Something for your right royal wedding tea party

or any other special event come to think of it - many congratulations to the happy couple! (well you never know who reads one's blog!) This 'right royal cuppa tea cozy' pattern is yours to download now, for free, from ravelry!

Last minute Easter make - 'egg nest' & 'egg vase'

i love delicately coloured hedgerow and tiny rockery flowers which are so abundant at this time of year, and thanks to the warm weather we have been having i adore the scent of them, in particular the hedgerow ones because they remind me so of my childhood bike rides up and down country lanes, as it lingers on the air.  to display a tiny posy of them for a little easter display wash out an egg shell - one after having a soft boiled egg is good because only the very top has been taken off, paint the egg with white emulsion, gouache, poster or acrylic paint, leave dry them decorate - children love to do this - with simple leaves and flowers.
If you just wanted to display them as a vase, place a few stones in the bottom to weight them and to stop them toppling over then add water and flowers. for the knitted egg nest in which to hang your teeny posy here is the simple pattern:

Egg nest

Yarn shown – King Cole Bamboo Cotton

Cast on 3 sts using any 4-ply (fingering) or sportweight yarn and size 2.5mm (US size 0) needles.

1st rnd K3.

Work as i-cord; slide sts to other end of needle without turning, keeping gauge tight, pull working yarn across the back of the i-cord.

Rnd 2 (inc) [Kfb] 3 times. 6sts

Rnd 3 K6 - knitting each set of 2 sts over 3 needles. RS facing, join in rnd.

Rnd 4 (inc) [Kfb] 6 times. 12sts

Rnd 5 K12.

Rnd 6 (inc) [K1, Kfb] 6 times. 18sts

Rnd 7 K18.

Rnd 8 (inc) [K2, kfb] 6 times. 24sts

Rnd 9 K24.

Rnd 10 (inc) [K3, kfb] 6 times. 30sts

Rnd 11 K30.

Rnd 12 (inc) [K4, kfb] 6 times. 36sts

Rnd 13 K36.

Rnd 14 (inc) [K5, kfb] 6 times. 42sts

Rnd 15 K42.

Rep last rnd twice.

Rnd 18 [K2tog, yf) 21 times.

Rnd 19 K1, bind off 11sts, [k1, bind off 12sts] twice, k1.

Hanging ties

With 1^st set of 2 sts at the ‘corner’ of the nest work i-cord until cord measures approx. 15cm/6in. Cast off 2sts. Weave in end.

Rejoin yarn to another pair sts at another ‘corner’ and work i-cord to match length of other tie.

Repeat process with rem 2 sts so that you have 3 ties.

Either knot the ties at the end to link them tog, or pass a knitted stitch from each tie over an existing cup hook.

"Happy Easter Bunny Baby"

now on etsy too...

hello baby bunting

Happy Easter to you all, this pattern available on ravelry priced £1.50 - i'll upload onto etsy tomorrow...

Potting and pottering

and what a weekend again for doing such, and nothing much else besides. my daughter may (pictured) and i made the paper pots using the amazing paper potter - such fun, they look especially nice and pretty made from the boden  newpaper don't you think? i'll keep you posted as my seeds grow.
definitely one of my choiciest weekends so far this year! did you have a good time? hope so.

hen egg

i simply love breakfast - a good weekend or holiday breakfast - not a school morning down a quick bowl of instant porridge affair, oh no - rather a perfectly relaxed, preferably outdoors on a warm spring morning (am i asking too much? as you can see the photo below was taken indoors so perhaps i am asking too much), one with eggs - a boiled one or scrambled set atop a buttered bagel, bacon, toast, apricot jam and a hot pot of good tea.
to celebrate breakfast i've a simple free pattern here or here for an easter egg cozy to pretty up the easter breakfast table...

it's nearly bunny time

so how's about this for an extremely fun easter tea party centre piece? - the pattern for this fun & honey bunny tea cozy costs just £1.50 and is available from Ravelry - beats a chocolate egg any day!