Flowering Aloe Vera

Happy Easter! We've had a very quiet weekend at home this year, enjoying an Easter egg hunt in the garden and a trip to the local water park. In the garden the aloe vera is still flowering, here is a closeup of one of the flowers, with the all-year-round basil in the background. I really should prune the flowers off to prolong the life of the plant but its covered in bees and I feel bad to steal their flowers!

closeup of an aloe vera flower

Variegated Premmie Hat with white brim

I made another premmie hat yesterday, this time in variegated yarn. I ran out before the end so I did the brim in white. Its so cute, I wonder if it will ever get used? I used the same pattern as my tiny premmie hat pattern I shared earlier this month.

variegated premmie hat with white brim

Dairy Free Apple Pie

My husband is on a dairy free diet as it seems to upset his tummy if he eats dairy, so we tried this recipe for dairy free pastry. We just skipped the raspberries because we didn't have any but it worked out fine. It was a delicious as it looks!

apple pie made with dairy free pastry

Tiny White Scallop Edge Premmie Beanie

I just love making premmie hats at the moment, they are so delicate and cute! Here is another one with a scallop edge, this time in white. I hope to add this to a collection of hats I hope to donate to the ward where my son spent the 1st 2 months of his life.

tiny white scallop edge premmie hat

Tiny Pink Scalloped Edged Premmie Beanie, free pattern

This premmie beanie is the same pattern as the tiny premmie beanie I blogged about recently, except this time it has a pretty scallop edge

a tiny premmie beanie with a scallop edge

Tiny Scalloped Edged Premmie Hat Free Pattern by Teena Sutton Murphy
guage - the 1st 2 rounds measure 4 cm across
use soft 4 ply baby yarn and a 3mm hook, or hook to obtain guage
this is a very small hat for a young premmie

1. ch 3, sl st into 1st ch to form loop, sc into loop ch 2 (counts as 1st st throughout), 11 dc into loop, sl st into 1st dc (12 sts)
2. sc into same as join ch 2, dc into same (2 dc into ea st around to end) sl st into 1st dc (24 sts)
3. sc into same as join ch 2, dc into same, dc into next (2 dc, dc) repeat to end, sl st into 1st dc (36 sts)
4. sc into same as join ch 2, dc into same, dc ea into next 2 sts (2 dc, dc, dc) repeat to end, sl st into 1st dc (48 sts)
5-10. sc into same as join ch 2 (dc into next) repeat to end, sl st into 1st dc (48 sts)
11. (sk 1 st, 5 dc into next, sk 1 st, sl st into next) repeat to end for 12 scallops, fasten off and weave in ends

Tiny Blue Premmie Beanie

I made another premmie beanie following the pattern I posted about yesterday, this time in blue. Again I used a very soft baby yarn my mum gave me and a 3 mm hook. I'm hoping to donate some premmie beanies to the ward where Thomas spent the first 2 months of his life, hopefully they'll be of some use to them!

tiny blue beanie for a premature baby

Tiny Yellow Premmie Beanie, free pattern

This hat was inspired by the tiny yellow premmie hat my son wore when he was first born 9 weeks early. Its 11 cm wide at the brim, and 9 cm high. My son's hat was knitted, but I don't knit so I made up my own crochet pattern. There are 4 increasing rounds, and 6 non-increaisng rounds, and 3 rounds for the brim. I used some lovely soft 4 ply baby yarn my mum gave me, and a 3mm hook.

premmie hat inspired by the hat my son wore when he was 1 day old

Tiny Premmie Hat Free Pattern by Teena Sutton Murphy
guage - the 1st 2 rounds measure 4 cm across
use soft 4 ply baby yarn and a 3mm hook, or hook to obtain guage
this is a very small hat for a young premmie

1. ch 3, sl st into 1st ch to form loop, sc into loop ch 2 (counts as 1st st throughout), 11 dc into loop, sl st into 1st dc (12 sts)
2. sc into same as join ch 2, dc into same (2 dc into ea st around to end) sl st into 1st dc (24 sts)
3. sc into same as join ch 2, dc into same, dc into next (2 dc, dc) repeat to end, sl st into 1st dc (36 sts)
4. sc into same as join ch 2, dc into same, dc ea into next 2 sts (2 dc, dc, dc) repeat to end, sl st into 1st dc (48 sts)
5-10. sc into same as join ch 2 (dc into next) repeat to end, sl st into 1st dc (48 sts)
11-13. sc into same as join (sc into next) repeat to end, sl st into 1st sc (48 sts)
fasten off and weave in ends

Purple Granny Cluster Premmie Hat

Well, I have good news to share! Its been two weeks since my operation and I have slightly more strength in my left hand, enough so that I can crochet! My tension is a bit better than before my operation, so I'm very happy the operation looks like its been a success. The ulnar nerve is a very sensitive nerve that will take a long time to heal fully, the doctor said it could be some more months before the pins and needles goes away in my hand. Hopefully it will go away eventually because it's an unpleasant sensation. After my appointment today I felt encouraged so decided to do some crochet, so I made this purple premmie hat based on the granny cluster pattern, or what I call 'Princess Hat' pattern which I have available for free in my Ravelry download store. I just didn't do the scallops along the edge, instead I just finished with a round of sc. I used 8 ply wool and a 4mm hook. I'm hoping one day to donate a bunch of these hats to a premmie hospital, hopefully they'll be of some use to someone!

a purple granny cluster premmie hat