Life

February’s Reminder

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February 2018 Snow

February sent us a little reminder that yes, it’s still winter (actually this can go on through April here.)  The weatherman said we would get between 2 to 6 inches of snow and we got around 4 inches.  I didn’t resize the picture to be smaller so you can see the slow flakes coming down (if you look at the tree trunk or the garage doors across the road.)  My camera doesn’t take good pictures of snow fall, I wish that we could leave the picture smaller and that it would enlarge when you click on it like it use to on WordPress, if it still will I haven’t figured it out yet.  This was taken around 4 pm, the snow started around noon and continued until around 6pm.  The weather report says tho’ we will have little flurries here and there until Thursday, that there will be several more systems coming to drop snow on us on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with up to a couple of inches with each system.  So nice to be able to hunker down somewhere warm and knit or spin and watch “Little House on the Prairie” or “You’ve Got Mail” or any other show or movie you love to watch.

Diagonal Scarf Along – With a Friend :)

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I taught my friend to knit when I lived in TN and we use to have Harry Potter Marathons and eat popcorn.  Ahhh those were fun days :).  We have missed doing those things together, as I now live in another state, so we decided to have a Scarf Along.  We have picked out our yarn and needles and our plan of attack for the scarf.  I wish I could tell you where I got the pattern, I hand typed it out and have had it for years so no telling where the pattern was from originally so I can’t share it, but there are several on Ravelry that are Diagonal Garter Stitch Scarfs.

The pictures above are the yarns we chose, I neglected to get the brand of yarn she got for this project, but it looks like Lion Brand tho’ I could be wrong, I’ll check back with her and update this(**Yes it is Lion Brand yarn  Mandala, thanks Keri :).)  My yarn is Yarn Bee Aspyn from Hobby Lobby, it is 80% acrylic and 20% alpaca and very soft and is a bulky weight tho the pattern calls for a DK weight and a US size 5 needle.  We both decided the 22 stitches cast on was to narrow for us.  My friend, Keri cast on 44 stitches and went up 2 needle sizes and I will also be using the US size 7 and I am casting on 32 stitches.  We should have pictures of our progress to show soon :).  I am excited to get to do something with my friend again :).

I am coming along on the fingerless mitts.  I decided to add the 3rd color from the cowl on the top of the mitts because I was getting very nervous about the yarn chicken game with the navy yarn, lol.  So I will frog some of the top area of the mitt I am working on and add that 3rd color.  I should have one mitt to post a picture of soon as well.  I started with the navy, then added the beautiful turquoise color for the pattern area, then back to the navy and the top few inches will be the light speckled yarn.  It will be a perfect match for her cowl. 🙂

Year of Spinning

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This year in the Fiber Pusher Podcast on Ravelry we are working on spinning.  This month it’s getting things finished that are on our wheels.  I had finished the first spool of singles last year, and had started the 2nd spool so am now working on finished that 2nd spool.  I’m excited to see this 2nd spool finished and plyed with the 1st spool because I know it will be a beautiful yarn.  My yarn usually ends up being a light sport weight.  You can see the rolags I am spinning from, here.  I’m trying to commit to at least 20 min of spinning a day, but at the very least 3 or 4 times a week.  That way I won’t feel bad if I miss a day or two because of odds and ends unplanned things that happen in life.  Would love it if things never happened unexpectedly however…. :).  I haven’t decided what I want to make from it yet.

I will still be working on the mitts, but I have decided that rather than chance I will fail at the yarn chicken game (made me nervous to see the ball going down faster than I had hoped)  and I really did not want to have to frog two mitts to redo them with another color yarn, so, I am going to insert one of the other colors where the design is so it will be a two tone mitt and better match her 3 color cowl :).  I’ll post a picture when I have passed that design point and you can see it better.

I have also promised that I would finish the socks I am working on for someone for their birthday (next month) and I need to make two hats for two little ones as we are in the throes or a polar express here :).  We were at -21 yesterday (New Years Day and this bitterly cold weather started with the early afternoon on New Years Eve) with wind chills dipping from -30’s to -42 and it was still very cold earlier today, tho now, late afternoon, it’s only -2 with a wind chill of -14.  woo hoo, a warm up :P.  So I should have a very busy next few weeks with spinning and knitting :).

Another Snowy Day Before the End of the Year and I started Those Fingerless Mitts.

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

More snow today.  They said between 4 to 6 inches today by the time it’s done later this evening.  I took this, this morning around 10am.  They also said frigid temps are coming in this evening.  For the next 3 days it will be -2F or so in the daytime (ambient temps, so wind chills will take it down they said to -20 to -30) and -17F ambient temps at night, so temps with wind chills around -30F and occasionally down to -40F.  BRRR, winter is here.  So I am staying toasty warm in the house.  I did remember to put “Heet” in my gas tank just in case I have to drive somewhere.

