All this, and breakfast in a diner...

A day spent in preparation for Christmas (after French toast and sausage at the Bluebird diner). Paul and I wrapped presents and got all the boxes in the mail—such a great feeling. We bought a small tree (skinny, because we couldn't find one small enough to sit on a table). It's narrow enough that we won't have to move the living room furniture around. We thought about putting a tree in the family room, where we'd see it more often, but decided that might not be wise given that Pearl the Squirrel spends the day in that room while we're at work. Who knows what havoc she'd wreak?

I went yesterday to one of my favorite holiday sales, the Eastside Artist's Market. Wonderful textiles, wood, paper, paintings, and more, all created by local artists. I was looking for a gift for my bookgroup buddies—we meet on Tuesday night and have a cookie and gift exchange. I wasn't able to find anything and was feeling bereft, when I remembered my summer hat-knitting obsession. 

Nearly every week at the Farmer's Market this past summer I couldn't resist a beautiful skein of hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn. And many of those weeks I whipped out a hat. I had no plans for these toppers: they were simply an excuse to caress the gorgeous colors and fibers. At the end of the summer I had eight hats and this a.m. I realized they might be the perfect bookgroup presents. Here's a picture of Pearl with one of the skeins earlier this summer. I'll post a shot of the hats soon.