Good morning. A pair of chickadees cling to a birch branch and then fly. The wind blows a gale before cooler days return. Rain is in the forecast for the weekend with a pesky snowflake also showing up. The winds of March usher in this transitional season.
Yesterday we took a day trip south to the Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge located in northwest Missouri. We enjoyed the sunshine as we viewed thousands of migrating snow geese and ate a picnic in the car. The wind would have blown the potato chips off our plates and since they were a treat I wasn't taking any chances. We know how to have a good time.
The area is indeed a refuge for wildlife. Besides the snow geese, we found turtles sunning on logs and walking across the road, a bald eagle near a nest with two heads visible, two sandhill cranes in the wetlands, muskrats swimming, and fifteen swans feeding in a sheltered cove. The visitor's center was closed but a separate building with restrooms was open. Given our ages, I checked on the restroom status ahead of time. Getting out of the house was lovely.
Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers so here is my knitting and reading news. I unearthed my oldest WIP, a Wool Peddler's Shawl, to knit on in the car. I planned to make progress on the garter stitch body in order to get to the more interesting lace section. We were barely out of town when I noticed a mistake in the centered double increase of the spine. I tried to fix it by tinking back to the center and dropping down but wasn't successful. Good thing I had the car project bag with a wash cloth. Before we left the refuge to come home, my husband stopped in the parking lot so I could pull out a couple more rows and put it back on the needles. Somehow I missed the center stitch again so it was back to the wash cloth. This increase along the spine of the shawl is a modification but not new to me. Obviously I haven't used it recently. I'll work on it again today or tomorrow when I can put it on a table in the daylight. I did get a washcloth out of the trip and finished it just as we arrived home. Whew! I hate not having enough car knitting.
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| oops - the same mistake twice |
This past week I knit on the Habitation Throw and decided I had come to the half-way mark. I'm headed down the decrease section and would like to finish this before it gets too warm to have it on my lap. Time will tell how that plan works.
I finished the Theoretical socks with yarn to spare. The asymmetrical look pushes me from my comfort zone which is about as much risk I'm willing to take, especially these days. This will not surprise anyone who knows me well and I'm ok with that. The socks will be warm and most of the yarn is gone.
With the socks finished, my projects, including the new shawl cast on last week, are mostly garter stitch. After knitting garter stitch all day yesterday in the car, I think I need to find another small project that is not garter stitch. So much for finishing up the WIP's. Variety in projects keeps me going and what the heck - it is only knitting.
I read the new novel, The Nature of Fragile Things, because I heard about it somewhere and it was available from my library. The story takes place just before and after the San Francisco Earthquake in the early 1900's. I found it to be an average novel driven by a strong plot. I admired the way three women came together to care for a child but I thought the author took her sweet time arriving at another major theme. Certainly it is readable but I disagree with the four and five star ratings on Goodreads.
I'm off to walk in the wind while I ponder my projects. Stay well.
Ravelry Links
What a delightful visit you had to Loess Bluffs! John and I just had a conversation about what "normal" things we look forward to returning to, and a visit to a wildlife refuge would certainly be on my list. Despite your shawl issues, you saved the day by packing the washcloth. Your theoretical socks look great and so does the Habitation Throw. Hope your walk in the wind wasn't too gusty!
ReplyDeleteYour socks are brilliant! I love them. About 10 days ago I was working on a shawl with a "spine" as well and I messed up on the spine. For 2 days I tried to work it out. Then I ripped it out. Currently sock knitting , a bit differently with an afterthought heel. Also working on my little lace weight cowl
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful that our winds seem to have died down...at least for the moment. I don't enjoy walking in the wind. Loess Bluffs sounds like such a nice place to visit. Yesterday while on my walk I saw turtles basking in the sun! I like your theoretical socks too! All of your projects look lovely (even if the one is giving you problems).
ReplyDeleteI don't know that I've ever seen a wind-blown Bald Eagle before! We have a nest of Bald Eagles near us, and right now they're sitting on three eggs.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to know that you did not run out of knitting on your car trip or yarn for your socks.
What a fun trip! (we are heading to Lake Erie in April to hopefully see some migrating birds as well!) That throw... just gorgeous and yet so simple!
ReplyDeleteMarc said he saw a Bald Eagle on the golf course last week ... I didn't know we had ANY near here. and I'm sorry for all your trouble with the spine on a garter stitch shawl - they are hard to see and even harder to correct :-(
ReplyDeletewow to the bald eagle shot! And look at the ruffled feathers from wind :) I would love to do something like that and go somewhere to be in nature. Yesterday we had great fantastic weather and we went to a near by city to do a bit of shopping. (not nature...). however, I had fun! love the knitting, I found a mistake in my hat, I dropped a stitch - GASP but I fixed it PHEW.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see wildlife again! Your photo of eagle is phenomenal. They are pretty rare around here.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to tink that much, I'd probably frog. I am not very patient!I've often had problems with the spine of shawls. Why are they so tricky?