cozy winter

january is passing quickly (at least it feels that way to me!), but it does not feel like winter is going to be over anytime soon. i've been noticing some lovely cozy wintery things online recently. above is the beautiful mast humidifier made of japanese cypress via spoon and tamago.
in the pacific northwest, humidity is not really an issue, but in japan, when the heater is on, it gets dry. i love that this humidifier doesn't use any electricity, as the water is wicked up and evaporates from the thin layers of cypress, which i imagine could also smell lovely.
a traditional japanese way of staying warm (with no central heating, most warming strategies are very very localized) is the hot water bottle, or yutanpo. in the olden days, yutampo were made of metal, could be warmed on the heater, and then you can use the water in the morning for washing up. these days, they are popular again, especially the plastic or rubber kind also used in europe. these super soft looking yutampo covers are from this sweet zakka shop.

this one was handstiched by the talented melissa at tiny happy.
and this one was knit by a stealer of hearts. i think i want to knit a hot water bottle cover of my own, i like how the stretchy collar is perfect for the neck of the bottle.

i actually haven't used my own hot water bottle yet this winter, maybe partly because of my excellent thermal treatment of my windows (involving quilts and layers). but maybe i will soon!