Time Flies

Our baby girl is one month old today! I can't quite explain where the last month has gone other than to say that it's been a flurry of feeding, changing, cuddling and getting to know each other. Catriona Hazel arrived safe and well at home in a birth pool at 8.11 on the morning of Friday the 10th of January. She was helped into the world by our wonderful midwife Jacqui accompanied by the dulcet tones of Jose Gonzales and illuminated by fairy lights! At a mighty 4.415 kilos (9 lbs 12 oz), she was rather larger than we were expecting and she has turned our world upside down in the most wonderful way.

Nothing can prepare you for the depth of feeling that having a child will create in you and sometimes when I'm gazing at her beautiful little face I find myself almost overwhelmed by love. She is perfect and wonderful, unique and precious; and we are so glad that she has come into our lives. 

However, all this extra loving has rather put the kibosh on any non-baby related activities. I am still reading the same two books that I started before she arrived - the brilliantly clever and starkly witty Symposium by Muriel Spark and the haunting modern fable, A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. It's strange not having time to read and I miss it a great deal, but as each day passes, I think we get a little bit better at this and I know that there will be more time in the future. Also, I find that I appreciate my reading time all the more for its scarcity. 

Craft has also been put on hold for the time being. I have managed to get to my knitting groups, but unless someone else is happy to cuddle the little miss, it is impossible to engage with sticks and string. I am so close to finishing a cardigan for her (to match the dress that I made just before she arrived too big to wear!) that it's silly. I only have to weave in the ends and we'll be good to go, but even the time for that tiny task seems too hard to come by. Her knitted name is also incredibly near completion - I just need to shape the wire and fix it to a supportive backing. 

I am typing this while she sleeps, curled up like a frog, on my chest. We've both had breakfast and if I can bear to wake her up, we should have a bath before starting the day in earnest. We are going for a walk every day and have visitors or meet up with friends most days and I can't tell you how touched we have been by everyone's friendship, support, kindness and love. (Sorry, will stop being so sentimental now - must be the hormones!)

Magic Moments

The last few months have simply flown by. What with one thing and another this post, which I started after our last holiday, has been resting in my drafts for over two months and it's only now as I find myself thinking about the year ahead that I remember to celebrate the year just gone. Since the end of October, I've had some wonderful nights out with friends in London (who I already miss enormously), made some fabulous new friends through our NCT ante-natal classes, been to a live screening of Eugene Onegin from the Met in New York with D, watched the fabulous Populaire with my good pal Piney and celebrated first birthday cuddles with my very special godson, Toby and much, much more besides. I felt a great need to pack a lot into my last few weeks before starting my maternity leave but now D and I are taking it easy and enjoying some well-earned quiet time at home before we start the next chapter of our story.

Looking back, the end of October was the start of some lovely times with my family. It was my sister's birthday and she rented the most amazing cottage in the Forest of Dean (where we spent many, many childhood holidays exploring the woods and walking along the river) for a week of good food, laughs and party preparation - and what a party it was. D and I followed this with a quiet week in Cornwall, brunching in bed, relaxing, reading, walking along the beautiful beaches and eating some lovely local food during the day and catching up on a box set of of Spiral in the evenings with home-cooked comfort food to keep us going. We saw my family again at Christmas  and I found myself thinking that Christmas and New Year are magical times of the year in any year, but this year, with the impending arrival they've been even more special than ever.

On the needles, I have had to rationalise the number of projects in progress so I'm down to the quilt for her cot, the aforementioned mobile and an i-cord length which will spell out her name when she gets here. Books-wise, I am treating myself to Elizabeth Jane Howard's Cazalet Chronicles, re-reading some old favourites (Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising and William Goldman's The Princess Bride) and reading some of the gems that I discovered unread on the shelves while being forced to condense our book collections into half the space so that there could actually be room for a nursery.

We've really enjoyed getting things ready for when the little one arrives. I can't tell you how much joy I have received from crafting tiny knitted jumpers, hats and boots; what a pleasure it has been making cushions and a mobile and even just choosing paint colours and toys for her nursery. We've only got a few days to go now and I think we're nearly there. I'm not sure you can ever be ready for welcoming a child into your life but we're looking forward to it more than I can possibly express. 

Flapjacks and Fruitfulness

 

Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year and as the weeks fly by, there is a hint of fog in the mornings and there is definitely a wee nip in the air. Yesterday morning, D and I donned our coats and went for a lovely long walk in the New Forest starting out from the fabulously named Nomansland. We're lucky to live near such a beautiful place and when the sun is shining and the leaves are starting to change colour, it's hard to find anywhere lovelier on the planet. We admired the entries in the Landford Scarecrow Festival, heard woodpeckers, saw horses, ponies and even a great big pig! And after our walk we visited the village shop to buy the wherewithal to rustle up a tray of flapjacks to replace all the energy that we'd spent tramping about in the woods! Here's a link to my favourite flapjack recipe.

As the nights draw in, it's a good time for lots of my favourite things, eating, knitting, reading and all-round snuggling in. It's a time for making enormous saucepans full of soup, baking toad-in-the-hole with gravy and mash, and delicious crumbles too. I've just been given an enormous bag of cooking apples and am very much looking forward to trying my friends Robin's oaty-packed crumble topping. Mmm. Yummy!

