The weather continues in its unpredictable vein, with 4 seasons in one day being the norm. The school holidays are flying by and the house selling/purchasing saga continues.

So when we were gifted a warmish and sunny day last week, we hit the park for fun and photos.

This is another great workhorse of a sweater from Ma.  The pattern is an old Wendy/Peter Pan pattern number 747.  The yarn is a mystery acrylic blend, which is perfect for mudlarks as it can be thrown in the washing machine and tumble dried if necessary.

Slightly oversized but not sloppy this is a great shape for layering for warmth, with plenty of room for climbing and playing.

Cute fan shaped bobbles make the boxy shape more feminine.

You can never tell with Miss Button if something you make for her will be worn to rags, or languish at the back of the wardrobe hardly worn.  This is one of the former. It’s her current go to sweater for playing out and park days and just generally keeping cosy.

My friend Liz has a seemingly bottomless stash of mystery yarn, and every now and again she passes a bag to me to be knitted into something lovely for the kids.

Invariably I pass this yarn to Ma, and she works the magic with her lightning quick needles.

These two sweaters are no exception.

First up is Igor…a free pattern from Drops Design available to download from Ravelry here.

Such a cute pattern….cables and moss/seed stitch get me every single time.

Add in an adorable sea-foam yarn and my sweet little blonde girl, and you’ve got a match made in heaven.

The matching hair clips were serendipitous.

This yarn is soft and has a beautiful drape.  The sweater is just oversized enough to be slouchy and give some growing room.

I know I’m biased, but seriously, could she be any more adorable?

And if that’s not enough…Boy got a new cardigan too.

I love his this James Dean pose.  He cracks me up!

I also love this honeycomb cable.  This pattern is from the Jolly Beachcomber book that Ma has knitted from many times before.  If you haven’t bought that book yet, go an do it now. Please! We absolutely love the patterns and just keep going back to this book time and again.

That smile!  I die!

It being the first dry day of the week we made the most of our trip to the park.

The walled garden is the perfect place for high speed scooter races.

We couldn’t leave Carter at home.

And finished with a quick pit-stop at the cafe.

Perfect!

I finally have something new to share with you.  Although it’s not one of my makes.

This is one of Ma’s!

It’s from the book Labour of Love by Vibe Ulrik Sondergaard.

This is such a lovely book.  The pattern here is Matilda and the yarn is Rowan cotton.

I love this rich cranberry colour on Button.  Especially at this time of year when she’s looking a little tired and pale.  It really perks her up (roll on the Christmas holidays and some time off school!)

I also love how this yarn has beautifully crisp stitch definition which enhances the lovely textures of this design.

Ma knitted the largest size (a six I think) and we’re of the opinion the sizes run to the small side…but this still works perfectly for Button.  The only change to the pattern was that the neckline was very low so Ma added another repeat of the neck band in a single strand of yarn, rather than doubled as per the pattern instructions.

As always, it’s a triumph!  Thanks Ma!

Oh, could my post titles be any cornier?

Ma has been busy with the needles again, so here are the last couple of knits for the kids for a while.  They are all set up for the summer…it being England, and all!  Not renowned for it’s glorious sunshine and soaring temperatures! You’ll see what I mean with these pictures…it was grey and rainy yesterday…and it shows!

You’ll probably recognise this pattern from last year. It’s Little Montoya from Kate Jackson Knits. Button had rapidly outgrown her cream version and it’s too pretty a pattern not to revisit.

The Boy also has a sweater in the same yarn, Hayfield Bonus Aran.

I suspect this pattern is from the Jolly Beachcomber book.  I suspect Ma will comment if it’s not.

I had the Devil’s own job getting these photos yesterday…they were both full of beans.

And I’m not pointing fingers, but Daddy was stood behind me at the time…. 😉

First up can I say a big thank you for all the lovely comments on the last post about The Boy’s surgery.  I cannot tell you how much they all mean to us and we’re hugely grateful for all the good wishes.

Thursday night he was more than a little miserable and he didn’t sleep much.  I got a lot of cuddles!

On Friday morning he was really freaked out by the fact that he could see two mummies, so we just stayed in our jammies and had a very lazy day.  At 8 o’clock he couldn’t even walk down the stairs.  By 3.30pm when we picked Button up from school, he was jumping off benches and balancing on kerbs!

I’m astonished at his resilience.

Today…he’s his normal ebullient self and is off visiting Grandma!

In his new red sweater knitted by her.

Pattern:  Jolly Beachcomber Knits, pattern number  2337.

Yarn: Hayfield bonus Aran

Bless him…he looks like he’s gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson!  It’s hard to see from the photo but he has bruising on his forehead and cheek from the retractors, and the makings of a cracking shiner!

At the moment the eye looks a little “over corrected” too, but I’m assured that as the swelling goes down this will settle into place.  And he tells me that it’s a “little bit hurty but its ok because it will get better soon”.  I love that boy!

I simply cannot get enough of red garments for these kids…it’s a great colour on both of them! And the Jolly Beachcombers pattern book is fabulous.  We go back to it again and again.

I am reliably informed that this is a “very nice sweater indeed”.

High praise from Mr Pickypants!