Right now I am ...


- Smelling a cherry clafouti cooking in the oven - desserts are the best breakfasts.
- Smiling each time Abby finds a new toy to play with.


- Wishing that I was getting out of bed now instead of two and a half hours ago when the dog threw-up.
- Glad Zeke has finally elected to stay safely in the bedroom. My morning is so much easier.
- Trying to decide how much scrapbooking I can do before I need to use the hammer. Rob is still asleep and I don't want to wake him up until breakfast is ready.


- Deciding which pair of slippers to make: the mary-janes or the slip-ons.
- Glad the sun is shining today and looking forward to the barbeque this afternoon.


- Wondering which coffee I will make myself this morning.
- Improving my spider killing abilities - it was one of those really leggy ones.

What are you doing?

I think I might spend every birthday in my sewing room after this. It was so relaxing to be sitting working on something just for me. I finished off three little projects for a new spring outfit and wore them out on Friday when we went out for lunch and shopping. Photo credits go to Rob.

I spent my morning finishing my Scrap Wrap and Muff from Denyse Schmidt Quilts. I enjoyed these projects every time I worked on them and the end products are just as wonderful as the process. All the frabics I used (except the pink flannel which I had to order) came from my stash. I'd only recently discovered that I had quite a few wools and this project was a fun way to use them. My accent fabrics are leftovers from this dress and this top. I love those pink roses.


The scarf is warm and the muff makes me feel so elegant. They are nice for this in-between weather we're having right now (cold in the morning and warm in the afternoon). I'm looking forward to wearing them this week.

I took some time off in the afternoon and played with Abby. We went for a really nice walk in the slushy afternoon and I was shedding hat and mittens as we went along. I checked the mail on the way back to the house and discovered some unexpected birthday goodies (but I'll save those for another post). Abby went back into her crate to sleep for the last couple of hours of the afternoon and I got out my knitting.


Pattern: Icing Swirl Hat from Whimsical Little Knits by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky in Petal Bloom (#555)
Size: 22"
Yardage: 1 skein
Needles: 5.0 mm dpns and 16" circular

If I could eat this yarn I would. I have heard some yarns and fibres described as "like butter" but this was like soft whipped cream - fluffy, smooth and ready to fall gently down the side of a slice of pumpkin pie. This yarn is so soft it's hard to believe it is really the hair off an animal. It was the perfect yarn for my slouchy (icing themed) hat.

The smaller size would have fit me but I made the large one to accommodate my hair more easily. I'm tired of wearing a braid in order to also wear a hat (though that's how my hair is for my picture); by making the larger size I've got enough hat to go around a French braid or even a bun and still cover my ears and look cute. It feels great to wear. The alpaca makes it warm but it's got plenty of space so it doesn't feel really close or hot even when I'm wearing it inside (because that's what I did as soon as I was finished weaving in the ends).

I like my new things so much I'm almost looking forward to work tomorrow just so I can wear them.

Today is my birthday so I'm not at work (yes - I checked with my boss first). Above is what I spent my morning working on and below is my afternoon but right now I'm heading outside to walk Abby in the sunshine. Later this evening we have plansfor sushi and a movie. I hope everyone else is having a lovely day too.