Chattin'

Hey!  It's cold here today.  More snow is promised and I don't have anywhere I have to be.  A whole day of hookin,  knittin and livin'.  And because I don't have to be anywhere, I can scoot over to Patrice's place for a chat this morning.  We're going to the barn where it's a lot warmer, I'll bet.  I've got my knitting - I can knit in a barn - and some carrots for Wendell, our host today.  I'm early for a change - maybe I'm the first guest for Wendell?

Horses ask some interesting questions.  Here goes...

What's your favorite kind of chili?   My favorite chili would have no meat and lots of beans,  some green peppers.  And spicy hot, please, with some cheddar shredded on top.  No sour cream.

What do you usually do when you feel a cold coming on?  After the initial kvetching and moaning because the cold bug has caught me, I retreat to the couch and read, read, read while I enjoy  a lot of some lemon in my hot tea. That's what I would do butI haven't had a real cold for a long time now (sound of knocking on wood)  and I would like to keep it that way.  Although, all pockets are prepared for the worst.  I always have a couple of tissues at the ready just in case.  

Rice, potatoes, or pasta?  Hmmm...I like all three.  But if I was stranded on a desert island and I could only have one it would be rice, brown rice.  It's not as heavy somehow.  I don't really eat these foods on a regular basis any more.  


What kind of camera do you use?  I use a Fuji S2000HD.  And rarely, the iPhone camera when it's an emergency photo op.

Are you a night owl or an early bird?  Definitely an early bird.  This morning I was up at 5.30.  I've always been a morning person - by lunchtime the day is mostly over for me and I find my energy lower in the afternoon.  By evening it's practically non-existent.  Good thing knitting doesn't take a lot!

Wendell asks all his questions in red...I'm wondering why.  Maybe that's as close to carrot color as will show up on the blog.  I had to change the color, because it's hard to read on my black ground.  But it looks very nice on his page...and his answers are fun, too.  Just visit Everyday Rurality to see them.

Before I go, I have a question for Wendell:  are horses very picky about their carrots?  Should I be buying them with the green tops on?  What about those pretend 'baby' carrots?  OK, that was three questions.

I remember!

Picking up that hook was easier than remembering how to ride a bike.  I spent a couple of hours yesterday happily pulling wool strips through burlap.  Ah, it was lovely.

How to do wasn't the only thing I remembered.  There was the pleasure of cutting the strips.  I hand-cut my strip because I enjoy it.  I'm a process kind of gal and prefer to do things the long - and often hard - way.  And, for me, I like the look of hand-cuts.  I remembered how much fun it is to sort through the baskets looking at all the colors and textures.  I always use recycled wools, too.  Again, it's just me and my love of irregularity and eccentricity.

 I started with a big heart.  Can't go wrong putting love in your design, right?  The background will be as colorful as I can make it with my hit and miss strips.  Actually, I confess to letting my inner control freak loose on this.  I have a really hard time being completely random.  I have tried just blindly taking pot-luck from the worm box.  It goes OK for a while but then I start obsessing about stuff like too many yellows too close together.  Then before I know it, I've made a conscious decision to hook in a purple strip.   This time I just started off selecting the colors as I go. There is a randomness in which strip within the color family I use, though.  So I think it's fitting the spirit of the design.

What I had forgotten was how vicious the little gripper hooks on the frame can be.  Ouch!  I have roughed up skin on the heel of my hooking hand - looks like it's been sanded.  And somehow I have what looks like a cat scratch on the other hand.  I don't remember doing this and there's no cat. 

Mainly, I am having such a good time.  Hooked all over again. 

Sunday Wonders - H

H is for Hook. 

This hook was on fire a few years ago.  I used it so much that the varnish has worn off where my fingers held it.  But the fire's been banked for what was only going to be a few months and has turned into years .  Today, the sun is shining and it's cold.  A perfect hooking day.

So, hook plus frame...

Add a blank (almost) canvas...

A box of random worms...

Put some classical music on the player and let's see what happens.  I hope I can remember how to do it. I  actually have that fear.  You'll be the first to know if the fire has burned too low.   And maybe, if this works I can get Katie's mat going.  It's been on hold too long.

Saturday Stash

This view was sort of expected this morning...weather folks really enjoy making a mountain out of a mogul, don' they?  It wasn't a particularly welcome view, though.  I have already gifted our snow to all my bloggy friends who really love it and have none yet.  I love how the snow has collected on our improvised (circle of sheet metal) squirrel baffle.  In the fall, two of our bigger - and younger - squirrels managed to climb up the metal pole and spent about five happy moments cleaning out the sunflower seeds.  We think we have them stymied - for the moment.

Good thing I've been knitting some warm woollies this week.  What have I been knitting?  Even better question: what have I finished?   I'll start with my only work in progress right now: the Midnight Rose tunic.  Oh, I think it's going to be so pretty.  I was making great strides and then got a bit distracted by some other stuff.    I've got the color a bit better this week (it's darker than this) and can you see the lovely tangle of cabling?  This is a fun, fun pattern.  No cable needle necessary as you never cross more than one stitch.  I do have to count, though.  Rows, stitches...in the round that's a lot to keep track of as you increase and decrease at the same time in some places.

I finished the Desert Shadows scarf and have the pattern on Ravelry as a free download.  Go here if you'd like to try it.  You'll need about 400 meters of 4ply fingering to make a scarf. 

After I had written up the pattern, I wanted to make another test knit just to be sure.  The pattern is very easy but the writing, as always, can get lost in my translation.  So, I cast on some leftover sock yarn for a swatch.  It looked so pretty I just kept going 'til the string ran out.  I sewed on two stash buttons  which can easily slip through a dropped-stitch 'ladder'.  Now I have my Swatch Band.  It makes a neat little neck-warmer or a headband to keep the ears warm.

In danger of becoming a UFO, these white socks begged me to finish them.  The only thing wintery is their name -  Snowberry socks.  I think, being cotton, they'll be waiting in the drawer for some warmer weather before I actually wear them. 

Not a bad week on the knitting front.  Now if you could just bring your shovels and buckets and take all this snow away.  Please?  While I wait for you, I'll be knitting.  I have some red recycled yarn that wants to be a jacket.  Sounds perfect for a snowy day.