Tippy toes

Perfect for a winter's day

The Penmanship Cowl is done:

I really enjoyed making this. It's a handspun, hand-dyed alpaca from a local farm, the pattern was interesting but not too challenging, and it's super warm and soft. The simple meandering lace and interrupted cables give it an interesting texture.

I can't wait to block it and wear it. Because after all, the low overnight this Sunday into Monday is expected to be 0. Yep, 0.

Colorful laundry

Today was cloth diaper laundry day. I finally have a big enough stash to do laundry every 3rd day instead of every other day. S "helped" me put the inserts into the dryer, and munched on a clothespin while I hung up the diapers to dry. She's a good helper!

Ice storms: the upside and the downside

The upside: ice-covered shrubbery

The downside: snow-covered driveway

What came in the mail today

First up, cloth diapers and accessories:


That diaper on the left is a Goodmama. They're like the Beanie Babies of cloth diapers, but they're super soft and absorbent. I'm anxious to try it. I only have one other one, and it works well. The one on the right is a white ooga booga Nykibaby diaper from MonkeyToeDiapers on Etsy. I have a few of her other diapers, and I love them. And the green guy in the middle is a wool diaper cover with the cutest sheep you ever did see. I can't wait to try it out.


Here's S checking out her Goodmama diaper. She seems to like it.

S also got a box from Nana and Tapa today, which included a new bath book and a punk rock t-shirt :) It also included Mommy's silver baby cups she got a long, long time ago, as you can tell:




I hit them with some silver cleaner and they look much better.

Random shots of the kid

Because I can


Chomping on a hanger. No, I don't know why either



Happily waiting for breakfast



We hate having such a sad child ;)

Crochet update

In this post last year, I talked about my local yarn store's work-in-progress event. Where you basically dig through your stash of unfinished projects, register them, and have a deadline to get them finished. It's a great way to clear out the craft room, get stuff off the needles, and rediscover those projects that looked like such a good idea way back when. It's also an opportunity to throw a few more things into the queue and have a defined time to get them done. So far I have registered:

• A knit cabled cape for my mom
• A knitted winter hat for J
• A crocheted fish for S
• A knitted dress for S (more on that in a bit)
• Another knitted dress for S (this one for the summer)
• A pair of gloves for me
• A crocheted sweater that I've ripped back more than once (it's a tricky pattern)
• A baby sweater that has been on needles for 4 years
• A baby sweater for a friend who had a baby in November

I've also started a few projects I need to register:

• The beautiful cowl I talked about a few days ago
• A Valentine's Day sweater for S for next year
• A cupcake hat for my niece's birthday

Now, the crocheted fish for S is part of a pair, described as a daddy and little fish in my amigurumi crochet book. I made the Daddy Lish (that's what we call fish around here) sometime last year. Baby Lish was sitting on the hook for while yet, until the other night:

They turned out so, adorably, cute. I love them, and S does too. She throws them around the living room.

More to come...

Baby's first snow day

We finally had our first snow accumulation today--maybe 3 inches or so. I (of course) had to take pictures of the great outdoors


This is our hawthorn tree we planted in spring 2009. I love this tree. It looks neat every season. The red berries against the white snow were just beautiful.


And our evergreens fit right in with the decor ;)



::Dr L makes list to include trimming back the grasses::

So of course this was a perfect opportunity to suit S up and get her out in the snow for the first time. There is zero wind, it's pretty warm (all things considered--it's in the low 30s), and she had a snow suit that I got for $12 at a consignment sale.


"I don't get all this gear but the hood looks interesting"



"Crawling in this getup? You have to be kidding"

I bundled us both up and plopped her in the middle of the back yard.



"OK, what now?"


"Hmmm, what's this?"



"I'm much more content sitting on Mommy's lap and watching the neighbors"



"Seriously, how many shots in the snow do you want?"

Basically she was nonplussed. S tends to "shut down" in the cold, where she just sits there and doesn't say much. She's like that on more brisk mornings when we've gone for a walk. I think she was just taking in the newness of it all. It should be more entertaining when she can run around in the white stuff.

Knitting update

Now that the holiday frenzy is over, we are back to our regularly scheduled programming. J is back to work, S and I are in our usual routine, life is good.

My local yarn store is running another work-in-progress event, meaning I can dig through all of my projects and finally get some things done. I have registered close to 10 projects so far, and I keep finding new ones to start. Especially now that I've organized the craft room.

The other day I started the Penmanship Cowl. I had the perfect yarn in mind.



Handspun alpaca from a small alpaca farm in Maryland



I got started on the cables last night.




So far, so good!

10 months!

"Can't...quite...reach"


"Ah, destruction. The name of the game at my age"


And then the tide turns, and she has her quiet moments among her books. I think she spent a good 10 or 15 minutes leafing through the photo book in the living room. Too cute!

Baby in strange places

Here's a frame-by-frame montage of how S gets into (and out of) the corner kitchen cabinet


Step 1: Clear out pesky plastic containers in her way



Step 2: Crawl in



Step 3: Use upper cabinet for leverage to settle in




Step 4: Stand up and enjoy



Step 5: Sit down and lean back to fall out of cabinet

Happy New Year!

All the best to you and yours!