Freshly off the needles:
pattern: Vespergyles (Ravlery link)
While I am very happy with the way these mittens look, I realized too late that I should have used a smaller needle and/or cut a repeat out of the pattern ... they're hopelessly big for my hands. Her Ladyship was quick to point out that they are NOT too big for her hands ... that comment, when paired with some cooing over how soft the yarn (Classic Elite Fresco) is, was enough for me transfer possession to my daughter.
I'm still hoping to get a pair of mittens for myself knit this month.
*****
With all that was going on here during December, I forgot to tell you about the newest member of our household.
Meet Oscar ....
Bluebell died in July of 2010, but it wasn't until this past September that Her Ladyship felt ready to get another bird. Unfortunately, our local pet store (where Eldest has worked part time since last spring) didn't have any suitable parakeets available for most of the fall.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, Eldest came home from his shift talking about a new batch of parakeets the shop had received. They were very young, but hand tamed and quite personable. "You'll have to move fast," he warned his sister. "Birds this nice don't last long."
We made plans to pick out a new bird early the next week, but in the interim Duke took a sudden turn for the worse, and we knew that it was time to let him go. The last thing on earth I felt like doing was to bring a new pet into the house ... it felt disrespectful, somehow.
However, Her Ladyship had taken her brother's warning to heart, and was very anxious not to miss out on one of the "good" parakeets. Against my better judgement, we went to the store, where she promptly fell in love with this little guy, and decided to take him home.
And do you know what? It was the right thing to do. The last few days of Duke's life were terrible ... waiting for his final appointment as we watched his physical condition rocket downhill was heartbreaking. We loved on him as much as we could, but his last week was more bitter than sweet.
Having a baby bird in the house ... one who wanted to hang out and interact with the members of his new flock ... was just what we needed to make it through those difficult days.
In the two months he's been part of the family, we've learned a few things about Oscar. He prefers to perch nearby than right on someone's shoulder. He thinks it's really fun to run up and down the little ladder in his cage. And he's inordinately fond of Offenbach's Can-Can.
We're all very glad he's here.
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