One of my best friends from school has just had her first baby - and I wanted to knit a little cardigan or blanket but they live in a very warm part of the world, and after a little online research, I realised they'd seldom need winter woolies.
I decided instead to make some small and friendly animals for baby Sam's bedroom: a rabbit, a cat and a bear. I used odds and ends of handspun yarn for the animal bodies and embroidery thread for the faces. The idea came from this Ravelry link: 'Anything Animals', by Rachel Borello Carroll - you can find the versatile pattern itself here.
I think it would make a great pattern for children who are learning to knit, because it's easily adaptable and quick.
Last weekend the kids and I made chocolate lamingtons for the first time. They were really delicious, the children were so proud of themselves, and the activity took up a good part of a rainy morning. And I'm so pleased that Arlo can now turn out a proper Kiwi sponge cake from scratch. I'm looking forward to exploiting this skill in the near future. ;)