sweet bounty

cosy company


christmas mouse

one tired puppy...

Christmas 2007

Christmas Mosaic
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc.

I figure it's safe to post some pictures of my handmade holiday gifts. There are a few that are missing because they aren't finished yet!! But I'm not seeing the recipients until later this month, so I have a grace period.

Here's wishing everyone the happiest, warmest holiday season and nothing but love and good cheer for the new year!!! Thank you for all the lovely comments and support you've given to my humble blog all year long! Merry Christmas!

This incredible package brought to you thanks to Kimberli New York. Kim is a super hero, Martha Stewart-like, wonder woman who I met by mere chance. (I was assisting the stylist working on a catalog of hats that Kim designed.) She immediately sniffed out my yarn and the rest is history. Isn't that just a knitter-ly holiday story to warm your heart? (Visit Kim's blog for a tutorial on making these boxes.)

p.s. Sorry for the blurry pic. Can we get some sunshine, people?!!!

The view from where I sit these days....

The last two weeks I've been making batches of candy, the recipe for which I found at Orangette. I made a bunch last year to give out to important people (you know, the UPS man, my favorite bartender, etc.) and it was a huge hit, so I decided to make more this year. Much, much more.

It's just so easy to make. You literally put all of the ingredients in a bowl and let it sit in the fridge for an hour and you're done. Easy.

The recipe calls for one and 1/4 pounds of chocolate, but I was buying the ingredients from memory and I only bought a pound. The result was more of a chocolate bark, whereas last years batch tasted more fudgy. It's tasty either way!

It's finally Christmas at The Works!

We trimmed the tree on Tuesday and found we were sadly lacking in ornaments. The original ones we had were from, believe it or not, our first tree together from when we lived in France. They all managed to make it Stateside without breaking. (I attribute this to my awesome packing abilities!) Well the Christmas trees in Paris are quite small and so we didn't need quite to many. And our last tree, when we lived in a shoebox on the Upper East Side, was quite tiny as well. This year we bought a nearly 10ft. tall tree! Luckily, Macy's had Martha Stewart Everyday ornaments at 40% off!

In this picture you can get quite a peak at what life at The Works is like. See our concrete floors and super high ceilings? It makes it very hard to heat but thanks to the area rug, that was an early gift from my parents, and some new space heaters and new double-paned windows, things are just about cosy these days.

The gift-making is at about 80% complete. I'm quite proud of myself, but trying to not be too cocky. I still have some work cut out for myself. All but 2 or 3 people are getting handmade gifts this year.

There's still sewing to do and candy to make! Excuse me, I've got to go get busy!

Master P had a rare Saturday off so we had lunch at our favorite spot in Williamsburg.

Then we bought ourselves a big, ol' Christmas tree. We have to wait until the branches fall and bit (and until we both have off from work together again) to decorate. Update soon! (And, no, those candles aren't really as close to the tree as they seem.)

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer. You are through those knitting growing pains and feeling more adventurous. You can follow a standard pattern if it's not too complicated and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've started to experiment with different fibers and you might be eyeing a book with a cool technique you've never tried. Perhaps you prefer to stick to other people's patterns but you are trying to challenge yourself more. Regardless of your preference, you are continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as well you should since your non-knitting friends are probably dropping some serious hints, these days.http://marniemaclean.com
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(I found this quiz over at My Early Granny-Like Tendancies. Thanks, Devon!)

I've recently been blessed with a regular freelance gig. I know it sounds like an oxymoron, but I'm working at this place, as a freelancer, indefinitely. It's actually a pretty sweet deal. The result is a very, regular schedule (and lots of money).

Normally, I'm a roll-out-of-bed-at-the-last-minute, grab-a-coffee-on-the-corner kind of gal. Anyone who knows me, knows that if they call me on a day off, at anytime before 10am, I'll be asleep. But recently my circumstances have changed.

The regular gig, in combination with the cat problems, has me getting up, oh, around 6:30am. Normally, this is NOT COOL, but I'm getting used to it. I've realized many things this past week, like, getting up early allows you to accomplish things you normally didn't have time for. Also, getting up early allows you to feel calm and awake when you get to the subway (rather than frantic and sucking down caffeine.)

I can't tell you how long this will last. Probably about as long as the gig. (Didn't I say that was indefinite??)

This is just a quick update on the kitties:

Penelope is going to the vet tomorrow. We can't figure out what is wrong with her.

The rug is gone and just when she and Monk seemed to be settling down, everything escalated this morning. The fighting was so viscous that we couldn't get between them. I was actually scared and covered my head with a blanket!! It seemed like the couldn't be stopped!!!! Penelope lost control and fell out of the loft! (6 feet off the floor!!) She's not injured, but she and Monk cannot even be near each other.

She's been in quarantine in the bathroom since 6am this morning. Whenever I go in to sit with her, she purrs and rubs against my leg like a normal happy kitty! She just can't be near the her brother. Maybe we need to give him a bath? But Master P and I *both* handled the rug and she's happy as can be when we come around!

I'm so stressed out and I haven't slept soundly for 4 days because of the hissing and growling! Wish us luck, dear ones!

Can you believe that on Wednesday I took this picture, and now we have this? I'm kind of happy, though. I love a serious winter - I get to break out my wellies and all of my hand knits! I also get to wear my new vintage coat that' s been sitting in the closet for a couple of weeks!

So, an update on the cats:

As I type, they're still hissing and growling. All day on Friday the rug was in the hall so I brought it in Friday night. I tried to get Penelope adjusted to it by putting her on top of it. I even (don't hate me) put her in the bathroom with it, thinking she'd have no choice but get her scent on it or whatever. No go. She freaked out if she even had to go near it! I mean, hissing and clawing in mid-air, hovering inches above the Voodoo Rug, as Master P had taken to calling it.

So I gave up. I put the rug in the hall again and I was up until 2am with the cats hissing and clawing over rights to the bed. They finally called a truce and both snuggled up with me, but on Saturday morning they were at it again. I picked Monk up and physically carried him out of the loft and downstairs with me. Penelope stayed in the loft all day and only came down to eat at about 8pm. Then, there was still much avoidance and growling on her part and a lot of sad, misunderstood meowing from Monk. I don't think he knows why he can go near her, you know?

They slept alright but started in again around 6am. They finally calmed down and let me sleep until about 10 o'clock, Penelope by my pillow (which is usually Monk's spot) and Monk curled up behind my legs. I fed them and now they're fighting.

It's not as bad as it was, but I can't believe that she still won't let him near her. While she laid next to me in bed, she would alternately growl at him and purr like crazy when I tried to calm her down. It's so weird. I'm hoping that by the time I get back from work tonight, they will both be curled up together on the couch. Here's hoping.