Snow Day

Yes, a snow day...it may have been in the mid 30s this past weekend, raining like there was no tomorrow and melting/ condensing about 50% of our accumulation but at about 2:30 yesterday the temperature again dropped below the freezing point and the precipitation turned from clear to white. Because it had not been so warm the snow started sticking almost immediately though we did not have much accumulation the rest of the afternoon and evening. 

When I got up this morning I decided to not look outside and go about the morning ritual as usual though I don't really know why but let me say this, my employer delayed opening for 2 hours because there was so much snow. This is Vermont-they never delay opening a business that isn't a public school. So there I was around lunch time..full of energy looking out of the windows and 18+ inches of snow checking my email and getting work done like a good employee. :(

A desperate thought occurred to me- The driveway and walkway need to be shoveled..maybe I could convince my husband to come out into the white abyss...There is nothing quite like having to do work on a snow day to inspire dreams of shoveling and being pummeled with snowballs. 

It was great, I started out by jumping off the banister of the front steps-it was epic. We threw snow balls, we tackled each other, we attempted trekking into the back yard (we gave up quickly), it was so much fun. 

I can't help wondering what others are doing or did on their last snow day...

Plus I can now say that I did play in the snow at least once this winter, well in the last 2 years... 

My Red Devil Sweater

As my first 2011 project I wanted to make myself a sweater. I picked out two different ones as I couldn't decide and bought all the yarn I needed and got started. I started with this bolero, marked as easy with the Tudor color of Homespun- I have been dreaming of using this yarn since I saw it in the store. Well the pattern stitch coordination seemed a bit too complicated. Also I did not gauge my stitch- I know I am reckless but I didn't have the recommended needle size and this is my first project where is mattered and I didn't know. So I got to the point where you join the front left panel and the front right panel to start working on the rest and lo and behold they are so wrong I can’t even describe it. That got undone quickly.


So I started working on option B, this sweater, in cranberry Wool Ease. I worked with Wool Ease a lot for several Christmas presents and really enjoyed it so I looked for patterns specifically for Wool Ease (again a beginner). I liked the look of the model in the sweater and I thought that I could get around the collar-I am not a fan of clothes touching my neck.

I got through the back panel and it seemed to go smoothly though I didn’t get to finish all of the directions because I had reached the desired length. The front started out just as smooth but at the point where the collar starts we started fighting. I kept managing to find other things to work on and it seemed that my red sweater would stop there. Finally I put on Harry Potter audio book and sequestered myself in the living room and got past my road block. Again though, I didn’t get to finish all of the directions because I had reached the desired length. At that point I was having doubts of the outcome of this project. I had the dread f completing the sweater and never wanting to wear it. It seemed loose and more like a tight net than a nice sweater. This is when it became the red Devil sweater. 

But I fought on. I completed one sleeve in two days and things were good. On to the next sleeve which was harder to get done as I didn’t have a good free weekend. I was knitting away in the car with my mom, a huge knitter, and I am trying to show off (What was I thinking!!) and she confirms all of my red devil sweater doubts with 4 words: “You’re a loose knitter.” I was strong and said that I knew and was compensating. Even as an adult you lie to your mom. 

The worst part was that this was the last piece, after the sleeve I had the collar and sewing left-practically done.

When I got home all of that beautiful cranberry yarn and all of the bits of sweater and several stitch markers all went into a plastic bag under the bed in the guest room, to stay until I could find another pattern to love and be inspired by. 

It is still there by the way 2 months later.

A Bad Morning

Sleeping in on the weekends is always a crap shoot for me. Our lives are so regimented during the week that it is hard to break that cycle of getting up early- long before the sun is up and the heat is on-to get a start on the day. This is made even more pronounced when our 3 cats feel that they should always get fed on time, everyday whether the alarm went off or not. 

