I adapted the pattern a bit to knit it with sock-weight yarn and make it a decent size – mainly with the increasing and decreasing. I also knitted the legs separately than then grafted them on to the main body, as it was VERY awkward knitting with so few stitches and all the legs flying around!

I actually finished it in January – but waited until the little one arrived before posting it. As I had some time to kill and some yarn left over (I think there is enough for another toy), I thought I would finally knit a pair of Saartje’s Bootees.

I loved this pattern so simple, I did try and make the the normal way – but as I was so daunted my all that seaming, I opted for Fleegles’ Version, which is knitted on the round with a Turkish Cast On. I think I will be making a lot more of these in my future – a great way to use up all that left over sock yarn.

Obviously I am now way behind on my making 52 things in 52 weeks AND my letter writing. However before I feel ill I did make this little Valentine’s Day garland to hang in our bedroom. If I could I would decorate our house for every major holiday, at the moment I tend to go mad for Christmas and Halloween – which is also my birthday so I don’t have birthday decorations just scary ones, we also have a few football decorations for Jason’s birthday – I need to add a few more this year.

Making this garland was pretty simple I printed the words in Word (Arial Black at 200pts) to use as a template and the felt was a purchased from a Felt Mix Kit on eBay of Pinks and Reds. I cut out two of each letter to filled them with a little stuffing and then hand stitched them with embroidery thread. The little opening I used for stuffing was then sewn shut and attached to the ribbon.

In at attempt to catch up on my “making 52 things in 52 weeks” I figured I could bake a lot! However our oven is broken – so no baking for me! Secretly I am happy, our oven obviously was on it’s last legs and things were taking a lot longer to cook in fact there was a lot of guestimation on baking times. It does mean I will have to bake a lot in the next month to catch up.

As they entered their twenties, several of them moved down to London, they started having serious relationships, and as a result a a group of WAGs joined the OTB, and we would still meet up semi-regularly in London and always on Christmas Eve in the Old Town. As they entered their thirties and some of them moved overseas, they started to getting married and having children. That’s where the strange thing happened all the children where girls.

Two summers ago, I thought it would be nice to knit something for the newest OTB girls, after seeing Ysolda’s Poppy doll at Knit Nation I thought that was the perfect pattern. I had a practice run making a doll which eventually ended up with my sister and then started the mass production. Making three that summer for the two newest babies and ones older sister. Then that Christmas I made three more, this time for older girls so I made a few extra pieces of clothing.

Last of October another OTBg was born, with my lack of knitting mojo I never got around to knitting her a Poppy. However this past weekend it was her Dad’s birthday and attended his surprise 40th party, so it was the perfect opportunity for me to make another Poppy, this one to live in Leicester.

1. Sherlock – N/A (Box Set are on Amazon).
   One of my guilty pleasure has always been repeats of crime dramas on a Sunday afternoon, eating cream cakes, knitting and trying to work out whodunnit? Marple, Poirot and Sherlock Holmes – your years Holmes for me was always Jeremy Brett – until 2010, enter Benedict Cumberbatch! What can I say about this show, the modern interpretation, the witty dialogue and of course and amazing chemistry. I love this show and cannot wait for the next season.
2. I Heart Vegas – from Amazon
   This is a real guilty pleasure book, like the Shopaholic series from a few years ago. The I heart books, are the same diabolical scenarios, lovable characters and of course the style – Angela has an obsession with her Marc Jacobs handbag. I read the first two books in this series on vacation in Mexico a few years ago and over Christmas read this latest installment.
3. Vanilla Spice Latte – Varies from Starbucks
   I have made no secret of my Starbucks addiction, and as Gingerbread Latte season ends I am on the hunt for another drink to be obsessed with until the summer. When I saw the boards advertising this drink I thought I would give it a go – after all I like Vanilla and I love the other spiced drinks (Pumpkin as well as the Gingerbread), so it was worth a try, right? And as a result I have my new post Christmas drink.
4. Nail Envy £18 from Boots 
   Normally, I talk about the latest nail varnish shade I am in love with, but lately my nails have become a little brittle and rather than just cover them up with colour, I opted to look for a treatment. So for the last week I have been applying the treatment every night – and so far they are looking great.
5. Timehop – Free (just have to register online)
   This is the most amazing service, every wonder what you were tweeting about this time last year? Or what photos your were taking on instragram?  Well this is the site for you, after you link for social networking site, each morning you receive an email showing you all your updates from the previous year – I found this great fun over Christmas seeing that I was going to the same places and also tweeting similar things!

