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.

One Repeat and Two Very Different Finishes

So far this month I have three finishes, one of which took all of 2018.  But first, I did another pair of monkey mitts for my youngest grandson this time. (And just the other day just out of the blue, he told me he loves them.)

Actually they are a tiny bit different than the other pair as they were accidentally knit on smaller needles which was a good thing as they are still a bit big.

This one really challenged my fingers!  My friend talked me into buying this kit which had the makings for two kitties, this orange one and a grey one.  Grey kitty is still just a ball of yarn, and this one went to live with my friend. I never measured it but would guess it's about 2 inches long.  One of these days I'll tackle kitty # 2.

This is the year long project, a temperature scarf.  I used the One Row Handspun Scarf pattern and recorded each day's high temperature with yarn of the appropriate color.  (Sewing in the ends was a real pain!)  The top part was winter and spring, the middle summer,  and bottom was fall and the beginning of winter. You can tell that our weather is pretty moderate. The red, hottest temperatures were from our vacations elsewhere 

except once in the fall when it was hot and smoky here!  I noticed recently that Morehouse Farm Merino is promoting temperature blankets this year. That would be quite a project!

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Well, it's just about time to go outside to watch the lunar eclipse.  Surprisingly it's clear enough to see it!  Have a great week!

Playing Catch Up!

Can you even believe it?  Another post already?  Well, it's about time I posted some more of my recent finishes that couldn't be shown before now.

To my surprise this yarn came with the beads strung onto it which made for a very fun knit. It was gifted to my hairdresser's little one.

My sister and I each bought two of these Fairy Scarf kits in Cannon Beach, OR.  They were fun to make, but both of us added extra yarn.  It took a while to attach the little decorations though, and each kit came with the little green book that told the story of fairy scarves.

Here's another fun project that's a spin-off of the Almost Lost Dishcloth pattern.  I used that never ending ball of Christmas yarn to make the starfish.

For the first time in ages I tried making a toy, a mouse, for Max. It, too, was a fun knit and the pattern included several choices for hats.

Because my younger daughter's name is the same as this pattern, I had to make these socks for her.  And needless to say, Catherine loves the color purple as well as the nice yarn that I got quite a while ago from Wandering Cat.

That's it for the Christmas gift finishes, but since we have lots of family birthdays right afterwards, I will share those finishes later.  These last two photos are from a life-size walk-through gingerbread house that we visited with the grandkids.  It was in the foyer of a local hotel but most likely gone by now. Here's a list of the ingredients! Donations from visitors went to the local Children's Hospital.

 

Hope you're all enjoying these first few days of the New Year!

Happy New Year!

Phew!  Things are about back to normal here after a very busy December that ended with a wonderful celebration with all of our family together on Christmas Day for the first time in a long time. And now that all the packages have been opened, I can finally share some of my projects. It seems like I never learn to start earlier!  However, I was sidetracked by the need to make two prayer shawls, one for a friend who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late November, and the other for another friend who just learned she has breast cancer.

I always use the same pattern with Lion Brand Homespun yarn.

Earlier in the fall, I decided to try making the same shawl with different yarn and smaller needles and remembered that my sister-in-law had given me some yarn that she purchased on a trip to New Zealand.  It made a perfect size to keep her shoulders warm on the chilly winter days in Palo Alto, and it also reduced my stash by three whole balls.  Wahoo

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And now I need to get back to work and finish a pair of Monkey Mitts for our youngest grandson who turns SEVEN tomorrow. This is what they will look like as I made this pair for Christmas for Daniel who wore them home!

Happy New Year to all of my blogging friends. May 2019 bring you good health and many blessings.  (I will post the rest of my finishes after I finish you know what!)