I even made up a new colorway for my december baby, and all the rest of you:)
My mermaid started off our lovely Christmas with a Junior Dance Company performance on her 13th birthday no less. Her Uncle Tommy joined us a few days earlier and spent the week, which was the best gift ever. He's 5'10", by the way, for those keeping track of my girl's crazy tall growing...
Tommy, a hardcore runner who is in phenomenal shape, joined me for a Vinyasa Yoga class (his first). While I was sore for 3 days after my first visit to this class, he barely noticed. Speaking of yoga, I've been going twice a week and have lost about 5 pounds. According to the Wii, I have at least 10 to go, but yay me!
Tommy, a hardcore runner who is in phenomenal shape, joined me for a Vinyasa Yoga class (his first). While I was sore for 3 days after my first visit to this class, he barely noticed. Speaking of yoga, I've been going twice a week and have lost about 5 pounds. According to the Wii, I have at least 10 to go, but yay me! Doesn't my dad look great? He was in great health, although he is definitely still recovering from his treatment this summer. i think we were all aware of our many blessings this year:)
Tom and I had a terrific time in the kitchen, brining a turkey a la Alton Brown, and making garlicky pork roast. I was especially grateful that Tom volunteered to get up early and put the Turkey in the oven, even if he dd broil it for an hour before I figured it out:) In his defense, he was coffee deficient at the time. 
I was vulnerable after sitting at the swim center for 11 hours, feeling miserable and grumpy. I had started knitting the same hat 3 times, each time ripping it out for various reasons. Jack awas home doing a final exam, culminating a very long and miserable semester for him (and everyone else). While i was dutifully awaiting another race, aquaboy burst into the spectator area with a crazy joy lighting up his face, yelling, "mom, hurry! there are kittens!" What would a sane mother do? Tell him, that's nice honey, we have a cat at home, right? 
Before we brought him home at the end of the meet in a card board box, Jack and our mermaid had named him. A swimmers name, of course:) When the vet came on Monday, after laughing at me, he felt he should point out that Fin was very small. In fact, he was six weeks small. No wonder he'd had to learn how to eat food and drink water out of a bowl. Cody, who is terrible with our big cat, took to him right away' although he wasn't initially sure whether he was a puppy toy, or a tasty treat. Turned out to be both. Luckily, he's fearless.
Tom and I had a terrific time in the kitchen, brining a turkey a la Alton Brown, and making garlicky pork roast. I was especially grateful that Tom volunteered to get up early and put the Turkey in the oven, even if he dd broil it for an hour before I figured it out:) In his defense, he was coffee deficient at the time.Anyone wondering who the little kitten is in the above pictures? Meet Finn, so named because we found him at the swim center during a meet. Just so you know, Jack and i had been very firm on the no more pets or we'll all end up in the crazy house rule. i can't tell you how many snakes, and kittens, and hamsters I have denied my poor deprived children in the past year. But something happened this time. My friend Sarah says it is the kitten haze.
I was vulnerable after sitting at the swim center for 11 hours, feeling miserable and grumpy. I had started knitting the same hat 3 times, each time ripping it out for various reasons. Jack awas home doing a final exam, culminating a very long and miserable semester for him (and everyone else). While i was dutifully awaiting another race, aquaboy burst into the spectator area with a crazy joy lighting up his face, yelling, "mom, hurry! there are kittens!" What would a sane mother do? Tell him, that's nice honey, we have a cat at home, right?
I hurried, met a mommy cat and two kittens who had been living outside and brought in by a good samaritan in search of happy homes, and encouraged my son to call his father. His father would say no, of course. he'd been very firm on the subject numerous times before. The good samaritan told us the kittens were 8 weeks old and the kitten haze made it seem true:) Actual conversation:
Boy: Dad, there are kittens! can we have one?
Jack: Put your mother on the phone!
Me: Hi?
Jack: Kate, what are you doing to me?
Me: I don't know. There are kittens.
Jack: Who will take care of it?
Me: Hold on...(puts boy on the phone)
Boy: I will take care of it. I promise! Oh, can i please, please, please?
Boy's friend: Coach is looking for you! you are supposed to be swimming in a race!
Me: We'll take a kitten.
Before we brought him home at the end of the meet in a card board box, Jack and our mermaid had named him. A swimmers name, of course:) When the vet came on Monday, after laughing at me, he felt he should point out that Fin was very small. In fact, he was six weeks small. No wonder he'd had to learn how to eat food and drink water out of a bowl. Cody, who is terrible with our big cat, took to him right away' although he wasn't initially sure whether he was a puppy toy, or a tasty treat. Turned out to be both. Luckily, he's fearless.
At 7 weeks old, he turned out to be pretty helpful in the studio. Note the food on his nose? The big cat, who i'd always considered an only cat kind of guy, washes his face as often as he can catch him. Turns out he loves him, and is a wonderful mommy.
Christmas week, he turned 8 weeks old finally. Is finally growing a proper tail, and seems enormous to me. Check out my flickr if you haven't had enough yet:)
I'm grateful for many things this year (as Miss Babs puts it, all small business owners are grateful to reach the end of the year and find out we are still in business!), especially my amazing customers. Thanks so much for your fabulous support this year! it has been a year of huge growth for me and for the business and I'm very excited for the year to come. I love being able to be a full time dragonfly and am looking forward to the best year ever.
Let me show you the work of a few lovely people who signed up to knit samples for shows and test knit my own made up patterns. Above is a Clockwork Shawl knitted in Heroine and Bad Moon Rising Djinni by the fabulous Gwynne Lassiter.
This gorgeous Hamamelis was knit in Peach Melba dragon sock by Angela McNamara of Serendipitous Ewe. Beautiful, yes? Look at that detail!
Finally, and most importantly, I donated $165 to cancer research at the American cancer society. Thanks so much to everyone who purchased yarn dyed in the Peach Melba Colorway in order to support a dragonfly donation to cancer research. Here's to increasing the number for next year!