Snow!

We had only about 3 inches but it came down hard and fast! It was very beautiful! The winds have picked up now so it's getting hard to see but the snow fall has stopped. :-(

I  hope we get at least one good snow fall this year - 6-12 inches.

I have another FO! I finished my Sole Train socks! I am very excited to be able to wear them and to have another project off the needles.

I have now picked up an old UFO, another pair of socks that I started quite some time ago. They are called the North Sea Socks and I started them for the last Olympics. I now have the legs and heels completed on both and am working my way through the gusset decreases. 

Happy Valentine's Day! Bob and I got each other some Wockenfuss candy (it's great candy made here in Maryland) and I bought him a nook book by JD Robb - the newest In Death series book for the I Pad. (it's double good because I get to read it also). ;-)

That's all for tonight. I just had to announce the FO and the snow. 

Be safe.

We had snow! And I have FOs

This was Wednesday evening, looking out our back door onto the deck. It was really snowing hard and fast! I loved it, and the fact that the snow fell mostly while I was awake so I could watch it fall. I love snow. ; )


It was, as predicted, a very wet snow with sleet and hail having come before, so we had icicles everywhere.

This is a view of the dogwood trees planted in the front of the yard, with the little red bows I tied to the branches for Christmas. Don't they look pretty against the snow?


The Red twig dogwood looks great in the winter, with bare branches, and snow makes it even more striking.


This was our neighbor's tree, leaning so far over into our yard that I feared for our boat, sitting under where it was leaning. It is a strong tree and held up, fortunately for us.



This is the view from the back door across the deck. That box in the corner is the water garden - it's about 18 inches high.




And this is the view the other way across the deck. You can see the paths I dug, rather than try to dig the whole thing clear.

This is the bench I have sitting in my front yard, near the dogwoods. I like to sit there in the spring and summer - it's the only place to sit to get the first and the last of the sun before and after winter. The bottom of it is about 22 inches off the ground. We couldn't decide how much snow we had - depending on where you measured, it varied from 6 inches to 2 feet.

Despite the fact that I did not go to work on Thursday, I got very little fibery stuff done. It took us until almost noon to dig out the cars and driveway, then we had lunch and attacked the sidewalks and mailbox area, etc. By the time I stopped at about 3:30, I could barely move, I was so sore. I did stretching, used the heating pad and got up periodically to lessen the stiffness, but I was sore. Dinner and rest and ibuprofen helped and by evening I was at least knitting a bit. I managed to finish the neck gaiter I made for DH and wove in half the ends.

On Friday I was scheduled off to get a Reclast infusion. That's the stuff you get to prevent/treat osteoporosis (which I have). I handled the infusion fine and in the afternoon and evening I finished all of the end weaving for DH cowl/neck gaiter and finished the sewing together of the Four Quarters Sweater! It's blocking on the floor as I write this. Yippee! A FO! Two FOs!

Last night I picked up the double knit scarf (Honka) that I've been working on for two years (or more). I wanted actual knitting (as compared to sewing or picking up stitches) and that worked well. I hope to get stitches picked up for the neck edging of Slinky Ribs today (hopefully another FO soon) and knit on the scarf. The scarf will take a while (because I am slow at double knitting in a color work pattern) but I am moving it up on my list of things to finish. I want that scarf.

I did some spinning today - Masham on the turkish spindle. Right now I plan on making a pair of mittens or fingerless mitts (depending on yardage) from this and will dye it once spun into yarn. I also washed some of my handspun that I hadn't gotten to before and it's hanging in the basement to dry. I LOVE the BFL! but the other yarn is looking good, also. I'll try to get some photos tomorrow.

I'm off to do exercises, spin more and get ready to meet youngest son and his partner for a birthday dinner.

Finished!

The Pretty Thing cowl is complete - including weaving in the ends. That's one of the fastest projects I've ever knitted, I think.

This photo is the most accurate color-wise. I was taking pictures indoors and that is the only one that is representative of the true color of this soft yarn. I have no idea where that olive green color came from.

The Petiole hat has been cast on and I knitted as far as row 10 or so (after twisted rib edging) on Monday. This, too, is an addictive pattern to knit. I can't wait to see what comes next, and I love the colors in the yarn.

Again, I could not get the colors accurate. I'll do better later in the week when I can get some daylight.

It is really shades of purple, greens and blues - deep colors and very pleasing.

We had about 2 inches of snow last night (maybe more, but it had already rained and iced over). It was soooo pretty when we drove out in it last night, and standing (snug and warm inside) watching it fall on the deck and yard. This morning it still looked pretty, but took quite a bit of chopping and scraping to remove it from cars for driving into work. I really didn't mind. giggle.

