Easter's coming...

...and Maxine is planning a new window display for Marmalade Yarns.  This was the perfect excuse to make one of the birds featured on the cover of this magazine...

Thanks to the extensive instructions it was a very simple, although time-consuming, make.  I may have been a little over enthusiastic with the stuffing though, as it looks rather well-fed!

This is it looking longingly into the garden, wishing it could get its fat belly off the ground! I'm not sure if Maxine will want it in her lovingly constructed window, but I'm determined to get him in anyway - I'll sneak him in somewhere when she's not looking. It could be an Easter version of Where's Wally!

What next then? Well, I should be doing some work for a craft sale at Bath Library on 12th April but I find myself knitting an Easter egg instead, like you do!

Early arrivals...

I was slowly and happily getting on with the crochet blankets for our friends' babies when I suddenly had to up my pace, with the news of their arrival 6 weeks early. Thankfully they are both well and will be home soon, so this week found me in a crocheting and knitting frenzy so I could send the parcel off to Rome as soon as possible.

I wanted the blankets to be different but complementary, so I used the same colours but different patterns. The Rowan wool cotton is lovely to work with and I really like these Spring colours. The finished items have a lovely lightweight feel and drape to them and I will definitely use this yarn again.

I also made a couple of little cardigans and hats - they may not last them very long, but I wanted them to have something they could wear straight away, and they're just so cute (and fast to make!) when 

they're that tiny!