As every mother knows.......

......... its incredibly difficult to do ANYTHING with children around.

I had a child off school yesterday with a rather nasty cough. She managed to get past my cast iron defence against sicky days (I admit the lashing rain we woke up to helped her cause!).

Subsequently I spent pretty much the whole day mushing about not achieving anything (although we did watch Mamma Mia another couple of times, just to really get those songs embedded deep into our psyche!).

I was wondering why I didn't get on with anything productive/creative. We are out of the phase where just as you get into something someone trys to eat something they shouldn't, get stuck in the catflap or has a major poo emergency (well mostly!).

No, we have entered a new phase of 'interupting the flow' with those dreaded words

"Can I help!"

The words are a contradiction in themselves, they are very rarely helpful.

Of course it was with those immortal words that I have many of the skills I possess today (thanks mum!) , of which I am very grateful. With that said I generously step aside and let the kids have a go. Watching tentatively as they get the carder jammed and get very carried away with the spinning wheel. Luckly the short attention span meant it didn't last too long and they soon wandered off to make potions or terrorise some boys.

So with normality returned and everyone at school and work, (there was a brief attempt for a stay at home from the eldest, but I felt her excuse that Hedgehogs kept me awake all night was little weak),

I am off to Hand paint the 3 skeins of wool the children 'Helped' me card and spin!

Pics to follow shortly (promise).

Cheerio x

Is this the answer to the housing shortage?

BBC NEWS England Kent Knitted village put up for sale

Its got to be eco friendly right? and surely it will be warm? Could you live in a house like this?

I think i'd better get knitting!

Also here's a link to some wonderful sheep art I was discussing at college the other day.

YouTube - Extreme Sheep LED Art

My creative projects are in a bit of a dull moment. I have spent some time washing, carding and spinning some plain white fleece (trying to make a small dent to the massive stock pile of Hampshire wool I have in my parents garage). I will probably play around with dyeing the wool when its spun.

Hey Teach cardigan - Summer 2008 - Knitty is coming along nicely, I've nearly finished the back, its an absolute pleasure to knit, the softness of the bamboo and tencel just glides through the fingers.

I must go now and annoy the youngest by singing along very loudly to Mamma Mia!!

(payback for all those sleepness nights!!)

Enjoy x

Rhythm and a permission....

Whether it's down to the insight gained from my counselling training or my age (more than 21.....a little bit less than 40!!), I don't know, but I am finally getting the hang of the rhythm's of life. Whether they be the cycles of the seasons or the lunar phases, everything has a rhythm and I'm finding it a lot easier to get on with life if I just Go With The Flow.

I'm feeling a bit under the weather today, a number of reasons why, but a main one being nocturnal wanderings of a child. So in going with the flow I shan't be feverishly hoovering the living room and straightening the rugs (even though I have crafty ladies coming), I don't even think I'll bother putting any washing on.

No, today is about doing want HAS to be done and the rest of the time will be spent doing soothing activities like scouring some fleece, maybe a little dyeing. I might even (shock, gasp) watch a bit of tele and do some knitting (in the afternoon I hear you cry, thats just not done!)

Yes, sitting down in the afternoon, it is allowed (of course I have the luxury of not having to watch cbeebies to do it now)

Therefore, this post is an invitation and total permission to go and Have a little sit down if you want one!

Enjoy x


p.s I'm too tired to post pics so I'll take some of my soothing activites and post them during the Up Swing thats bound to follow soon.

Ahhhhhhhh.........

Well the Easter Hols are over and everyone has, somewhat reluctantly, gone back to school and work. If the intended purpose of school holidays is to have a restful time then we've failed. All 3 girls looked pretty worn out this morning, but I was thinking that may be a benefit. Tired children can just sit quietly and soak up the information can't they? Going back to school should give them a bit of a rest!!

Of course, going back to school marks the beginning of the last term. The summer term is for doing as much learning outside as possible, sports day (urrgh) and planning the summer entertainments. I'm on the school PTA so I will be gunning for a Sponsored Walk this year.

So far we're booked in for the Larmer Tree Festival Fun For Kids . I'm doing a Wonders of Wool workshop and can't wait. Lots of prep work though which I will probably typically leave to the last minute. Come and say Hi if you're going.

Other items on the agenda is my alternative route to Recession Busting. Instead of following the advice to shop our way out of recession (borrring) I shall be Knitting, Growing and Baking my way out who needs money anyway :-) .

I've found it almost impossible to be grumpy when on the allotment. I shall also be pumping a bit of time and energy into getting a plot going at our local school. To do something similar check out Landshare and RHS - Campaign for School Gardening - Home . Of course when I say 'pumping time and energy into' what I mean is nag/encourage/bribe the Man of the House to go up to school and help me make a plot!

And in the oven today is bread and a Lemon Drizzle cake.

After much pondering and computor gazing I found this pattern

Hey Teach cardigan - Summer 2008 - Knitty , so I've started knitting it (see left & right) and I'm imagining its going to be my protective garment, my suit of armour! Its going to be my Magic Teacher Top!

Now the weather is typically gorgeous so I really must be outside. I can feel a dyeing session coming on (that's wool people, please don't be alarmed) , which I might attempt outside on a fire and there's Art Therapy at the end of the week (almost forgotten about that didn't you! yes!) so there should be some interesting pictures soon.

Thanks for droping by.

Ta Ta x

All Change...

The children have all returned and I have a house full of noisy girls again......just how it should be!!

And not surprisingly I felt pretty knackered by the time bedtime rolled round, so it was an evening on the sofa with knitting and tele for company (the man was listening to the football upstairs). Sadly, I think I'm getting sucked into The Apprentice after I told myself I wouldn't!

I have finished Noah's trousers and they have been sent off with Nana to be delivered, as usual in my haste to get them to the recipient I didn't take any photo's of them finished but I'm hoping my lovely sis will send me a photo of Noah wearing them so that I can add them as the first Finished Object for the blog.

The scrap blanket, I have decided, is now to become a Scrap Cushion (possibly for my brother as he recently requested one). It wasn't really inspiring me, the squares I did in stocking stitch didn't lay right and I much prefered the squares I knitted in garter stitch (they hold their shape so much better). Being a bit of a perfectionist I'm going to start a new Mitred Square Blanket doing all the patches in garter st. I might even try and convince a child or two to knit some patches.

Its funny that I end up doing more creative things when the girls are around than when I am alone. I think its because I know there's not much point doing any housework as they will only make the house untidy again. Generally they get on pretty well and will often immerse themselves in a very involved game, so I tend to stay out of the way, providing food and water as required, leaving me to 'do my thing!'

On the spinning front, I have 5 skeins of the choco rasp drying which means an awful lot of time is spent going through patterns contemplating what it wants to be. I'm thinking wrap/stole vs garment.

A garment would be more interesting but then I always get anxious about not having enough wool to finish something so frog it then hate it! I do quite fancy a lovely woolly blankie type thing as well,

oh well, time will tell.

Now I have to decide whether its worth putting the washing out!