BRRRR!

The news 'round this area of the States centers on two main topics which have intersected today - american football playoff games and the frigid weather.

Temperatures in the Stash Haus were dropping last evening. (When your fingers are getting numb and your knitting needles never warm up while knitting, there's a problem.) It was frustrating to have problems with a brand new furnace installed this past fall. The poor on-call repairman - he had been out in sub-zero temperatures responding to numerous emergency calls. Turns out the furnace was not correctly wired when it was installed and had been running at 40% - not at 100%. We keep the thermostat set in the low to mid-60's so the lack of efficiency was not noticeable until the outside temperature dropped to below 0.

Today was a bit warmer...but not by much. At least our cars started.

The sock is progressing - although it doesn't seem like it when I try it on. I feel like I knit and knit and knit, then try it on and it appears to be the same length as before.



One goal for this year is to sort out my WIPs - and there are many. I've got nothing against WIPs, but I find there are distinct disadvantages to having too many: (1) They use up needles and I'd rather not keep buying more of the same sizes I already have; (2) I tend to lose the labels from the yarn; and (3) I forget design details I've changed or I've misplaced the notes I was making while knitting the project. So I'm trying to go through the WIPs and decide whether to frog or to finish. The other evening I found this - Falling Water Lace Scarf. I think the yarn is from Mountain Colors, but I'm not certain. (Yes - lost the label!)





I really like the subtle variations of shades of blue in the yarn. The lace pattern is very easy - a 16 row repeat - and can be found here.

I'm still working on the baby blanket but I left it in the car and won't make a trip outside solely to retrieve it.



Enough said.

I Might Be A Sock Knitter

Contrary to popular belief - perpetuated by the lack of knitting content in recent posts - there's actual knitting going on in the Haus.

I've started my first sock. Notice I'm not committing myself to a pair - but I am optimistic. The yarn is Mountain Colors Bearfoot. Even though the colors are dark they have an iridescent quality to them.



It may not be immediately apparent but progress has been made. I am worried about the sock not turning out as long as I'd like. The way it fits now I'll only have about 4 inches of ribbing before starting the heel. I cast on for the men's size - but as I have legs like tree trunks I may have do some actual math for the next pair and gradually increase as I knit up from the heel. Egads.



I'm trying cuff down. If I finish this pair I plan to try toe up. It's been easy to try them on as I go. In fact, trying them on occasionally has proven to be an incentive for me to keep knitting. I know other knitters have complained about the holes when knitting the heel. I'm using the Simple Sock pattern in Cat Bordhi's book on knitting socks with 2 circular needles. Anyone have any tips or favorite socks patterns?

Fortunately, I'm at the "knit inches and inches of ribbing" part as the pattern has been unaccessible recently.



I've also been working on the second Estonian Lullaby baby blanket.



Last night I ripped this out.



I like the pattern, love the yarn, but wasn't happy with the resulting fabric. In the meantime, I started another scarf out of this alpaca. I need a soft fiber project I can work on in between the socks and the baby blanket. The unyielding property of the cotton for the baby blanket is hard on my hands and the socks don't offer any break either due the the gauge and small needles.

Also in the Haus the cold temperatures have forced our four legged companions to seek the warmth of a burrowed nest in a flannel quilt.

A Bright Spot In An Otherwise Dreary Week

Since last weekend I've been fighting a bad cold and losing. I don't need a thermometer - I've got a knitometer. If I'm too sick to knit, then it's serious. DH has been sick, too, but he didn't get hit as hard - but you'd never know it around here. He's got a man cold. (If you don't know what that is, go to Jessica's blog and see the video she posted in her January 2nd, 2008 post.) The best I can manage is to not fall too far behind on work and keep up with household chores - or at least not be buried under all the dirty laundry.

On Monday, I drove close to 200 miles in these conditions. It was like driving in a white box.



Wednesday proved to be a bright spot in an otherwise dreary week. The postman delivered a package with this label.



A gift from across the pond - from Wye Sue. She sent a lovely card with the package.



This was inside...



a set of lovely spring pastels. Hmm, now what to knit?



Thanks so much Wye Sue!

Winter Landscape

The Landscape Shawl is finally finished.

It was completed in early December but I was unable to take a decent photo of it until I had light and DH's help. (Thank goodness for Ravelry - now he thinks I'm just taking photos to document my projects there.)



Here's a close-up of the pattern.



