Looks like 2018 was the year of the handmade toy for me!

I love making things for my daughter. There is nothing quite like seeing Claudia wear something I’ve made just for her, but as nice as handmade clothes are, it’s the toys that really get her attention! I’d definitely feel like I was letting her down if I didn’t make something for her birthday (it can be an ugly-crying snotty mess when mummy guilt and lofty ideals collide over a Pinterest board of dreams!).

Optimism and bobble hats on a rainy day

I’m feeling most uncharacteristically optimistic today. This comes as a huge surprise as I spent the morning at a craft fair where I failed to sell even one item! Considering the dismal wet weather, it didn’t really come as a shock that customers didn’t arrive in droves to the chilly little WI hall, but despite the lack of sales, I did enjoy myself!

Whopper Cotton and Snuggle Rainbow

Remember last year when I won a prize when my picture of a crochet doll I made was chosen for the Simply Crochet magazine readers’ page? No? Just me? Trust me, it was huge news in the BAM household at the time!

All the pretty stones!

I have a confession to make. I have been cheating on my yarn stash with another craft.

Actually I had a beautifully worded post all about it, but guess what. My phone ate it.

My summer sewing

 

It’s been a year since I made a dress for my daughter for the first time, and it only just fits her now! It can be very hit and miss if something fits her and for how long, so it was lovely to see her wearing it this summer.

There are so many lovely printed cottons available that are perfect for cool summer dresses, but I’ve yet to work up the courage (and find the time!) to make myself one. It only takes a metre of fabric to make a dress for Claudia, so I have amassed a nice little stash for her, but rather predictably I can buy fabric at a much faster rate than I can use it!

3 Colour Sleeveless Cardigan for Toddlers

I designed this little sleeveless cardigan for Claudia as a quick make so I could hook it in different colours to go with different outfits. It’s sleeveless so that hopefully she won’t outgrow it overnight, and I kept it quite short so she could wear it buttoned up over fuller skirts. It’s a nice garment to slip on as an extra layer for warmth without having to worry about the sleeves getting dragged through food, paint, or water!

I kept it pretty simple, mostly in treble crochet with some front post and back post stitches for the ribbing and up the front, but an adventurous beginner shouldn’t have to much trouble with the pattern!

Just dandy

FOs that all seem to be purple and blue for some reason…

I’ve got a confession to make. I’m a bit scared to write this post. I’ve been writing so infrequently lately that I’m worried I’ve forgotten how. My conversation skills are a little rusty lately too, and I know I keep repeating the same conversations with people, especially on the rare non-toddler related subjects!

I suppose it comes down to the fear of having nothing worthwhile to say. It certainly feels like every post I’ve written since Claudia was born has been a feeble excuse for why I haven’t done more, written more and made more. Yes, I have my hands full with my beautiful, clever, funny little girl, but I’m not a total martyr! She is my biggest distraction, but she is also my biggest inspiration too.

Claudia’s Rainbow Mittens

In an alternative universe (one were I am super organised) I would have posted this pattern before Christmas. Sadly my superpower in this reality seems to be procrastination, so naturally I faffed about with the blog layout rather than writing any posts. Still, when you decide that you need a duck silhouette and a new font, watcha gonna do?

Of ducks, dolls and no time left to blog

I am now deeply suspicious of anyone who claims their creative career is the result of “just something I started when I became a stay at home mum”. Madam, not only are your pants on fire, but there appears to be an au pair with a freshly bathed child sleeping under each arm trying to silently indicate that dinner is on the table. These women either have an army of domestic staff or they keep their children in cages like battery chickens!

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but I guess by this point I thought I’d be past the sleep-when-baby-sleeps thing and on to that magical time of getting-things-done-while-she-naps stage. Claudia had her first birthday last month but didn’t seem to get the memo about weaning off milk, so still wants to be breastfed 3 or 4 times a day (in addition to consuming a startling amount of solid food), which is exhausting, and naptimes are very unpredictable.

That said, I have somehow managed to keep going with my crochet and knitting, even sneaking in the odd bit of sewing too, I just haven’t had much chance to blog about it all!