Monday, November 15, 2010

Glad That's Over

It was bound to happen. November. Minnesota. Moisture. And it all started innocently enough, late Friday/early Saturday:



Saturday mid-morning, it was quite lovely:


Minutes after that picture was taken, poof! it turned on us. No lights, no computer. But ... no problem! I would miss Hunting Widows Knitting Weekend (Julie! Judy! Pat! Jean!), but sitting by a window, I could see quite well enough to pick up some knitting. To help keep myself entertained, I stole an idea from the Yarn Harlot from last week. Her readers sent in Haiku; mine can best be described as hack-u. These are the ones (barely) worth repeating:

The power is out
I have my knitting and pets
Things could be much worse

It's warm by the fire
Mitten knitting up nicely
It can keep snowing

Once the cadence gets stuck in the head, it won't let go, even when it's time to go outside:

I have to shovel
Slushy driveway is a mess
Can't let it freeze up

Snow, mostly water
When did driveway get so long?
I want to be done

Still no electricity, and word on the street — from next door, anyway — was that it would be Monday (!!) until the crews could get it fixed. Not listening! Not listening! I headed for the woodpile, not to crawl underneath it, but to carry most of it into the house.* I forgot about the flue — I don't want to talk about it — but, at last:



Apparently, camping by the fireplace does not appeal to 16-year-olds. Mine took all 1,000 of her fleece blankets and went to bed, leaving her mother, the dogs and one clingy cat on the couch with candles, some Dr. Pepper and a promising novel.

I might have squealed a little on Sunday when the lights flicked back on at about noon. I am newly grateful for a warm house and electric lights. I might have to hug a lineman the next time I see one, whether he wants me to or not.

*Who needs Little House in the Prairie -- "Pa! We need more wood, Pa!" — when you can have Little House in the Suburbs -- "Mom! There's power at Xxx's house, Mom! They have a hot tub!"

Monday, November 8, 2010

A Makeover? Hardly. Just a New Template. And a Video.

This is what happens when you click a button to see what happens. Viola! A new template. Don't be surprised if more fiddling occurs. In the meantime, some very clever people made a brilliant wee video, knitting content included!

What Do I Know?

As I was knitting away on this, I loved the yarn — Blue Sky Suri Alpaca, what's not to like? — but the pattern? Well. This was time I wasn't going to get back. But my newly minted 16-year-old gushed over it — "Hmmm. Not bad. Warm." — and when we put it on a mannequin at the shop, people couldn't leave it alone! Several skeins of suri left for their brave new world that day, complete with the alterations to the pattern: knit with 9s, not 6s, cast on 160, not 150 stitches and knit the whole skein, not just 3-1/2 inches (that's one short neck!).


As for this early-fall favorite-in-waiting?


Love them, love them! I reach for them nearly all the time. For holding on to a cold steering wheel, mostly, but they're great when I'm hanging out in the barn, getting a whole lot of nothing done. Consumer tip: When the pattern says to cast off loosely, that means ... cast off loooos-leeee — or have a lobster claw where your hand used to be. Ask me how I know.


Guess who's getting some whiskers. Hint: barkbark barkbarkbarkbark barkbarkbarkbark barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark barkbarkbark barkbarkbark barkbark

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

I Have, Have You?

Today's the day. Do it for yourself, do it for your neighbors, do it for your country. Just do it.

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