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!)

December Already? How Can That Be?

Where does time go? Surely it can't be December third already?  Why, just a day or two ago it was Thanksgiving! I can clearly remember long ago as a child when the hands of the clock moved so incredibly slowly from 3 o'clock to 3:30 and the end of another school day. Now though, each day passes in a blur!  I guess that comes with the busy, short and very dark days of December as we head to the end of another year.  This fall has been exceptionally busy, and I don't know why.  Lots of changes in the works, I guess.  Sadly, our long time neighbors have moved into assisted living, good friends are struggling with health issues, a choir friend has passed away, our wonderful choir director is retiring, and yet there have been good things, too.  We have five lovely grand children and a terrific family as well as many friends. Best of all, we still have each other and need to remember that each and every day is a gift to be appreciated.  Oh my, how I ramble....and what I meant to do was quickly write another post.  We celebrated the first of this holiday-filled month by going to see The Nutcracker ballet.  It was an updated and very enjoyable performance with some of the scenery being projected.  We couldn't take any photos during the show, but here's Miss Stella studying her program.

After the first act, I heard her say, "It's finally over."  I guess time is different when you're just five.  I think she enjoyed the second act more when there was more dancing.
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I have lots of projects in progress as deadlines for mailing approach.  (Someday I'll learn to start sooner, right?)  Here's one Fairy Scarf; I still have another one to finish.  I bought two kits in Cannon Beach.  Each kit came with some yarn (I added some), the trim, and a little booklet.  And my little fairy seems to approve!  

My other finishes are two dishcloths. one a much-used pattern and the other a new one.

This one is made from a never-ending ball of yarn! Both look less wonky in real life, and both are destined to be dishcloths.

While it regularly blooms at Thanksgiving, this Christmas cactus was beautiful last month. I rescued it years ago before we moved to Washington, and once I moved it to a sunny location it's never failed to bloom each year, just not at Christmas.

This one is relatively young and is in full bloom right now.

I probably won't be posting again until after Christmas so as not to spoil any surprises. However, if you wish to tune in on Sunday to our choir performance, you can watch us live here at either 9 or 11 AM Pacific Standard Time. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday!

About Time for Another Post, Don't You Think?

Where does time go?  Lately the days seem to disappear extra quickly, even when we gained an extra hour.  Sigh.  It's been busy here: lots of singing, some travel, and believe it or not, some finishes!

Our youngest granddaughter talked her mom into buying this kit, thinking she could make it and then wear it. (She's 5.) Not. She finally gave it to me to take home, and I, no lover of crochet, made it for her.  It's too big for her baby doll and way too small for GD.  Sophia sewed on the black buttons though which made it special. (I have no idea as to this hat's destiny however!)

I saw this free pattern in a knit shop, loved the stitch, and just had to try it. This is a keeper!  (I used 1 skein of Rios and even had some left.)

It took a while, but I finally finished this pair of socks.  The pattern is Gladys and is also free.

In response to the Squirrel Hill tragedy, I completed these two squares for the Yarns by Design knit shop. This shop is in the town next to Verona where DH grew up, and we've shopped there several times although not recently.

Yep, it's that time of year.  Here are my two contributions to the local Ronald McDonald House stocking project that our quilt group supports.

This stocking is different on the other side.

On this one both sides are the same.

Have a great week and a very Happy Thanksgiving!  (Our family is celebrating this weekend since daughter #2 and family as well as our son will be out of town. DD#1 and family live in IL.)