We are Knitters North Snood

I said quick and easy didn't I? Well it doesn't get much quicker and easier than a massive chunky knit snood does it.

I have a confession to make though that I really didn't need any more scarves/snoods. I probably have about 30 already, but well I don't have a chunky pink snood do I so that's a perfect justification right there.

This pattern was a free download from the lovely people at Love Knitting which is where I get most of my wool from online. They provide a super service, deliver quickly, do great offers and also give away free patters all the time. I would definitely recommend taking a look at their website if you are in the UK and after some knitting supplies.

The pattern itself comes from designers We are Knitters and is made using their 100% Peruvian chunky wool. The snood only takes one ball, so whilst it's not the cheapest wool to buy the project won't break the bank. I choose this fabulous pink colour which is pretty similar to my hair yes, but I don't ever wear clothes this pink so it nicely brightens up an outfit without clashing too much. 

The pattern was not complex, made in a simple basket weave, but it comes out a lovely texture which is also reversible, something I find very important in a scarf or snood. It is also perfect for my sleep deprived baby brain as a bit of mindless knitting which I could pick up and put down in the 10 minutes between feeding, sleeping and changing nappies. 

I am really pleased with how the snood came out. As the wool is 100% it's incredibly soft and so snugly warm which is perfectly timed for this time of year, it's also not in the slightest bit itchy. It's also great as I currently can't actually button up my coats so need something  whilst out for a walk that won't blow away in the wind, I can see me getting a lot of wear out of this in the next few weeks. 

If anyone has any ideas for quick and easy craft projects I can take on please let me know!! 

Snuggly Baby Circus Blanket

So I am trying to ignore the little blip in posting that happened in August, but the truth is we were just so incredibly busy I don't think we had one weekend where we weren't off somewhere or had plans to do something. But one of the incredible things we did was to go and visit some friends over in Denmark.

Having played warcraft for such a long time its not really surprising we have got to know some of the people we play with really well after all these years (don't worry i'm not off on a tangent here, it will eventually link in to the post I promise!). We have been saying we should get ourselves to Denmark for years now, and what with the baby now on the way, and a couple of our friends having a newborn of their very own we decided it was now or never really. So off we went over bank holiday weekend for a few days in Copenhagen.

It was great to see our friends and even better to see their new little man Jamie. The one thing I really loved was, that in Denmark, you can buy quilts for baby's and they wrap up their little baby's like a sausage to get them to sleep, its so cute! But in Denmark they do leave their baby's outdoors to nap, even in their cold winters so they do need to be kept nice and snuggly.

This made me really want to make a cute little quilt cover for our little man when he arrives. Whilst on our free day out in Copenhagen being tourists Chris actually spotted one of their fabric shops and let me go in for a wander. It was amazing, they had so many good quility fabrics, I could have easily filled a suitcase and spent a fortune. However, as I could only really buy a little bit, I decided some fabric to make this quilt would be perfect and I should buy something I have never seen in the UK or on the internet... roll up, roll up this adorable circus print cotton (rabbits with mustaches, I mean why wouldn't you!).

I have managed to find the fabric shop online since, but sadly I don't understand a word of it so its very difficult to navigate. But I also haven't managed to find this fabric on the internet anywhere, which is sad as there were some seals with mustaches too and I want to try and get my hands on some of this as an afterthought (so if anyone has any clues PLEASE let me know).

Anyway on to the making of the blanket:

So coming back to the UK it turns out you can't buy quilts for babies younger than one year! We obviously have different regulations over here. This meant I had to rethink the whole idea so instead I decided to just make a nice soft snuggly blanket. Its made to pram blanket size (there is a great link on mothercare which tells you the standard measurements). I purchased some lovely soft spotted white minky fabric from ebay and cut out a piece of minky, a piece of the thinnest tog quilting batting and a piece of the cotton fabric to just bigger than 70x90cm.

The placing of the three layers to make sure they turned right side out boggled my brain a bit, it goes like this:
Batting
Cotton (pattern facing up)
Minky (outside facing down)

Then pin, and I mean pin! all the way around and sew a 3/4 seam around all 4 edges making sure you leave a gap big enough to turn the whole thing the right way out. Using a walking foot will make sewing the three layers significantly easier, but if you don't have one you can managed without just make sure you pin really well, sew slowly and make sure the foot is not down too tightly.

Turn the blanket right side out, poke out your corners, iron, pin down your opening seam and then sew a nice neat line all the way around the outer edge to keep the layers together and make the whole thing look pretty and neat.

There is a much better tutorial here: iCraft Minky Blanket Tutorial

It turned out really great. It's neat, I love the colours and best of all its so soft and comfy. I can't wait to wrap our little winter bundle up in it for a cuddle!

Lastly, to finish off this mammoth post you can have a token picture of that famous street in Copenhagen! There