Rabbit Rattle

Crochet Rabbit Rattle for my friend's new baby.

Gardening Apron

Gardening Apron for a friend's house warming present.

No Junk for Us!

Handmade "no junk mail please" sign in Finnish.

Meet Cyril!

Cyril is an amigurumi pig, made for my nephew.

Boxy Matryoshka Pouch

Boxy pouch made with very kawaii Japanese fabric.

Sunday 10 May 2009

The Saga of the Broken Back

Due to popular request - well, OK, just Lauren then - here is the saga of my broken back.

Shortly after I started my new job in central London, I rediscovered the "joys" of travelling on the underground. For some strange reason I just didn't enjoy being packed into heaving carriages like a giant sardine, nor did I relish being late for work every damn day when we were inexplicably held in the tunnels. So, I hatched a plan.

Having seen lots of people with very cunning folding bikes on the train into London (yep, we chose to live in the sticks), I thought that I should get me one of them. After a day's careful research I decided on a badged Dahon (or perhaps it's de-badged), which is basically a really good folder, but made for another company and sold cheaper. Just 100 Great British Pounds later and I was the proud owner of said bike.



I merrily cycled from London Waterloo station to work each day for nearly two weeks. It took me a while to learn the route, but I was starting to get confident and would bore anyone who took even a vague interest with tales of my travels. But alas, this biking mania was not to last.

On March 3 I was patiently waiting to cross the road to my office, when traffic came to a standstill and a nice lorry driver beckoned me across. Across I went, but sadly did not have the sense to check the bus lane first. Bam! I was hit by a moped and deposited rather unceremoniously onto the tarmac.

I knew something untoward had happened, because I could hear myself moaning very loudly, but was powerless to shut myself up. Lots of policemen turned up - rather an excessive amount actually - and I was eventually taken to hospital.

To cut a long story short, I have a compression fracture of the 11th thoracic vertebrae. I can walk, talk etc, but I'm not allowed back on the bike yet, nor am I supposed to pick up the baby. I have been doing that lately quite a bit though and everything still works.

Silver lining to this was that I had to stop breastfeeding at night and within 3 days of Dad being in charge, VV started sleeping through the night. Who knew it could be that easy! After nearly 11 months of next to no sleep I am now a new woman, albeit one with a sore back. Hoping to get back in the saddle soon - the bike fared much better than me and is sitting, folded next to my desk at work, begging to be let out again.

Wednesday 6 May 2009

Baby Cardigan



It's been a long time, I know, but at last I am proud to present a finished project - a baby cardigan. "Baby" being the operative word, since it's tiny and much too small for its recipient. Damn and blast.

Still, I am rather pleased with how it turned out. I made it from Baby Crochet: 20 Hand Crochet Designs for Babies 0-24 Months by Lois Daykin. It's the first garment I've made and it was pleasingly easy to do. Lot of ends to weave in (why I leave them all to the end, I don't know), but no actual difficulties.

I blocked it - another first for me - but even that sneaky stretching didn't perform the much needed miracle. Ho hum, next time I'll check my gauge twice and then still use a larger hook to be sure.

If there are any readers left out there after my four-month hiatus, hello! My new job is going very well, as evidenced by a total dearth of posts. Had a horrible cycling accident shortly after I started and broke my back, but that's healing nicely now, so no long term harm done. Sounds worse than it is/was, honest!

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