For the first time since the year of the 2009 Christmas blizzard, the snow in the front yard is deeper than my boot tops. Filling the feeders is an adventure in bundling up to the eyeballs. Still we fill them. A breath of winter air is refreshing and the birds need fuel to keep warm on these bitterly cold days. Wool is essential. This is sweater weather and cowl weather and shawl weather and sock weather and hat weather. My woolens rarely match. Sometimes they coordinate but always they are warm. My sister sent me a darling colorwork hat for Valentine's Day. It is beautiful, warm, and blue. I wore it to the feeders yesterday and then I baked oatmeal cookies with chopped pistachios, dried apricots, and white chocolate.
Wednesday is the day to link with Kat's Unraveled Wednesday. This week I wish I was wearing this sweater but am enjoying it on my lap as I knit. I finished the body and am working on the first sleeve. The sock that wanted to do a yoga pose is sorted out and ready for watching and knitting time. I put a few more rows on the scrap blanket. Sarah described and linked to a video of the clasped weft join that I am now using on the blanket. I recall hearing about that join in the past but never took the time to learn how to do it. Wow, what a useful join for scrappy projects. Like any other technique, I wouldn't use it on all projects but it sure is nice to weave in those ends as I knit. Sometimes life really is in the details.
I picked up the cormo spinning project again. These two spindles have as much weight as they (or I) can spin without incurring all kinds of wobbling. The singles will rest for a week or so and then I'll ply them together into another small skein of yarn. I am pleased that I didn't lose the muscle memory of spinning in the months I've been away from it.
Little Norah has discovered we can read together on FaceTime so she is my new reading buddy. Reading from our well worn copy of Goodnight Moon is so sweet.
In my own reading, I finished The Vanishing Half. It was an excellent novel of layered themes. I think it would make a great book group book. I'm reading the rich prose of Wintering by Katherine May. I'm tempted to skip ahead and read the section on February. Who says I have to read a book in a strictly linear way?
Vaccination clinics for those over 75 are being held in our community on Friday and Saturday. The over 80 group and those in assisted living facilities have been vaccinated. Slowly slowly, like light returning, progress is being made. Patience I tell myself.
Stay warm and safe. I wish you a happy heart this week.
Ravelry Links
Winter Forager
Scrappy Habitation Throw
That is a beautiful and warm-looking hat! I'm sure the birds appreciate your extra winter efforts to fill the feeders, and I'm glad you are rewarding yourself with a cookie or two. Pistachios, apricots and white chocolate sound like a decadent and delicious combination. I hope your patience is rewarded very soon with vaccine shots for you and your husband, and you and your sweet reading buddy enjoy your time together.
ReplyDeleteWhen it gets this cold, I pile on all the woolens and don't have a care in the world as to whether or not they match. I suppose I am officially "old," as now it's more important for me to be warm than to look fashionable!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you've found the join to be useful. I am always happy to find a technique that works well and saves me time.
Lucky you for the snow!!! And of course, all those wooly layers you are putting to good use. My wooly layers are also getting some wear, but all we got was ice, and no one is going to be playing in that. Dog doesn't even want to go outside to do her business. I make her. She has more sense than I do!
ReplyDeleteWe knit so that we can share and wear ALL the knits! I too am mismatched as I scale the snow drifts to fill the feeders. The chickadees are almost tame now, perching on my hands while I restore their black oil meals.
ReplyDeleteI do wish you might share that oatmeal cookie recipe - I'd love to give it a go.
many thanks-
Jody
I am enjoying a lapful of sweater as I knit sleeves as well. It is truly a blessing on these chilly days!
ReplyDeleteThe hat is gorgeous and I LOVE that shawl work. Maybe i should watch the tutorial . Thanks
ReplyDeleteBe free! Non-linear reading is liberating! :-) (I do that from time to time, and never regret it. But other people do judge me harshly sometimes. . . ) I love your hat! So charming and fun (and warm). But mostly . . . I love that you can read with your dear granddaughter. XO
ReplyDeletelove your hat and all of your projects I must say you pick the prettiest colors! stay warm :)
ReplyDeleteI love reading to children. I'm going to have to adopt some grandchildren because I can't get rid of my favorite picture books and there are no grands on the horizon.
ReplyDeleteLove your Habitation Throw. I really enjoyed that knit!
oh my goodness - so much snow! Sarah just introduced me to a "new to me" Isabel Kraemer pattern ... and now you have too. My queue overflows! We tried FaceTime reading a few months back and boys weren't interested. maybe because they DO see us IRL? or maybe I just need to keep trying. Warm wishes and happy knitting!
ReplyDelete