It's All Coming Together...

I have been relatively busy of late... as usual the Little Lady is full of beans and needs entertaining non-stop! We get out a lot more now, as 'home' is just too boring for her. She needs a high-octane lifestyle of shops, adventure play parks, toddler groups and general 'stomping' around in her wellies. I can't complain, it's great fun, and you realise what a joy it is when your child hits this toddler age. She is now stringing 3 or 4 words together, mainly to throw orders at me I might add, and running around everywhere. I don't think my daughter can sit still for one moment! She seems quite a bright little one, she just doesn't miss a trick. I really have to watch what I say, as she listens to everything, and either copies it, or holds me to it. This change in her development recently is fantastic, but it comes at a price - toddler tantrums! Shouting, sitting on the floor in protest, saying 'I'm not' and pushing all the boundaries to test me out - what a joy! It's fine at home, but when we're out and about and she starts, passers by look at me like I'm an evil Mum if I'm saying 'no' to her. It's because she is too cute, and even in her tantrums, she still manages to say 'please Mummy'. It is hard to refuse that little voice but I have to remain strong so she doesn't turn out to be a spoilt little Princess!
When she does stop to rest, which is essentially when she goes to bed, I manage to get a little crochet time squeezed in. I've been busy making some items I cannot show, as they are presents and have not been given yet - I don't want to spoil them! There has also been a great deal of getting on top of my projects and organising my general self. Using the wonders of modern technology I have installed a great little reminder/to-do list app on my phone and can now keep track of my life. I had so many things 'I need to do' or 'want to make' floating around in my head that I really needed to organise it a bit better, as some things got a little bit lost! I now have my personal memos and a list of crochet projects I want to make. It's also quite rewarding checking the box when one is finished! Simple things!
One box soon to be checked, will be the Rainbow Granny Stripe Blanket.... yes, can you believe, I shall probably finish it today! I'm on the very last round of edging (I'm saving it for when the football is on later, as I can watch that and crochet at the same time, as I don't have to pay too much attention to it!) Next post on here will show the completed blanket, and I will probably honour it with it's own little page too, I think it deserves it, as it has been a mammoth project to say the least!
I also decided it was time to write up my Monty Moo pattern for the blog, and that's what I am doing this morning.

I have two pages of horribly scribbled notes which I am working through to re-check the pattern, before typing it up nicely as a shiny PDF file which can be downloaded from my blog soon.... So watch this space! My work station is the coffee table in the lounge this morning, notice just the important things - my work, my magazine, my cup of tea and my iPad, playing some music for me to sing along to as I work.

The magazine in question is 'Simply Crochet'. It's just the second issue made by the team at Mollie Makes. I love it, it's so great to finally find a magazine that had modern, fresh, quirky crochet in it and not just old fuddy-duddy patterns! The lovely Two Birds Craft have their stitch markers (the ones I reviewed here) featured in this month's issue - I'm so happy for them as they really are great little things that make traditional split ring stitch markers null and void - get them on their Etsy page!
One pattern in particular caught my eye in this month's issue - the Itty-Bitty Bunny!

A very cute floppy bunny with minimal detail. I had purchased some yarn earlier in the week, and thought I may try it out on this bunny pattern. The yarn is King Cole Bamboo Cotton Prints, in Candy Twist. I've never used a variegated yarn before in amigurumi, so I wasn't sure how it would work up. But I loved the colours so much! And, as the bunny was so simple, I thought the yarn may work well for that pattern. I shall have to wait and see! I'm liking how it's working up so far, after completing the head and body pieces, but it will be on pause for today whilst I finish the blanket and cow pattern (hopefully!)

If I want to stand any chance of achieving those goals, I must leave it there and get back to them! So, until next time...