So yeah, I knitted another elephant

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Yet again I have neglected my blog – the culprit a birthday present for a friend and he turned out pretty well. I’m getting the hang of sewing up (although I am going to teach myself how to knit in the round to see if it’s less hassle than all those seams!) and the recipient of the colourful elephant, despite being a very talented crafty person themselves, struggled to spot where all the seams were so they were either being very kind or my mattress stitch is working.

The best thing about this particular elephant is that his adventures have continued ever since he was presented (a week late but it takes time to craft great gifts).

So – clearly he’s a bit cheeky as he’s been playing the piano when left alone in the house, trying on his owners shoes and trying to sneak out of the house. He does have his lovely side – entertaining his owners baby, bringing her coffee after a rough night and reading stories. He was a bit poorly but perked up after some calpol and cuddles.

It’s been fun receiving the texts showing his latest antics – nothing like giving a gift that is truly appreciated!

Slightly more regular programming (plus loads of knitting as this gradually morphs into a craft blog) shall be returning. I have a Christmas nappy to show off (but it is not yet December so not proper to do so currently) and Lex is about to turn 7! He’s had a great party – need to record what we did for that too, Star Wars meets trains is not a usual theme…

 

Eli at 14 months

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A bit late this time but month 14 for Eli was a long tiring month for me. Sleep was hard to come by but I still had a lovely sunny boy during the day.

So, what is Eli like at 14 months?

  • Weight: Not sure, he’ll probably only get weighed again at 15 months.
  • Clothing Size: 9-12 months and 12-18 months, some of the 9-12 trousers are a little short.
  • Teeth: 2 bottom central incisors, 2 top central incisors and 2 top lateral incisors – 6 altogether.
  • Mobility: walking all the time – definitely a toddler.
  • Communication: lots of ‘der’ (there) and his first word for something ‘di-a’ (digger), definitely able to get his point across even if he doesn’t really use many words.
  • Sleep: lots of lost evenings having to go and settle the boy but at least that tooth finally came through. Sleep was horrendous for a bit but does seem to (please!) be a bit better now on the whole.
  • Playing: ring stackers are still a firm favourite as are musical toys that he can dance along to.
  • Eating: happy to try most foods but will spit them out if not liked. He does seem to dislike pasta – not sure that will be sustainable in this house though!
  • Personality: still just a gorgeous, gentle soul – love him!
Not a great recap as it’s a couple of weeks late but it was a very tiring month…

 

I got more fluff

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I did make it to the Baby Show in the end and had a great time flitting around buying nappies and other baby bits.

I added 5 more nappies to my Close Parent Pop-In stash, a Bumgenius Freetime nappy (in the gorgeous Albert print) and a new gPant (Gallant). The Close Parent goodie bag (free!) was amazing and I also bought a car seat protector from them in my favourite monkey print. I didn’t buy any Tots Bots in the end, I decided I’ve got enough Easyfits even if the new prints are cute. I think I might have enough nappies now (although I have subsequently bought a new gPant – the gJoy a Christmas print, I am a sucker for Christmas nappies!).

Prolonged absence due to knitting

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To the right is the reason I haven’t been posting much (other than Instagram pictures on my twitter stream) recently.

He’s been great fun to knit but has taken up a lot of time. I’m straight on to knitting another one now as a pressie for a friend’s birthday. The colours will be a bit less traditional for hers though. I have a slight preference for variegated (multi-colour) yarn so that’s what I’ll be using, hope she likes it!

Got to get more fluff

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The thing about cloth nappies is that there is always a new nappy or a new print to tempt me. Aside from the wishlist I already have (for nappies I haven’t tried yet) there’s been a few nappy prints released recently (of nappies that I already love) that I would very much like to add to my stash.

