Knitted bulldogs

For Christmas, I knitted bulldogs for my three girls. The pattern came from Knit Your Own Dog by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne. The book has some great-looking "pedigree pooches" that you can make. The toughest part of the project was putting the dogs together, especially I think, because of their funny faces (check out the authors' blog for some extra help in sewing up the bulldogs). I like the way they came out—each one a little different from the other even though I followed the same pattern.

Merry Christmas

A bird in my studio

I recently found this birdcage in a shop in Concord, MA, called Nesting on Main. It was made by a local artist.

Holiday baking

Every year a good friend has a cookie swap for the December holidays. I made tiny shortbread cookies from an old Christmas Cookie book by Rose Levy Beranbaum. The dough is easy to work with and they taste great.

Thanksgiving in NYC

Our holiday in New York City was terrific...so many fun things to do and see. Right when we got there on Wednesday afternoon, I went to the Original Art exhibit at the Society of Illustrators. The best in children's book illustration is showcased every November at the SI. This is the 31st year of the show. It was such a treat to study the illustrations rendered in their original media (as opposed to the printed version in a book). I got to spend a couple of hours looking at the pictures and then reading the books they were selected from.

This year, illustrations from 150 books were chosen. Below are some of my favorites.

Melissa Sweet, Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade


I kept bumping into shopping bags decorated with Melissa's fabulous illustrations from her book.


Chris Raschaka, A Ball for Daisy


Kevin Henkes, Little White Rabbit


Rebecca Gibbon, Celebritrees, Historic and Famous Trees of the World


Sarah McMenemy, Tillie the Incredible Swede


Christine Danvier, Miss Lina's Ballerina's

We took the girls to the Bemelmans Bar in the Carlyle hotel to have a drink, but more importantly to see the beautifully painted walls. The whimsical murals show scenes of Central Park. Ludwig Bemelmans, creator of Madeline, was commissioned to paint the murals in 1955. In exchange for the work, he earned a year and a half stay at the hotel for himself and his family. The bar was dark but I took a few photos anyway.






The Big Balloon Blow Up takes place in and around the Natural History museum. It was jam packed. Once my family saw a couple of the balloons, they ditched me. I got stuck in a crowd that moved one block in just under an hour. It was fun to see the balloons up close, but I'm not sure I would go again.


Most of the balloons were held down with lots and lots of weighted bags.



It took me awhile to figure out that I was looking at a foot...


...of the Wimpy Kid.


The Aflac duck wasn't tied down, not sure how that worked.

On Thanksgiving day, we walked from midtown to Greenwich Village (the weather was beautiful) and had dinner at Market Table. It's a small, cozy restaurant. We got a good view into the bustling kitchen. The turkey dinner was delicious. The dessert was even better: pear and cranberry bread pudding with mascarpone gelato.


I was dragged into FAO Schwartz kicking and screaming. But I have to admit there were some unique toys.

Like the build-You-Own Crayola box of crayons station...


...and the Barbie Foosball.


The Build-Your-Own Muppet workshop was the most exciting.



You can pick from three different puppet bodies and then choose from a menu of different eyes, noses, hair, and outfits. So cool.

For lunch on Saturday we went to the Momufuko Noodle Bar on the Lower East side. We didn't have noodle bowls. We had their famous fried chicken meal that included two whole fried chickens—one southern style and one Korean style. It came with mu shu pancakes, long spicy peppers, baby carrots, red ball radishes, shiso leaves, bibb lettuce, and four different sauces. Soooooo good. You need to make a reservation ahead of time.



The only downside of the trip was that the doggies didn't come. Thank goodness they could keep each other company.

Studio closed

Last weekend we got about two inches of snow but the storm brought down many trees and electrical wires. We lost power for four days so we closed up the house and escaped to a hotel. Mabel and Wilbur loved it from the moment they got into the car.


The lobby was elegant.



Look at the view!



Sunlight drenched the room all day long.




Wish we didn't have to leave.

Granddaughter socks

I've been knitting since I was eight years-old but I've never made a pair of socks...always thought it was silly to spend time making something for my feet. And since I wear pants almost every day, no one can even see them. But when I saw this pattern that combined crochet and knitting, I was intrigued. Plus I think they'd make a great gift. The pattern comes from Ravelry. I had to fiddle with the gauge to make them a perfect fit but the directions are very well-written and easy to follow. I've been rolling up my blue jeans to show them off.

Happy Halloween

From two insects...



...a lovebug...


...and a bumblebee...

Penguin jumper

A good friend of mine sent me a link to a New Zealand knitting store, Skeinz, that was looking for knitters to make "jumpers" or "PJs" for the penguins who fell victim to the oil spill in New Zealand earlier this month. The sweaters keep the penguins warm and prevent them from ingesting the oil on their feathers until they are properly cleaned. I found pictures on the internet of some very well-dressed birds.




Skeinz provided very easy knitting directions. And I have lots of leftover yarn. Needless to say, I felt compelled to knit a sweater myself—hoping to keep one of those little birds cozy and safe. I'm not sure I sent it early enough to make it onto one of the New Zealand penguins, but if not, it looks like at least it will make it onto a blue, stuffed toy penguin. The toys will be sold and all proceeds will be donated to the Australian Penguin Foundation.


Penguin Jumper in 8ply – Must be 100% Wool Yarn
1 pair 3.25mm , 1 pair of 3.75mm needles , 1 set of 3.25mm dpn’s or circular
Cast on 36 stitches using 3.25 needles.K1, P1 to end of row. Repeat this row 7 times. Change to 3.75mm needles and K2, P2 rib. Work 4 rows increasing at each end of every row. (44 sts)
Continue until work measures 15 cms.
Decrease 1 st at each end of every row until 28 sts remain.
Decrease 1 st. in middle of next row (27 sts.)
Leave on needle.
Make second side the same.
Transfer the 54 sts from both pieces to 3 of the set of 4 3.25mm needles.(18 sts on each.) and work a round neck in K1 P1 rib for 10 rows.
Cast off.
Stitch up sides to decreasing to 27sts (opening for flipper). Add elastic to the top and bottom to prevent the penguins getting out of them. Top: 15cm of elastic; bottom 17 cm (knots allowed). Flat elastic okay