using a daisy pattern for the main part and a peacock edging.  As it has all been donein fine baby yarn, that might also have contributed to the time it took!

The little socks were a quick project, knitted over two evenings inbetween other things.

Now, do I have time to make anything else between now and the birth - I have about 10 days...

Good News...

 Within the next couple of weeks or so, I am going to become a grandma!  Shame I have not had the time to knit more for my first grandchild, but this tiny jumper I made is the cutest thing ever!

Nearly There....

Despite the pretty bad reference photographs I was given (people never take pictures of their pets from their level, it's always from above!) this double portrait has gone surprisingly well.  I think I have done so many pet portraits using Derwent Drawing Pencils that they come very naturally now.  I'm having to use a fair bit of white acrylic on the cat in the foreground though - white pencil is always too insipid for this kind of work.  I think one more session will see this one finished.

Despite the heat, I have been manfully ploughing on with this commission - let's face it, you don't do the work, you don't get paid!  It is a chunky baby blanket knitted in a reversible cable pattern using washable pure new wool.  A beautiful yarn, very soft and great stitch definition.  I only have another few inches to go - thank goodness today is cooler, I had to give up last night before expiring of heatstroke!

I'm also crocheting a set of geckos but have come to a grinding halt due to being let down by a large yarn supplier.  Under normal circumstances, a couple of days delay would not be a problem but I need to have these done by the weekend - fingers crossed the other supplier I went to will come through as their parcel has already been despatched.

And when I get a minute or two spare, I'm working on this summer top for myself in a luscious deep teal cotton yarn.  It has an asymmetrical hemline with a lace border, but for the time being I am knitting the main part of the body in the round.  Thankfully it seems to be a fairly quick knit, unlike the other summer top I have on the go which has been put on the back burner due to commissioned work and the fact I felt the will to live slowly slipping away!  I will get back to it, honest.

Meanwhile, everything in the garden is on the verge of producing.  We've had a few bits and pieces - strawberries, new potatoes, chard, but there is plenty more to come.  Getting impatient now!

Finally, a few months ago I bought some coloured tin planters similar to the above for what now appears to be a vastly inflated price.  I found these little beauties in a shop called Tiger yesterday for £2 a piece.  I'm sure I can find something to fill them....

Oh Baby!

About a month ago my niece gave birth to her second little boy.  I also received some fantastic fabric designed by Helz Cuppleditch with which to make something for the baby.  What with one thing and another, the process got delayed a bit but had to be done before the child started kindergarten!

As one of the pieces of fabric had a whole pictoral design on it, and as I already had a suitably sized piece of batting, I decided a quilt was the way to go.  I do not profess to be a very proficient machine sewer - me and machines do not go together well, possibly because I have a tendency to rush things.  However, I am very pleased with my efforts here, despite having managed to create an unwanted pleat on the back while sewing round the squares (I did unpick it and start again!), a few slightly wonky lines,  and various pin-related injuries resulting in bloodshed.

I just need to hand-sew the remainder of the back of the border, give it a press and it's good to go. 

Now my nephew's fiancee is pregnant, but at least I have another six months in which to plan quilt No.2!