Spring Sale!

Baby Knit is having it first ever spring sale on Facebook right now!

Head on over to Baby Knit and check out the limited edition spring collection!

Heres a peek at my fab spring tops. Made from pure cotton yarn, these are so comfy, you wouldnt want to take it off!

Baby Knit is donating 10% of all proceeds of this sale to the Heart Foundation! Feel good about shopping!

Crochet Blanket in 3 Colours

Alrighty ..... back with another fabulous pattern.

Blanket measures approx. 80 cm X 120 cm

Colours used: 

Main Colour (MC): Pale Purple 

1st Contrast (C1): Pale Pink

2nd Contrast (C2): Cream

Tension:

26 sts X 20 rows in pattern for 10 cm(4 inch). Check tension carefully. If less sts to 10 cm, use smaller hook, if more sts, ue larger hook.

The blanket in the picture has been made using 3.00 mm hook.

Abbreviations:

tr below: 1tr in next st 2 rows below, enclosing 3ch of previous row.

Note: 

When changing colours, use new colour to work final lp of last st in old colour. Do not break off colours. Carry them up loosely along the side of work until required again.

Blanket:

Using 3 mm hook and C1, make 211ch.

Set up row 1: Using C1, miss 3ch, 1tr in each of next 3ch, *3ch, miss 3ch, 1tr in each of next 3ch*. Repeat from * to last ch, 1tr in last ch.

Set up row 2: Using C2, 4ch, miss 4tr, *tr below in each of next 3foundation ch, 3ch, miss 3tr. Repeat from * to turning ch, sl st in turning ch.

Begin Pattern:

Row 1: Using MC, 3ch, *tr below in each of next 3 tr, 3 ch, miss 3tr*. Repeat * to last 4 sts, tr below in each of next 4tr.

Row 2: Using C1, 4ch, miss 4tr, *tr below in each of next 3tr, 3ch, miss 3tr*. Repeat * to turning ch, sl st in turning st.

Row 3: Using C2, as Row 1.

Row 4: Using MC, as Row 2.

Row 5: Using C1, as Row 1.

Row 6: Using C2, as Row 2.

Rows 1 to 6 form pattern. 

Continue in pattern until work measures about 116 cm from beginning, ending with Row 3.

Fasten off C1 and C2.

Next Row: Using MC, 1ch, 1dc in each of next 4tr, *tr below in each of next 3tr, 1dc in each of next 3tr*. Repeat * to last st, 1 dc in turning  ch. Do not fasten off.

Work Border:

Work 2 rows tr along same short, inc and dec if required to keep work flat. Fasten off.

Using MC, work 1 row dc evenly along one long side of blanket (working over carried yarn skips). Fasten off.

Repeat for other long side.

Enjoy!!

Smock Pattern Girls Cardigan (3 - 6 Months)

I got this beautiful pattern from my mum. I have not tried my hand at it yet .... but my mum has done wonders with it. 
The instructions here are for size 3 - 6 months. If you would like instructions for other sizes, please feel free to contact me.
So here goes:

Tension:

29 sts X 35 rows for 10 cm X 10 square in St. st

Needles:

3.25 mm, UK size 10, US size 3

Pattern (Multiple of 4) + 2 sts:

R1 (right side) :K1, *K1, P2, K1* to last 1 st. K1.
R2: P1, *P1, K2, P1* to last st. P1.
R3: K1, *TL, TR* to last st. K1
R4: P1, *K1, P2, K1* to last st. P1.
R5: K1, P1, *TR, P2* to last 4 st. TR, P1, K1
R6: As R4
R7: K1, *TR, TL* to last st. P1
R8, 10, 12, 14: *P2, K2* to last 2 sts. P2
R9, 11, 13: *K2, P2* to last 2 sts. K2

Back:

CO 90 sts.

Knit 4 rows.

Work even in St. St (K 1 row, P 1 row) until piece measures 4 1/2 inches (11.25 cms) ending with WS row.
Next Row: Decrease 32 sts. evenly across (58 sts)
Begin smock pattern. Continue working in pattern until piece measures 5 inches (12.5 cms) from CO edge, ending with WS row.

Shape Armhole:

Continuing in smock patter, BO 4 sts at the beginning of next 2 rows (50 sts)
Continue working in pattern until armholes measure 4 1/2 inches (11.25 cms)
BO loosely.

Left Front:

CO 44 sts.
Knit 4 rows.
Work even in St. St. (K 1 row, P 1 row) until piece measures4 1/2 inches(11.25 cms).
Next Row: Decrease 14 sts. evenly across (30 sts)
Begin smock pattern.
Continue in pattern until piece measures 5 inches (12.5 cms) from CO edge, ending with WS row.

Shape Armhole:

BO 4 sts (26 sts). Continue working in patter until armhole measures 2 1/2 inches (6.25 cms), ending with RS row.

Shape Neck:

BO 6 sts (20 sts), continue in pattern.
Continue in pattern, decrease 1 st. every other row at the neck edge. 5 Times (15 sts)
Continue working in pattern until armhole measures 4 1/2 inches (11.25 cms)
BO loosely.

