Hats Off To Babies!

We had an all-day inservice at the library yesterday. It was the perfect opportunity to work on this little number for my sister-in-law, who is expecting a baby girl in April.


It's Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (a lovely blend of cashmere and merino wool) in a simple seed stitch. 49 stitches on size 7 needles made the perfect newborn size. I was torn about the pom-pom, but Karl was certain the hat needed one. I think he was right.

Outstanding Results

Do you ever do things you're not especially comfortable doing, only to find that the results are more than you could ever have hoped for?

That has happened to me a few times lately. For example...

Not wanting to leave the house after a loooong day at work, but dragging myself to go-go dance practice anyway... and loving the evening full of laughter and shimmies. So much better than an evening on the couch.

Reluctantly getting on a Greyhound to see a friend I've only ever met through her blog... I'm not usually a meet-new-people kind of girl. But it was such a fun afternoon of lunching, antique browsing, and chatting. So glad I got on the bus!

Brrrr.. and I don't mean Raymond.

It is seriously cold here. Like right now I can't feel my toes and I'm inside the house. The good news: I get to go to California tomorrow! The American Library Association conference is there. I cannot wait to get off the plane and not have to wear a parka and boots.

My brother will be there; he's on the Caldecott committee right now, so he'll spend most of the conference locked in a room with 14 other people trying to decide on the best illustrations of 2010. My friend Lindsay lives there, and I'm going to try to sneak her in to a publisher's cocktail party. Shouldn't be too hard, since she's a social butterfly and instantly becomes best friends with everyone she meets. And I get to meet Leslie, whose blog I adore.

Neil Gaiman, winner of the 2009 Newbery Award (whoever picked that book must have been really awesome...), is going to be speaking. Neil may or may not have been featured on our Christmas cards last year. Oh yes, the family photo.

Flurries

Remember my Muppet Whatnot? He has totally become my storytime mascot. And he's not just a whatnot... he's a meteorologist. Yep. It's true. Every Tuesday, he sits next to me at the beginning of storytime and gives the weather report. Sometimes it's accurate (like the time it was "raining cats and dogs" on our dog-themed day... what a happy coincidence), sometimes it really has nothing to do with the weather (like on the meteorologist's birthday, when all he can talk about are presents and hats and cake. He is very birthday-focused, let me tell you), and sometimes it's downright incorrect.

Like yesterday, when he said that it was hot out. Good thing there was a room full of kids ready to correct him! Then he said it was rainy. Silly meteorologist. It wasn't rainy. "Nooo!" all the kids shouted, "It's cold! It's snowy!" Finally he listened to them. They're so smart.

New Year's Eve, Knitnosh Style

Knitnosh is what we call our knitting group... because we do as much noshing as we do knitting! We got together on New Year's Eve for a super fun get-together at Kate and Jeremy's house. They have a 3 month old baby, Kieran, who was such a good sport and slept through all of our ruckus.



Check out the stocking Kate made for her husband! So gorgeous. She also made one, in the same pattern but opposite colors, for her sweet son. She's amazing.

Wii rang in the New Year playing!

Drinking vessels for the masses.

What would New Year's Eve be without a few guinea pig puppets to celebrate with?

Christmas Wrap-Up

Do you know how many pictures I took on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas, combined? Zero. That's how committed I am to preserving family memories. I did manage to remember to get my camera out a few times, though... here are a few tidbits for you.

When I went to Milwaukee for my sister's college graduation, my mom, my brother, and I went to the annual Steiff exhibit at the M&I bank downtown. We usually go every year at Christmastime. The exhibit includes all of these store window display-sized Steiff stuffed animals dressed up according to a theme, like "filling station," "candy factory," or "prom." Okay, there hasn't been a prom one, but if I were in charge, there would be. There would also be a shoe store one. Not because I love shoes, but think how funny it would be-- there would be giraffe-foot-shaped shoes, elephant-foot-shaped shoes, penguin-foot-shaped shoes... This year's theme was kind of weak. I think it was "Enchanted Forest" or something boring like that. Basically just a lot of stuffed animals dressed up, wearing flower crowns and holding hands. But there was one cute side display. It had smaller animals in folktale scenes. The photo above shows the Brementown musicians. Look closely... there's a robber on the roof!

Karl and I took a little trip to Cedarburg after Christmas. We love our room-- it's got a whirlpool bath and a gas fireplace. I could live there. It's also got this special washcloth just for makeup. Unfortunately, I did not wear or bring any makeup on our trip. Next time I'll wear a lot so I can use the makeup washcloth.

On our way home from Cedarburg (yes, you just saw the one and only photo I took during our trip... a washcloth... lovely), we stopped at a big monastery on a hill called Holy Hill. We went up into the church and checked out the stained glass. It was so beautiful. We were there right at sunset, which was perfect. You can see for miles from there, and the monastery is surrounded by beautiful country land. Gorgeous.

So, uh, that's it for my Christmas pictures. Fortunately, my mom is a prolific photographer, and we've already received an envelope of pictures from her. Thanks, Mom!

New for Christmas

A goal in our household is to keep the size of our Christmas decoration collection in check. I just put everything away today (cue Hallelujah chorus... the house has never felt so good. I love Christmas, but seriously it was time), and I was thrilled that it all fit into two medium-sized tubs-- with room to spare! We try to be really choosy about what we get and what we keep. Here are a few new additions this year:


I made this Christmas tree skirt to replace our old mini-skirt. We got a new tree stand, which is larger than our old one, and the old skirt just wasn't covering what needed to be covered. So I whipped this one up using some fabric I got at a sidewalk sale for next to nothing last summer. I love the blue and brown... so not reindeer-y. Like a breath of fresh air.

I know I already showed these off, but honestly, are these not the cutest little Santa mugs ever? They found a home on the shelf below our tea cabinet. So perfect. Vintage, from a local thrift store, $1.50 for the whole set. Love.

On our after-Chrismtas getaway, we went to a town that could be considered "antique store-heavy." Karl and I love poking around in the shops, seeing what treasures we can find. This time, we picked out a few tree ornaments (including one super sweet clip-on bird... too bad it's already stashed away... you'll have to wait till next year to see it) and this delightful NOEL. The letters each have space to hold a candle. It's perfect for our mantel.

This last one isn't for us to keep. I knit up this little jultomten (Chrismtas gnome) for my little brother, who is trying to establish a collection of 100 percent handmade Christmas decorations. You may recall last year's gifts. Those were given on Christmas day, but this little guy was just finished, so he'll be a little bit belated. Sorry to ruin the surprise, Elsworth!