Magpie’s Stash

Well, the hat is looking like this:

hat with ruffled edges, half knitted on circular needles.

and Bob has arrived and is now called Jacob (lovely!). I hadn’t really envisaged how fluffy, and well, girly the hat would be (well, the pattern does call for it to be decorated with flowers). The other issue is the size. I do seem to knit rather large, and this hat went all the way round J’s head. It may be an adult size hat! I might have another go after it is finished in a 4-ply stripy sock yarn, with smaller needles and/or decrease the number of cast-on. That might make one suitable for Katie. Jacob will have to wait until I have found a stripy type beanie pattern I think.
I’m finding knitting on circulars much easier than with the dpns - my stitches kept on disappearing with the latter, which was very frustrating. I do seem to spend all my time shoving stitches round the curve though - maybe I’m doing something wrong.

Katie seems to have tired of porridge for breakfast, so we’re trying something new - pancakes/drop scones with fruit.
The quantities make a plate of pancakes big enough for even the most ambitious baby, with plenty to throw on the floor. Top them with plenty of fruit, and a dollop of greek yoghurt as we did and you have a feast! Make sure you make them fairly small, so they’re easy to pick up - about a teaspoon of mixture each. They will be very hot when they first come out of plan, but you can placate your baby with some of the fruit until they are cool enough to eat. And obviously, increase the quantities to make some for all the family. (Sadly my gallstones mean they’re off the menu for me).

50g self-raising flour,
80mls milk
1/2 egg, beaten.
25g sugar (optional - nice if they’re for adults)
chopped fruit of your choice - try mango, kiwi, strawberry, banana….
greek yoghurt (as it’s thick it sticks easily to everything else)

Remember, everyone’s child is different. If you’re avoiding certain foods for allergy/other reasons on medical advice, you can save this recipe for later on when it will be more suitable.

Beat together flour, milk and egg (and optional sugar) until smooth, about the consistency of single cream. Vary the amount of milk if required. Heat some oil in a pan, and when it is sizzling, drop teaspoons of the mixture in. They will very quickly form a crust round the edge, and you will see bubbles forming. Flip them over with a palette knife and cook the other side. Cool on a piece of kitchen roll while you chop up the fruit topping. I use greek yoghurt to dollop on top since it sticks to everything and won’t fly off too easily when being waved around.

I’m starting my next project - a hat. It’s knit in the round so I need some stitch markers to show where each round starts. Like the rest of the internet I decided to quickly whip up some beaded ones. The most difficult part was going to the bead shop and deciding which beads to choose.

stitch markers

Now to cast on the 224 stitches to begin!

Gosh it’s very hot today. The baby and I are sweltering indoors, outdoors the sultry air lands on your skin like a blanket, indoors it’s slightly lighter. We ventured out to buy a few essentials - shampoo, toilet rolls, bread and knitting needles.
I’ve finished the very simple booties that I was knitting for my friend’s new baby - due any time now so that was good timing. Now I’m going to try something new - knitting on double-pointed needles. I’ve found an adorable hat pattern that looks very simple, and am going to do that in the same yarn. Hang in there Bob!