knitted things: french knitting

I have this huge ball of french knitting that kids and adults alike are fascinating with. Well it was one but now it's in three, it's deteriorated a little bit with Moo's playing. The colours are so good to get tangled up in and there's endless possibilities for imagination to play with - a fishing line, a skipping rope too name a few.

Moo's Great Grandad knitted it over a couple years when he had damaged his hands and couldn't work for sometime. The knitting helped strengthen his hands and then he just carried on. When Moo was a baby I acquired it off her Grandma, she thinks it's around 30 years old.

Fun writing words or making pictures.

Rolling balls.

The french knitting quickly covers Moo's bedroom.  I love it, so does Moo. 

a blankie or two for mima

While pregnant with Mima I knitted a small basket weave blanket. It was the first thing I made for Mima, I really wanted to make something special for her and this seemed perfect.
Basket weave looks impressive but is actually really simple, you just alternate between the two most basic knitting stitches knit and pearl.
I used a lovely soft bamboo yarn in a pale turquoise color.
When the blanket was completed it seemed awfully small and I wondered if it would only be used for a dolls bed. When she was first born we used it as a layer in her hammock, it was the perfect size for a new born. When she graduated to a cot I placed the blanket in with her as a familiar item to snuggle. At the time I had not idea what I was starting! Blankie is now the most important item in Mima's life. Which is so lovely to see. But this created a problem, how do I get Blankie away from her for a wash or worse, what if we lost it? Luckily I had some bamboo yarn left so I started knitting, I didn't have the same amount of yarn or time so Blankie II is a slightly different shape, more squat. Mima doesn't mind at all and loves both equally.

green smoothies : matakana superfoods

For the last month we've been having smoothies for breakfast during the week. It's such a good start to the day. I don't if it's the change of season being spring in New Zealand but we feel the need to boost ourselves with healthy foods right now.

We're obsessed with Matakana Superfoods - Super Greens with Chlorella Cracked Cell and Spirulina Powder.

Here I have two Green Smoothies for you. Pictured is the Tropical 

Tropical Green Smoothie
½ a pineapple - skinned and chopped
1 banana - peeled and chopped
1 handful of baby spinach leaves - washed
2 teaspoons Super Greens
2 ice cubes 
½ a glass water

Blend ingredients. Serves 2-3 

Simple Green Smoothie
1 banana
1 weetbix
1 glass soy milk
1 teaspoon Super Greens
2 icecubes

Blend ingredients. Serves 2

homemade playdough

I've been making homemade playdough for Moo since she was around one year old. The recipe is so incredibly simple, I have it scribbled on the back on an envelope from a friend in my recipe file. There's something about the texture of homemade playdough that you just can't get with the manufactured product.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups Flour

½ cup salt

2 tablespoons Cream of Tartar

2 cups Boiling water

2 tablespoons oil

Food colouring

Method

1. Shift flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large bowl.

2. Pour in the boiling water and oil and mix quickly to make a soft dough.

3. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes or until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.

4. Divide in the amount of colours you wish to make. Add food colouring and conitnue to knead until colour is even.

5. Store in airtight containers in the fridge. Will last a few months.

We made all the colours of the rainbow, I doubled mixture to make this many colours.

up-cycle : pretty prints for Mima

I had a few garments for the clothing bin but I really liked the prints. So I thought I would use the fabric to make some summer clothes for Mima. Being a wee thing it was easy to get a pair of trousers and a pair of bloomers out of two old shirts for her. I also made a top out of a pair of Karen Walker boat pants which I had sadly ripped last summer.
I cut patterns from some of her existing clothes, but you can find loads of patterns on the internet.

It is so nice to give these fabrics new life, and doesn't she look adorable x

rainbow connection : the tea towel

crafting

Louise from Mima and Moo also writes a weekly craft post for the blog of the lovely American children's fashion magazine Babiekins. We are so happy to be part of this blog. Below are the posts we have done so far:
Fake Plastic Painted Animals

Rosette Picture Frame

Floral Headband