In my head I am amazingly crafty. I whip up a little jumper or a gorgeous hat at the drop of a stitch. In reality my one attempt at crochet is a half-finished granny square and I can knit, but can't turn corners, so am limited to blankets and scarves.
I love all sorts of handmade goodies - crocheted cardies, knitted beanies, embroidered pillows, and my beloved will attest to the fact the house is full of soft and subtly coloured wool and scraps of fabric to be made into something 'someday.' In reality I live the craft life vicariously, the doing through the blogs of others and the frequenting of church sales and op-shops to acquire all my woollen goodies.
So picture me smug - I actually made something this week. I crafted - moi! - the girl who knitted her work to her school skirt in textiles.
It took me about two days five minutes and thirty seconds to make a pair of soft as soft cashmere and lambswool leggings for my Littlest.
Two days to discover where I'd stashed the cashmere sweater I'd shrunk in the wash. Five minutes to work out where I'd put the scissors and thirty seconds to cut the sleeves off -voila - cute baby leggings!
Littlest discovered her toes (she doesn't get a lot of toe time in winter - socks, tights and footed onesies are her lot) and found them amazingly entertaining.
I got the idea from this lovely book by Pia Jane Bijkerk, Little Treasures Made by Hand, although Pia actually sews - splitting one arm of a discarded jumper to make two leggings. I recycled a beloved (shrunken) jumper and made each arm a leg, although they don't fit quite so well. Every time I look at the leggings I remember ducking into the recycled fashion shop on the way to the British Museum in London, back when Sprocket had just learnt to walk, and Poppet was still inside me, and falling in love with the softness.
And - I admit it - it's an excuse for more photos of teeny tiny gorgeous toes.
