My youngest daughter, Susannah, is a major fan of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! (For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a cartoon show starring a yellow creature named Wubbzy. He's a cheerful little guy, and likes nothing bettery than playing kickity-kick ball with his pals Walden and Widget.) So, for Christmas I thought it would be nice to get her a stuffed Wubbzy, but at thirty bucks a pop, the idea was looking a little less good to me. Luckily, I stumbled upon a Wubbzy pattern book!
I should have good old Wubbzter done in time for Christmas morning so that Susannah can be delighted by a tangible version of her 'friend'!

Also on the hook, in addition to a custom play food order, is an adorable little skirt (once again, for my little Susannah Banana) from Lucinda Guy's lovely book Crochet Designs for Kids : 20 Projects to Make for Girls & Boys. I'm about halfway through, but that's fine since it isn't a Christmas gift.
I recommend Lucinda Guy's book to any crocheters out there who balk at most clothing patterns because they tend to have that bulky, less finished look. The styles and color choices are adorable, and the combinations of stitches and yarn give the pieces a lovely drape that totally avoids the boxy look that a lot of crochet clothing can have.

Non-Update

Hmmm, not much of an update today. We've had a lovely virus making its rounds of our house, annd it seems that today is my day to have it. I'm feeling much better this evening, though, for which I am very grateful.

I've spent the last several days working on personal projects...a scarf for Tim, a new scrunnie for the kitchen, a skirt for Susannah. And I've finally found my Ravelry legs! I've been having a blast just browsing around and exploring!

A New Friend

I came home today after dropping my oldest daughter off at preschool. I walked in the door, baby Benny in one hand, a white chocolate mocha in the other, and Susannah trailing behind. I immediately knew something was different. It took me a few moments, but I soon discovered a little visitor checking out my yarn stash.



It seems that my Secret Sister for November managed to lift this little guy right out of my imagination and sneak him into my house. My new friend is cute as can be, loves yarn, small children, and his favorite color is blue. He was perfectly happy to share some basmati rice and mater paneer with me for lunch, and he promised to guard my precious wool from Benjamin's mischievous little fingers! I have a feeling that this is the start of something beautiful.

Thank you so much, dear Secret Sister! I love my new friend. Now I just need some suggestions for a name :)

Pants for the Benny

I've been busy working on custom orders, but I managed to squeeze in a few pairs of longies to prepare my lttle guy for the cold weather. The first pair is made of Licorice Twist yarn dyed by Trish of CandyPants Yarn. I think they turned out quite well.






The next pair I made using undyed BlackBerry Ridge yarn. That stuff is wonderfully springy and sturdy - just perfect for a crawler! It's not as soft as merino, but the roughness does ease out after a few washes. Benny is modeling them here with my Dad.



I can't remember what kind of yarn this last pair was made of. I got this yarn in a 'Secret Sister' swap through my favorite forum. Anna, my secret sister, dyed this yarn in colors similar to some Gaia organic merino of mine that met with a tragic fate.

Kentucky Wool Fest

Earlier the month, we decided to follow some friends of ours to the Kentucky Wool Fest in Falmouth, KY. I was expecting a dinky little fair with some old guys and some sheep, but little did I know that it is the event of the year down in Pendleton County.



Traffic was horrible...we spent about 45 minutes either stopped or just barely crawling down the road. I also learned that if one wants to park sooner, one should not complain to the officer directing traffic. Luckily, that lesson was one I learned from the woman a couple of cars behind us. Said officer decided to go and give her a little talk after she yelled some not so sweet sentiments at him from her car.




It honestly wasn't so much a wool festival as a craft show. There were two really long tents devoted to animals which are raised primarily for their fibers, and yarn spun from said fibers. All of the other tents were set up with multi-media crafts. Some were really cool, and some were mass produced stuff, just like any other craft show. We did some shopping and found some really neat hand made Christmas gifts while we were there ;)



We did get to see a ram lamb shearing, which was pretty neat. The poor little guy most definitely didn't want to participate in the exhibition, but once he realized that he didn't have a choice he settled down pretty well. The gentleman explaining the shearing gave us a brief history of the methods and the tools used. I was impressed with the old hand-cranked shears...that really called for some teamwork!


I only bought one skein of yarn (and it wasn't even handspun, sadly), but I do plan on saving up to go again next year. The kids had a great time, especially Benny who got to have a Daddy-ride practically the whole time!