Nose Balloons: The Next Big Thing.

I swear, by March everyone will have them.
Normal balloons are just so 2010.
Even those long balloons that make a big weeeeeeeeee noise when you let them go, they're really last season. Munchkin knows it - just look at the disappointment on her face.

I've managed to get hold of a hot-off-the-press photo of the latest trend. The quality isn't great because Mr pickledweasel was laughing so much he couldn't hold the camera still it was at a top secret location, and they were taken using a hidden camera, they're that exclusive.

I know you're dying to get your hands on one, so I'll let you into a little secret. You can buy them online from net-a-porter, or if you're lucky enough you'll be diagnosed with glue ear (a condition so exclusive it's normally reserved for children under the age of 9), and you'll get them on prescription. Remember, you heard it here first!

Best laid plans...

This morning I am learning all sorts of interesting things. Like, I didn't know that Squiglet is actually a boy (I thought he was a girl). And Mr Tumble has a hamster called Harry.



I am sat in front of CBeebies because Munchkin is poorly. She was sick (all over our new carpet) earlier this morning, and is currently sat on the sofa looking peaky, although she is managing to eat a cracker (update: during the writing of those post the cracker has re-emerged, all over the sofa). Despite her insistence that she is not going to be sick again, and can we go to Run Amok now, I'm not so sure.



Which is a shame, because tonight was possibly going to be the poshest and most exciting night of the last three years. Maybe even the poshest and most exciting night of my life. Mr Pickledweasel and I were due to go to Gibbon Bridge, for a champagne reception, dinner in a private dining room*, and bed and breakfast. In a suite. All for free, courtesy of Mr Pickledweasel's work.



Grandma pickledweasel was due to babysit, but I can't leave her with a poorly child who'll ask for me all night. So instead of amuse bouches, Moet and a uninterrupted nights sleep with a lie-in guaranteed, I'm facing a night on my own with a vomiting child. The cheery pictures that accompany this post are Munchkin modelling her new snowman snood made using Kitschy Coo's tutorial, just to try and lift the mood a bit. No, those aren't tears in my eyes. They're just bits of melting snow.


* I'm imagining it'd be like that scene at the end of Layer Cake, where they all have cigars. Only without the guns and shooting.

(Success + Fail) x vomiting child = Cadbury's creme egg

I am having an 'awkward' sewing phase, a bit like some sort of stitchy adolescence. One week it's all finding out I've gone up a cup size and getting a nice smile of that boy in the lower 6th and the next it's a zit in the middle of my forehead and falling over with my dinner tray in the middle of the refectory.*

My glowy success was being asked by Kitschy Coo to test a pattern for her (which is an honour in itself), and finding that not only was it quite an easy pattern to follow, but that I did a good job of it, it looks great, and Munchkin asked to keep it on after we had finished our 'photoshoot'. This does not normally happen. Earlier this week I had laid out her clothes for the day and she was picking each thing up, and saying, 'yes' after looking at each one - tights 'yes', vest 'yes', t-shirt 'yes', dress that mommy made 'no no no no noooooooo'.

Anyways, these are the pics of Munchkin in her new cowl neck tunic. The pattern isn't quite ready for buying yet, KC's doing a few last minute tweaks, but you may as well go and buy all the rest of her patterns in the meantime, as they're all equally as fabulous.

My fail was my very own pattern number two. Buoyed by the success of pattern number one, I got straight down to a second one, this time a little cardigan for munchkin. As much as I love knitting, I don't have the patience, skills, or time to do full on garments, so I thought it would be nifty if I could make a little fleece cardigan to pop over dresses when it's a bit nippy. I called it 'Big Button Cardi', and knew exactly what it would look like - round necked, open fronted but fastened with one button at the top, so you could see the pretty dress underneath, and it would be made of fleece but lined with a nice cotton print.

Only I'm on draft number three and I'm losing the will to live, as well as running out of scrap fabric to make rubbishy toiles with. My sleeves are too tight, but I can't seem to make them wider without changing my body block, and when I came to make the last toile up my fleece exterior sewed up beautifully, whereas my cotton interior had sleeve tops that didn't fit armholes, yet I used the same pattern pieces for both.

