Getting Crafty

After visiting Chilford Vineyard and the Patchwork exhibition at the weekend with my fab friend Pat, I ran up this little cushion cover for Frank from one of the many small pieces being sold. When I was putting him to bed the evening I made it I explained that I was going to make him a special cushion for snuggling on the sofa and resting on in the camper van. His little face lit up and so I left the completed cushion on the end of his bed for him to discover when he woke in the morning.
He came running in with it the following day and insisted on having it near him when he ate his morning porridge. It was covered in drips of oatmeal in seconds. I was momentarily dismayed but then swiftly got over myself as I reflected on what I had actually expected from the love match between a cushion and a porridge-fiend of a three year old!

There has also been a blanket from the book "Linen,Cotton, Wool" by Akiko Mano. In the book her minimalist blanket is all white and light. Mine is more suited to a lumberjack and family but has proven hugely popular among the whole family, Severine included. I found an old hospital blanket in the summerhouse and some fantastic soft brushed cotton at Franklins in Colchester. Vintage buttons will be sewn on each end to fix the two layers rather than the recommended bullion stitch. I have yet to do the buttons, as the blanket seems to be in constant use and so I can't get near it. It is true that it is cold here at the moment and we need our comfort. Maybe it's just right as it is...

I have also completed my Beaded Pulse Warmer from "Knitting Classic Style" by Veronik Avery.
I loved making this and will really enjoy wearing it I am sure.

That's the incomparable Eddy Merckx in the background there. He may have won the Tour de France five times and be one of the most amazing athletes ever, but can he knit a Beaded Pulse Warmer?

I think not.