another baby kina for elodie

The thing I love about craft is that it serves more than one purpose for me. Not only do I have hobbies that are my own and that keep me busy and happy but I'm also making sweet things for my little ones and get so much satisfaction from seeing them being worn. No sooner had I finished sewing the buttons on than I whipped this on Elodie and took her outside for a few photos.

It's another baby kina (only my 5th) but this time I knit it in 8 ply for a bit of extra warmth. It's not too tricky just knit a size smaller but knit in 8 ply with 4mm needles. So I knit the 12 month size but followed the length of the next size up when it came to measuring my work to ensure it turned out larger than I wanted. And it was 2 weeks on the needles. Yet another reason to love this project.

I used Bendigo's Allegro which I'm just so sad to see you can't buy off the website anymore. It has a lovely twist to it so there are actually 4 shades of purple in the yarn which makes it look gorgeous up close. I used wild berry and so glad I have a few other shades in the stash as it was lovely to work with.

and is miss elodie a natural model or what? I think I have another Keira on my hands!

and although we're trying to get her walking she can't resist a bit of bottom shuffling - the other way she gets around!

Ravelry details for this project are here and you can buy the pattern online here. Don't forget there are also patterns for doll, child and mummy sizes. So no one misses out. I'll probably knit another kina before the year is out!

quick change trouser addict

Hi my name is Corrie and I am a Quick Change Trouser addict. This afternoon after a very productive morning cleaning and keeping my little ones entertained and well fed, I hit my sewing room. And whipped up 2 pairs of Quick Change Trousers.

If you don't know the pattern then you need to. It comes from Anna Maria Horner's lovely baby book, Handmade Beginnings here. I would buy the book again just for this pattern as it makes the perfect pair of pants for a baby/toddler. They are reversible and have a real patchwork-y look to them plus being reversible means they are warm and feel great too.

You might remember I made a few pairs for Elodie and here are 2 pairs for the new baby. And since I'm running out of time until his arrival - 8 weeks till my c/section date- I might need to whip up another pair or two slightly bigger.

Plus I had no intention of making a festive pair and as I was threading the elastic through I thought to myself how festive these look in green, red and white. Oh well, these will look great in December! And oh if I just had a cute baby to wear them now......................so here is Elodie in some of the pants I've made her.

Yes I love pink!!!

A few tips if you're going to make some

- use 100% quilting cotton fabric if you can as they feel more substantial and will last better than a cheaper poly/cotton. I'd love to try a light weight denim for a pair

- cut out 2 pairs of pants each time you make them up. Because they are so quick and easy to make and sew it saves a lot of time doing all the cutting ahead of time.

- don't sew up the hems until the very last step as you need to thread your elastic up through the legs

- you don't need your overlocker as these are reversible and all edges are enclosed BUT there are quite a few places where you need to trim seam allowances so doing it on the overlocker can save a bit of time.

- play around with your fabric choices as you use 3 different fabrics to make these and the more colourful your fabrics the more fun the pants are

- use a non roll elastic and I buy a few packets at once so I have plenty on hand. The elastic won't twist once you've made your waistband and that makes them more comfortable for little people.

Now if only I had my own pair, they would make perfect winter jammies!

holy fashion

I love when my little ones accessorise..............today tillie was head to toe pink so she decided to wear pink rosary beads around her neck all day! To the physio, to the shops, school pick up........they stayed on all day!

my aunty who was a nun would be very proud!

happy mothers day

Well I hope you've all had a wonderful mothers day and go to bed feeling a little more special and appreciated. I certainly got spoilt here with lots of kisses, cuddles, a 1kg tin of quality street, some more chocolates, an assortment of lovely homemade presents from school and preschool, a kikki k organiser to keep me organised and a lovely big country road cardigan that I bought  myself (just to top up the lovely presents!) to be given today.  Oh and I got an hour to myself in Zara yesterday which was a lovely treat in itself.

the best photo I got today!

We started the day with mass and then a big family yum cha - there were 19 of us all up over 2 tables and we were definitely the fun table with characters like these

We were not the only ones who hit yum cha and there were 3 sittings and a crazy queue just to get in the door and up the stairs. I hadn't been to the one in Brookvale before but it was great and noisy and no one would have known we had 4 little ones hyped up on lemonade.