I've not taken any photos of the resulting monstrosities, because they're proper Frankenstein affairs and I want to present you with lovely pictures of the finished garment in all its perfect glory, not terrible crimes against pattern cutting. So you'll just have to wait. You might be waiting for a while...

To top everything off Munchkin has been poorly with a really tricksy 'one minute I'm fine and playing with my Duplo and the next minute I'm throwing up and crying' illness. I thought she would be better today, but she's eaten very little and has been flopping about on the sofa for most of the day, bless her. Unfortunately illness didn't seem to have any effect on her getting up routine - 6am as per usual. And I'm stupidly tired as I was up til all hours trying to make arms wider and necklines curve properly.

Which leads me to the Cadbury's creme egg. Not everyone's cup of tea, I know, but I love them. I sent a text to mr pickledweasel asking if he could get me one on his way home from work, and he gave me a big hug when he got home because he said he knew things were bad if I had to send an emergency creme egg request :) I've just eaten it, and the world seems a much better place.

* This actually happened to me. Only I didn't just fall, I sort of tripped and landed on my knees and then did a knee skid for about 5 metres.

Bleeeeee.

I am feeling rough today, because I picked up a bug from Munchkin. Grandma pickledweasel babysat for us on Fri night so we could go to a community meeting about wheelie bins*, and while we were out Munchkin was sick all over herself and her unfortunate baby sitter :( I'm guessing it's something she's got from nursery, which considering she only goes for one afternoon a week is quite impressive.

I foolishly went to The Trafford Centre yesterday to look for something to go with the ridiculously flimsy purple dress I've bought for a wedding in October. And I had to take Munchkin with me because everything's gone pete tong at mr pickledweasel's work and he had to spend the afternoon looking at spreadsheets. I managed not to throw up, despite having to drive round for half an hour looking for a parking space, battle my way through hoards of people, and sit in the longest traffic jam ever on the way home. Bleeee. I'm nearly back to normal today, although mr pickledweasel can't hold anything down. I am making him sip flat lucozade to try and keep his liquids up.

However, this little reversible tunic I made is cheering me up no end. I bought the pattern from someone on Etsy, and in her listing she included the glorious words, "It is just fine to sell the completed pinafore to whomever you'd like." So in theory I could do custom orders through my Coriandr shop if I decide to.

It was all going swimmingly until I had to cut notches under the armpit seams to reduce bulk - I went a bit too far with the scissors :( I've sort of darned the hole back together again, but as it's under the armpit I'm hoping no-one will notice. Lesson learnt!

Sorry for the model-free photos, Munchkin was still feeling a bit off colour when I finished it, and although she did try it on for me, she really wasn't in the mood for a photo-shoot. This is a size 2T, and is meant for next summer, hence the lightweight cotton. Next task is to make a winter version with some baby cord.

* This is a whole other post, but I probably can't write about it because it's a bit sensitive - basically wheelie bins that are left in the back alley have had their lids removed, paint poured on them, dog pooh put on top of them, and set on fire. Coincidentally, someone who lives in our street has been saying quite vehemently that they don't think people should leave their wheelie bins in the back alley, they should keep them in their yards. Hmmmmm.

Beautiful button and blogging in bed.

My sewing machine is better - turns out it was the evil self-adhesive velcro I was using for my bib fastenings. I was sewing it on as well as sticking it, and the adhesive from the back was getting all over the needle, and the thread was sticking to the needle and not making stitches. So now I'm back to using plain sew-on velcro, and all is well.

Apart from me :( I'm in bed with a stinking cold, and Munchkin has been dispatched off to the seaside for the day with Grandma Pickledweasel. I miss her. And I wanted to go to the seaside too. I am feeling very sorry for myself. But this lovely button is cheering me up - Munchkin and Grandma Pickledweasel bought it for me as a present on one of their recent expeditions. I am going to while away the day in bed dozing and dreaming of the perfect project to use it on....