hedgehogs and such

It's hard to make things for Milo for Christmas. Sadie is easy, but he's entirely unpredictable (what, 4 year olds are unpredictable?). Luckily my plan of animal mittens totally worked out.

The pattern for Poky Hedgehog Mittens is adorable and pretty straightforward. I used leftover wool - Debbie Bliss Cashmerino for the cuff and face and then some Quince & Co. Lark for the body. Both are blue/grey so they worked well together. Milo has worn them everyday since Christmas and seems tickled to have faces on his hands. But really...who wouldn't be?

Now for my reading update. I feel like I'm forgetting a book, but for sure I just finished up A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. This novel was a great reminder of how much books inspire empathy in their readers - I swear I started losing my mind just as George, the main character, did. Or maybe that was the holidays and the 3 day power outage? Regardless, I found Haddon's description of George's breakdown captivating, and I genuinely worried for him throughout the story. I also cried when Katie, his daughter, realized how she felt about her fiancé. I really wasn't expecting to be so emotionally affected by the novel, but it was a pleasant surprise. And it made for a great holiday read.

For more reading and knitting updates visit the first Yarnalong of 2014 over at Small Things.