Finally a Post and Some Finishes Also

Happy April!  I sure don't know what happened to the rest of March, but we've had some busy days so far this month.  Lots of choir singing is coming up this week, that's for sure.

Even though it's spring,  a cowl can come in handy as it's been cool and rainy here.  I gave this one to a friend.  It's another Interrupted Cowl with a different shade of Bamboozle called Inferno.

Two sets of our friends gained another grandchild late in March, and so I whipped up some booties. Thankfully I had some Plymouth Angora on hand in the right colors!

For almost six weeks I've been working on this shawl that I started long ago. It's probably the most complicated thing I've ever made.  First you knit the edging. Then starting in the middle of the edging you begin the rest of it, using short rows to attach the rest of it which is knitted from the bottom up.  Believe me it's easy to get off between the lace and the chart!  And lots of "tinking" happened in the process.  At the moment it's being blocked, but the photo was taken before I did that. Yippee, it's finally done and I'm keeping it!

All the leave you see in these two photos have been raked up on the few sunny days in March and most of these flowers are done already.

These favorites though are out now and will soon be joined by azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias.  Oh, how I love spring in the Pacific Northwest!

If you celebrate Easter, I hope you have a happy one!  And a Happy Spring to everyone!

First March Finish and Trip Photos

We really enjoyed our CA/AZ trip so much that we don't have any photos from the AZ part! However, we did get some photos in CA.

We hiked around a small lake in the Yorba Linda Recreation area and saw this turtle soaking up the sun.

Apparently, the ducks were more interested in the bottom of the lake.

Part way around the lake we discovered this little pond complete with 2 egrets (thanks, Dee), 1 great blue heron and another smaller turtle.  We also were greeted by several pretty squirrels that were hoping for a treat.

Just outside San Diego we took another hike in the Torrey Pines Natural Reserve. We also saw some hikers who were more ambitious than we were.

Why didn't I wear a short-sleeved shirt?

The trail to Razor Point went pretty much straight up which is not our thing.

Later that day we stopped at a rest stop where there was a sign warning of poisonous snakes and insects, but we didn't encounter any, thankfully!

Then we stopped for gas and thought we might have been affected by the heat.  Yep, there were quite a few dinosaurs by the gas pumps.

In addition to seeing the sights, we visited friends and relatives. I guess we got so busy chatting that we failed to take any more photos.  However, I did find one photo online of an amazing bird we saw on a hike with my sister and her husband.  We were told that this Elegant Trogon, a native of Mexico and Guatemala, also lives in Madera Canyon.

And here's my finish, another Interrupted Cowl, this time in Bamboozle, which is similar to Bamboo Bloom.  The color is Lagoon, but I would call it Southwestern Sunset and here's why!

Have a great week!

Snow Again???

Just a quick update.  We just got back home from ten days in Southern California and then Arizona. Our plane landed in the thickest fog we'd ever seen, and then we woke up this morning and our driveway looked like this:

Don't you think we should have stayed away longer?

This one was glad to see us though.

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Now I've gotta go fold some laundry.  No finishes to share, but soon, I hope.  Have a great weekend, and don't forget to change your clocks.

Snowy Photos of a Different Sort and a Finish ~

Imagine our surprise yesterday when we got these two photos from my sister who thought she was escaping the snow in Minnesota by traveling to Arizona!

Never before have I seen snow on cacti. She also said that Nogales, Mexico, had 6 inches as well, and I just saw a photo of lots of snow in Las Vegas, Nevada!

Well, our snow is just about gone although we've had a few rain/snow showers the past few days in addition to mostly gray, cloudy skies.  All the gloom has given me a severe case of startitis, but I do have a finish to share, another Interrupted Cowl in Bamboo Bloom's color called Forest Light.  That yarn was in my stash and a perfect color for someone who's yearning for spring!

And wouldn't you know it, I cast on another one in a different color and a similar yarn called Bamboozle.  Now to get back to work on some more finishes, right?

Lots of Snow Meant Time to Knit!

Last week we were pretty much snowbound because we live on a hill, and our street is low on the list to get plowed.  

It sure was pretty, especially at night!

This little angel was totally buried for awhile, but now her feet aren't covered any more.

There was lots of time to knit and bake.  (The knitting kept me from eating all the baking!) This is another Interrupted Cowl made with Bamboo Bloom yarn. In sorting through my stash I found some more of this yarn and have already started yet another one.

While I don't expect to wear this any time soon, it is finally finished thanks to Judy L's UFO Challenge.  These socks were supposed to be completed in January but they are done now, too.

They don't quite match, but it was an interesting pattern that results in a right and left sock.

This is what our driveway looks like now, so we should be able to return to our normal weekly schedule thankfully.  However, I now have lots of new projects waiting to be finished thanks to a bad case of "startitis" and easy access to my stash.

This sweet plant decided to add some color to our kitchen this past week.  I got the start from my sister, and it's been a consistent bloomer ever since.

.On Saturday we were able to venture out for our first trek through Seattle's brand new tunnel and a visit with the grand kids for the first time since it started snowing.  If you have youngsters to read with, may I recommend  There's a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor  As you can see, they loved it and so did our daughter.  Me, too!  Have a fun week!

More SNOW! and a Finish

For those who have never been to our area and are wondering how so little snow can make so much craziness, you need to see our hills and then know that because snow happens so infrequently in this part of the state there are very few snowplows. That being said, it is pretty!

And we've had more snow since this picture, and more to come.  All schools in the area are closed again, too, along with lots of businesses.

Our hilly street finally was plowed late yesterday but is now snow-covered once again.

It was clear and cold on Saturday night.

Our neighbor created this after they'd shoveled their driveway which slopes downward into their garage.  Isn't she clever?  Although no one has been seen lounging in that chair.

Meanwhile, lots of knitting has been happening here.  This hat made of Berroco's North Star was mailed off to a friend who's having another round of chemo. More snow is predicted and then RAIN which is predicted to cause major flooding.  Stay tuned....I may have more finishes soon.  And here we thought the groundhog said spring would happen soon. I wonder if he's laughing now?  And then there's the truck that crashed on the freeway freeing lots of chickens.....don't you wish you were here?

SNOW! (And UPDATE!)

We just got back from a very snowy walk! So, I guess that crazy groundhog was a bit mixed up, wasn't he? Could it be that February just came in like a lion, and everything is confused?

Meanwhile,  this hellebore is out there trying not to freeze. Low temperatures, for us, have been predicted to follow the snow.

This Perspectives cowl is my only January finish. It was a kit and had some interesting stitch patterns.

I don't think the patterns will show much when it's worn though.

Somehow the month of January flew by; I spent a lot of time trying to organize my various stashes and as a result am trying hard not to add anything to them. So far, so good........

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PS Just in case you're curious, here's what we woke up to,,,,, Nobody on our hill is going anywhere for a while.