I am looking forward to some spinning tonight (I may be able to finish spinning the BFL), followed by knitting in bed, probably on the hat, but maybe a row or two of the lace shawl.

I've been pretty good about my exercises so far and didn't let the lapse last week of 3 days (when I didn't feel well) get to me. I picked right back up as soon as I felt better. I added push-ups last night and wow! can I feel that today. groan. It's been two weeks and I can tell the difference, though I am sure that measurements haven't changed. I just feel stronger. That's a good thing.

4 inches

It is better than the one or so I was fearing but not enough to make me really happy. I had hoped for 8 or so. We drove out in it a little bit last night as the snow was falling very thickly. It was magical! Big, thick, sticky flakes falling so fast, you couldn't really keep up with it. So nice ......
Even my drive in to work today (which I did after rush hour) was very pleasant. The trees were all still thick with snow and the browns and greys of winter were hidden for a while.

I plied my BFL singles last night and decided that a) I have spun enough that it would impact yardage if I "waste" what I've already spun and b) once plied, I like what I've done so far. I resumed spinning. I finished spinning the black Wensleydale last night but haven't plied that yet.

Has anyone ever unplied yarn they have already plied but didn't like? I plied some of the black Wensleydale with the Perfect Storm colorway and don't like it. I need suggestions as to whether it is possible to unply a skein (short one - not 200 yds or anything like that) and use the singles again. I predict a disaster, but am willing to give it a try if I hear that it's been done successfully before.

I knitted on DH's sock and looked out the window at the snow. A lot. Very often, actually. It was soooo pretty! We have a red twigged dogwood that looks so awesome in the winter, with really red branches and when the fresh snow is sitting on the branches, it's amazingly beautiful.

I don't feel well today and I'm not quite sure why. I think it will be a short work day and then home and take some extra vitamins and rest. After exercising and doing just a bit of spinning. Actually, I can do spindle spinning from my bed .... I have the I pad and my knitting to keep me sitting still and yet busy. Sounds like a plan to me.

Have a good day.

Expectations surpassed

I had my doubts. We've had snow predicted before and it either didn't develop at all or we had a dusting instead of the several inches they were predicting. This snow, however, flew right on by my expectations! We had (officially) 21 inches in the Baltimore area. According to this site Bel Air had 16.5 inches. It was impossible to measure with the wind making drifts all over. The snow drifts were wonderful - beautiful snow sculptures, some defying the laws of gravity, it seemed. Graceful swirls, huge piles, overhangs from roofs, and blankets of snow on the evergreen trees - it was all so wonderful.

Bob and I went out on Saturday, about mid day, to do some shoveling. We knew that it would be covered again but thought a) it would be fun to be outdoors in the falling snow and b) we might divide the shoveling in half.


We were right about a and totally wrong about b. Blowing snow drifted over the driveway and sidewalk, leaving about the same amount of snow on our property as that of those who were not out shoveling. It didn't matter. We had fun. Sunday saw snow angels appearing in our yard along with the clear paths.

We fed the birds on the deck. I so enjoy providing the birds with food during the snowfall. They seem to enjoy a place to snack. We put the food under the table on the deck. The birds have shelter and we have a great view of the feeding.


Sometimes there are fights, sometimes just posturing, but it is a big part of my enjoyment of snowfalls. The cardinals are the most striking to watch but I love the dark eyed juncos. They do this little hop or dance to move snow away from the food underneath and it's so funny to watch. Hop hop, peck. Hop hop peck.

The tree was decorated - red lights, red and gold balls - and I like it a lot.

The presents are all ribboned and looking great under the tree. A lot of stuff was moved out of the room we are putting Mom in, but the bed still has to be set up. I have a few more things to stop at the store for but that can be done once Mom is here. Tonight will be all about getting her room cleaned and the bed set up and ready. Hopefully there will be no fallout from the weekend storms and her plane will leave as planned tomorrow.

Some kitting happened despite everything else. I have started on the front of the He Gansey - I am in the double moss stitch stage still, but it's progress. Eldest son's hat was ripped again and I am back to the stockinette after the colorwork. this is my last attempt. If this fails, I will buy him a hat. : ( I did some swatching for younger son's hat. I still haven't settled on a plan. I'd like to knit it with the yarn doubled to show off the colorwork pattern better (the alpaca is pretty fine) but the stitch count doesn't work as well for that. I have a 46 stitch repeat. We'll see. Maybe an idea will occur to me when I am not sore and tired.

Today was back to work, but it's an abbreviated week. I work today and a few hours tomorrow, then i am taking off for the holiday. I will be back on Wednesday, the 30th. That sounds good. ; )

ETA I didn't get back to post this and forgot all about it with everything going on. Here it is, a little late but accurate just the same.

West coast - Stitches. East coast - snow. Is that fair?