Therefore I find myself often awake around 5:30 on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Most mornings I will get back into bed in the hope that I will fall asleep again, and often I do. Some mornings I am full of ambition and will decide, as I am dolling out dry food, to stay up and get things done. I got my mother's Christmas present done on one such morning in late November, I have measured, cut and pinned fabric for pillows. 

This morning I decided to get back into bed as I thought that I had a chance at sleep. Especially after yesterday morning when I was woken before 5am by a well placed game of tail tag and the conquering of an evil plastic bag. I fell back asleep even after chasing Tina for 10 minutes trying to grab her and put in in the time-out room, the basement, with the boys. I know, half hour is just a half hour, why not just feed the cats then and get it over with? I will not reinforce bad behavior because 30 minutes easily turns into breakfast demands at 4:15 am.

Well I gave up on sleep at 6:30 after spending an hour thinking about cats and my blog. It was really cute though, all 3 babies joined me in bed, Henry just on my side of the middle of the bad, Tina resting against my back tunneled under several layers of covers and Charlie standing in front of me enjoying the half hearted head scratches.

I donned my sweatpants and favorite sweater and headed for my heated throw and the couch where my latest project waited patiently. Did I mention that Tina loves the heated throw? If it's on the couch she will be there making biscuits ( or happy feet if you like). I had maybe 2 minutes of peace before Tina appears with her sharp claws and manages to pull a snag in my sweater. A huge snag in my favorite sweater of all time. Not just any snag but right on my sleeve right in eye view, I can't avoid it. I just wanted to relax, now I have to spend 30 minutes finding the right tool to fix this, the smallest of my knitting holder, and working the strand of the yarn back into place. The snag must have been 4 inches long and wouldn't pull back in with my usual techniques.

This is not how I wanted to start my day.  

February

I had this great idea to do a post on the 31st about saying good bye to January and showing pictures of all of the projects that had been accomplished but not blogged about. I got the idea on Sunday as we were driving back from a trip to see family. Sunday night I made more bread, whole wheat this time, so there was no time there. 

Monday was very busy at work and then home brought all of the chores and tasks that didn’t get done over the weekend. To help me fall asleep I starting writing in my head the Hello February post that would review January and give home to February. All hopes were dashed when at 11:30pm I had the first of many sessions with the mighty white porcelain god, when my 2011 bout of the plague started. Good thing my babies were there to comfort me..

By the time I was able to move about the house safely all of my motivation had gone down the drain, literally. I don’t remember much of Tuesday but I did manage to get hooked on Grey’s Anatomy. Wednesday brought attempts to get some work done and then more time on the couch, resting with Meredith, Cristina and McDreamy. Here we are on Thursday with my only attempt at hello and good bye and still not a lot of talk about my past projects. Oh well, better luck next time….

Oh did I forget to mention we got a ton of snow as well?

Today

The weather was so nice today, in the high 20's to low thirties, there was a chilly wind but nothing like the -20's we had last week. Even my house is staying a bit warmer.

However I cannot pretend that I am not sitting in my kitchen with fingerless gloves, two sweaters and a heated blanket on my lap. I am keeping a steady stream of boiling hot tea in my oversize mug and considering putting on another layer.

The thing that really amazes me is how the cats keep warm. They curl up on top of the fridge or snuggle up together.  Only Henry seems okay with sitting on a cold surface. Both Charlie and Tina will go out of their way to sit on something soft or thermal. I guess that has to do with Henry being built for cold weather. He has very thick long fur which gets bigger and thicker in the winter, somehow. He also has fur between his toes that covers the bottom of his feet. Which, by the way, creates a whole bunch of entertainment when he is playing on our smooth wood floors.

But Charlie and Tina, my two short hair cats have found the best way to keep warm. I have to say I am jealous of their ability hang out in the warmest spot in the house.

If only I was small and could hang out by a heating vent...