On the needles, I'm still really enjoying knitting things for the little one. I finished her hat and liked it so very much, that I had to make one for myself. I'm quite sure we will look ridiculous and I never imagined that I'd turn into a match-matchy kind of person, but what can I say? I just couldn't resist!

I've also started a pair of baby jeans for her and a really pretty little vest from Vibe Ulrik Sondergaard's Lullaby Knits. It's a beautiful book and there are some wonderful patterns in it. I'd actually intended to make an adorable cable sweater, but I managed to buy the wrong wool. (Cashmerino Aran rather when it should have been Baby Cahsmerino) But hey, I never mind buying more wool - especially from my local yarn store Born to Knit at Fisherton Mill and I can always pop back in a couple of weeks and get the right wool. The pompom mobile is still a work in progress, but I like the way it's progressing so far! Progress is also quite slow on the quilt - lucky that time is on my side, and I'm pretty confident that I'll get it done in time for her arrival.

Books-wise, I'd been stuck in a bit of a rut. I'd not really enjoyed my most recent bookgroup book and had started a couple books that I hadn't really loved. I even found myself on a train without a book to read, which is as dreadful as it it inexcusable. Luckily, the very lovely Jo (who really does have the best taste in books) was on hand to rescue me from my fiction disaster and saved the day with Alys, Always by Harriet Lane and The Colour of Milk by Nell Leyshon. Thanks, Lovely Jo, now I can snuggle up safely on the sofa with a blanket,  cuppa, a slice of flapjack and a really good book!

Being Thankful

Hello again! And welcome back. I've had a lovely couple of weeks, both on and off the needles and the projects that I had finished the last time I posted here are now blocked, dried and ready to wear. I'm even cracking on with a few more. I'm particularly pleased with my colour block cardigan (that's me wearing it on the left, there) and when it's a bit cooler, it'll be a welcome addition to my wardrobe of things that I can wear with my ever increasing bump.

Speaking of which, knitting for the little one has taken on a new dimension, in that I now know that I'm knitting for a girl!  We found out last Friday and we are both absolutely over the moon. I'd been more nervous than I'd expected before the scan, but the sonographer was so kind and the experience so positive that getting to find out our baby's gender on top of a clean bill of health was like having a holiday, birthday and Christmas all at once.

We'd already booked a weekend away in Oxford so we started our celebrations with a really rather wonderful dinner at the dining room at the Ashmolean museum which was really rather special and all the more of a treat for being a surprise find. If you ever find yourself in Oxford on a Friday or Saturday evening - give it a try, you won't be disappointed. On Saturday, we couldn't resist buying a few clothes for our baby girl and we hit the shops in style! She'll have a lovely little wardrobe and now I'm loving browsing for more feminine patterns. The two little jumpers that I'd made so far were gender neutral so now I can get stuck in to something, not  necessarily pink, but certainly more girly in style. One of the joys of knitting for little people is that it all knits up really quickly, so hopefully there'll be something new to show you the next time I post too.

On top of all this knitting, I've also started a quilt for her nursery. It's going to be a very, very simple hand-pieced hexagon quilt and the fabric that it'll be made of all comes from old clothes of D's and mine. It's mostly pastel colours and has fabric from shirts, pyjamas and tops that we've worn and loved. Unlike the knitting, it's going to take a while to get together, but it'll mean all the more for being a labour of love. I'm also planning a pompom mobile made out of mustard and wool embroidery hoops. I'm not quite sure how it'll work out, but if it looks okay, I'll post a picture of that next time too.

After a couple of big projects at work, I've now had a bit more of my journey time back and have my head stuck in some really great books. I'm trying to clear some space in the house for the new arrival which means that I've been rediscovering some old favourites and unearthing some books that I've acquired, but never even read. A particular favourite was Patrick Gale's Rough Music which had been languishing on the shelves for maybe ten years. I've read his books before but I'd forgotten just how acutely he observes the best and worst in human nature. I also read The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence for work's bookclub (I was the only one that actually liked it!) and I this weekend I have simply devoured Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple. I've also started the charming and peculiar Kitchen by the deliciously-named Banana Yoshimoto and an advance reader's copy of Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo which friends and colleagues have all been raving about.

Thanks to the public holiday, this weekend has been a long weekend too and has been an absolute delight. A leisurely stroll along the beach in Boscombe with yummy ice cream and a picnic at Stourhead with a walk around the lake were real highlights as was lunch in Salisbury with a dear old friend who I hadn't seen for a while. Best of all was the arrival of my best friend, her husband and my godson who arrived with a car boot-load of the most wonderful hand-me-downs for us to pick out from. We have been throughly spoiled and her wardrobe has quadrupled, not to mention the baby-sling, bath bits and bobs, and a gorgeous hammock that we'll be able to put up for her wherever we go. People are so kind and generous I feel quite overwhelmed. Thank you.

