Valentines

I'm aware that it's not cool to like Valentine's Day, but really, when the day starts with a card*, flowers and chocolate,





and ends with dinner, cocktails and live jazz,





what's not to like?


*City Boy and I had a competition to see who could get the worst valentines card. I think his won - it was particularly obscene.

Sunshine on a Snowy Day

I had my fingers crossed for a snow day when I went to bed last night - i wouldn't have minded an excuse to spend the day working at home in front of the fire. Unfortunately SouthWest trains have managed to get their act together for once and the trains seem to be (mostly) as scheduled.

Never mind, it's the weekend shortly! I've got a list of boring things to do, but I'm really hoping I can race through them and make myself something from the new Collette book. Isn't it boring when you work all week and then the weekend gets sucked up by chores? I'm determined not to let that happen this week, even if the gym something doesn't get done.


I've got projects on the go all over the place but this week I needed a quick fix. I wanted to feel I'd accomplished something. Two squares of fabric, an invisible zip and we have a sunny yellow cushion to brighten up this corner by the fire.

This is part of one of my 2012 goals - to take the time to sew for our home and not just other people's. This one didn't take much time, but I'm also in the middle of a quilted cushion cover for a large cushion we have on the sofa, twenty-two inches squared. The top's quilted now so I just need to put it all together - hopefully this weekend.

City Boy and I finally managed to compromise on some curtain fabric for the living room. Took a while but that's my fault for involving him. I should have just put up my choice - he'd have told me that he didn't like them and then not given it another thought. I would describe City Boy's tastes in interior decor as traditional if I'm feeling kind, boring if I'm not. So I'm not overly excited by the prospect of these curtains, but I'm informed by City Boy that a compromise is where both parties walk away equally unhappy.


We still have to pick out a rug - that's hours of fun right there.

Keeping London's Babies Warm

It's been a cold journey to and from work this week. I'm ready for spring now please. I've been skipping breakfast at home and having a bowl of hot porridge at my desk when I get into the office. It's nice to have something to look forward to during that godawful tube journey.


I've been doing some paper piecing recently, which a nice sofa activity, but slow going, so I don't have much to show for my crafting time at the moment. I've stopped knitting a cardi with one sleeve to go. Why do I have such a problem getting myself to finish things when it just needs a final push? No doubt a psychiatrist would be able to tell me what that says about me.


I did finish an itty, bitty baby jumper for my friend's brand new baby. I'm not counting this as a 2012 FO though as I only sewed the buttons on in January; all the knitting was completed before Christmas. I think that would be cheating a little bit.





I met the baby last weekend when he was 2 weeks old. He was very cute with his tiny little finger nails but, to be perfectly honest, a little uninteresting. After ten minutes cuddling he'd hardly moved and my arm was aching. I know babies aren't there to entertain me of course, but I think I prefer them when they're a little bit bigger. I'll have to visit again soon for more cuddles.


Anyway, the pattern was found on the purl bee website, and I would definitely make it again - it's straightforward, easy garter stitch and results in a sweet little cardi for a baby boy or girl. I  used cygnet 4ply wool rich, as I thought the last thing the mother of a newborn needs is having to hand wash presents but it's still quite soft and woolly, plus inexpensive. The buttons are left over from my Catkin. It's so sweet and small that I wanted to keep it, but City Boy said that would be weird. He wasn't persuaded that it would look good on a cat.


Baby will need to grow into it a little bit, but that seems to happen incredibly fast anyway. It will probably fit in the Summer when no one needs woolly cardis and then he'll have grown out of it by the Winter. Knitting baby things is so much fun - they're tiny so you can have a whole cardi in just a few evenings, and so very sweet. Plus you don't have to spend the knitting time worrying that the recipient won't like it. I definitely need to persuade my friends to make some more babies for me to knit for.