I love the colors in this scarf - they are so bright - a lovely spot of the tropics in the midst of winter. It's made with Patons Soy Wool Stripes. The end result is very soft but it's a bear to rip back when a mistake is made.



I finished the Diamond Modular Scarf during the Iowa Caucuses coverage which, while exciting, was not as exciting as the close finish I had with the yarn. This is what was left.



There was a lot of curiousity on the part of the cats during the photo shoot. I had a hard time getting a picture without one of them in it.



Click on the picture and take a close look between the slates of the bannister.

And They're Off!

The holidays are over and the races have just begun. This is going to be an interesting year, to say the least.

We've been in the deep freeze - with a strong artic wind bringing a "wind chill" temperature of 8 degrees Fahrenheit (that's -13 Celsius for readers outside the US). This weather makes the snow crunch underfoot and sparkle in the afternoon sun.

I gave a knitted gift to my sister for Christmas - she'll really need it this week. I made this with Silk 'n' Ram yarn from Joslyn's Fiber Farm. The pattern is the Zigzag Modular Scarf by Iris Schreier. The pictures don't do justice to the colors in the yarn. Joslyn's Silk 'n' Ram makes the colors just pop. The colors were actually jewel tones of blues and maroons and SO soft. Joslyn also has great laceweight - the yardage on one skein is enough for a whole shawl (1700 yards).





This was an easy pattern if you don't mind short rows and turning your knitting constantly. I did have to keep close track of what row I was on so this was not mindless knitting. I'm working on another similar short row scarf pattern - I may finish it tonight, watching the caucuses coverage.

Game Day

New Year's Day in the States seems to be a football holiday - all the bowl games and the food associated with watching said games. See here and here.

I was at the knitter's version of a bowl game - the New Year's Day sale at The Fold. I woke up on game day, not sure if I was going to play or just sit on the bench at home, knitting and watching old movies. As I lay there, debating if I really wanted to get up at 7 am on a holiday, I remembered what DH was discussing with me last night. More on that later. Let's just say that conversation got me out of bed and out onto the cold, snowy freeway. With Stephanie Miller on the mp3 player, a cold Diet Coke beside me, and the open road in front of me, I headed south into Illinois.

The place was crowded but with knitters and spinners - so, of course, everyone was good-humored and patient and no referees were needed. There were a few spectators - I passed one waiting patiently in the car, engrossed in his crossword puzzle. The spectator in the shop had that look we've all seen - a special mixture of shock, resignation, and deer-caught-in-the-headlights. If the weather had been nicer, I would have expected to see knitters tailgating in the driveway and adjacent street.

But back to the play by play - there was a lot of color. All the yarns were on sale. Even Mountain Colors and Socks That Rock. Much of their yarn sock was 50% off. They have a lovely selection at The Fold and I came away with a good chunk of it.

Austermann Step


Weaver's Wool


Seduction (indeed!)


4/8's Wool


Socks That Rock


Trekking XXL


Bearfoot


RYC Silk Wool DK


Yes, I didn't even make it one day into the new year without adding to the stash. But I'm not feeling any regret for 2 reasons: (1) I stayed UNDER my budget - yes, you read that right - I actually did not spend as much as I had budgeted; and (2) DH wants to go on a diet - together with his sister-in-law and me. The two of them are trying to come up with incentives as rewards for losing weight and keeping it off. For my incentive DH has suggested that for each pound I loose and keep off I get one (yes, that's only ONE) skein of yarn. So today was the feast before the famine.

I don't like to make resolutions. I never remain resolute - something always falls by the wayside. But, I do like to reflect on the past year and muse about the coming year.

I would like to learn more skills and techniques. This past year I often started projects that were non-thinking patterns as a way to avoid self-imposed stress. I would like to find the balance of learning, yet not letting a difficult project stress me out - I've got enough stress in my life. I would like to read more of the knitting books I have - for example the EZ books. I have so many projects I'd like to knit - hats, mittens, and a sweater (for myself) in addition to gifts. Although today was an auspicious start to the year, I would like to use more yarn from the stash than is added to it this year.

On a non-knitting note - I would just like to read more. I need to be more disciplined, go to bed at a decent hour and give myself time to read before going to sleep. I also need to eat more healthy (I'm purposely avoiding the word "diet") - for my sake and for DH's (as I do the majority of the cooking). I also need to exercise more - I'd like to be in the game long enough to make it through my stash.

Here's to a healthy and happy 2008 for all of us!