To finish off my special day I set up my machine and overlocker and whipped up some quick skirts for my girls. For Keira's skirt I used the corduroy skirt pattern from Making Children's Clothes - minus the pocket and ribbon. I am totally in love with the elastic casing. So cute. Retro daddy was very impressed that I made it so quickly  - I was just impressed that I was sitting down and sewing.

Next up for tillie I just did a big 16 inch rectangle by the width of the fabric and sewed it all up. She loves hers too and it's perfect for preschool. Both skirts are made from Japanese canvases and are lovely and soft while still being thick enough for winter.

And that was mothers day! We are having leftovers for dinner and once uniforms and clothes are out you will find me on the couch with a peppermint tea and my feet up. I hope you end your special day just as peacefully too...................................

here's one I made earlier

Doesn't that make it sound easy? Actually this project took longer than I expected because I kept falling asleep after a few rows. And I just need to do a little blocking to get that pesky bottom edge to stay down. But it's turned out beautifully and I wish I wasn't giving it away. It's so sweet and would look absolutely adorable on my elodie but retro daddy is keeping me honest and gave me the address to post it to another little Elodie.

just needs a little blocking to keep the edges flat

The pattern is the Louise cardigan from Vintage Baby Knits. It took about 3 1/2 balls of Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino (from Suzy Hausfrau and her very extensive stock of baby cashmerino) and is oh so lovely and soft. I really do love knitting with the baby cashmerino to give away as presents. It doesn't pill so is a really great knit that lasts- but I always write or give some advice on care instructions when I give away knits. I'd hate to think of it being felted in the washing machine. And the cute little buttons are Beutron from Big W.  

My favourite bit of this little knit would have to be the very cute picot edge. You actually create it by creating a lacy sort of pattern, folding over and sewing the top of the neckline down. Voila you have a picot edge.

I knit the 9-12 months size but it fits Elodie who is 19 months so it's going to last a while at it's new home. Always better to give something bigger than is needed. But how I wish it was staying here. This really is a great little girly pattern and was easy too. Ravelry details on this little one can be found here.

our nightly routine

I received an email this week from a lovely reader Rebecca asking me to share our nightly routine. And in a word I'll say - early. We do everything early here. As soon as we are home from school the kids are outside riding their bikes and playing. I start dinner around 4 and we always sit down to eat before 5. It's just me and the kids and everyone is always hungry so it works for us. Plus by the time we eat dinner and some dessert and I tidy up it seems like we've been sitting forever. If we have an activity on then we eat a bit later and tend to have leftovers or something super easy.

from the archives

Then it's straight upstairs for bathtime. I bath all 4 at once and it's never a quiet exercise. Finn is usually bouncing off the walls encouraged by his sisters and clothes are flying around me. As the pregnancy goes on my patience is being a little tested but bath time is fun time. However, a quick bath is always a good bath in my opinion. All the big kids are out and dried before elodie and she's my last little one out of the bath and dressed. It's a huge relief when we're out of there!

another oldie

Now we split up. Keira, Elodie and I go to the loungeroom for homework time. Keira has quite a bit more homework at her new school so we do that together while Elodie is also having a bottle and playing with some toys. The twins are either reading books, playing in the playroom or watching some foxtel. Once homework is finished it's time for me to take elodie to bed. Now this can take a while. For her daddy she will fall asleep in her cot. For me she will not. I need to lie down and get her to sleep - and don't ask what I will do with the new baby. I know. I get it. Don't worry. Retro daddy is on my case. Mostly she's off in about 10 minutes and I go back to the kids who have been watching a bit of tv.

All the big kids are tucked into bed by 8.30. Now tillie is my easiest to get to sleep. Surprising considering that she can be my most 'spirited' during the day. She will give you a kiss, roll over and go to sleep. Keira on appearances looks easy to get to sleep but is known to come downstairs to use the toilet (eventhough we have toilets upstairs) and another hug or kiss or a drink. You know how it goes. Finn likes someone to read to him and lie down with him and things can and will go pear shaped after 8.30 unless everyone is really tired!

