Toasties.

Me and my big girl.

Its a fascinating, exciting and challenging thing to watch your first born grow up. To watch her push through developmental stages. To see what excites her, what challenges her, what inspires her and what upsets her. To celebrate her achievements and to struggle with her difficulties. To watch her slowly become who she is going to be.

Lately I've been watching her flit between wanting the independence and freedom of a teenager to being really childlike. I guess that's what being 10 is all about.

With her friends here for a few days over the weekend I watched her act too cool for school at times pushing boundaries and showing us and her sisters attitude and then other times she reverted back to being my baby needing cuddles when she fell over and hurt herself and thanking me profusely for feeding and looking after her and her friends.

I'm excited for her as her big wide world opens up gradually, but I am also mourning my baby, our first born.

When she asked me recently to knit her some arm warmers I was thrilled. I haven't turned into her embarrassing Mum who knits just yet. She and her particular style of dressing wanted me to make her something and let me tell you it has been a very long time since she's worn anything I've made.

I knitted the first one a few days ago and she wore it immediately.When the second one was looking too brown, I knitted it longer for myself. Then I knitted another long and one more short and we have two pairs. One for me and one for my girl.

We wont wear them at the same time, but I like that it still does kinda tie us together. We both have the same. Me and my girl.

It also felt quite emotional to be knitting with Japanese, Noro wool as the horrific events of the past few days unfolded. Our hearts and thoughts are with all those affected.

All toasty pattern details are here.

Maybe I'll have something else to talk about one of these days. I'm a bit obsessed at the moment.

Have a safe and happy week.

Love Kate X

magic loop.

Today I've been thinking about new skills you learn as you need them. Stuff you find out about because you want to. New skills that keep it interesting.

The other day Bren and I were trying to teach Indi to do long subtraction for her homework. She had to learn it but didn't necessarily want to. It didn't seem at all relevant to her life and I didn't blame her.

But I'm not talking about school skills. Skills that you have no idea when or if or how you'll ever make use of them in real life. I mean skills you learn because you choose to. Because you want to. Because it makes life easier, or more exciting or interesting.

This afternoon I cast on 72 stitches for a new born baby beanie but then realised that I didn't have small enough circular needles to join them in the round. My choices were to use double pointed needles which I don't feel particularly comfortable with or to learn the magic loop.

This lady showed me how to do it. She was so patient, such a great teacher and repeated herself over and over until I was confident I knew what I was doing. I can now magic loop.

I love the magic loop!

But if I had to learn it at school I might not have.

This week Farmer Bren has learnt all about earthships, Indi has learnt how to knit, Jazzy has learnt how to do a ballet leap and Miss Pepper has learnt how to tell a joke. I'm sure we've all learnt about a gazillion other things too but these are the things we've been the most excited about and hungry for.

BUT I do have to add that there is such thing as negative learning too. During the week when I was at my sickest I made the mistake of googling my symptoms only to discover that I had about three weeks to live. My doctor thought it was hilarious. I wont be doing that again in a hurry.

So have you learnt anything cool lately? Do tell...

See ya. XX