Happy Crafting

In a recent, and very welcome, development I finally seem to have become keen to finish things. I've always had a thing about enjoying the process of creativity more than the finished thing and as a result my work in progress pile has always been just a little bit out of control!

In the last couple of weeks, I've managed to finish  not one, but three projects. Really. Three! The first (and way most important one) was a blanket for my gorgeous godson Toby's baptism. Admittedly, having such a definite deadline is a surefire motivator, but I think that making something challenging, learning a new skill (lace-knitting) using new materials (I'd never used bamboo before) and making something for someone so special all combined to make it a really enjoyable process and it really has helped rekindle and affirm my love of crafting.

The baptism itself was a wonderful occasion. Toby was a superstar and on his most charming and cheerful behaviour all day. Everyone had a lovely day and it was a really special time for all.

For my own little one, I have now knit a second  little jumper. It's a sweet little raglan-sleeved pattern by Debbie Bliss from The Baby Knits Book that I have knit for all of the babies that my friends have had. It's not blocked yet, but I'm planning on fixing that this weekend, so I'll post a photo when it's looking its very best!

I've also just cast off the pink and grey colour block cardigan from the Caramel pattern by Isabell Kraemer. I'm really pleased with it and think that it's one I will genuinely enjoy wearing. Again, I'll post a photo when it's all blocked and (hopefully) beautiful.

Looking Forward...

Well, hello there. I'm sorry that I've been away so long. The last few months have a bit of a challenge for me - I've been finding it hard to be creative and haven't really felt like knitting, making, or baking, let alone blogging. And, although it's been hard, it has all been for the best possible reason - D and I are going to be having a baby! It's all rather wonderful and incredibly exciting, but for the last few months, because of a combination of tiredness and having to keep the biggest secret ever, I just haven't felt very creative.

However, the cat is now well and truly out of the bag and the wool is firmly back on the needles. I'm four months along and about two-thirds of the way through a very pretty lace baby blanket for my godson Toby's baptism. I'm really enjoying the challenge of learning lace knitting. It's going pretty well so far and is my first successful attempt. I rather wish that I'd got a bit more time to get it finished, but I've set myself a daily row count and I'm steadily getting there.

I'm also really enjoying being able to knit baby clothes for the new arrival and I have so many plans for little bits and bobs I'd like to make for the little one. The two projects that I'm working on at the moment are gender neutral, but we're looking forward to finding out what we're getting in the middle of August and I guess I can get knitting in earnest from then on.

Not feeling crafty, has meant that I've had a lot of time for reading and I've read some absolute crackers. Memorable favourites are Marina Lewycka's Various Pets Alive and Dead, The Red House by Mark Haddon, Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell, Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Caitlin Moran's How To Be a Woman, The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald and Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner. What a lot of wonderful books! I've also, along with some very lovely people at work, started a new book club, which is proving to be great fun.

Since I last posted we've been out and about quite a bit. A week in Amsterdam for my birthday was a wonderful treat - we stayed in two amazing hotels (The Amstel Intercontinental is quite probably the swankiest hotel I will ever stay in, in my life!) and walked absolutely everywhere. Amsterdam is a beautiful city, packed full of galleries and museums, stylish restaurants, boutiques and cafes and some really inspirational knitting shops. I didn't always feel like eating much which was a bit of a shame as the food was excellent.

The summer, now that it has arrived, is proving glorious and we've managed some lovely day-trips with picnics to the beach, Mottisfont, Oxford and to Henley for the regatta. It's lovely and hot and I'm looking forward to lots more picnics over the coming weeks. In fact, I'd say I'm looking forward to everything at the moment - having a baby must do that to you, I guess. The future is looking lovely!

Hello to Berlin

When I was planning this post, I was going to blog about my regular weekend. You know the routine - lovely long lie-in with breakfast in bed and a bit of book, followed by a nice relaxing bath, some pottering about in the garden, a bit of knitting and maybe a movie.

Everything was going to plan until I got out of the bath and D asked if I fancied going to Berlin. Of course I said yes. Who wouldn't want to go to Berlin? But then the penny dropped that he meant right then. Yes, that very minute! Well, that was a surprise. Twenty clicks later and in the time it takes to throw two toothbrushes, two books, two passports and a change of clothes into a bag, we were on the road to the airport.

It was all such a whirlwind that I can hardly believe it happened. And I have to say that I really enjoyed answering the usual, "How was your weekend?" question on Monday morning! Mr C, you are a lovely, lovely man and you have earned yourself some pretty serious boyfriend points.

This does mean that I haven't had much time for crafting and so my very nearly finished colour-block cardigan is still very nearly finished. I have hight hopes that it will be finished by the time of my next post. (But don't hold your breath - just in case.)

I've mostly been reading manuscripts for work lately so not much to talk about. I really enjoyed the latest from Sadie Jones, The Uninvited Guests, although I really didn't like the cover and I also enjoyed the first instalment of Leigh Bardugo's The Grisha Trilogy, The Gathering Dark. This was a recommendation from the lovely Hannah Love from work and was also a book that I wouldn't have picked up on the strength of its cover (yes, I can be judgemental). I'm delighted that the second book in the series has a much, much better cover and I'm looking forward to reading it soon.