Work Right Front same as Left Front

Sleeves:

CO 44 sts.
K 4 rows.
Work R1 - R7 of pattern, continue in St. St. (K 1 row, P 1 row) until piece measures 1 inch (2.5 cms)

Shape Cap:

BO 4 sts at the beginning of next 2 rows (36 sts)
Decrease 1 st at the each end of next RS row. 7 times (22 sts)
Next Row: K1, K2tog to last st, K1
Next Row: P
Next Row:  K2tog across
Next Row: BO purlwise.

Button Band (Both sides):

Pickup 58 sts along the edge.
Knit 3 rows.
Next 4 rows: Work K2, P2 ribbing.
BO loosely.

Collar:

Pickup 52 sts around neck.
R1: K
R2: K3, P to last 3 sts, K3
Repeat rows 1 and 2: 3 times.
Next row: K
Next row: BO knitwise

Sew up all the pieces, and you are ready to rock!

Phew!! That is one huge piece of work. But, at the end of all that hard work, you get this exquisite piece of work for your little one!

Enjoy!

P.S. :

Just drop me a line if you would like this pattern:

• In PDF format
• With instructions for other sizes
• Order a custom cardigan

Cuddle up!

Just finished photographing and uploading my latest hand-knit blankets. They look awesome ... (if I say so myself!).
Here are some of the photos:

Check out some more photos at :
http://babyknit.com.au/collections/baby-blankets

Would love your comments on  these!

Banana Bread

 

Last day of term ... yaay!

The kids and I can't wait to get back to school. School also means a million snacks, play dates after school ... and lots of hungry, picky children popping over unplanned. That is why we are all scrambling to have some snack ready at all times. Breads come in handy as snacks .. and that is why I set about looking for a new bread recipe to try.

I had some really ripe bananas which I needed to do something about. So it seemed like a good idea to go for a banana bread, and I found this truly wonderful recipe. I have copied the recipe here, along with a few changes that I made.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas. I mashed them up in my little blender, but you could use a fork ... whatever suits you :).

• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar. I used raw sugar, and it worked great.
• 2 cups plain flour.
• 3 tbsps water, 3 tbsps oil, 2 tsps baking powder, mixed together IN THAT  ORDER about 5 minutes before using. Please do not make the mixture too much ahead of time, or it will lose some of the fizz and the cake will not rise very well.
• 1/4 tsp baking soda.
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence (this is of course optional)

Method:

• Preheat oven  to 350 degrees.
• Mix all the above ingredients IN THE GIVEN ORDER (this is very important, as if the order is changed the result is not as good.)
• This is the point where I added 1/2 cup sultanas :-) which were not in the original recipe.
• Pour the mix into a cake/bread pan and bake till skewer comes out clean.

It looks YUMM, and smells YUM and you basically you want to have it straight away ... which is what my kids did :-).
Lucky it was a big one, so I did manage to save some for tomorrow!

My kids loved it with cream cheese, and my husband and I tried it with ice-cream which worked great as well...

I hope you try it too. I am going to be making this quite often now. Thank you Rose a.k.a Magpie :-)

Falafel Salad

Falafel Salad

We are all always on the look-out for a new recipe to try, and I, for one, depend on the internet to help me out in this one! Not being too much of a cook.....I generally keep strictly to the directions in the recipe.....trying a new recipe is dangerous enough....lol.

Anyways.....a few days ago I picked up a packet of ready falafel mix. My kids and my husband are not too big on wraps.....so I really didn't know what to do with the falafel balls once I had them fried out according to the packet instructions. What a pickle!!!

"And then I had an Idea!!!"......I really did! Here's how:

Ingredients:

1. 12 meduim sized falafel balls, cut into quarters.
2. 2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped.
3. 1 400 gm. can of chickpeas/five bean mix, rinsed.
4. 1/2 green bell pepper, very very finely chopped.
5. 1/2 red pepper, very very finely chopped.
6. 1/2 cup cucumber, finely chopped.
7. 1/4 cup coriander, finely chopped.
8. 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
9. salt and pepper to taste.

And now, mix ingredients 1-5 in a salad bowl.
Add salt and pepper to lemon juice, and give it a nice shake.
Drizzle this lemon juice onto the salad, and garnish with coriander.

My kids HATE onions, otherwise I'd have loved to add a little bit of finely chopped salad onion into the salad. Anways....go ahead and give it a shot. Besides, as you have already figured out, you can always give one of the ingredients a slip because you don't like it...or add one that you love :)

Quick Tip: I have always noted that little teeth find crunchy salads to be too much work, and I fond that this helps:
I give crunchy stuff like green/red/yellow peppers, carrot cubes, even baby corn kernels a go in the microwave.....this softens them a bit...without cooking them through!

And now....I WISH I HAD TAKEN A PHOTO OF THE SALAD :-((. Well....next time I will!!!! Or even better, if you try out this salad, do email me a picture, and we can put it up here