A Breaded Day

Charlie in "face plant"

It is around 4 in the afternoon on Sunday, though the sun is setting slowly today was a beautiful clear blue and a crisp 9˚.  The day the is going reasonable well. There was the usual breakfast dance around 5:30, that’s when the cats decide that it’s time for mommy to get the heck out of bed which is on time for work M-F, but daddy came to the rescue and scooted them all into the basement for a few more minutes of extra quiet. After there was a lot of door scratching and general begging breakfast was given around 6 and I made the unusual decision to get back into my extremely warm and snuggly bed to get some extra Sunday sleep. Then I ignored my 7am alarm and was not up and moving until 8:45, which is just crazy. 

We continued our favorite Sunday morning ritual of going to breakfast at a local restaurant and spent over 2 hours sitting, talking, planning and enjoying. Then me moved on to one of my favorite activities, grocery shopping which is known as the unspeakable activity as my husband needs convincing about partaking. When we got home I finally made good on my threat to make bread. I have been scheming and dreaming of making bread for many months now. Yesterday I remembered and dug out my William-Sonoma Essentials of Baking book, that was purchased quite literally a decade ago before I was even into being in charge of the kitchen.

Just as a side note I love this book, for someone who is comfortable in the world of baking and understands the basics it will seem a bit over detailed but it is perfect for me as baking is a bit foreign. 

My kitchen work station

Henry helping

As my first experience of baking beyond pizza dough, muffins and cookies it was good.  It was fun to get all of the ingredients and utensils I needed, and measure and create. Kneading the dough was extremely satisfying, even when the olives turned my nice smooth firm ball into a slightly sticky mess from the liquid I didn't drain off enough.

The kitchen plus husband

The dough is shaped and now going through the second rise before baking.. I am a bit nervous but that is normal for me.  Everyone quiet, the babies are all napping in their favorite spots and my husband and I are settled in the kitchen working on our respective computers. The rest of the day holds soup for dinner and maybe a movie. I might even fit in time to work on my devil red sweater.

Yesterday was just as good, happily. I managed to convince my husband to stay awake with me after the 5:00am breakfast dance by watching Return of the Jedi and making raisin cinnamon swirl toast with butter and cinnamon sugar. 

Tina

I spent the rest of the day spread out in the living room getting past the motivation roadblock with my devil red sweater and listening to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. We had pasta and homemade meat sauce and finished watching  Jet Li’s Fearless, which is so good. Like some of Jet Li’s other movies its artistic and extremely well done and the fighting is strangely not that violent.

Charlie and Henry napping together

The bread is done and it really does sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. 

Quick Cowl Triumph!

Hello from the New Year! I find it amazing that this is my first post as I think almost daily of the projects and dinners that I want to write about. It will be crazy as soon as I get going I swear!

Back to my quick cowl triumph!

I was looking for a small quick easy project to work on as I have hit a motivation road block with the sweater I am working on. It got a bit more complicated than I am ready for and I just can’t seem to be finding time to dedicate to it, strangely. In the great House Reorganization of 2011 (which I intend to talk about soon) I had found a few more crochet hooks and some bits of yarn that didn’t really fit into any of my skein end project ideas.

I love the idea of cowls and I have one that I made last year which is nice but not totally what I wanted it to be so a second try was exciting.

 I had a bit less than half is a skein of Lionbrand Homespun pink left over from another project that struck my fancy so off I went on Monday. First with the wrong size, it was way too big, so I took it apart. The next night I tried this weird diamond pattern thing- not good at all. It took too much concentration and time.  So yesterday I was scoping out my usual yarn and pattern websites and I saw a cowl done with a large sized hook and a simple double crochet stitch. It was perfect! I got home last night, hunted down my biggest hook – a size M wooden hook from my mom and got to work. Of course I had to stop and find an emery board, the hook and gotten a bit beat-up and kept on snagging on the yarn.

Two hours last night and 20 minutes in the car this morning I have exactly what I wanted! Major Triumph!

Here you can see the two together.. any my littlest helper, Charlie-my youngest.