Tipple Cat Hat

I'll begin with the tipple. Today we bottled 17 bottles of elderflower champagne.



This is a real science experiment. It's my first brewing project, and the first time I've ever tasted elderflower anything. It took four days to get a good ferment going, recipe here. We're a little scared of exploding bottles. We've secured the champagne in a plastic trashcan with blankets. Our other security measure is to leave for Italy, and let our house sitters deal with it. I have no business making elderflower champagne one week before we leave on vacation. I certainly have no business leaving a possibly explosive sugary alcohol bomb for our unsuspecting house sitters. I know this, but I don't care.
Here are the cats.


I found these while going through some unopened boxes from our move. Our move was three years ago, don't laugh. I had completely forgotten about these beauties.



I think they were a gift from my mother. They are hilarious. The open mouthed cat is my favorite.


They remind me of Charles Dickens characters. They should have names like Cornelius Bruggs, Constance Fellander and Mellie Whithers. I'll have to keep my eyes out for worthy project.
Last, and probably least, is the summer sky hat.



I finally found some buttons for it. I had been looking for bird buttons, but the only birds I could find were perching or very very plastic. The ladybugs were languishing on the bottom of my sewing basket.



I got them out on a whim, and was really pleased with how they looked. They are made out of glass, and are completely inappropriate for a baby hat, but then the whole hat is totally impractical. It's not machine washable, it's got little wisps of mohair trailing off of it, and now it's got baby chokers sewn all over it. I don't care. I like it.



I think my brain left for Italy without me.