come on in 2015

These new year days have been starting out well below zero and the windows in this old house have frozen over in delicate crystalline patterns, I don’t dare peek out the studio window, not that the thin lace panel adds much protection, but I’m too afraid to disturb the pretty fractal designs and perfectly diffused light.

Along with frosted windowpanes, my studio view is slowly building up in quaint layers. With Lex home for winter break, she is continually clearing out odd and ends from her room (college is making her such a minimalist!) and me being the eternal hoarder (strike that) collector and liker of cute stuffs, I wants it all! ..she has taken to just leaving it in little piles on my work table for me to sort through/redistribute throughout the artroom. I really want to turn that paper parasol into A Lady’s Bumbershoot!

Pen pen pens, always more pens! One of Lex’s favorite places since childhood has been the Mall of America, so now whenever she is home, we have to make a trip (we live really close) and we ALWAYS stop at Sanrio so we can get swallowed up in adorableness and I can add to my cute pens (that fatty heart guy, you squeeze him and his heart puffs out ..squeal!) but this time the Sanrio store was gone and in its place was one of our other FAVORITE shops Tomodachi! Same excellent pen selection and Hello Kitty goodness, but with a wider variety of other Japanese imports like anime, food/bento, softies, surprise boxes and fun Purikura photo booths!

Pattern: Love Street

A few slight modifications made because I wanted to use worsted weight.

Casted on for the smallest size listed for dk and used 4.25 mm needles.

Worked the brim to the longest length, switching to 4.50mm when instructed.

Worked the body as directed (increasing by 2), used 5.50mm.

I love it, I love the double brim, I wish this was for me, I can’t wait to make another!

A few handmade Christmas gifts ..not as many as planned ..but maybe just enough.

Along with all the holiday busyness, there has still been plenty of time for loving each other, time for snuggling in and burrowing under piles of quilts, sleeping late, time for laughing and movie watching, loads of popcorn and the making every possible favorite food of Alexa’s before she has to leave us again.

I hope your 2015 has begun in peace and beauty xoxo chalklegs