I miss my kitchen!

Overall though I have to say that everything runs pretty smoothly until bedtime because we do start early and we stick to the same thing every night. In a perfect world I would have someone help me out but I'm sure I'm like a lot of mum's and do it solo. And at 8.30 you'll find me laying out clothes for the next day, sorting school bags and tidying up before a bit of tv and knitting!

But don't ask me what I'm going to do with a new baby here.............I haven't got that far yet!

stop and let me get off

I'm just having a couple of crazy days here with sick little ones including Elodie and a never ending to do list. Elodie woke up so croupy and wheezy last night and I was touch and go whether I had to take her to the hospital - with all the kids. Oh joy of joys at 11.03pm with retro daddy far away for work. Thankfully some puffers and juice and she was asleep a few hours later but let me tell you that a good strong coffee would have been great this morning.

But a more natural and safe for pregnant lady pick me up was the ring of the doorbell by Australia post with these goodies this morning. And as exciting as new fabric bolts are, they also mean I have even more fabrics to load up and clear out. And I wanted to get started last sunday. But it didn't happen.

So give me a couple of days to catch up, help get Elodie better, unpack a few more boxes, have a few visitors and let the clear out will begin. 

finding our routine

Moving house, changing school and all of keira's activities means that we are trying to fall into our new routine. Add to that a house that is too big for one person to clean and I've decided to divide up the cleaning over a few days just to get through it. And after baby is here get a cleaner in to help out for a while. This morning I put elodie into her high chair so I could vac and mop the floors around her. I might be missing my old kitchen but I do love that we can fit a nice big dining table in the kitchen - and there is no tv- so we sit and eat together (minus retro daddy) each night which I'm loving.

I then vacced all of downstairs, cleaned all of the big glass windows that were covered in little people's fingermarks (well mostly Elodie), put toys and things away and put all of the clean clothes away. A load of washing on and I'm exhausted. Pooped. Can't move. I had grand plans to vac the house top to bottom but just doing downstairs is like doing the floors of our entire old house. Even retro daddy has suggested we might need to upgrade the vacuum to a larger model. And I still haven't finished unpacking a few rooms.

But it's definitely starting to feel like home and I know we'll be all unpacked and sorted in no time. On Saturday I even baked 3 different things in the oven to and am happy to report that they all turned out great (ok, except for one tray of cookies which I burnt the bottoms of).

But so far so good............

30 weeks today

I'm not a big fan of photos of myself on my blog. My little ones are oh so much cuter but this pregnancy is flying by and I don't think I've shared any belly shots. And it's a big belly. So in case you were wondering how it was going, well here it is. This is what  being pregnant with baby 5 looks like..... like I'm ready to have a baby any day now.

The reality is that I still have 9 weeks to go to the big day! The reality that we're going to be a family of 7, well that hasn't sunk in yet. I'm sure that will come when we bring our latest addition home with us or take all 5 out with us on our first outing. Just getting 4 out the door is a challenge some mornings................this morning a sweet friend I hadn't seen in ages asked how I get them out the door looking so nice. I had to reassure her that this was their sunday best......

and if you look closely we couldn't find socks for finn or tillie's winter shoes so she did the stocking/sandal look - something you can get away with when you're 3 - and the packaging of the new washing machine (9.5kgs ladies, it has changed my life) is in the background. Standards might be slipping a little so be prepared for that.

you can take the girl out of her suburb.....

Well you can take the girl out of her suburb but you can't keep her away from her old local shops. I tried, I really did. I tried to like my new shopping centre but not being able to park underground because the VW is too high and missing my lovely shops meant I was back there today. It's only been 2 weeks in the new house but I was really missing my old haunts. And I can never find anything in my new Coles. All over the place. And I'm walking back and forth - retro daddy knows it better than I do.

So today I indulged in a little retail therapy.......for the kids at Okaidi (each got a new outfit for church) and it does wonderful things for the spirit. Shhhhh don't tell retro daddy....I like to sneak them in and then suddenly they are wearing new clothes and I wait for the compliments from him. Works for me too. No one gets hurt. I mean would you look at elodie's little outfit. Matching stripey tights. So frenchy. Hopefully she starts walking so I can buy her some mary janes to complete the look.

And a little less expensive were some treats for myself. The latest Family Circle which some great knits including Debbie Bliss and Paton's including some for baby boys which I almost bought the pattern book for this week. A block of the latest Cadbury's chocolate I hadn't seen before which is full of jelly crunchie bits. Say no more. I'm pregnant. I deserve it. And a number 1 mum cookie just because......I'm obviously the number 1 mum in this house!  

I also ran into 3 mum's I knew which I loved because I never run into anyone I know at our new shops. I'll try, I'll keep trying to like my local shops..............but don't make me stay away from my old shops forever.

and you thought I'd stopped selling fabric

Well my to do list is looking pretty scary these days - top of the list is drawing winners of the last 2 giveaways I ran. Tonight, I promise. If I don't fall asleep getting Elodie to sleep which is my usual habit. Anyway, today some fabric arrived on my doorstep and it means I have to get it up online this weekend along with the tubs of charm squares, bolts of fabrics and things I want to clear now that I've stopped markets and selling online. Retro daddy is on my case to clear it out and it will actually help me see what is actually my stash and what is to be sold.

I totally forgot that I'd ordered these fabrics but they are just gorgeous. The charm square packs are by Lily Ashbury who designed Summer House and I know they will go quickly. The fruit and polka dots fabrics are part of the Sassy range and I thought would make amazing aprons and homewares. But I can't go past the sweet sweet flanelette by Chloe's closet that is begging to be made into cute pj's for my elodie. This is not like the usual flanelette you would pick up at Spotlight. It's gorgeously soft and thick. I like thick. And it's just sooooo cute.

So bear with me and I'll get these up, probably on eBay along with bundles to clear out quickly. You know, in my spare time. Because I have lots of it. And I'll share links on my facebook page and announce it here. It will take me a few weeks to clear out but I'm motivated and it's win win.

my knitting and sewing plans

Once the craft room is cough cough unpacked and sorted, I have grand plans to do a bit of sewing and knitting this winter. I always have grand plans at the start of a new season but since I've just unpacked and put away clothes for 4 little people I know what they need this winter. First up are some little dresses for church. I find it really hard to find nice dresses for winter, we have a lot of denim dresses and a couple of country road ones but I love this little dress from girly style wardrobe

If you're after a great winter dress pattern I really love this simple one that I made for keira a couple of years ago. It's now in Tillie's wardrobe and very simple and pretty. The pattern is Simplicity 3510 and it's a great pattern to have in your stash.

I really love the little detailing on it.

I'm also rather taken with this little jacket and skirt. I don't know if I have time to squeeze the jacket in but it's definitely something I'd love to make down the track.

Also for my big girls I'd love to whip up this little tunic for them from Jennifer Paganelli's Girl's World, a gorgeous book if you have girly girls like I do. The yellow is a bit too much for me and I'd probably do something a little more classic in red, navy or aqua but this would be great to get through winter and it's an easy pattern too. I love that.

I'm working my through another baby kina for Elodie (it will be her 3rd) and the 5th I've made so far. I do get a little obsessed by a good pattern when I find one and the Kina never disappoints. Knit all in one piece it's perfect in summer or winter and I can't wait to finish it off. Um, I'm only up to row 11 but I'll get there. The pattern page on ravelry is here. You won't be disappointed AND it's great for beginners. I don't lie.

for the new little man who is coming into our life in July I'd love some little stripey knits. These are from Millamia's Wonderland, their latest book so kindly given to me by Suzy Hausfrau. It's a gorgeous book and these little tops and pants would be adorable. I'll aim for a top. In the smallest size. Keep it simple and small.

And if I had the time I'd love to do a big hoodie for Elodie too. I love Debbie Bliss patterns and this one has been on my wish list for years. I love that's a cardigan hoodie and being knit up in an aran means it would be fairly quick on the needles. This is from Debbie Bliss Simply Baby, one of my favourites.

And that's about it. Let's see how much I can achieve but it's good to dream big!