The Pay if Forward Gifts I made last time.

I did a Pay it Forward challenge a few years ago and it was a lot of fun. When one of my friends posted the challenge on Facebook last week, I knew I wanted to do it again.

Here’s the concept…

“Handmade Pay It Forward 2012 means that I promise to make something for the first five people who comment on this post or on my Facebook page!”*

If you are one of the first five to comment, then you must, in turn post this on your blog or Facebook status, and make something handmade for the first five people who comment on your post and so on.

Your item must be handmade by you and your recipient must receive their gift before the end of 2012.  Your item can be as complicated or as simple as you feel comfortable creating (a cup of tea works, as does a full blown handmade item).

*Incase more than 5 people comment, I will use the time that comments were posted to deduce the first 5

I have been toying with the idea of adding some structure to this blog… I did this a little last year with Making Mondays which I did enjoy but it seems to have died down this year, I would love to resurrected it maybe in another form – like W.I.P. Wednesday or F.O. Friday. Having the structure will hopefully help me blog more.

In a belated Making Monday, here is yet another Poppy (she is the eighth one I have made). It became obvious to me that I would not be able to knit Laar in a month (seriously who can knit a cardigan in a month) for my FOAM, so I quickly cast on this project over the weekend to make sure I had one finished project this month.

All Aboard Little Gia Pouch from Kate Spade

I love getting mail, not the boring white and brown envelopes from day to day life. I mean fun mail.
I love brown boxes from Amazon.
I love getting mailing catalogue from my favourite store (not good for the environment I know but I adore them).
I love squidgy parcel containing yarn (the thing I miss the most from the Knit Love Club is the silver parcels).
I love December when the doormat is covered in red envelopes.
I love the thick feel of an envelope containing a card on my birthday.
I love old blue airmail letters (although I don’t get a lot of these anymore).

I understand in modernity email, texting or using social media is easier, more convenient and cheaper, arranging a night out, updating your friends and family on some news or a quick how’s it going.

What I don’t get is the posting a message on Facebook for someone’s birthday (I have to admit I have done this, but am trying to change this year), or those e-cards send out a Christmas on mass to everyone in your address book or forwarding on stupid jokes (yes I know people who still do this).

My love of mail is probably why I spend a ridiculous amount of money online, why I sign up for swaps and why I wanted to do the 52 letters in a week, to spread the joy I got and hopefully to get a letter or two in return.

So far I have done well with the 52 project so far, sending a Thank You letter in the New Year for our Christmas presents to our friends and family. I held back one of the letter to Jason’s aunt until last week as she brought us some cinema vouchers and we didn’t get a chance to use them until that weekend – so I send her a card including a little review of the film. This week, I sent a little treat to someone for all the wonderful work she has done (I will keep it cryptic in case she is reading this and hasn’t got the parcel yet).

Remember if you want some fun mail from my this year or even a want to write to me (I promise I will write back), just leave a comment here and I will email you to get your details.

As 2012 started I opted to pick my knitting needle again. I looked at my WIP, the Grannie Smith Cardigan in Lace-Garn, it was nearly finished, I had seamed the body together and was working on the second sleeve. After really looking at it decided I hated it, as it was knitted in pieced the lace looked silly on the seams, the sleeves didn’t fit well and after nearly half a years worth, I wanted something I loved!

So I hunted on ravelry, and found a new pattern Laar, the body was knitted as one, the lace was simple and it has short row sleeves (a new techique for me) and the majority of the body was worked in stocking stitch – scored! After a week of solid knitting, I started the pleated under the bust and then started the lace, a week later I had finished the body.

However, one of the side effects of losing my knitting mojo was forgetting the whole, taking photos, updating my ravelry notebook and blogging. These photos where taken at haste in poor light on my iPhone this morning, so I had something to add to this post! I am hoping to get some better photos this weekend.

