welcome Spring...

Today we welcomed what we consider to be the first real signs of Spring, blossoms on our fruit trees!! The kids decided it was the perfect day for Spring cleaning so helped with some floor mopping, or floor flooding to be more precise, and for once I have a line full of fresh washing lapping up the sunshine. Shame about the overflowing basket I need to wage war with.  We played in the garden, enjoyed sushi for lunch, tackled some maths questions.  Lily suddenly knows how to do sums with no idea how she actually learnt that. Way cool!

Right now we have some mini blueberry muffins baking in the oven.

As part of this super Spring behaviour, I thought it best to update my blog before a month had gone by.  It seems like so long I wasn't quite sure what I'd shared and what I hadn't, so I had a quick look back through my Rav projects to see what I'd blogged. Hmm, there's a few gaps in there!  I think this week might be the time to rectify that.

I thought I might start with my favourite winter knit, one which will be fashioning it up this Spring as well.

A new rainbow dress.

This is my 14th complete rainbow dress, I say complete because when I rewrote the pattern I did knit and frog a few bodices.

A little wander down reminiscent lane........  to the original rainbow dress , January 2008.  Two and a half years later, and over 700 Rav projects later, Lily is still wearing that original dress. It still fits. But I have an embarrassing secret to admit about the original rainbow dress. It's not quite as bright or lovely as it once was. Nope.  It had a mud bath  while we were on holidays when Lily turned three. So not really all that long after it was finished.  (Elissa look away now if you're reading!!!)  On holidays you do dumb things, right?  So I soaked the dress when we got home from the pub, and washed it with the only thing on hand, dishwashing liquid.  The dress's shape has held up  fine, the colours not so.

Ever since then, I have been trying to sneakily get my hands on some more of this gorgeous gradient. Finally a CRAZY CRAZY lady (sorry Bel) destashed some (what was she thinking, seriously!!!)  and I swooped heart a fluttering.  And a replacement dress ensued.

I knit this one with 3.75mm needles for the bodice, as per my suggestion in the pattern for loose purlers. I'm not a loose one, but Four Bags Full is a superwash yarn and prone to a little stretching so a tighter knit bodice is ideal.  I also knit the 21 inch for Lily this time, I've always knit her the 20 inch.

200g was enough for a cute little tunic length.

and man oh man, am I ever happy to have a replacement dress!!!!!

And you know what, I love this one even more than the original.
The gradient in this is the MOST PERFECTEST gradient EVER!!!!!!

more updates tomorrow... I have been a busy bee these last wintery months!

now off to have a blueberry muffin and a cup of chai.