Rainy Day

 

Olwen: (thinking to self) I ought to write a letter to Nanny and ask her advice.  I don't know how to handle this all by myself.

~Meanwhile~

 

Hammie:  What is the SECRET?  I wanna know!

Audrey:  I don't know.  Olwen doesn't think it.

 

Hammie: Maybe it's a Christmas present!  I want a BIG ginger cookie!

 

Audrey:  Maybe it is something bad!

 

Hammie: Is she still crying?

Audrey: No, she's not crying, she is worried.

Hammie:  Do you think she will feel better soon?

 

Audrey:  Yeah, I think so.

Hammie:  I don't want Olwen to be sad.

 

Hammie:  Can you see my thinking?

Audrey: Kinda.  You are thinking about the Cookie Monster?

 

Hammie:  Wow.  I was thinking about cookies.  Niks and Naks made cookies!  Nanny is not here to make us cookies!

 

Audrey: But you were thinking "monster" too.

Hammie:  Yep, cause it's raining.  Hey!  I got a secret!

 

Hammie: Wanna go make mud monsters?

Audrey: ok!

~Meanwhile~

 

Olwen: (thinking to self) I think this is going to be a very interesting holiday!  Yes, very interesting, indeed.

Lacy Sweater Finished

 

On the sleeve, I decided to increase at about the elbow to the shoulder.  I just increased within the knit stitches.

 

You can see the pattern better here (sorry for the blurry photo).  Now I like this increase look so much, I plan on making a whole dress in this pattern!

 

It fits Susan like a dream!  It is a pullover with a boat neck.

 

Of course, she's not to happy about wearing slacks, so I promised to make some full skirts for her.

She sat in the window.  This is wear she usually sits when I am at my computer.  Her little window seat, just the right place for her thoughts to be her own.

I also sewed on the buttons (and hand stitched the button holes) on her heart dress:

 

  

I am so happy that I have expanded my range in knitting.  You knew it could be so easy?

Christmas Secret

 

Audrey:  Hammie, I think Olwen is sad.

Hammie:  Girls are always crying.

 

Audrey:  Do you think Olwen is crying?

Hammie:  I don't think so. Did she lose her doll or something?

 

Audrey:  Lets be really nice to her.

Hammie:  Alright.

 

Hammie:  Did you see that falling star?  I want to wish on it!

Audrey:  I wish Christmas was here already!

 

Olwen:  (thinking to herself) I wish I could tell the little ones THE SECRET.  I think they need to know.  Nanny says it has to wait until Christmas Eve.  I'm not very good at keeping secrets.

 

Olwen:  Hey, you two, what are you whispering about?

 

Audrey:  We are wishing, not whispering!

Hammie: Yeah, we are wishing for Christmas to come today!

 

Olwen:  (thinking to herself)  I wish it was Christmas now too.

 

Audrey:  I think the star is broken.

Hammie:  Yeah, Christmas isn't happening!

 

Audrey (sniffling) Did Christmas get broken?

Hammie:  OH NO!!!!

Olwne:  Don't cry, Audrey, Christmas cannot get broken. It just can't come before Christmas Eve.

 

Hammie:  I know!  I can fix the star with tape and paste!

Olwen:  That might work!

 

Hammie:  If I fix the star, then the wishes will come true!

 

Olwen:  Christmas will be here soon enough.  I think this Christmas will be full of new things to know.

Audrey:  Like a secret?

 

Olwen:  What made you say that, Audrey?

Hammie: Audrey can hear stuff in your head.

Olwen:  You can?

Audrey: All the time.  Well, some of the time.  Sometimes I don't know what the words mean.

 

Hammie:  Is there a secret about Christmas?

Olwen:  Sigh.......

AEIOU

Been working and re-working this new pattern.  The pattern itself is easy, but not fun when all the bumping and bouncing on the road causes my needles to jerk and a stitch goes flying and I cannot regain enough fine motor control to pick it back up (because of the bouncing).  I flew into frustrated rage more than a few times, having to rip it all up and start all over again.

In the end, I decided to forsake speed knitting for very careful, one stitch at a time completeness.  This helped with the yarn's constant tendency to split, which was another factor in my crankiness.  Sigh.  So far, the front and back of Susan's pullover are done and I started the sleeve.  I tried decreasing to make arm holes for a more fitted sweater, but the pattern didn't lend itself well to an even reduction, so when I had to rip it up I decided to make it all rectangles to preserve the pattern.

Susan's name is still on the cusp.  I am not sure about changing it, I've looked at many names, and several continue to stand out, just as they did when I was looking for one before she arrived.  Yet, looking at her and saying the name, well it just doesn't sing.  She needs a name as delicate and as quiet as she is.  Ivy was a near contender when I suddenly realized that it was so close to Evie.  How funny that is to me.  Evy and Ivy.  Perhaps my other companions could be called Avy, Uvy and Ovy.  *giggle*.  I guess you had to be there.

Nisse's Try a New Holiday

 

Olwen:  Wake up little ones, it is Thanksgiving Day!

Hammie: What's that?

 

Olwen:  Thanksgiving is a holiday.  I don't know much about it.  I had to read a book!

Audrey:  I know!  I got to wear a Pilgrim dress last time.  You have to get dressed up!

Hammie:  I don't want to wear a Pilgrim dress.

 

 Olwen: I guess I can put on my white dress.  That is festive.

Audrey:  I like dresses!  You have to wear a bonnet too!  Like me.

 

Olwen:  Lay still, Audrey, I can't unbutton you when you wiggle so.

Hammie:  So after you wear dumb dresses, then what?

 

Olwen:  Well,  read that there is a turkey bird that is made into a dinner and you eat a lot of food, like a Nisse feast.  And you say thank you for a having food to eat.

 

Hammie:  Do we have a turkey bird?

Olwen: Well, no.  But you could paint a picture of one.

Audrey:  What do they look like? 

 

Olwen: They are brown with a colourful tail, and BIG!  They have long legs too.  They say "gobbling" or something like that.

 

Hammie:  I can paint one!

 

Olwen: Well, here is some paper and paint.  Make a turkey while I put together our feast!

 

Audrey:  Make it brown!

Hammie:  Yeah, I know.

 

Hammie:  Big and round! and Gobbling.

 

Audrey: And a red tail feather too!  And a blue one, and a green one!

Hammie:  I already got a blue feather!

 

Audrey:  I write "Hapy Bird" on it.  I think that's what you are suppose to say.

Hammie:  What a silly thing to say.

 

HAPY BIRD!!!!!

 

Audrey:  Where is the turkey?

Olwen:  Well, there wasn't one in the pantry, but I found TURKEY FRANKFURTERS.  So I say "thank you" for finding food that is good for us to eat!

 

Hammie:  Thank you for yummy cranberry juice!

 

Audrey:  I like turkey frankffurdies!  Thank you for nummies!

 

Hammie:  I like them MORE that you do!  YUMMY!

 

Olwen:  There is more salad if you would like some.

 

Audrey:  MMMMM cakes!

~Later~

 

Olwen: (thinking to herself) I think I did that holiday right.  At least a Nisse version of it!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!