Do you update your ravelry page as you knit? Do you have your camera in your knitting bag? How do you insure you blog about your WIPs.

Last Year, I opted to make a plan for the year rather than resolutions and this seemed to work quite well for me, I did get sidetracked after my two doubts of hibernation following my spells in hospital, but I intend to continue these plans for this year, it encourage me to be more creative and also take time out for me each week.

1. Knit at least 12 items.
   Over on the Socktopods board on Ravelry they are having a FOAM (Finished Object A Month) Challenge, I love this idea, last year knitting was one of the few things that was pushed to the side as I tried to balance the work/home equation, but it is still my major hobby, so I like the idea of having something to show for it each month.
2. Knit at least one larger item for me (a cardigan or sweater).
   Having recent discovered a hidden (long forgotten about) stash of yarn, I have realized I have enough yarn for 5 sweaters, I would hope to a least one wearable item at the end of this year.
3. Make something every week – either a knitted, sewn, baked or a paper craft.
   I really enjoyed doing this last year, taking time out every week to make something with my fair hands. It seems in our busy lives we don’t get the chance to enjoy simple things in life any more, cooking is done out of necessity, finishing that knitting project on time can become a chore, other hobbies get pushed to the side as we try to organise our free-time.
4. Post a letter/card/postcard/parcel a week.
   I failed managing to complete this last year (I think I managed about 24 letters in total), but I am determined to do it this year, I love receiving mail and I know I am not the only one.
   Same thing goes as last year, if you would like a letter leave a comment below and I will contact you to get your details and write to you some time over the next 12 months.
5.  Continue to work my way through the 100 AFI Films list and my aim to read 100 books.
   Although I did read a lot last year, I think aiming to read a book a week was a bit much, this is fine for Chick Lit or Young Adult book, but it was impossible for me to read a tome like The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest in seven days. I am hoping this year technology will help me with this two. Firstly, I now have a Kindle4 (instead of using the Kindle App), which is small enough to fit in my bag to carry with me. Secondly, we now have a Lovefilm subscription so I can view films with the click of a button (or link).

As I haven’t done one of these posts for a while, I thought I would create a list just before Christmas of all the things that have been helping me get in the festive spirit (with only a little alcohol involved).

1. Gingerbread Lattes – Varies from Starbucks
   The run up to Christmas seems to start earlier and earlier each year, for me there are two key events that marks the beginning of Christmas, the Coca Cola Trucks advert and the Red Cups at Starbucks! As the days get colder one of my favourite ways to unwind on a pre-Christmas afternoon off, is in Starbucks reading a good book and sipping a gingerbread latte.
2. Crimble Crumble – Varies from Pret
   I’m not a huge fan of most the Christmas desserts, I don’t like Christmas Cake or Pudding, but I love Mince Pies. Obviously, homemade ones are the best, however when I need refueling whilst out Christmas shopping, I love the Pret slices, a mince pie with a spiced crumble topping, perfect for the Christmassy pick me up.
3. Love Actually – N/A
   I know there are hundreds of Christmassy movies out there, but this is a film I like to watch a few weeks before Christmas to cheer me up! The inter-connecting love stories, the getting ready for Christmas and of course all of set in London.
4. Philosphy’s Gingerbread Girl Body Lotion from £18.00 available from Boots
   As I mentioned I love Gingerbread, to me the smell just reminds me of more recent Christmases, probably all the Lattes I have been drinking. This time of year I have to add more lotion into my beauty regime – to make up for the chapped skin from the cold and central heating, so if I have to apply loads of cream it might as well be my favourite Christmas scent.
5. Winter Wonderland – N/A
   Whilst I do love the idea of a Dickens Christmas in London, we all know the snow here is that horrid grey slush, or the Thames will never freeze for us to ice skate on, so instead we need fake snow and man-made ice-skating rinks. Winter Wonderland is an amazing mix of little market stalls, places to eat and drink and hundreds of fun things to do – from ice skating to the circus. For a lovely evening you can sip alcoholic hot chocolate or mulled wine in the heart of Hyde Park pretending you are in for ski chalet in the Alps.