Surprise Package

Yesterday's Post contained an unassuming brown paper envelope, addressed to me.  I tried to remember what I had ordered, and for whose Christmas delight, from New York, NY. 

Surprise!  The delight was my own:

One of my first projects for 2011 was this little cap:
 

How fitting that it's published in time to close this year, and greet the new one.  It uses one skein of the delightful Cascade 220 Sport.  It's the sort of hat that won't totally crush your coif, and the yarnovers provide just enough ventilation so you won't have to take it off to avoid overheating.

I hope I never get over the thrill of seeing something I made in print.  It really is surreal.  One minute it's just my knitting, there in my lap like always.  And the next, it's all sexy and posed like a fashion model in this glossy book.  Isn't yarn grand?

Take a minute to look at the knitting in your lap today (okay, first take a minute to PUT some knitting in your lap today - you deserve it).  Be grateful for all those minutes you had it in line at the post office, and it kept you from running mad.  Be happy for every single stitch in it, how ever many there may be: each one is another time you did something perfectly.  Squeeze its bouncy softness.  Pet its fluffy halo.  Appreciate each gorgeous decrease, or clever yarnover.  Every part of it brought you comfort to make, and satisfaction to hold.  What else in life besides our knitting gives so much, while taking so little from us?

Comfort and Joy, every day of the year.  Thanks for sharing it with me.
 

Tradition

Every year the Smallies and I choose a few new ornaments for the Christmas tree.  We always get the pretty blown-glass ones from Germany, and we try to choose the ones we think symbolize what was important to us during the prior year.

This year Lindsay learned that keeping a fish aquarium may be more work than a girl as busy as she is wants to commit to (we lost several specimens, and there were, um, discussions).  She thought this beautiful Koi might be the right sort of fish for her: sparkly, elegant, and non-biological.  Campbell took up the guitar this year, so we were delighted to find this perfect replica of his beloved six-string waiting for us.  I picked the owl, because a dear friend says I remind her of a baby owl, and calls me "Hufflett".  I'm hoping it will help me Wise Up.  Paisley (our black scottie dog) got a fire hydrant, because we already have a black scottie dog ornament to match her.  And the white scottie is our favorite this year, because it's our first Christmas with Bailey.  We think it might be his first Christmas ever - he's a rescue dog, and it's hard to imagine that he'd know much about festivities, based on where he came from.

So in a way, the annual ornament gathering is our Huff family Year in Review.  What was important to you in 2011?
 

Kid + Candy Store

Warning: The following images may be hazardous to your Yarn Diet.  But I have to tell you about some delicious sweets:

Colorway 1

Colorway 2

These are the freshly-dyed (and now fully-dry!) yarns for our Flight Path Mystery Knit-Along Kits!  Both are Abstract Fiber "Alto", 100% BFL.  Lip-smackingly good.

Colorway 1 is a tart and tangy blend of Pale Turquoise and Royal Blue, set off by accents of Bright Green, Soft Violet, and Carrot Orange.  Colorway 2 is a sweet and sugary mix of Carnation Pink and Deep Red, framed by the same Green, Violet and Orange accents.

Am I mean to dangle bonbons like these in front of you, when you can't get them yet?  Yep.  But I'm doing it for your own good:  How will you really and truly know how to indulge your sweet tooth when the time comes, unless you've seen the very best options?  Believe me, this hurts me more than you.  I know what it means to see something so tempting, get all want-y, and then feel the cruel pang of being made to wait.  But my dear friends, I love you enough to make sure you don't blow your yarn diets on any sub-par treats.  I can't have any of you falling off the wagon prematurely for some Hershey's Kiss, when there is a box of Godiva on its way.

I'm starting the sample today.  I'm going to try not to overindulge.  No promises, though.