Brrrrrrrr

Good Afternoon!


The title says it all...though we are not in the Midwest where so many of you have it so much worse than we do.  But, still.....It is snowing again and the wind has really picked up.  A moment ago our backyard was one big whiteout.


Thank you all for your well-wishes for Fletcher.  He came through the cataract surgery just fine this morning and we were home well before 11 a.m.!  He cannot drive for a minimum of 3 days and for a week no bending, lifting, pushing -- including snow -- no snow shoveling for a week!  YIKES.  That leaves moi in charge.  LOL


We were pretty hungry and tired when we got home, so threw together some leftovers and then took naps.  Or tried to.  Fletch got comfy on the sofa and I went upstairs to lay down on the bed.  I was just about asleep when I heard a banging at the back window.  I opened my eyes and there was Tyg hanging onto the bottom ledge of the window.  He had climbed up onto the patio roof and then jumped up to hang by his front paws.  I got up, opened the window and hauled him in.  I never got to sleep, but it felt wonderfully relaxing to just lay in bed for an hour or so.  A luxury!


Tomorrow I plan to go into work very early.  I have some reports I need to get out.  I'll leave by 11 though to take Fletch to his follow up appointment with the eye doctor.  What can I say?  Another afternoon off is not bad.


As Bonny talked about the other day, you can knit people you love safely home.  I also believe you can knit those you love safely through surgery.  I did knit this a.m. and am a little further along on the sockhead cowl (which is PERFECT waiting room knitting).

Bonny's post the other day on her Hitchhiker shawls finally pushed me over the edge and I bought the pattern right after reading her blog!  This afternoon I found what I think will be an excellent yarn for my very first Hitchhiker.  I'll show a picture once I start, but it is Kettle Dyed yarn I bought in Lancaster the other year.  The colorway is Rhubarb.  It is beautiful.  I tried making socks with it and the yarn pooled in an unattractive/ugly way.  I think it will work well with the Hitchhiker pattern.


I also picked out my yarn for the KAL Dee and I are starting on Saturday (socks in the pattern Sunday Swing - free on Ravelry).  I know Val is joining us...any others?


Dee also convinced me (with her post on Tuesday) to go through my stitching WIPs.  Egads...I have 6 large pieces (mostly samplers) in some stage of completion and 5 (or more - I didn't dig that deep in the chest) "smalls" in progress.  This is the year I will start stitching again.  I've missed it.  Stay tuned!


In the middle of writing this post, my laptop shut down.  Grrrrr.  So, I'm going to hit publish while I can.  Stay warm!!!

Back to Monday

Good Morning!

Not sure how it is Monday again already, but here we are.  The weekend was good - not what we had planned, but good nonetheless.  My friend Carol and her boyfriend were supposed to come up from Delaware for the day on Saturday, but they had to cancel.  So, for once, I got ALL the things on my list checked off!  I took care of numerous errands, cleaned the bathrooms, did a boat load of laundry, paid bills and did some sewing/mending things.  Only a little knitting got done, but I am almost finished the ribbing for the bottom (or top) of the Sockhead Cowl (free on Ravelry):

The yarn is behaving!  The yarn is wonderfully soft and warm.  I know this will feel wonderful around my neck.

Saturday was a beautiful morning - warmish (45 or so) and sunny.  Now we are back to chillier temps and by Wednesday the thermometer should drop a lot...I think our low is forecast to be 2 degrees.  However, that's nothing compared to what the mid-West will be experiencing - stay warm!!!  Stay inside and knit!!!

This will be a busy week for me.  Fletch is having cataract surgery on Wednesday and, of course, I have to take him.  And then on Thursday, he has a follow up appointment which I will have to take him to.  Not sure what time that is, so my work schedule will depend on that.  Fingers crosssed his surgery goes well.

Meanwhile I seem to have come down with a nasty cold which I am hoping to kick by Saturday when Dee and I have plans to head over to Purls of Wisdom for a trunk show!! 

Unraveled Wednesday 1-23-19

Good Morning!