Well. Snow. Somwhere around 8 inches of it. It was beautiful. It was cold. It was heavy. I am thankful for the inventor of snow blowers. I do not use noisy machines when I can do something quietly, but I love snow blowers. My back loves snow blowers.

I used our snow blower yesterday, and it was fun. I would have helped the whole block with their snow removal because I was having fun, but DH would not go inside no matter how cold he was (he is a diabetic and the cold really gets to him) until I was finished, so I stopped with the two houses next to us. But I could have done more. ; ))

The birds came to visit and one of the cats (Stanley) played in the snow. He was so funny, head out the door, wanting to go out, but every time his paws hit the cold, he hesitated. When we first opened the door, before he even tried to touch the snow, he shook each paw as if it were wet, and shook his head. We didn't make him go out, but he wanted to go so urgently that we finally encouraged him. We very slowly closed the door so that he knew he had to stay inside or take the plunge.

When he finally look the leap, he hopped like a bunny, trying, I suppose, to keep his paws warm/dry. Interesting tracks left in the snow .... That paw is moving so fast, you can hardly see it!

Speaking of tracks, I took some pictures of bird tracks left in just a dusting of snow on the deck. They seemd very large for such small birds.











After clearing the snow I went inside and took on the long delayed task of making the lining for the bedroom curtains I purchased months ago. I am very unsure of myself when it comes to both sewing and accurately measuring. This project is large and expensive if I fail, so I didn't get very far. I didn't even finish one curtain panel, but I did get started, and that's the second hardest thing to do. The hardest thing is to go back to something you've screwed up, at least as far as I am concerned. I hope I don't have to face that with this project.

I did a bit of spinning over the weekend. Said weekend was 3.5 days long! I was home Friday with a headache and 4 hours of furlough time. Monday was a snow day! Yippee! So, I spun each day over the weekend, more on the drop spindle that the wheel, though the wheel did come out on Sunday and Monday. I am making a 3 ply on the wheel, though I don't have a specific purpose for the yarn. I will be ready to ply some of the drop spindle singles this week and I can't wait! There was 2 ounces of this pretty blue fiber, so there won't be much yarn, but I can look at it, pet it, and perhaps use it to accent something else. I don't know, maybe there will be enough to make a small lacy scarf.

I took the plunge into the frog pond with DH's white sweater. His proportions have changed a little since I took his measurments, and I saw no point in his having a sweater that didn't fit well just so that I didn't have to rip. I am now back to creating rather than ripping.

The Honka scarf is slow going, but going. I am frequently too tired to concentrate that much at the end of a day, but I love it, so I shall persevere.

The Laminaria Shawl has come to a screeching halt. I was tinking due to some small error or another and lost a double decrease stitch, didn't realize it right away and now I have no idea what to do. I am waiting for the Knit Doctor to return from CA.

Rob's heel is turned and I can't wait to get to the section where I do the words. I hope he likes "Fear the Turtle". DH thinks he will.

It's Friday and we had snow yesterday. It was a very good day.

I sat in the medical records area at work yesterday with the study monitor, discussing issues, making changes as needed and looking out the window. I have no windows in my office and snow was predicted. I watched and waited and sure enough, a few flakes started fluttering down. Then more, and then more. I was so excited - every few minutes I would exclaim aloud about the snow. The study monitor would look at me, smile a litle and move on. Finally I realized that she wasn't excited and didn't know why I was. Duh! She's from Michigan. She has already seen more of this stuff than she wants to see. Oh, well. I didn't need anyone else. I was excited enough by myself.

By the time I left to go home there were about 2 inches on the ground in Baltimore but it had stopped snowing. When I got home (to Bel Air, which is further north and a little further from the water) I saw that we had 4-6 inches on the ground! I was so excited. I immediately went inside for my new camera and took pictures. Lots of pictures, which I will share with you over time. Then I grabbed the shovel and cleared the parking pad and most of the driveway. I love shoveling snow. I did stop before finishing everything - I have back problems and wasn't stupid enough to try to do it all. Lots of fun!





I am going to see Atonement tonight - I know nothing about this movie or the book but have heard that it is good and I haven't been to the movies in over a year, I think. This will be fun.

DH and I are off together this weekend. We have a weekend of house projects and putting away holiday things planned. I am hoping to get back to walking, too. Hopefully the weather and returning health will assist with that. I want to do some spinning on my shawl fiber, also. I didn't get to pick up my Donegal Tweed yarn order last night because the store closed due to bad weather. Maybe tomorrow. And hopefully I will be able to get some good photos of my progress on Annemor # 12 (the Selvubotter gloves) and the alpaca socks. Who knows - by the time the weekend is over I might have a FO - my son's work socks. I started the ribbing. Bye.