But, really, the dog comes first
weather
Things I’ve started
Oct 25th
1. This cowl:
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A very fast, very satisfying knit.
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It’s done now.
The yarn is Blue Sky Alpaca Techno in the Fame colorway. The site says “baby alpaca is blown into a mesh tube of silk for really fast knitting with literally no splitting”. I don’t have a macro lens or I’d try to get a picture. It feels like knitting with an unspun yarn – but “no splitting”. And when I pull it apart and hold it up to the light, I can see the silk tube encasing the baby alpaca. It was kind of amazing in a new and different way and I enjoyed knitting with it.
One skein, 120 yds/109 m, easily completed the pattern as written. I added a few rows of stockinette after the last round of increases to be sure to use up the yarn.
2. This hat.
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I actually knit this at a football. (In what world, did *I* attend a football game?)
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It’s done now.
The yarn is Harrisville New England Highland in an unidentified colorway. I’ve got the ball band, it’s just not telling me anything. I’m sure it was from the discontinued bin. 100% sheepy lanolin filled wool, 200 yds, 100 g.
The pattern is one I’ve used before (and will use again. I hear my brother-in-law shrunk his hat.) It is versatile, well written and fits a variety of heads.
3. This scarf:
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Fear not, it appears to have been "fuzzed" by the Techno.
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Not done.
But I have managed to gather a provisional cast on thread, a crotchet hook, the proper needles (I didn’t believe him when he said size 9/5.5 mm. I had to find others. He was right.) all at the same time. Fortunately, as much as I’ve decided that I love the yarn, the color is not me. And besides, it was destined for the Red Scarf Project.
The yarn is Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in the Longjohns colorway.
4. This bookcase needed cleaning out
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Those magazines. What do you do with your mags?
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It is mostly knitting books and mags. This bodes well for the Knitter’s Review Retreat.
5. Taking pictures again.
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One delightful leaf, dangling just right to catch a sunbeam.
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But, apparently, I can’t take pictures of finished objects. I’ll work on that.
A lot of huff
Aug 28th
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It took a few hours for the storm to clear, but by early afternoon the sun made a welcome appearance. It doesn’t seem too bad – except the power is out. (Odd twist of fate: the coffee pot turns on automagically at o’dark thirty. The (second) power outage occurred at o’dark thirty-two. So we had a dribble of coffee in the pot. Even odder: this is the second time that has happened in this house.)
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Ned is dry:
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Nickie is in a window (how often is it cool enough to open a window in August?)
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And Aurora is in front of a fan:
I’m wishing I could do laundry.
I am hoping you are dry, unless you don’t want to be.
Clearly …
Aug 27th
Clearly, it is cloudy.
(And windy and rainy.)
So, I’ll get on with the storm prep first; the inventory:
Candles – check
batteries – check
cats:
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pooch:
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water for drinking – check
water for flushing – check
yard pickup – check
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Such a gloomy sky … back to storm prep;. I was reviewing the checklist:
Knitting – check
Stay safe, stay dry; and I’ll see you on the sunny side of Irene.
Time Travel, Part 2: Spring Arrives
Apr 26th
In the beginning, there was the Great Fuzzy White Dog:
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And then Spring! arrived and it got too warm for the Great Fuzzy White Dog comfort so we removed her dog suit:
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And as further proof of Spring! there was MUD:
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(Wait, wait … you really need a close up:
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)
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And walks in the creek:
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And tho the Sun shone bright and warm by day, the night came soon and was dark and the earth cooled:
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Let the Funky Chicken Dance Liiiiiivvvvveeeee!!
Mar 21st
(I have no brain. Again. 2010 version)
You may recall, the “game” involves hanging (geometrically-shaped) inner-tubes on pegs at various heights in specific order for various points.
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The kids did much (much!) better than last year.
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(And their robot did not catch on fire!) (Such excitements!)
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Noise!
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Sights!
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/oh my
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Also, uhm, I have start-itis. (No pix. Just a desire.)
Also, it is spring.
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In which I had a better title
Feb 8th
but it slipped through the swiss cheese that is my brain, and I lost it.
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Some of you may know that my sister and I have a … game.
I call her and say “My daffodils are coming up” or “I mowed the grass today” or “I saw a robin!”
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And she says “Fuck you. I’ve got 23 feet of snow” or “It is minus 35 degrees” or “the turkeys are dead, my pipes are frozen and my truck is stuck in the snow” and slams the phone down gently hangs up the phone.
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Soooo … last week when I posted the pic of my neighbors zig zaggy sidewalk she sent me pictures of real snow:
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This last one looked remarkably similar to the one I took of Aurora, last year:
except Tia is twice-plus Aurora’s size. (And Naked. Do you see that? Her dog has no fur. In the snow. And not even a sweater! Aurora thinks this is a darn shame.)
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p.s. Dear Sister,
We saw a flock of robins on Sunday:
(Although, that may not be as good an indicator as previously thought – read here.)
Also: the skunk cabbage is starting to come out in the (muddymuddymuddy) woods:
And there is green:
