Holiday projects

The summer hols are here now, and my boy has finished nursery. I surprised myself by feeling really sad about it. It made me realize how this is the end of a very sweet phase of his life, the easy-going nursery years. He had such a hard time settling in, and now it's over. Everything after this is more formalised, uniform, full school days. I won't miss the rushing back to collect him at noon though!

We had a good and bad first week of the holidays, a flood in our lean to, but also a great day at Rainham Marshes. They are hosting lovely events throughout the summer, including Mud Pie Mayhem, Mini Beast Hunt and Pond Detectives. We went last week and got very messy making mud pies, and we were the only ones there as some schools hadn't broken up yet. We then went on a mini beast hunt with nets and little plastic pots with the magnifying lid. My boy was very proud of himself when he caught a big grasshopper. It was such a hot day though, we had to set it free quite quickly or it would have cooked!

                                                           Image by Louise Moss RSPB

I'm also getting ready for our holiday to the States to see my husband's parents. I should be thinking about what clothes to take for the kids, and all the other paraphernalia that goes with travelling with children, but my real worry is what knitting and crochet to take, and do I risk putting it in my hand luggage? Will they make me post it back home, or to my address in the States? How long will it take to get there?! In reality, I probably won't get a chance to knit, with the children demanding attention. I suppose I could ask for a seat on my own somewhere and leave them to my husband. An upgrade even...I can dream.

I've been practising my crochet skills, with some lovely stitch samples.










I like the Catherine wheel above left, but also found a Long Wave stitch, above right at top, and Smooth Wave stitch which I hadn't come across before - above right, bottom. I like the boxy look of that one. These are all in Vol 1 of The Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches.

This one I found in The Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches Vol 7. It has no name, but I
really like the diamond shape, and prefer the pale grey between the pastel colours, rather than white. Cushion cover or blanket? I'm not quite ready to use them in a design for garments yet, even though I would love to have a crack at a dress for my little girl.

This is the one I have plumped for though, for a lap blanket.

It is a tutorial from Sandra Paul, at Cherry Heart. It is called Clamshell, and is a very pretty stitch pattern. I found the tutorial really helpful, the step by step instructions were fool-proof, and believe me if this fool can do it, anyone can.

I will also be taking some very special knitting.

More about that later...

In the meantime, I'm listening to one of the best tunes Benny Goodman ever recorded - Swingtime In The Rockies. It just sends me.