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I’ve started on the Te Ara Fingerless Mitts for my friend to help use up her left over yarn from the 3 Color Cowl I knit her.  I’ve made these before here .  They were fun to knit and I think they look very classic and elegant :).  I will be playing a little bit of yarn chicken with this skein.  Weight wise, I should barely have enough, but this is a little heavier weight fingering weight and I hate cutting things so close just in case.  If it doesn’t work out I will have to frog and use one of the other colors she had left over, but this was the one she wanted them knit out of.   Crossing my fingers.

 

 

Christmas Eve Snow

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2nd Snow 2017-2018

This is what I woke up to this morning, the weather man was right :).  It ended up about 1/2 inch by the time I got home from Church.  Might be some more snow tomorrow.  So we do have a white Christmas this year :).

My Christmas Knitting Done :)

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Basia Hat

My last knitted gift for Christmas, YEA!!  This pattern is call Basia and is a really interesting and easy knit.  Just enough texture to keep your attention but an easy texture to memorize :).  I kettle dyed this with an acid dye and it is a deeper blue than my picture shows, I’m not much of a photographer.  This is my 2nd Basia hat (made one as a Christmas gift last year) and I knit this with the same sport/dk weight yarn I had processed at the mill from the Polypay fleece I was given.  I have only one more skein of the yarn left out of 11.  I do have two more fleeces in the trunk of my car, but haven’t had the extra money to have them processed into roving or yarn.  If my car would stop being a money pit I could send them off to process :P.

1st Snow 2017-2018 This was the first snow of our 2017-2018 winter.  This was a week & 1/2 ago or so.  I should have put it up before, but…  It wasn’t much, just a dusting, and it has since melted.  We are suppose to get some snow tomorrow morning and Monday, so just in time for Christmas, tho it isn’t suppose to be much, maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 inch.  This, so far, is a very low moisture winter for us, and I won’t complain about the warmer weather, much better than -40, tho I think Jan will bring much colder temps than  we have been having.

 

Warning for Those Who Might Be Easily Offended – My Thoughts on My Blog

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I stand for my Flag and the National Anthem

I was raised by an Air Force father who served for 21 years, and served in two wars.  I love my country, it’s flag and the National Anthem.

I’m disappointed, in those in football, who chose to protest the American Flag and our National Anthem on the football field.  The very country who has given them the opportunity to become millionaires.  Take the protest to the political arena where it might actually do some good, you are turning people against what you claim you are supporting, protesting your country doesn’t belong in a game.

Many Americans buy tickets and other football memorabilia to support their teams, however you will probably notice that attendance is down because it is NOT what most of your fans came for.  They came to watch you perform at football not to dis their country.  If they wanted political banter they would go to something political.   They attend to get away from reality for a short while because our country has become so politically correct, tumultuous and divided, it was one thing where the fans of a football team could come together on, their team.   The football arena has chosen to become political which makes them divisive and I have chosen to turn the channel now on something else besides football until they can get back to what they do best, entertaining us without their political agenda.

Seems my team, the Cowboys, can’t decide if they want to support those who are dissing their flag and anthem or stand for the flag and anthem so they did both, a right down the middle stance.  What was it Mr Miyagi in Karate Kid said? Oh yeah, “Walk on road,  Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later, get squish just like grape.”   Support them off the field guys, off the field your time is your own and can do what you want and I will support your right to do it, however when you are on the field, just play ball, please, we all need some down time to just enjoy the sport.

Has It Really Been Over a Month?

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Wow, didn’t realize it has been so long since I’ve posted.  I’ve got my first cold of the season, ugh.  So yeah, I’ve been sick for starting on 3 weeks now.  I hate colds, but they seem to love me, if I was magic I would zing them out of existence! 😛  I haven’t even felt like knitting so no progress there.  I think I will work on some spinning today to see if I can finish one spool of singles and start on the other spool so I can ply and have something to knit with.  I’ll post a picture when I get it plied :).  Money has been very tight and I didn’t get to send my fleece off to have it processed into yarn to knit for Christmas this year.  Dang car, but I figure when I get everything fixed, it will be like a new car :P.  It’s not like I don’t have any fiber to spin, and I do enjoy spinning, sometimes I’m just in a hurry to knit. 🙂

The Cowboys did fairly well with their preseason games, their first real game is tonight with the Giants.  Hope they do well :), Go Cowboys.

I am keeping my eye on a program that is going to start in Oct.  It’s called Extinct, I’ve added a link, it looks really good!!!  It will either be on the BYU channel with your cable provider or at their website.  There are also a couple of other syfy programs coming up this fall, one is a comedy kinda like Star Trek, the other I believe is a new Star Trek program.  Not sure what channels they will be carried on but I want to check them out when they start :).