This Is What 70 Looks Like

70.  It doesn’t seem as old as it used to seem.  This is my Mom, on her 70th birthday, earlier this week.

Dancing in the rain, around and around in circles with her grandchildren.  It was like watching fairies dance in a ring.

Everyone should celebrate 70 (and everything before it) with as much gusto as my Mom does.  She enjoyed everything from the Pompeii Exhibit to Butterscotch Martinis after dinner (she liked the oysters too).

We all really enjoyed her birthday, especially as part of the lead in to Christmas.  It’s been wonderful baking batch after batch of cookies and visiting with friends who are here from out of town, although I got a little bit off schedule with one of those yucky migraines that refused to be banished for a few days.  Christmas morning has been nothing but wonderful, despite that feeling that it descended upon me before I was prepared.

I’ve got to go back to playing with my Ellie’s new Blythe doll and the "Blythe Mansion" — I’m sure you’ll be seeing it this week after we have a chance to deck it out properly.  But I did want to share a few little things I wasn’t able to blog about this week while I was down for the count.

Knitting For My Niece

After starts and fits I finally decided on this hat out of Tilli Thomas’s beautiful Flurries yarn — a concoction of merino wool and tiny glass beads.  It is incredibly soft and I hope it will keep her sweet little princess head happy.

Harry’s Yarn Stash

Harry decided this week that he needed more yarn.  Instead of snaking his paw under the top of one of my storage tables and claiming a ball, his usual practice, he batted all of my Be Sweet around on a table, before settling down in the middle of it.

I’m not sure what pattern he has in mind, be he is definitely as in love with the Be Sweet as I am.

I’m going to give him a run for his money on this one, as all of the luscious orange and yellow toned yarns are meant to go together into a spring sweater for me.  I will probably have to knit him a few catnip toys to buy him off, though.  He seems to have a particular affinity for Mohair, unlike my big black cat, Squirt, who can pick out a yarn with any significant Alpaca content at it from twenty paces.

Gifts From Wonderful Friends

Two incredibly special packages arrived in the mail this week, ahead of Christmas, from two of my friends.

The first came from Kathy.  She made me these wonderful ornaments, which went straight on the tree, and are sure to become a treasured part of our Christmas tradition.  They are so beautiful.  I can’t decide which one I like the best, so here they all are.

The second package came from Katie.  If you don’t read Katie’s blog you should.  She is one of the coolest and most talented people I know.  She can do anything.  Her wool felt is amazing.  If you want to just feel good about life and be happy, read Katies’s blog.  It always makes me feel like the world is just a little bit lighter and prettier that it was before I took a look.

The package Katie sent was so me.  We’ve known each other online forever, but I was amazed by how totally she nailed me.

The yarn is really beautiful.  Pure single ply merino.  I’m not sure if we have ever discussed it, but I love this yarn.  As much as I like beautiful colors, I also love the purity of simple, undyed yarns, and singles are always my favorite texture.  The handspun yarn is amazing too — soft little bundles of texture and color that I’m going to pet until just the right project comes along.  This little bag is a go bag for knitting and I’m not sure the photo really does justice to the fabric, but it is so sweet, so perfect.  I love it!  And finally, the book.  I’m almost positive Katie and I have never discussed it.  It was one of my childhood favorites, A Friend is Someone Who Likes You, by Joan Walsh Anglund.  My Mom read it to me over and over and over.  And I read it to my own children, over and over and over.  Ollie is a little bit rougher on books than the other children, and my copy is worn and tattered.  I’ve been bemoaning that fact for some time now, so you can imagine how surprised and how happy I was to open her package and see a perfect copy of the book in the package.

Thank you Kathy and Katie!  I hope both of you are having a wonderful Christmas with your families!

Knitting For Blythe

Blythe continues to be irresistible.   Ellie and I are having more fun playing with her!  But, I’ve discovered that there aren’t very many patterns for knitting for her, so knitting for Blythe means pattern writing, which is turning out to be lots of fun.

This is the set I knit up for her after blocking and finishing it.  I’ve started work on another outfit, with the leftover Tilli Thomas yarn.  Knitting for Blythe is lots of fun, because it’s a quick knit and she really likes everything I make for her.  She always has this very grateful look on her cute face.

I’m off to enjoy the rest of the day.  Whatever you are doing today, I hope you will have a happy fulfilling day, surrounded by friends and family.