{ Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! }

Well, actually it was more like lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos and monkeys. Zoo animals were the theme for Ronin's 2nd birthday party held over Memorial Day weekend. Last week was very busy around our house ( guests in from out of state for my son's graduation) so I couldn't start baking/decorating until Tuesday night.

I used tutorials from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle for the giraffe and the leaves. She makes everything seem so easy but, let me tell you, those giraffe spots were hell.

The cookies were a hit, especially with Ronin. He helped himself to a lion. I wish I could have grabbed a photo but he's not still long enough.



I'm still practicing the cookie decorating thing and usually enjoy the process. No strict deadlines is really a plus. Now I'll have to check the calendar for the next holiday or special occasion.

{ Sock Therapy }

We've got some fixing up happening in our apartment, an upcoming college graduation with family coming in from out of state, and some scheduled furniture delivery that requires removal of the old furniture first. { Really heavy old furniture} I needed to start a new pair of socks right away to help me relax in the evening.

I decided on a new pattern, Charade, which is free on Ravelry and a yarn that I hadn't used before. It's from Hampton Artistic Yarns .  I purchased it at the Long Island Fleece & Fiber Fair last year and was waiting for the opportunity to use it. It's a super soft hand dyed, hand spun superwash merino blend. The colors are beautiful and it even has a little silver bling. It was really hard  sliding off that yarn band and winding it up.

I had a bit of a sizing  problem with the pattern and had to rip out several hours of knitting, but I made an adjustment and started again. I love this yarn! Luckily in two weeks the LI Fleece and Fiber Fair is returning to Hallockville Museum Farm and I can pick up another hank. { Buying it online is not as much fun as seeing it and petting it in person }

I've been doing some quilting too but I can't spoil the surprise. Post with photos to come soon.