All the Wool

Hello Gentle Readers, 

Monday and into Tuesday six inches of snow fell. Mid-day Monday the air warmed enough to create some wintry mix. This blanket of wet snow is very welcome. As often happens in January, this storm ushered in much colder air. We are in for at least a week of subzero temps and lower wind chills. It's time to wrap up in all the wool: socks, cowl, sweater, shawl, hat, and mittens, preferably two pairs. I am wearing all items at one time or another. 

In January, falling snow creates a deep peace. The quiet that comes from snow muffling sound and the white gray skies are my favorite things about these winter days. This fall and winter a Cooper's Hawk hunts in the neighborhood. A few minutes ago a cardinal flew from the birch and the hawk followed. Do I hope the cardinal got away or that the hawk doesn't go hungry or instead found a mouse?  Nature isn't always easy.

Today is Unraveled Wednesday with Kat and company. Last weekend I finished the blue fingerless mitts. This is a nice pattern for a fingering weight mitt in three different sizes. Directions for picking up thumb stitches across the gap are a little vague so I did my own thing. I like a method I once learned from a youtube tutorial that helps avoid gaps on either side of the picked-up stitches. I have enough yarn to make another pair, perhaps in a larger size, as a gift. 

The handspun shawl grows slowly but the color is starting to change. The nuthatch-like colors also match the winter skies. The design that runs along the side is intuitive so it is a peaceful knit. I would like at least two more shades to be part of the shawl so I'll be playing with the gradient. I have another skein of three darker shades. There is plenty of yarn for a generous sized shawl. 

I cast on a scrappy hat. The yarn is leftover from the Guernsey Wrap/Scarf I knit several years ago. The December countdown yarn was a gift from my son and daughter. I've been wearing the scarf on my walks as it is wide and warm. I decided the leftover yarn would make a nice hat. I tried the CopyCat Beanie but didn't like the way the purled section rolled. I decided to stripe the colors in stockinette which is also rolling at this point but will look different as the hat grows. 😊 This year I'd like to knit a few projects from the scraps and leftovers I rarely give away. 

 As for reading, I am listening to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Angelou reads this nonfiction. She has such a rich voice and as a writer, she is eloquent. I had forgotten the story of how her beloved brother Bailey shortened her name from Marguerite to Maya. It's interesting to juxtapose this book with The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James MacBride. Strong female characters play important parts in these stories as does the setting in general store. MacBride's fiction is a story of community from the perspective of adults coming together to protect a child, while Angelou wrote a memoir of her communities based on childhood memories in the same time period. Racism is experienced by both communities. 

I'm rereading Winter Solstice by Rosamond Pilcher because I needed what my sister calls a 2:00 a.m. book. This book is charming and sweet. Coincidently, I'm reading Winter Solstice: An Essay by Nina MacLaughlin. This little book is a meditation on the winter season with both scientific information as well as folklore, and the writer's musings about winter. It's a peaceful slim book that I wish was longer.

This is more than enough from me today. What about you? How's the weather and what are you reading?

Ravelry Links

Pioneer Gloves

Solstice Shawl

Scrappy Hat