Happy 5th Birthday!

Today is Little A's 5th birthday! At some point (maybe if she's taller than I am) I'll have to stop calling her Little A but she's still Little A to me. I can't believe that she's been around for five years already and getting ready to enter kindergarten next Fall - time flies! This morning I made apple pancakes with golden syrup and veggie sausages and then Little A opened her gifts.

 There were books and art supplies and a board game to play as a family. She received this giant atlas from her Nana and it's a new favorite already.

I knit her a Bunny Girl with two different dresses and I now have a standing request for a Fox Girl so they can be friends (I did not disillusion A about the "friendship" between real rabbits and foxes). Also, "more clothes in lots of different colors" for the bunny and the fox. 

Little A is going to her Grandma's house to make and decorate sugar cookies later today and we're having the requested dinner of burgers and french fries with cupcakes for dessert. In case you're wondering, we did throw a birthday party for A a couple of weeks ago that involved around 20 of her preschool friends with some parents, lots of food, dinosaurs in party hats, a book exchange, and all the attending noise and mayhem of a room with loads of children free to run and yell. It was exhausting and wonderful. 

Happy birthday, Little A! 

Just in case you want to knit some little bunnies and foxes of your own here are the details: 

Pattern(s): Little Bunny Girl (or Fox), Seasonal Dresses by Julie Williams

Yarn: Rowan Kid Classic in Cream, Millamia Naturally Soft Merino in Fuchsia, Lime, and White

Needles: US #3 (for the body) and US #2 1/2 for the clothes

Mods: I knit the skirt portion of the dresses in the round and the bodice back and forth since I didn't want to knit colorwork flat. You'll also need black yarn for the embroidery on the face. I used DMC perl cotton thread in black since I already had a little ball of it hanging out in my sewing kit and it is nice and smooth to used for the french knot eyes. The dresses are great to knit in leftover balls of sock yarn since they take hardly any yardage and you can add all sorts of details in a contrast color. Little Bunny has already been stripped down multiple times and redressed this morning - I think she's a success!

Aaaaand I'm Done

No, not with holiday knitting but with something else that has been taking up a large amount of time and brain power. I'm finished with my BA coursework!!! As soon as grades are submitted and my paperwork is processed I'll be an official graduate of the University of Washington.

What next? Good question.

I'm taking a couple of weeks off for the holidays and the visit of my best friend who has been in Ukraine for the last two years. I'm going to knit. I'm going to revel in not having to do homework. And then I'm going to get down to the business of applying for graduate school. The application deadline is in October so I have plenty of time as long as I don't procrastinate. I've got writing samples to complete and observation hours to fulfill and a lot of other various requirements that take both time and attention.

For now I'm going to enjoy my freedom from school and spend time with my friends and family during the holiday season. And knit. A lot.