Kitty Litter

Last year, I made one of my kitties for my sister to give as a baby shower present. Kitty was of course a huge success. Another friend of the mother-to-be contacted me and asked if I could make a bunch for her as presents for an upcoming babyboom.

I, as a matter of course, procrastinated. And the last few months have been really lacking in any artistic mojo. I almost procrastinated my way out of the thrifted wool sweaters that are my main component.

I use the felted sweaters as the upper body of my kitties. Thrift shopping for cool wool sweaters is really getting hard. Everything is nasty acrylic and ramie, bleh. And I have a hard time, when I find a nice wool sweater, justifying felting something in perfect shape that someone could wear out of the store. I did manage to find some that were interesting and fortunately made nice soft felt.

Ajax was pretty interested in all the bits and pieces on the sewing table. Nothing got carried away.

When I first developed the pattern, no real practical thought was given to construction. This has been a real source of frustration with every single one I have made. Finally, while watching a nature program on giant octopuses, this odd solution presented itself...really odd...no, truly odd.

So, here are my wee babies, turned right side out, stuffed with fluff and tarted up. I love that they all are different and unique.

And for the most part made of recycled materials.

Happy Earth Day!

Snow Day

Today was the second largest snow storm in Philadelphia's recorded history. We got over 2 feet of the fluffy white stuff.

I love my city in the snow. Everything is so quiet, only the sound of people laughing in the streets and the scrape of shovels on the walks.

Rittenhouse Square is magical in the snow. The square was packed with squealing children learning the rules of snowball warfare and dogs bouncing and frolicking in the new snow. I wish I could experience that pure joy rather then just watching and appreciating it.

When I came home from my walk through the streets, I saw the unbelievable. There was a raptor hanging out in the ginko tree in front of the house. Wish I could have gotten a better shot of him, but the damn batteries in my camera were dying and he flew off just as I returned with fresh ones.

Ajax has been chattering away all day. He is very concerned about all this white stuff on the deck. The drift against the door is so deep that the poor thing has to stand on his hind legs to see out the door.