mail heaven

Ahh, mail. Just before we left for New York I got this wonderful package from Julia at Moth Heaven. Fabric, beads, badges, patterns...the bounty was endless. It's such a powerful feeling when someone you've never met understands exactly what you like. The detail shot reveals the sweet spot: pages from a 1914 mini calendar. I don't know what I will do with them yet, but the type, scale and age make them a prized new addition to my paper things. Thank you Julia!

When we returned from New York another package was waiting for me, this time from Dawn. Gertrude the Bunny is the lovely creature in the corner, and she is just one of the many dolls Dawn has been making for Supermaggie. With any luck I'll be able to find some time this weekend to get packages out myself so that power of mail karma can keep working.

As for New York, Jay and I had a great weekend away. I tried to visit Seedhouse to see if I could get a glimpse of Tamar's fantastic creatures, but unfortunately it wasn't open. Giant Robot was a more successful venture, and then a small splurge at the Camper store in Soho. We toured the MOMA for the first time in 10 years and I could have spent hours with the artist's books in the "Eye on Europe" exhibit. Oh, and speaking of books, when we walked around Chelsea looking at galleries we stumbled upon the first ever "Artist's Book Fair" sponsored by Printed Matter Inc. Again, I could have spent hours there, but it wasn't totally Jay's thing. I still managed to walk away with a small treasure - a book of poetry by Simon Cutts called "The Smell of Printing". What a perfect title, and what a perfect trip.

Perfection was shot to hell when we got home though - Sadie has decided she doesn't need to sleep. All week we haven't been able to get her into bed until midnight. Midnight! She is an irritable walking zombie and tonight is the first time I've been able to even sit down at the computer. I sure hope it's a phase and not punishment for us leaving her. Two year olds...I can't say I wasn't warned.

two years and counting

I apologetically admit that in our house, birthdays pass without much fanfare. With Sadie they definitely seem more important, but until she knows that it's her special day we get away with stretching it out or even celebrating on some other date that works for everyone else. It is no surprise then, that her birthday party was held on November 11th...even if her birthday was October 6th.

To make birthday matters worse, this photo isn't even from either her birthday or the party. I've chosen it because I feel that it presents her "twoness" if such a state of being exists. No longer can I refer to her as my baby - she is most certainly a little girl. She often chooses tights over socks, she knew instictively what to do with a rolling Dora suitcase, and she speaks to us in little sentences that two months ago she couldn't even imagine. She's two, she's a toddler and she's the most fabulous creature I know.

Hey, it's been a while and the mommy in me just had to gush.

noggin warmers

There seem to be babies popping up everywhere, and this time around I think I understand the size of a newborn head. So a series of hats simply had to be knit, based on the hat from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits. I first made this hat before Sadie was born and she still has a few years left of wear in it - it was that big! I love the shape and it's an easy project...even when there are five of them to make. One of the mothers is having twins, so I also finished a special hat just for her, Louisa Harding's Flora Hat. Moms need recognition too.

I was surprised recently when I found a new Debbie Bliss book, Simply Baby, that was just like Baby Knits in terms of level and amount of cute patterns, but this book is half the price! Somehow seeing a $14.95 sticker meant I had to have it, as though this was some fantastic deal for a girl with more pattern books than is ever going to be necessary. If I didn't have hobbies I would be a rich woman.

Which reminds me of the other photos. This is my new knitting bag which I picked up during my week off. It's by Shinzi Katoh, and I couldn't resist. The fabric is so charming and I have quickly learned that the flat open design is great for knitting projects. I'm too scared to look through his other designs because I may not have enough reserve. As it is I'm thinking of this bag as a Christmas gift to myself.

Help.