A Happy Little Birthday

Today was my daughter’s 7th birthday. She’s always been a happy little thing. And when it comes to her birthday, there’s no exception. She’s pretty easy to please, but we still wanted to give her something she’d really like. The problem was, she doesn’t ask for much. She has a passing interest in dolls, loves Spider-Man but isn’t really into all the merch, and last week a neighbour – in a moment of complete serendipity – gave her a secondhand bike. Which she can’t ride yet, but no matter. She’ll learn.

And then it came to my husband: there was something else she was always asking for lately. Something useful, too, like bike riding. Something we’d been meaning to tick off the list of things to teach our kids but hadn’t yet got around to it: swimming lessons!

And with that brilliant idea, it was obvious that I *had* to make a swimsuit for her. Right? I mean, I already had the fabric, and a pattern. It would almost be rude not to. Bangs the cat agreed to help.

So after much swearing and fiddling around with zigzag stitches, ballpoint needles and gathers in stretch fabric, I finally produced a passable swimsuit. And then the big day arrived!

We went out, we had fun, we showed our true selves. In the kids’ cases, it was a dragon, a ladybird, and a pirate. And she opened her swimsuit and loved it, and literally leaped into the air when she was told why she needed one. ❤️ 🏊🏼‍♀️  There is a very happy little 7-year-old tucked up in bed right now who can’t wait for the weekend. ☺️

The Deets:

Swimsuit pattern is the Cosi Swimsuit by SewPony.

Fabric is from The Fabric Fairy, but I got it a few years ago.

A Very Pink Shawl

My daughter is at an age where she’s beginning to appreciate handmade things, so when she asked for a shawl to wear, to make her feel like ‘a princess’, I was delighted to oblige.

A favourite designer of mine, Susanna IC on Ravelry, had just begun a Mystery Knit-a-Long (MKAL). (If you haven’t done one yet, do it! They’re so fun!) It was the perfect opportunity to knit another amazing lace design, and when a friend brought me this skein of Skein Queen, I knew I had also found my yarn:

 

It took me ages to knit of course. Knitting a lacy bead-riddled shawl isn’t easy with small kids running around all the time (i.e., no personal time or space), and very little time to knit, period. (Also, there’s the small matter of where I got lost in the clues of the MKAL and just kept knitting, even though I knit 30+ rows past where I could have cast off for the size I chose. Oh well. I’m glad I kept knitting. But I digress.)

Luckily, she loves it.

 

Even the cat seemed vaguely impressed (as much as a cat can, of course).

 

I highly recommend any of Susanna’s patterns on Ravelry. They’re well-written, easily customisable, gorgeous, and she’s always happy to help through her Ravelry group.

 

Happy knitting!

Crafting for Kitties

Recently I came across this book at The Works, and I couldn’t resist buying it. It looked so cute, with lots of little stash-busting projects. It’s called Knits for Kitties and features 25 patterns that you can use in whatever way you see fit. Obviously, it’s marketed towards cat toys, which is fabulous, but some of these patterns are so cute that I can see making them for my kids and their friends, for Woollen Woods crafting, yarn bombing, and other fun little craft projects.

I immediately tried out the spider. It was simple and straightforward and knit up in about an hour.

 

The kitties were delighted.

 

Well, as delighted as they can be at their age with something that doesn’t involve heat or sleep.

 

Verdict: Would highly recommend! 🙂

Cute Little Crochet

For Christmas, my mother-in-law got me a new craft book, a book of cute little crocheted animals. I immediately fell in love, and so did the kids. It’s called Cute Crocheted Animals, by Emma Varnam.

My first order was for Stanley, the adorable black and white cat, for my oldest son (age 7). The pattern was easy to follow, straightforward to work up and quick! The lack of quirky, detailed features of other crochet patterns was made up for by the lovely squish-ability of the finished animal: perfect for hugging, snuggling, travelling, and other wee adventures. My son couldn’t wait for Stanley to be finished.

 

One thing that I believe makes this book stand out are the myriad ‘extra’ patterns offered; there are loads of accessories and outfits to choose from and mix and match. It was just as fun to help my son pick out Stanley’s outfit as it is to play with him now he’s finished, and he could have a whole wardrobe soon enough! The book has several animals to choose from: a bunny, a mouse, a fox, a cat, and a bear. Each animal is made in pairs: a boy version and a girl version, so the book is excellent to have on standby for a relatively quick gift. (Stanley’s girl-friend is called Katy, a grey cat with a pretty blue dress.)

The photographs are cute and simple, with close ups of the clothes, and a how-to at the back in case you’re new to crochet and can’t remember how to work all the stitches. Each animal has their own bio too, to provide a little backstory and get the imagination rolling. It’s a good size too – I didn’t even need my reading glasses to read the text, and the book still fits nicely in my craft bag. The paper is good quality with thick pages, so it’s tactilely pleasing to thumb through as well.

All in all, I’m delighted with this book. I’ll be making the ballerina mouse next for my daughter, and I may just make myself a fox!