This is Norman.

He was recently adopted by an old high school chum. He’s her first cat.

The boys and I decided we needed to send them a little care package. I’ve wrapped up a few favourite treats and toys, but Burton wanted to send him something extra special

So we dug into the flannel bin and whipped him up a little blankie he can call his own.

It’s in the mail now, and we are just waiting for it to arrive to hear if Norman likes it. We’re pretty sure he will

All of us at Chez Wandering Cat wish you and yours the very best of the season.

Have a wonderful day!

He sees you when you’re eating…

He knows when you’ve got meat…

He knows if you’ve got fish or fowl…

So don’t think you can hide those treats!

I’ve said before that, to me, gnomes aren’t just a Christmas thing. They obviously have a big role in the other seasons, being garden denizens!!!

Back before the move, I bought myself this panel…

… and a pile of coordinating fabrics. My intent was to make myself a “garden quilt”. Since we now have a fabulous catio – a space for both people and cats to enjoy – it will be a “catio quilt”. While I only have my table and chairs out there now, I’m hoping to get some sort of lounger/outdoor couch, and that’s where this quilt will live.

I haven’t gotten very far yet. I’ve sketched out a plan which involves the panel surrounded by dizzy daisy and star blocks.

I got everything cut, so I can just go in and sew whenever I have a spare hour or so.

And then I put together one of the stars… just to see.

Oh, I’m going to have soooo much fun with these!!!!

To finish out the year, I’ve started a little something just for me.

The Hemlock Ring Blanket.

It’s been in my queue FOREVE. Not that I need a reason to make it, but now I actually have one.

My office is in the farthest corner of the house, and while it does get heat, it just doesn’t seem to be as warm as the rest of the place (which surprisingly isn’t too bad considering the state of the windows!). I’ve got lots of fingerless mitts to keep my hands warm while type; socks and mocs to keep my toes toasty; and an endless supply of warm cardigans and sweaters. But I don’t have much for my legs, and I find they can get a little chilled as I’m sitting there, working away.

I need something that’s big enough to drape over my lap, but not so big that it gets tangled in the wheels of my office chair. I think this us just the thing.

So far, I’ve been enjoying it immensely.

I’m using Alpaca With a Twist’s Highlander yarn. It’s an Alpaca/Wool/Microfiber/Rayon mix, and is quite nice to knit with. It has a very soft, silky feel, and that alpaca is going to be nice and warm! Mom gave me seven skeins of it a while back, and I think this is going to make good use of every last inch of it.

While making the bowl cozies, I was doing something I don’t do often. I was using pins.

Despite the fact that I really don’t like using them, I have some really neat pins.

I still had them in the storage they came with (the cats in a little plastic box, and the unicorns on a plastic round. And honestly, it was a pain to pull them out and put them back. I needed some pin cushions!

I wanted something simple and I found this tutorial.

It’s super easy, and you only need four squares, and a button. It’s a great excuse to break into the “odd button” jar.

And just like the tutorial says, it only takes about five minutes to put them together!

I made one for each set…

And a third one for mom!

And just like that… the last Christmas present is complete! Work slowed down quite a bit and I had plenty of time to stitch away while waiting for work to find me.

As a reminder, the yarn is Knit Picks Stroll and the colour is Yeti. It was a very nice yarn to knit with, and I’m kind of wishing I’d kept this one for myself!

I have more Stroll in the stash, so the next pair will probably be for me!

In the mean time, I’m just going to enjoy this finish… and get started on my gift wrapping!

Though the sewing did slow for a couple of weeks, I’ve still managed to add to my pile of Leader/Ender blocks. The other day, Burton helped me lay them out and see how far we’ve gotten.

We’ve got 58 so far, and it’s a decent size. Of course, once they are all sewn together, those 1/4 inch seams will shrink it up considerably. I’m aiming for about 100 blocks, so I’ve still got a ways to go!

In addition to making bowl cozies, I also got a quilt top done on the weekend.

This one started with a bunch of leftover fabric that will look very familiar to you.

After finishing Ahoy Matey, I cut the rest of the fabric into 5 inch squares intending to make and Oh My Stars baby quilt with it. After they were all cut, I didn’t have quite enough (you need at least 56, though 64 or 72 is even better), so I went through the stash and scrap bins and came up with a few more prints to round it out.

As soon as I came across the yellow crab fabric, I knew it would be the stars.

I love this pattern, because it goes together easily. You really only need an afternoon.

It’s also proved very popular – every one I’ve made with this pattern has sold. And of course, it’s a great way to use up leftover fabrics. I’ve got a couple more cut and ready to go in different themes. The plan is to do another quilting weekend some time in January.

When I do, this one will end up with a fun flannel back, and some bold star binding!

It’s not the clearest picture, but I wanted to share a fun fact about our wee Fluffbutt

He’s got spots on the roof of his mouth. He’s had them since he was a baby, and its nothing to worry about – it’s the the normal pigmentation of his skin (you can see darker spots on the skin at the front of his ears where the hair is thinner too).

Any of your pets have spotted mouths?