Spring in the Air!

Cherry tree?

Spring has arrived in our neck of the woods!  The tree out front is getting these lovely pink flowers -- I'm thinking it's some kind of cherry tree.  Since we've only lived here since August, I have no idea what's planted where, or what might burst into bloom next.  There are two Bradford pear trees in the back, that much I know, and those should bloom any day now.  We also have what appear to be a couple forsythia bushes back there.  There seem to be a few little perennials popping up along one side wall.  I need to figure out a way to mark where they are so I don't plant anything on top of them.

This year I'm not doing anything in the ground since I don't know what might be where, but I'm planning a small container garden for back by our deck.  And as you saw last Friday, we're preparing to plant a small garden too.

The kids and I picked a bunch of tiny wildflowers yesterday.  I suppose they're technically weeds, but they look sweet in my new little vase.

I bought this little gem from Etsy shop AranelDesigns:  The Ring and the Lion.  It's a shop full of Middle Earth- and Narnia-inspired pieces.  This vase says "For the love of things that grow" around the top, handlettered in Elvish.  It looks black here because it's reflecting my black counter top, but it's really a deep blue and brown.  I love it!

The North Wind Doth Blow

It's snowing! It's not sticking, of course, but still, it's snowing! In honor of our first snow for the season, I thought I'd highlight some of the new winter hats I've been adding to my shop lately.

For adults, I just added this groovy hat. I call it the Purple Waves hat, not just because the yarn is purple and the pattern is wavy, but as a reference to one of my favorite books ever, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. I crocheted this hat from a wool/acrylic blend that has a handspun texture, which means it has "slubs," or thicker parts in the yarn. That gives this hat a nobbly aspect that I think is extra fun.

Another adult hat I added recently is this black and burgundy cloche. A cloche is a close-fitting women's hat that's sort of shaped like a bell. They were really popular back in the Roaring Twenties. I made this one from satin-finish acrylic yarn, so it's extra soft. And it matches a pair of mittens that I made a couple months ago. Both mittens and hat are done in single crochet for maximum warmth.

And I'm adding some children's sizes to my shop! My first is this Jack-o'-lantern hat that's actually a larger size of the baby ones I already offer. This is big enough for a toddler up to about a ten-year-old. (I offer the pattern for the baby sizes here.) I'm going to be adding a snowman hat soon -- I made one as a custom order and it turned out so cute, I'm going to make more for my shop. In fact, I've got one started already. More about that when I list it!

I'm as Restless as a Willow in a Windstorm

I think spring has arrived at last! Sure, it's only 39 degrees today, and it snowed on Friday, but I saw fourteen robins at the playground this morning. Fourteen!!! Yesterday, none, and today they're all over the place. Yay! I'm tired of this maybe-style weather that can't make up its mind to stay winter or not. But when the robins arrive, I know it might as well be spring.

I'm celebrating the occasion by listing a fun new item in my shop, a set of crocheted embellishments! This cute little flower with its two perky leaves makes me think sunny, happy thoughts, just like those robins. They'd make a cute addition to many different projects, from a scrapbook page to a pair of your baby girl's jeans to that plain purse that needs a touch of charm.

February Blues

I've been kind of blue lately. I haven't been able to take pics of some new items for Huggermugger because it's been cloudy or my battery was dead or I needed a nap instead. I actually sold a couple items off-site... to my dad. But I just haven't had anything to write about, or motivation to find something bloggable. Must be February -- this month always makes me feel like I'm with Frodo and Sam in Mordor, wandering endlessly through a world of grey. I'm so glad it's almost March!

Where Did the Sunshine Go?

It has been grey and gloomy for days. It's been a whole week since I was able to upload a new item to Huggermugger because I haven't been able to take pics of new items. I have some super cute baby hats I want to upload, but no sun equals no good light for pics. Grrrr!

If it's going to be cloudy, can't it at least snow?

Sunshine on My Shoulder

After four days of gloomy, wet weather, the sun has returned! Okay, it actually returned yesterday, sort-of. It wasn't raining, at least. But today it's full-on sunny at last.

I'm not usually bothered by an absence of sun, but it was so yucky that I couldn't take Daniel outside. And the four days of gloom just happened to coincide with four days when my husband was gone on a business trip -- Daniel and I about went stir crazy! We went to the mall twice just so he could play on the little playground there and I could see something besides the white walls of our apartment. And I couldn't take photos of anything to list on Huggermugger, so I kind of fell behind there too, even though I finished a new scarf days ago.

But it's sunny today, so as soon as Daniel went down for his morning nap, I started snapping pics of my scarf... and my camera battery died. So I put it in its recharger and plugged it into an outlet in my kitchen... and the battery fell out of the charger and under the washing machine! Ack! I finally fished it out after wasting lots of time I could have spent writing for Nanowrimo... and now, of course, it's hours and hours later and Daniel's awake and I haven't had a chance to finish my photo session. Sigh. At least I got to take him out to the playground today!

So I guess I'll list another address book that I took photos of last week. The scarf will have to wait until tomorrow. Maybe it will be sunny again.