It's a.......

Little boy beaver!

That is what the Mystery Knit-a-Long turned out to be.

The head was the most difficult part--getting the eyes, 

ears, nose and mouth parts all in a good place. 

Here is the beaver's tail. 

Pretty clever pattern--staying in pattern with increases and decreases.

Now he is off to dam something up.

See ya soon!

Brambly Catalog

My post about the Country Mouse/City Mouse brought about a comment about Jill Barklem and her Brambly Hedge stories. This reminded me about a little project I got up to in January.

I thought that the inhabitants of Brambly Hedge needed a catalog in which to order their goods. 

I started sketching up some pages for the catalog. 

So who wants to go shopping? :-)

Stuffie Surprise Knit-a-long

So far, so good!

I am participating in a knit-a-long over at Barbara Prime's Fuzzy Mitten.

Every Friday we get an update to the pattern with more pieces to the final product. 

What do you think it is going to be? 

It has a long head--but it is rounder than the picture shows.

I have left it unstuffed so far.

I am waiting for the final picture to aid me with any necessary shaping.

There are at least three other patterns for the design on the sweater.

I used KnitPicks, Wool of the Andes, worsted in Almond for the body.

It is various KnitPicks palette yarn in fingering weight for the sweater.

Country Mouse or City Mouse?

This is an illustration from a book published by Platt & Munk called 

"Folk Tales Children Love" edited by Watty Piper.

This story is the classic City Mouse and Country Mouse.

It is a shame that the illustrator is not named. 

Does anyone know who drew this?

These mice look like rats to me..... 

These, of course,are illustrations by the incomparable Richard Scarry for the same story.

I would love a house in a tree, wouldn't you?

I ought to do a post just on illustrations of houses in trees that have fascinated me since childhood.

I am impatiently waiting for spring, which is taking a long time to show up.

Fairy tales help to lift my sagging winter spirits. :-)