Handwork and other Happinesses

I have a dear friend (and cousin) in Texas who did a precious thing for our family at Christmas. She and her kids saved all their change for the year, and then bought gifts for our family. She also sent us some cash for our use. But the gifts were so fun, because she really knows us. She knows Adam loves to bake, so she bought him something we've been longing for, for quite a while:  a silpat!!

Oh, it is wonderful to bake on! I could get used to this kind of cookery!
For me, she sent two handwork books, as you see below:

Both books are so cool, but the bead book is visually so pleasing.  Look at this hat:

And this adorable little girl bag:

We've laughed over this doggy sweater, complete with the pocket for a doggy treat, and the little back-leg warmers - haha!!

This is perhaps my favorite. I would really enjoy wearing this over sweaters. Cozy!

I'll interrupt the handwork with a shot of the morning mountains yesterday. I love this misty/foggy/cloudy blanket.

Today we went to Hunter's for our knitting group. I love the level of concentration these ladies achieve! Ginny, however, was playing with Sarah Jane, the cat, who is snuggled up to her. Ginny was tickling SJ with a knitting needle, on her tummy :)

It's hard to see Sarah Jane, her black hair is so dark. I could do whole posts on this cat and her crazy ways. She's a nut!

Today, Julia learned how to do a granny square, and I think it looks great! She's making a backpack with one side of granny squares, and the other of solid knitting.

I'm starting pink sock #2. Casting on is the hardest part of this endeavor.

Sock #1 turned out great. It's a perfect fit, because I could try it on as I made it. I love the little crocheted edge on the top. I confess: I used the brown contrast color simply because I knew I don't have enough of the pink for 2 socks. But I think it looks cute. When I get better at socks, I'll invest in some pricier yarn.