A Little Magic

There was a little magic in the air at our lovely Glanworth library on Saturday when we made pretty, decorated and beribboned wands!

There's a little magic in the air at the Byron library, too. In mid-January we decided to take on a charitable project, so we asked for eight-inch knitted squares that we can stitch together to make blankets for those in need. We set up a basket with knitting needles and yarn so that our patrons could sit and knit in the library as well as at home.

The response has been amazing! There are so many kind knitters willing to donate their yarn, time, and talents. Look at the piles of squares we have already, and there are more coming in all the time! We will soon organize a sewing bee and get some blankets made. See what I mean about there being some magic in the air?

And there's always magic in the air when Leo is around!

I hope there's a little magic in your life as well.

Judy Ann

Puppy

With the blog-post title, "Puppy," you likely expect to see a floppy-eared, loveable, silky-soft young dog, right? Well, I know someone who would LOVE to have a real puppy (or any dog at all), but she isn't quite ready. So, instead, I made her a different kind of puppy-dog.

The pattern is from a fun book called,

 Mini Knitted Toys by Sachiyo Ishii.

She liked her new puppy and decided it could be a purse puppy. 

Not quite what she wanted, but a little less work than the real thing.

And, now for a little someone cuter than any puppy could ever be...

Enjoy your day,

Judy Ann

The story of a Hat

I'm trying to keep Leo supplied with cosy hats, a task that is a great pleasure. He needed one that could be fastened under his chin so that it would stay in place. He has a habit of pulling them off! I had fun going through patterns and chose one from my favourite hat book, Baby Beanies by Amanda Keeys. I made the size I thought would fit, but it turned out bigger than I had planned:

(I always like the look of the top of a knitted hat.)

I decided to make another one a little smaller:

But when we tried the small hat on Leo, it was too small!

The large one fit quite well.

We tied it under his chin and for a while...

...he actually forgot he was wearing it!

But eventually, he realized!

Hopefully, when he's out in the cold, our little Leo will keep

 his cosy-warm hat on his sweet little head.

Stay warm and well,

Judy Ann

Soft and fuzzy!

I'm still addicted to knitting baby caps, and lucky for me, there is always a new baby coming along! These two photos are a little fuzzy, partly from the yarn, but mostly from me trying to take these photos in the car! Why was I taking photos in the car, you may ask? Well, because in my usual last-minute haste, I had to finish stitching the bows on top on our way to the family event where the gift was to be given. I will keep trying to be better-organized!

Speaking of addictions, here are two more of mine!

Enjoy your day,

Judy Ann

A Marble-ous time in Glanworth!

Many years ago when our kids were little, we bought a game called Marbleworks (Discovery Toys). We had loads of fun with it because the various pipes and tubes and parts can be configured in countless ways to send marbles down a wild, noisy, roller-coaster type ride. If the players each choose a certain marble, the game becomes a race to see which marble makes it to the finish line first. 

Great fun!

A few months ago, I found the game again and cleaned it up, then last week I brought it to the Glanworth Library. We had four kids all working together to make a wild marble run! I was having so much fun with them that I forgot to take pictures! I remembered to take a couple later when some kids had already gone home.

Isn't this a great set-up?

Another great use for a pile of books!

Have a really fun day,

Judy Ann

Leo is #1!

Somehow I thought maybe time wouldn't whiz by as quickly with a grandchild as it did with our own kids. I think, in fact, it has gone even quicker! How is it possible that a helpless baby can become his own little person, so funny, sweet and really, the king of our hearts, in one far-too-short year?

Leo is one!

We celebrated with balloons...

...music...

...hugs...

...food...

...(there was a heavily-iced cupcake on Leo's tray)...

...gifts...

... and fun...

...with Leo and his loving family. 

The great-grandmas couldn't resist reading one of Leo's new books.

And Leo couldn't resist "reading" one of his birthday cards!

A beautiful day for a beautiful one-year-old!

Enjoy your day,

Judy Ann

Idyllic morning

This past Saturday, we had an idyllic morning at our lovely, little Glanworth library.

To begin with, I was greeted with a pair of barn swallows 

who have built a nest in the corner of our library verandah. 

They swooped around, then one sat on the nest 

while the other perched on the railing.

Later, the kids really enjoyed decorating masks with

 all kinds of sparkly and colourful materials.

All the masks turned out wonderfully well. 

The weather was beautiful, so some of the kids played in the library backyard.

One little calf came over 

 to the fence to see them.

Who can resist patting such a sweet little calf? 

All put together, the library visitors, creative kids, dress-up masks, warm weather, friendly calf and swooping barn swallows made for an especially idyllic morning!

Speaking of idyllic mornings, we had one with Leo last week when
 he and his mommy came for a sleepover.

Who can resist Leo in his lion sleeper? Not me!

I hope there are idyllic moments in your day!

Judy Ann