Where does the time go?

I'm not sure how nearly two years have gone by (was I in a coma?) but here I am!

Here is my latest kitted creation from one of Jean Greenhowe's books. The duck is so cute and has a removable hat. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the little blue guy on the right is his whale friend. I chose to make the hat removable because it's not a gift for a small child.

I really LOVE Jean Greenhowe's patterns. They are a bit time consuming and not for those who hate sewing up seams or working with small needles. The end result is just so charming though, that I use it as motivation when I'm grumbling about sewing up my endless seams.

I have been having trouble finding DK weight yarn that wasn't in baby colors, so I ordered a whole bunch of Patons Astra. It's good because it comes in so many colors and is affordable. I'm still looking for a green that would be good for a witch's dress or monster. Astra doesn't really have a good color green for that (think Oscar). If anyone knows of a good DK weight that's this color, please let me know!