Baby bags and bags of baby

Well, I said I would get on and blog the baby bag I made last week for Rafaela, since she's currently napping next to me, I thought now would be a good moment. The real problem was I couldn't find a baby bag in the shops around town and the one that I did find I thought, I can definately make a better one than that, so I did. I had this absolutely gorgeous heavy fabric that my Mother in Law kindly posted over to me, so I put some of it to good use.


Everything fits in nicely and my husband isn't entirely embarassed to hold it either as it doesn't have pink bunnies or fluffy bears on it... which is great because I'm finding that you quickly run out of hands with a little baby.


This is the knitting that I managed to accomplish while I was in labour. I had a 'false labour' before the actual labour, so I had a lot of time knitting. This is my first fair isle attempt, and I think it's not too bad for something knitted between contractions. I only have one mitt completed and who knows when the other will be done!! (This is the pattern and the wool is New Lanark donegal silk tweed)


Of course, I have to post a couple of pics of our wee girl, she seems to be settling into things nicely and she likes to nap which is great.


She's napping on a blanket that her great-great-auntie Betty crocheted for her. My great aunt crocheted one almost exactly the same for me when I was born, so it's really special to have one for Rafaela too.


Anyway, I had better nip off and hang some washing while the milk monster naps, I am reading blogs, even if I am not commenting, I can manage to read while I breast feed, but not type (funnily enough)

A week in parenthood

Well, our first week home with our baby and it's been lovely. As expected, knitting close to zero, though I did finish one half of a pair of fair isle wrist warmers, half was knitted in labour and the other half during rafaela's nap the other day. So, as threatened, this post is largely pictures of Rafaela and us.... we're really thrilled (and tired).


Her daddy is thrilled to bits with her, and she has his lovely hands and long (knitting) fingers too!


It seems knitting and breast feeding are mutually exclusive, trust me I've tried, though I can manage to read blogs while Rafaela naps, sucks and blows bubbles at my breasts.

but she does lots of this too... so i managed to make a lovely changing bag which i will blog sometime.

I'll leave you with this weeks favourite picture which captures perfectly her "mummy....where's my hand??" look

Our little late arrival...

Well, I'm finally home from the hospital, and I got to bring our daughter home.


Rafaela Alisa was late 2 weeks but in the end she's very healthy and seemingly very happy. She weighed 3.9kg at birth and surprised us all by being a girl, we had thought from the size of her and the strength of the kicking and squirming that she was a boy!!

I'll post a couple more pics in the next few days, I don't think I'll be getting much knitting done, but at least I filled my quota while I waited on her.

Knitted distraction

Well, More knitting will let you know that the baby is not here. The OBGYN said that it's fine for now and has booked an appointment on Monday afternoon if I don't give birth over the weekend, so we'll see.

Of course, knitting has been a welcome distraction from life at the moment, which has meant I have finished another project. I can't do much else.

These are the felted slippers, they need another round in the washing machine, but they are working out perfectly, thankfully I don't need them yet (it's not cold enough at all).

I also made my sister some slippers. It was the Drops crochet slippers in Eskimo, of course, I didn't use Eskimo. and I changed the flower for one that was a bit larger and more extravagant.


The pattern is exceptionally easy and very quick to make. I am already on a second pair for my mother.

It's going to be a quiet day in for us today I think (provided the baby doesn't show). The funeral was at 6am for us, we hope it's gone well, we'll be able to talk to family later.

September, slippers and scarf

Well, the baby still hasn't come, a whole week overdue, I can hardly believe it, all that's happening is that I am getting larger and moodier.... well, that and some knitting.

This last couple of days have been a washout, obviously. I have acheived nothing but sat and knit to occupy my time. This means I have finished the dropstitch scarf. This is it washed and blocked and the colours look super, I hope she'll like it.





When I finished the scarf, I realised I had nothing to occupy my fingers, so I cast on a pair of felted cloggs last night (my gratitude to Rani for that pattern is unlimited). I got out the 9mm needles and realised that they were broken, so I used my 8mm needles, which of course was going to mean they would knit smaller slippers, so I knit the large instead of medium. I also didn't use the yarn the pattern called for, worsted weight, I used DK and held it double strand, they look right, so hopefully they will felt up nicely.


..... they are finished too (other than felting), so I'll have to cast something else on tonight, since the baby has shown no signs of appearing.

My Father in Law will be laid to rest on Thursday, we obviously wont make the funeral in Australia, so it's going to be a hard week.

Thanks for all your kind words and kind thoughts, I can't tell you how much it means to me.