It is warmer today (33 degrees!!) and rain is in the forecast.  It is supposed to go up to 53 and I've already received texts and e-mails regarding potential flooding for the area.  It has been - and continues to be - a roller coaster of a winter.

This week has definitely seen more unraveling than I've done in a long, long time.

• First up the Brookline Socks (free pattern on Ravelry) that Dee and I started knitting on Saturday did not work.

• Then I tried a sockhead cowl - somehow I messed that up as well.

• Next I picked different yarn and started Gladys socks (another freebie on Ravelry).  That did not work.

• I had woken from a nap on Monday dreaming that I was doing some cross stitch so I pulled out several small pieces "in progress" to work on.  Last night I looked at the first and found a mistake I had made (long, long ago).  Ended up cutting that out of the linen.

Bottom line:  I need to LISTEN to the yarn.  My blue yarn with flecks of copper (Madtosh I believe) does not want to be a cowl.  My red yarn does not want to be socks.  So last night, using the red yarn, I cast on for a sockhead cowl.  Hopefully this one will cooperate!!  I've brought it to work and am looking forward to a nice lunch time (raw veggies and a little cheese) with knitting.

On the reading front I have not been doing much.  I'm still reading "As Bright as Heaven" and enjoying it...but haven't picked it up for several days.  Last night I started reading "Where the Crawdads Sing" on my Kindle...but I had only read 3 pages or so and my eyes began to close.

That's where I am this Wednesday - joining in with Kat and friends.  What are you up to?

A Change in Plans

Good Morning!


So nice to have the day off.  It is bitter outside.  It finally just got up to 11 degrees.  Lots of strong winds rattling the windows.  Tyg is not interested in going out, but he has a couple of times...just not for very long.  Right now he is curled up in the chair I normally sit in to knit.  It's at the end of the table and the heat comes out under the table - it's a comfy place to be!


IF you remember, Dee and I were getting together on Saturday for some shopping, knitting, lunch, and a whole lot of chatting.  Apparently I cannot chew gum and walk AND I cannot cast on and talk.  Not sure what I did, but Dee can confirm that the ribbing I started for some socks was just plain wonky.  Neither of us could figure out what had happened.


I planned to cast on anew later that evening.  Before I had a chance, Dee texted me that the Brookline pattern was not working for her yarn.  We've decided to abandon that little mini KAL and start one on the 2nd of February for Sunday Swing socks (free pattern on Ravelry).  Anyone care to join us?


Last night I was finally able to cast on for socks but only managed to get 5 rows of ribbing done.

Hopefully this will see a little more action today.  I'm planning to make "Gladys" (another free one on Ravelry).  But I have not been idle.  Last night I went through the notebooks I have of patterns.  You know I weeded them out months ago, but still had too  much.  I've whittled it down and am getting rid of 4 binders!  A lot of what I had printed is already in my Ravelry library...or is free on the internet.  I did save some patterns I bought and some instructions I had printed out.


I've also been going through books - some from my knitting bookcase and more from a shelf of cookbooks.  I have a large box of books to donate.  And space!  I have space.  It feels wonderful.


Meanwhile, my car is in the shop for inspection (which is going to be expensive this time).  It may not be ready till 10 tomorrow morning.  I have laundry in both the washer and dryer, and a couple more loads to do.  Bread is rising (the kitchen smells wonderful) and I'm making a curried shrimp chowder for dinner.  It's the perfect day for soup and bread.


Colin and Mailing made it home safely from NYC and they LOVED the opera.  Luckily the storm wasn't as bad as predicted.  It's just the bitter cold and the wind - unrelenting!


Hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Friday Felines

Good Morning!

Two felines for you this morning.  First up Tyg (dreaming of being a gazelle):

And next, the jigsaw puzzle we've been working on:

This has got to be the hardest puzzle I've ever done!  It's easy to lose an hour or so just staring at this and trying to find a piece or two that fit in.

So, we had a bit of snow (1" or so) over night and more predicted for today...Saturday...and Sunday.  BUT, it doesn't look like the storm will be as bad for us as originally predicted.  The main problem will be Sunday when it is supposed to rain and then the temps are forecast to drop to 5.  That's when it will all freeze up.  Luckily my office is closed on Monday for MLK Day.

