It’s April, right?

I feel I should not be wrapped in wool this week, yet I find I am.

We have in floor radiant heat at work.  It is in a concrete slab.  It is pretty nice if the weather is consistent and changes are gradual.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the only knitwear I was wearing was a necklace or pair of earrings.  The weather had warmed up, the building had not noticed, so it was actually too warm at work.  We even opened a window once.  IN MARCH.  IN MAINE.

Now that it is April, it is freezing and windy again. But the darned building still thinks it is warm out.  So, this week I am back to tights with wool socks, warm shawl wrapped on top of shirt and fleece vest.  Fingerless mitts not too far away.  Mittens for the ride to and from. And of course, a pretty pair of earrings and a bracelet.  😉

I haven’t gotten so cold as to wear a hat yet, but if something doesn’t give, that is next.

And to think, I was under the impression that I would be opening the pool early this year.

I didn’t have the camera handy this weekend, but I did a whole lot of knitting – down to the wire with basketball!  I started the first clue of the Boo Knits MKAL Danse Macabre. Claire got me hooked on her patterns (remember Pease Blossom? Boo Knits designed it) and so I joined this MKAL.  There are a crazy number of participants, the forum page is over 200 pages long and it is not even one week old! I am using a BRIGHT blue wool/silk blend (Juniper Moon Farm Findley in Deep Blue) and crystal beads lined with silver, # 5 triangle.  I love how it looks so far, like a starry night.  I’ll show you progress in a later post – don’t want to post a spoiler, but clue 2 was released today, so I will just warn you before I post a photo.

I also worked hard on Harriet, as she was on my longer #5 circular.  She is now on the shorter one, even though I haven’t gotten to the decreases quite yet, I am close, and will just be careful with her.

I finished the knitting and blocking on Bobbi’s mitts, and just have to sew up the side seams.  I wrote out what I did on my pattern page, so when I finish them I will take a photo and share it and the how-to with you all.

I did a bit more work on Maluka yesterday at a lunch meeting, it moves along slowly, but is pretty.  I think when I finish Harriet, Maluka will get moved to the evening knitting spot in the rotation.  When I am not working on the MKAL, of course.

I RESISTED casting on the necklaces I have all strung and waiting, and also a blue and white striped angora baby beanie I want to make to sell this summer. It amazes me how my mind can be thinking about the next possibility even as I am working on something I love.

So look for lots of photos in the next post, OK?  When my hands are thawed enough to hit that little button. Without shaking and shivering.

Meanwhile – basketball – Villanova – WOW!  A is away for two night in a place with no wifi and no TV, so we have recorded the games and I did not watch last night.  But I couldn’t help but take a peek to see who won, and it looks like it will be an amazing game to watch.  I hope I have the fortitude to NOT watch tonight’s game as well, but it is my UCONN girls working to break all sorts of records, so I might watch the first quarter. Just so I can get some more knitting done.  Yeah, that’s it. Just one quarter, ’til I finish the row.

The great part is I get to watch both games again when she gets home. 🙂 Then we wait an eternity for it all to start over again.

 

 

 

Saturday knits, chores, and an impromptu birthday party

Busy day! A and I slept late, both exhausted from a long work week, and then we thought we had loads of time to get a few chores done before we headed to Bangor to meet up with her sisters and nieces for a birthday lunch for niece T. We leisurely got ready, headed out to things like the PO and grocery store. Got home and the phone was ringing. Total change of plans – niece J (flying in from PA) was getting a later flight, so lunch would happen earlier, and without her. We scrambled to wrap presents and get out the door again. Made it to Governor’s in Orono in time – whew!

After lunch we tried the natural food store for the special cat food we think will stop Zumba’s itching. They had the wet food, but not the dry. I’ll try the store in Ellsworth where I always used to get it for Tuppence (anyone – is it normal for calicoes and tortoise cats to have food allergies? Zumba has the same coloring as Tuppence had, and seems to have the same food allergies.)

Through all of this driving, I was knitting around and around on this cable ribbed hat I made up. It did not come out like I planned (do they ever?) but I think it came out cute, and it fits better than I thought it would. Even as I was finishing it up, I was thinking about ripping it out and making a plain hat. But I like it, and if it fits me, it will fit someone else, so in the bag it goes!

