Gray January Day

Hello Gentle Readers. As I write this Tuesday morning, the sky is gray but the temperature, fifty degrees, still warm for January. For once, the wind is still. Three female cardinals perch in the ornamental pear tree on the parkway. Perhaps they enjoy the peace and quiet. A squirrel builds a drey in the upper limbs of the birch. I wish I had a way to tell her the tree is scheduled for trimming in March. 

A winter respiratory virus has come to our home. My husband has been miserable. For over two weeks I've dodged the germ but this a.m. I woke with a scratchy throat and stuffed up nose. My luck has run out. The good news is we don't have any pressing appointments or plans and he is finally on the mend. One of us can get out for groceries and other necessities.

Instead of winter germs, let's get onto the Wednesday post with Kat and the Unravelers. I am working on a major unraveling project. In 2024, I knit a colorwork yoke sweater. Every time I put it on, I took it off because it didn't fit well. The underarms were saggy baggy with extra fabric and the bottom flared. At first, I thought I'd wear it around the house but the yarn is too nice and too expensive, to be relegated to sweatshirt status. I love the soft gray color with flecks of darker blue. I don't know how it will look after re-skeining and washing, but I'm going to try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

I finished the scrappy socks and they are tucked away for next Christmas season. Thank you for your kind comments. They kept me knitting to the finish line. Once I had the blue cardigan blocking, I knit exclusively on the socks. When I knit scrappy socks, I use a "weave in the ends as I go" method that I learned from a tutorial by Denise Santis, Earthtone Girls. So when they are finished, I just turn them inside out and clip off the ends. I've never had any trouble with yarns coming loose. 

In the meantime, I cast on a Sophie Hood using handspun held double with a strand of mohair to make a worsted to Aran weight. The fabric is lovely and the darker mohair matches the darkest shade in the handspun. The mohair also tones down the variegated handspun. I hope the combination of hood with shawl ends will be warm for walking and does less of a number on my hair. Anyway, I thought I'd give it a try. I don't think I can look any more comical when I walk so I'm going to try this hood. 

I'm listening to the novel, Theo of Golden by Allen Levi and sorry to be nearly at the end. The narrator is wonderful and the story superb. I'm a little late to this party but the premise of the novel is the power of kindness to change lives and/or make people feel better about themselves. The main character, Leo, is a mysterious elderly gentleman of eighty six years of age. The story contains beautiful descriptions of food, unlikely friendships, art, music, and the natural setting of a small southern town. Some might find the story a little too sweet but if ever there was a time and place for a book about creative kindnesses, that time is now. This is a book to lift the spirits and begin to restore one's faith in the human race. If you haven't read it, give it a try.  

I wish you all a good week. Stay healthy and safe. 

Ravelry Links

Scrappy Christmas Socks

Handspun Sophie Hood