Meanwhile - fingers crossed for Colin & Mailing who have their house inspection this morning.  After that they are heading to NYC for the weekend (where they will most likely have more snow).  I was hoping they would postpone their trip, but they have a non-refundable hotel booked and non-refundable tickets to the Met on Saturday (Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande).  That means Fletch and I are on cat feeding duty beginning tonight through Sunday morning.

Also - if you saw Dee's Blog you know she and I are meeting up tomorrow for some therapy - lol - and will be starting a little KAL for Brookline Socks which look like a fun knit.  Dee's chosen yarn is GORGEOUS.  I *think* I've picked my yarn...I need to re-look at my stash tonight before making a final decision (or find something at one of the stores we will be visiting tomorrow???).

My first conference call has ended, but I have another one in 30 minutes...I'd best get ready for that.  Wishing you all a cozy weekend!

Unraveled Wednesday 01-16-19

Hello!

Gosh it is cold outside...and colder weather (and snow) is forecast for our weekend.  Colin & Mailing are heading to NYC on Friday for a weekend get-away and we are on cat duty...hopefully we won't have any issues getting up to their place to feed and play with Talbot & Marcel.

How did it get to be the middle of January already?

Last night I wound the yarn for Fletcher's cowl and knit a little swatch.  It is so soft.  The yarn is from Ancient Arts Yarn - Revival Worsted in the colorway "Birch Leaves."  It's a blend of 49% wool; 34% mohair; 11% nylon; 4% acrylic and 2% silk.

This will be knit flat as Fletch wants it to button.  There will be ribbing at the top and bottom and the middle will be a small pattern (you can see it better in the swatch in the first picture....and see my scribble of it in the second picture).  I measured his neck (and did not pull the tape too tight).  Today I will graph out the pattern (I need to work out the maths as they say in Britain) and work out buttonholes in it.  Hopefully I can start knitting at lunch!

On the reading front, I am about halfway through As Bright as Heaven and am finding it a good read.  Last night Fletch and I FINALLY finished Benjamin Franklin: An American Life - it seemed to take forever to read this.  It was good, but parts of it dragged for us and it was difficult at times to read more than 10 pages out loud after dinner.  Glad to have read it (learned some things about Ben that I hadn't known), but glad to have it finished as well.  Up next I think we are doing a palate cleanser - something quick and easy - a spy-type thriller in the lines of Dan Brown or Robert Ludlum.  I can't remember the name of it.

Joining in with Kat and others on this Unraveled Wednesday.  What are you all up to?

A Finish!

Hello All,

Another very chilly morning (in the teens), but my head was warm!  I finished the hat last night.  It's not blocked but it fits very well and it's cold out, so I wore it today.

Just 15 rows of ribbing, then a bunch of plain knitting.  When I got a bit bored, I added 3 garter ridges, more stockinette, then 2 garter ridges, more stockinette and one garter ridge, then the crown decrease.  I have just enough yarn left to make a nice pom-pom which I *might* do.  Or, I may get one of those furry pom-poms to put on it.  I haven't decided yet.

Tonight I'll wind the yarn that came in for Fletcher's cowl and knit a swatch and then design that.  I'm looking forward to doing something different.  Of course, I'll need to measure Fletcher's neck and I told him I promised to not draw the tape measure too tightly - lol.

While I was knitting in the kitchen last night, Tyg was playing with several different toys and batting them under the buffet.  He would scoot under and then suddenly the toy would come flying out - he would make a good hockey or soccer player.

I have been having the strangest dreams lately.  Two nights ago I dreamed that I somehow ended up in a place where there was a "big dog contest" or parade.  All these folks were walking dogs that came up to their shoulders!  And some people brought alpacas that were extremely tall.  Not sure WHAT I was thinking when I went to bed that night.  And last night I woke up at 2:30 having a very weird dream with Fletch and a bunch of people from work in it.  Hoping for a better night's sleep tonight.....

Still reading "As Bright As Heaven" and enjoying it.  It's nice to read a "real" book for a change...though it is a bit heavier than my Kindle.

Hope your week is going well!