Once home, it was BASKETBALL! Women’s tournaments started today, we have our brackets done,a nd our friendly little wager in place. We actually have two – one for the whole bracket best score, for cash for the stash. The other is just the final 4, once we get that far (gives us a chance to revise in case our original 4 aren’t actually there!) for a weekend breakfast. This is very exciting time of year for us – A gets to watch lots of good women’s basketball, I get to root for UConn and knit.

I am about half way through one leg warmer – they ARE coming out as I imagined, and I hope niece C likes them! The k2 p2 ribbing for 28 inches is tedious, but at least I have the color changes to look forward to. I don’t think I would do much with them if they were all one color.

They should be done long before we crown a national championship winning team.

Go UConn!

deja vu – snow storm!

It isn’t Nemo, but it might as well be! Snowing hard, blowing hard, we are not going anywhere. I managed to sit and knit most of the day, mindlessly watching TV – reruns of cop shows, and women’s basketball. Watched part of the Tennessee Vanderbilt game. A. spotted Robin Roberts and Pat Head Summitt in the audience – glad they are both well enough to enjoy the game! Also glad ESPN has figured out that the sports world does contain people who care about women’s basketball – which, of course, is thanks in a great part to Pat Summitt. But, since I am a die-hard UCONN fan, Geno, too. 🙂 Still can’t cheer for Tenn., even as I realize what Summitt has done for us all. And, if Robin likes her, she can’t be that bad. 🙂

Made good progress on the red sweater – done with the body, working my way down the sleeve now, decreasing regularly, so the rows go faster and faster.

Not much else going on around here – A started the bookcases for the loft – I helped her get the big sheets of wood through the table saw, so I can say I helped build them! That project should let us unpack the books, at LONG last. And it means I will have to paint the loft before they go in. So I might start that in the next week or so. Or I might put it off. I am feeling pretty lazy today. which is OK, as tomorrow I will get a workout, getting the car out to go do a tax return – otherwise, it is a holiday for us. Glad to have the time to clean up the dooryard thoroughly.

Saturday at home

We have been having a nice day. Got an early start as we both needed haircuts, and so headed over to the barber shop early, to get a good spot in the line. Amazingly, there was no one waiting, so we were out of there, done with errands and home by 10:30!

I had some work to do, so I booted up the 4 computers I needed to check for taxes, and got down to work. A went and tinkered with the snowblower – changed the spark plug, and got it started! That is a huge relief as we are currently between plow guys. I moved the cars and she cleaned up the last of the snow piles at the head of the driveway. We are ready for more snow now. Except I think what we might get is rain. Ugh. Ice.

I also was able to reach our neighbor, who IS interested in plowing for us – he will come over and take a look so he can give us a price, but if he is willing, I think we will go with him. Be glad to have someone nearby taking care of it, I must say.

I also managed to do laundry, and change the bed, and start taking the tree down. Didn’t get real far with that, as I didn’t feel like getting the 12 foot step-ladder out of the basement, but I did start it. I’ll keep plugging away at it, and it should be heaved off into the woods before next weekend. It has been a beautiful tree – still drinking a fair amount of water. There is something to be said for an absolutely fresh-cut tree – from the field into the bucket of water in our living room.

Among the other low-key things we did today – watched our first of the season UConn women’s basketball team, against Notre Dame. I am sorry that UConn lost (by 1) but ND gives them a good game. And unlike other rabid fans, I don’t expect my team to win every game. In fact, I don’t think it does them harm to lose the occasional game. Then March and April aren’t such a big surprise. I know I am in the minority on this one in CT of course. But in Maine, I feel safe saying it!

Made an early supper of turkey pot pie from our favorite bakery (Frank’s in Bangor) by way of our freezer. It is really good, and A likes it because it is turkey, crust and gravy. No veggies. I like it because it is real – and yummy comfort food. Also, because it is not chinese! We got chinese take out for NY’s eve, and I have been eating it ever since. I think it is time to heave the last of it. It was good, but it just lasts too long, even when I don’t order lots.

this evening, we will head upstairs – A to work on her big walk in closet job – not remodeling because she never did finish it – so is that a modeling job? 🙂 and me to the craft room to play with the toys I got yesterday. And to work more on my quilting project.

But before I go, here are a few photos of the last few weeks – trees, kittens, works in progress. Cleaning out the camera again. 🙂

Allie and Zumba love their waffles!

patchwork runner in progress

next estonian lace on the needles

the tree, going up

all decorated, taken with flash.

with no flash…

close up of the tree