Baby knits

Hubby and I are off to Rome in October to visit our friends and their twin baby girls. It would be rude to turn up empty handed so I had the perfect excuse to knit up a couple of little stripy cardigans in gorgeous Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I decided not to go with an obviously girly pink colour way   going instead for one in yellow and one in green. I used the same silvery grey for the contrast in both  and it's interesting how different it looks against each colour.

I had a small amount of yarn leftover so I used it in the border of a hat and did the main part in a Sirdar Snuggly Crofter yarn to add a bit of pattern.

I haven't sewn any buttons onto the cardigans yet as I haven't decided which to use but I'm currently liking these little pink flowery ones (well I've got to get a bit of pink in there somewhere!).

I think I have a problem...

...just how many shawls is it reasonable to make? I can't seem to stop casting them on, they're my absolute favourite thing to knit at the moment. I have just finished the Pebble Beach Shawlette by Helen Stewart. When it came off the needles it looked like a misshapen dishcloth but some strenuous blocking has revealed a lovely, lacy little wrap. I really like the way the front hangs down. This isn't a colour I would normally choose but it was part of the generous bag of yarn from a fellow yarnaholic and I'm actually quite drawn to the Limey yellow and how it contrasts with the grey.

This is a delightful pattern, well written and very clearly laid out. I want to cast another one on straight away but I already have a lace weight shawl on the go and I feel I should branch out to more useful things - things with sleeves, for example! I did finish the little bolero (with very tiny sleeves!) which has proved very useful as the Summer comes to a close.

I have done very little art of late but now that sons 1 and 2 have finally gone to university (for years 3 and 1 respectively) I feel like I have more mental and physical space to change this. Knitting and crochet are easy to do when chaos is all around you, it soothes the mind, but to do any art I really need peace and calm. A houseful of large and hairy young men is not really conducive to this! I hear a lot about empty nest syndrome where mothers are saddened by the quietness of their lives once their children have left home - I have to say that I have yet to feel anything but relief (that the fridge stays full, the bedrooms tidy and the washing machine is no longer on at least once a day!)