Firstly there is the new gPant from gNappies – the Gallant Stripe. It’s part of their autumn collection and looks gorgeous. If I do go to the Baby Show I’m definitely making the gNappy stand one of the first places I visit. Gurple (a purple gPant) and Genius Blue (a dark blue gPant) would also be a nice addition to the collection. gNappies hold their value really well (especially the limited edition prints) – maybe if I convince myself that I’ll be able to sell them on afterwards I can ignore the cost? There’s also the gStyle gUniversity set – blue and grey striped gPant and matching t-shirt – too much choice, too little money!

Tots Bots have also brought out a few new prints. I quite like Pooper Hero – the name makes me giggle and I think it would look pretty cute on Eli. Their new Bum Voyage nappy prints – New York and Paris added to the existing London print are also very tempting. London is my favourite Tots Bots print – it would be nice to have the set.

The Pooper Hero also has a t-shirt to go with it (a bit like the gNappy gStyle sets) but I feel a bit meh about that. The ‘Spread a little nappiness’ t-shirt I do really like though. Again – lots of choice and a lack of cash but some may eventually make their way into our stash.

It’s now a bit of a decision as to whether I keep buying nappies from my wishlist (i.e. types of nappies I don’t already own) or go for a couple of new prints in nappies I already love…

All about Tilly at 5

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Tilly is now 5! She had a lovely birthday dinner with us and her grandparents and is really happy with her new Hello Kitty bedroom. I had her answer the same questions I asked at the beginning of the year and here’s the result:

  1. What is your favourite colour? pink
  2. What is your favourite toy? Hello Kitty
  3. What is your favourite fruit? apple
  4. What is your favourite TV show? Fred the show (what she was watching at the time)
  5. What is your favourite thing to eat for lunch? Ham sandwiches with mayonnaise
  6. What is your favourite outfit? A hello kitty top
  7. What is your favourite game? Crocodile snap (she played this with Nana only about 10 minutes before so I think it was the first thing that came into her head)
  8. What is your favourite snack? chocolate
  9. What is your favourite animal? zebra
  10. What is your favourite song? Big red combine harvester (they sang this at the Harvest Festival at school)
  11. What is your favourite book? All about princesses
  12. Who is your best friend? Molly
  13. What is your favourite cereal? Multigrain hoops
  14. What is your favourite thing to do outside? Put my wellies on and jump in puddles
  15. What is your favourite drink? milk
  16. What is your favourite holiday? Africa
  17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? piggy
  18. What is your favourite thing to eat for breakfast? Multigrain hoops
  19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? pasta
  20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor
  21. What is your favourite pet? dog

 

Getting crafty

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It’s been a busy time in our household. Tilly is now 5 years old and her birthday present was a new bedroom. This involved (and continues to) moving a lot of stuff out of the spare bedroom (now Tilly’s room) and finding a new home for it. I’m looking forward to when we’re finally finished!

In the midst of all of this I have started a knitting course. It is run by a friend of mine and is billed as a starting to knit course. I’ve been able to knit since childhood (one of the few things that my paternal grandmother gifted me was teaching me how to knit) but I’ve never really knitted well or anything particularly complicated. Initially I was hoping to learn enough to knit a jumper for Eli because I’ve had the yarn for over 7 years! and I really need to knit it now or I’ll be sad that I didn’t manage it for any of my kids.

Of course once Tilly got wind of my attempt to knit something for Eli she was desperate for me to knit something for her. I know the jumper is going to take me ages so I thought I’d try to knit something quickly for Tilly first.

That’s why I chose the teddy bear pattern – it didn’t look like too many stitches… Of course it involved a lot of increasing and reducing stitches (including one which, when I looked it up to find out what it was, was listed as the most difficult stitch to master) but I did it! It’s turned out bear shaped and the kids love it (was a bit concerned I wouldn’t be able to get it away from Eli to give to Tilly). Now I need some more practise making things up (my sewing is a bit dubious) but the book of knitted animal patterns that will arrive soon should help with that – Lex has already requested an elephant…