…deep snow… pictures for Dad…

the driveway

13 feet of solid snow at the street end; 15 feet (4 or so is land, the rest snow) at the house end

I finished the mitts with Pogo’s yarn, more or less the Maine Morning Mitts, but I cast on 39 stitches and used 3′s and 4′s.

I basically winged the thumb, since I’d loaned the book out and received the instructions on the phone… but look, you can download the pattern (link above)! There’s a bit of a ridge at the cast on section of the thumb that you can feel, but not when they are on. Given that it was negative 5 F this morning, I definitely had these on, even though they are a gift.

More snow? We are supposed to get another foot or so tonight… we’ll be challenged with shoveling it out of the driveway.

what am i pointing at?

the rest of the pile

ok, this isn’t our house, it’s one of two really humongous piles at work… last year there was still snow here at the end of June, and we have gotten way more snow this year… I’m interested to see how long there will be snow here.

I spent most of today feeling a little giddy, like a kid at holiday time. Why? Thinking about that spinning class for one. And for another, I (am fairly certain and reasonably sure that I) finally got the bugs worked out so that our temp agency (the folks that pay our temps) can get paid. Long story short, it’s been a long time, it wasn’t my fault or responsibility, but after making a lot of noise, and then asking what I can do, I finally demanded to know what the problem is and managed to get it straightened out. When they get their check? I’ll definitely do a little dance.

As in a bunch of addicts tempting me into your addictions…or is it pushers???? You all seem to know I am this addictive obsessive type. Good thing I never got into heroin…

Look what Mel sent me, this.

Hmmmm… do I need to go sign up right now so I get a spot???

deb teaches lisa to spin!

Pay no attention to that hunk of thick in front of my pinch… I had not pinched for a sec, and well, you know what happens, the whole next 10 feet was twisted!

I spun for all of maybe 8 minutes? Deb says ‘this is wrong, nobody should spin like that the first time.  I hate you’. Well, you know what will happen? When I do get a wheel, my spinning will totally suck. Or maybe not. I can totally see how this can become an obsessive thing.  We told her it was because she is such a great teacher, the wheel must be kind to beginners, and it was easy fiber.  Because her next victim student also spun well! 

I resisted.

I have too much yarn.

But I got a bit more.

The photo is doing this no justice. In my defense, it is for a 16 year old, whose birthday party I was going to that evening. It’ll be fingerless mitts for her, very turquoise/denim/blue, not ‘my’ colors, but they are beautiful. From Friends Folly Farm (I learned the spinners call her Pogo, though I don’t know why!). She has the most wonderful yarn, and fiber, for spinning, which I am not ready to do, yet.

The work in progress, given as a ninja gift (still on the needles) to said 16 year old was this,

she got them finished tonight. I pointed out the lacy (therefore girly?) eyelet on the cuff. I realized that these are somewhat camo colored. So her fists will be hidden as she smacks somebody (she’s a second degree tae kwon do black belt). Yarn from Amy… I got it out of her sale bin at the Fiber Frolic in June. That was one skein of chubby sock yarn, with quite a lot left over. Again, more or less the piano mitts… I like the eyelets and I like the way she does the thumb gusset. I typically do the gusset on the first needle, but this pattern does half of it on the first needle and the other half on the last.

d is also for dog, silly, snowy, boy dog

And found I could really count. Ooops, no, maybe not. I ripped back, knit up a bit differently, realized I was right the first time, ripped back, knit up the same way as first, and realized that somehow I screwed up the pattern matching at the back seam. OH WELL.

Unblocked, a little tight

My chart matching shame,

Yes, it bells a bit. I guess the liner was a bit longer than the outside when I knit the two layers together. No pic of the inside on this one. I decided not to do tidy floats, because the liner covers them and so who cares? But then, the pattern continued above where the liner was knit in. Ooops!

See how nice the inside of the gray pirate hat looks,

you could wear it inside out…not so this pink and orange number.

I soaked it in some Eucalan and spun it out and then wore it all day at work until it dried… fits great now!

Dave, those lower patterns don’t look like upside down hearts, do they????? After your threats to decorate my house with the worst of country, well, it’s all I see!  (those lights and plants are to keep me from feeling like I’m surrounded by filing cabinets at work)

These hats are super warm; they are basically triple-layered. And the lamb’s pride makes them soft and comfortable. I’ll be wearing it tomorrow at SPA.

I went on a dish-purchasing frenzy on Wednesday,

39 CENTS a piece! No chips, and the plates aren’t all scratched up. But dh says they are not big enough (they are about 1/2 inch smaller than the plates we have now).  Don’t you love the Jetson’s-60′s stars?

Now I know that I am not stupid, but I’m starting to wonder if maybe I’m just dumb. Because it is becoming apparent that I. Can. NOT. Count!

Exhibit the first

I finally joined the shoulders for the by now very belated birthday sweater. And realized there are six fewer stitches on each side in the front than in the back. Why yes, that is my special pointer finger there.

There was some suggestion to rescue it as is, but dh tried it on, and a boatneck just isn’t such a good thing for him. Here’s the plan: rip the front back to the neck bindoff and do it yet again.

So for a distraction, I started a hat. Like the worsted pirate hats (I made one for me in fuschia and orange here, but the kiddo wears that one and I wear the charcoal one I made for him, which actually fits me better), but I thought I’d use one of the patterns from the charts in Latvian Dreams (side note, this was the very first knitting book I bought, thinking I might make something from it… have you seen those sweaters? again, apparent that I was not thinking well about this).

I counted the rows on the charcoal hat, and knowing I had 31, I found a chart I liked, messed with it a bit, and started knitting. I’m nowhere near the end of the chart, and I’m very clearly at the point where I should start decreasing the crown. Huh? So I counted the charcoal hat again, 26 rows.

Exhibit the second

At least it isn’t the color of mud… I actually am not so grieved about ripping this back a bit. The odd striping will be inside. I started with a small ball of fuschia, and it’s a different dyelot than the rest, thought the orange would hide that. And also the odd stripes might amuse me.

Sid came over again, he’s using his foot even more!

Gracie, Sid and to the right Zuzu

We tried to get all three of them in one spot to take a group pic. Nope. The hair on Sid’s right leg is still growing in from where he was shaved. He’s pretty funny looking!

So the other wonderful ‘D’ last night (or more correctly in the wee hours of this morning) was drip drip drip. Damn that ice dam!