Wee Wonderfuls

hello cold

Isn't it always the case that right after a bout of productivity one is slammed down with a cold. So frustrating. All the Langs are home sick today. Oscar's been absorbed by Noggin, Tim's being a good husband and off to the store for supplies and I'm being a lazy bum and reading magazines with a kleenex shoved up my nose. When I get better...

I'm going to knit this matinee coat from a vintage knitting magazine

and make this bambi for the baby

make some nursery decisions

and find a big boy bed for boxcar.

the boy's got cute

So Oscar was exhibiting some very non-Oscar behavior this weekend. Perhaps in an effort to not be outdone by some hypothetical baby sister he spent all of Saturday afternoon deciding that teddy bears were very cute. That they needed to be collected and inspected and hugged and piled up under covers. That they needed to snuggle in. And that the tinier the bear the better. It was too much! When we tucked him and his bears into bed Saturday night I asked if I should make him a new tiny bear and he said "yes, while I'm sleeping." So I eyeballed the pattern pieces in one of my Japanese bear making books and this is what I ended up with. He's about 4" tall, made from some hand dyed wool from Molly Chicken and has one too-tall ear.

Of course Oscar woke up on Sunday and gave me a yeah, mom look when I showed him the bear. I got a "cute" and then it was set aside for the melange of cars and trucks. Guess everyday is not bear day. But it's nice to know it'll pop up now and again.

It was a great weekend for crafting. (Crap for house hunting but thanks for the encouragement! I will not get discouraged) The yarn I'd ordered in December and had given up for lost miraculously arrived on my doorstep last week and this weekend I finished up knitting outfits for Olive and Archie. Also got a bit of snow around here on Sunday so I gave those snowsuits another shot. Should be some new make-a-long action around here soon.

And I'm trying a little something new, answering emails I get here just in case anyone else wanted to know...

- the magazines from the post before last are a Dutch childrens magazine called Ariadne At Home Kinderen. I got my copies in a trade and am not sure how to get them here in the U.S.

- I do have plans to make up patterns for the pull toys I made last Spring but I'm not sure when that will happen. Maybe Summer?

- Winter Stitchettes will be up in the shop soon. Maybe this week? Depends on how fast we can get the postcards back from the printer.

why I'm broke

Have you seen that superbuzzy has new stuff? Everyone always asks where I get my Japanese fabric. Here you go, but hurry, new stock doesn't last long!

And have you seen that Jennifer Murphy is working with Midwest of Cannon Falls? The frozen charlottes are amazing and I think I bought one of each of the Christmas decorations.

And did you furthermore see over at Molly Chicken that Kitty-Craft has reopened?

Goodbye money, it was nice knowing ya.

revisions

Guess I know now what you guys were hoping for! hee. Thanks for all the happy comments! I'm still absorbing. I know it's going to be back to the drawing board for the baby's room. Not that it's going to end up a pink powder puff but this new development definitely opens things up. I've got my stacks of books and magazines ready and I'm going to go back through them with new eyes.

Of course, it will have to wait a bit because the weekend is upon us and that's house hunting time around here. And as more pieces of the puzzle fall into place I'm more and more anxious to find the house to put them all in. I'm starting to think if it has a nice yard, a decent basement, enough space, let's just flippin move in. So what if it's a raised ranch or a bland pancake split level, let's just get in there. Actually Tim and I have this idea that it'd be super fun to totally redo a house, a mod dwell magazine sort of makeover on some cookie cutter house. Of course how practical is it to look at your average house and think, ok we'll cut out this whole wall and make it windows and we'll lay bamboo flooring and over here build a conversation pit and knock out this kitchen and put in an ikea kitchen. That sounds cheap right?

Or there's Tim's favorite line when looking at a house, "we could add a room here."

chick drummer

The fourth member of the Lang Family Band has revealed herself... HERSELF! We're having a GIRL!! I'm so surprised, stunned, gobsmacked even. I sat in the ultrasound room in total silence. Then I started muttering... are you sure? are you sure? I really never entertained the possibility of this being a girl. Through a combination of old wives tales, psuedo science and voodoo magic I'd become utterly convinced it was a boy. After leaving the doctor's office like a zombie I realized what a fool I've been. Really. How on earth would I know. Evidentally I'm not the only one to do this because the ultrasound gal was all 'yep, yep,  we get that all the time.' duh. So wow! After the shock wore off, and then the embarassment, and then some mourning for this boy I'd been waiting for, I've become so excited! One of each. A complete set. We're so lucky! Now I just need to absorb it all. I really never imagined myself as the mom of a girl. I was keeping Tim up all night. He'd doze off and then I'd yell out paper dolls! ...that little pink ironing board from land of nod! ...pigtails!

and of course I had to run out yesterday and buy a little girly outfit.

Cuddled Up Charlie

Parker's Purchases

Here's the third Winter Stitchette, Parker's Purchases. I didn't make it down to Michigan Avenue during the holidays like I'd hoped to, but Parker was there.

Tomorrow, Charlie.

reload

This weekend in the midst of almost non-stop debating about houses and locations and commutes, Tim and I simultaneously decided the site design was bugging us. It never loaded right. Too much color. Maybe we're just overwhelmed these days. Anyway, a simpler site for a hopefully simpler new year.

Here's the New Years postcard I finally got out last week. I sent it to as many addresses as I had on hand and then pooped out. I still have some left and really wanted to send one to all the wonderful commenters who've kept me going with this blog thing. Want to send me your address?* (email them to hillary lang at gmail)

thx!

Oh, and if you see any glitches with the new site please let us know. Especially on a pc or in internet explorer which we can't test. thanks!

*I've run out of international postcard stamps but if you're a US'er don't be shy, I have plenty!

bungled

I'm so glad you guys are digging the Winter Stitchettes! They're about the only thing I've got going right these days. The rest of the week has been filled with swings and misses. Like our first try at getting a house that totally fell apart. That's an awesome feeling. Or my attempt to be diligent and responsible about the car and get that little leak looked into that has turned into a major expense. Or more light heartedly like this little snowsuit I tried to whip up for the make-a-longs so I could take advantage of the 1/4" of snow we got. Well, it's good for a laugh at least!

I'd thought all the bumps in the road we're giving me a nervous stomach until I realized it was baby in there fluttering! Who can stay dejected with fluttering baby stomach. It's the very definition of optimism. Unless of course he's in there kicking around "mom, mom! where's my new room? you'd better get cracking, I'm fluttering here! maybe you should go look at houses tonight. mom! mom!"

Finn's Friend

Winter Stitchette number two...