They say there is snow covering 50% of the country right now. Eeeesh. Here in northwest Oregon, I think we're having classic spring weather: one day warm, one day sunny, one day sunny and cold, one day cloudy and warm, one day hail, one day a golden sunset that warms you right through your skin. Amelia and I have been out walking every day. The neighborhood looks so very pretty right now. All of the plums and pear trees are in bloom. The daffodils are out, and many camellias. Grape hyacinths. Magnolias just starting to bud. Today it was chilly and rainy and so we went to the mall. It's warm, it's dry, it has flat surfaces, lots of food and things to drink, big doors (and occasionally people will even hold them for you — you can tell which ones have ever had to maneuver a stroller through a door and which ones haven't), elevators, and cute clothes. On a cloudy March day, what's not to love. Amelia enjoys going anywhere. Everywhere. I love being out with her.
We have ordered all of the supplies we need for the next round of Maggie kits, and the felt has already come in. Greta is back in the studio folding felt as I write. We are making twice as many kits this time, but will only have five dress/yarn options available — four new fabrics, as well as the original Betsy (and by the way, the names of the fabric and yarn that I used? Those are the names the manufacturers [Liberty and Brown Sheep, respectively] gave them, so if you're in love with something you can definitely Google it to find more somewhere). I think the new dress-fabric options are gorgeous. I can't remember the names offhand, but I will take a photo of the samples so you can see the prints. So, Greta is working steadily to put the kits together, but we aren't rushing these. Rushing just doesn't work for me these days. We are going to do them at a more reasonable pace that works for all of us here. So, I'm not sure exactly when they'll be done but it might be about a month. Unfortunately, no, there is no waiting list, and I don't take pre-orders. But I will keep you posted here on our progress and let you know when the new kits will be available!
I have gotten a lot of emails from people who have already finished Maggies, either from the kit or the pattern, and they are seriously ADORABLE. So, so sweet! (My in-box these days is just utter chaos. I'm kind of coming to terms with the idea that I will just never get to it all, which feels weird, but it is the reality, so I really do apologize.) But I have started a Pinterest board for Maggie photos. If you post a photo of your Maggie to your own Pinterest boards, you can send me the Pin and I'll repin it to this board. Or you can send me the link to images on your own blog and I'll pin it for you. Or you can send me the photo and the photo credit/blog info and I'll upload it directly to the board. If you send me a photo but you DON'T want me to Pin it, just tell me, and I won't (of course). But I do love seeing them because they each have their own personalities, and a little gallery would look so cute!
I'm also still working on alternate patterns, and I'll keep you posted on those, too. I'm just trying to do everything at my own pace, so that's kind of a slow pace right now.
(Did you see my Steiff teddy bear on the window seat? I got him when I was a baby. I love him. He's very gorgeous. A true gentleman.)
I made the scarf (and her little navy sweater), but I bought the handwarmers from Sandra Juto last year, and I love them and wear them almost every day.
My mom has a dragonfly tattoo on her wrist. 'Cause she's cool like that.
How I love hanging out with Mimi in her big-girl room. In the afternoons, when the sun starts setting through those windows, sitting on the big bed, with our pets nearby (always nearby), reading stories to this beautiful baby girl . . . well . . . you know . . . nowhere else on earth. Nowhere else in the whole wide world do I ever want to be. My happy place.