Ode to January

Hello! So...what are we up to? January is half over already. And I found this lovely quote:

"The shortest day has passed, and whatever nastiness of weather we may look forward to in January and February, at least we notice that the days are getting longer. Minute by minute they lengthen out. It takes some weeks before we become aware of the change. It is imperceptible even as the growth of a child, as you watch it day by day, until the moment comes when with a start of delighted surprise we realize that we can stay out of doors in a twilight lasting for another quarter of a precious hour."

~Vita Sackville-West

Yes, we were just noticing the other day that the days are getting ever so slightly longer again. It's funny how the shortening of days seems to happen so much more quickly than the lengthening. But already it seems as though the evenings become more leisurely.

My knitting has gone from sporadic to regular once again. I finally finished the baby blanket that I began over a year ago. I packed it in my hospital bag, naively thinking I would get it done in the hospital while Griffin slept peacefully (!!!!!!!!!!) It stayed in that suitcase for about six months, until I finally pulled it out the other day, and finished it off. He has been loving it - snuggling it and sucking on it, playing with the holes with his fingers and even toes.

And I must say it is so gratifying when you give a home-made gift, and are able to watch someone truly, truly enjoy it. Hooray for children!

And finally, FINALLY, the "newborn" sweater I knit for Griffin before he was born mostly fits. The sleeves are a little short, maybe, but that just means they don't get in his way, right?

Also, I refined the design of my baby toys. Version 2.0 is stuffed with raw wool, and has wings and a pocket. I figured G would love the wings, since he is always so attracted to tags, and I was right.

So I have placed an order for some real wool felt, and am just awaiting it's arrival in the mail. In the meantime, I am embroidering faces like crazy.

And a few other projects are in the works as well (here's a sneak peek):

I have been trying to approach the work in a slightly more business-y (I'm sure that's not a word that any serious business person would use!) frame of mind. Which basically just means that I have been trying to think of a unifying thread to run behind everything I make, instead of just making things willy-nilly (another great business-y term!) My problem has always been that I feel like I can make Anything, and often do. It results in a lot of orphans. No more! (Or not as much!)