It's almost spring! Well, inside my house anyway...

At the end of a very long and snowy winter the thing I love most is seeing my orchids burst into a profusion of blossoms.

I think that is the reason I really don't mind winter in upstate New York.
I know I'll be enjoying the colorful and delicate blooms even before anything outside turns green.

And they will last for a couple of months at least.

By then I'll be noticing new sprouts outside too. So to perk up your end of season angst, enjoy my beautiful orchids and know that spring will follow soon.

Oh! And just to keep it knitting related, I finished the Flickering Ruffle Scarf (free pattern found here...http://andra-asars.com/free_patterns/flickering_ruffle_pat.htm). I tweeked it a little by using a lighter weight yarn and smaller needle size and making it larger than the pattern required. Using Mirasol Chirapa 100% merino yarn, it took 9 skeins at 165 yards per skein and measures approximately 60" X 18".
On to the next project, an Elizabeth Zimmerman rib warmer to donate to Afghans for Afghanistan.

What!? Snow Again!? And A Sunny Tuesday to follow

Last Friday we had yet another snowstorm. It amounted to roughly 12 inches and was beautiful...

until it was time to exit the driveway. If you look closely you will see the deep tire tracks. One of our cars actually did get stuck and had to be dug out. It brought to mind the first winter DH and I were married. DH, being from Brooklyn where subways insulated the streets, insisted he didn't need to shovel the very long driveway of our new home.

"The sun will melt it in no time!" he boasted.

"No Sweetie", I gently disagreed. "The snow in Connecticut (where I was raised) needs to be cleared or the whole winter will be a struggle."

Shortly after his most assured comment, DH spent 8 hours trying to remove his car from the snowbank that swallowed it up just to teach him a lesson. Now that we live even farther north than our first home in Connecticut DH gets on that snow ASAP every time!

But I still think it's pretty and wouldn't change my four seasons for all the tea in China!

Luckily, the driveway was cleared in time for my Chicks to arrive to a bright sunny afternoon of knitting. Sheila is almost finished with her Pelerine shoulder shawl and Barbara finished one project and started another. Elaine was test knitting for gauge and was disappointed when she had to frog her progress and start again. But it was amazing to me to see how far she knitted by quitting time.
Beth is almost finished with a sweet little cardigan....

And I'm on the last of nine skeins of yarn for the ruffled scarf I started a couple of weeks ago. It looks like a big blob on my lap, but I think I'm going to like the end result.

Now that it's March I'm looking forward to the longer days of sunshine. I think I actually feel a little extra zip in my step. Meh! Maybe it's just the cup of coffee I had with breakfast. In any case, I'm ready for an improvement in weather. I hear that Moose is already making his way to preschool in nothing but a sweater. That's a benefit of living five hours south of here.

Keeping warm on a cold day in upstate NY

I thought February was supposed to bring a little thaw tease to let us feel the preview to spring. It hasn't happened so far! Woke up to 3 degrees this morning. Well, thanks to Liz, some lucky baby will be warm and in the cutest style too. Check out these little sacks she made to match the sweaters and hats. Aren't they the cutest?

These little owls just make it so sweet. I can almost see a sleepy face peeking out of the top.

Kathleen made another "Baby Sophisticate" cardigan. She puts me to shame!

Kathleen is onto her next project already, a Gansey pullover. But she was running low on yarn. Luckily, we still had a skein or two of the same dye lot.

Pat, Kathleen's daughter, came up from downstate for a visit this week. We always love to see what she has on her needles.
She is making a lace cami with the softest apple green yarn.
Sheila is making good progress on her Pelerine and is thinking about what her next project will be.
Something must have tickled Elaine's funny bone! I love how she laughs. It's so contagious!
On to the evening session....
Cathy made progress on the baby blanket she started last week.

Maureen reached the length of the instep on the sock she is knitting.

And I started the seventh skein of yarn on the ruffled scarf/shawl I'm making. I think one or two more should do it.
Beth is working on the baby sweater she also started last week. Should be done soon.

As cold as it was outside last night, we were nice and cozy by the fire.

How could you ask for a better time than that?

Delivery Day

Beth and I delivered 55 items and sets to Antoinette and Jen today for Esme's Comfort which will provide clothing and support to Birthright and Hope House for new mothers and babies in need.

We really enjoyed knitting these cute little baby clothes and...

some pretty shawls and blankets to comfort families in need.

Thank you Chicks for another job well done!
The ladies have already started to fill the inventory for our next project. Barbara made two cute little hats and notice the beautiful shawl she is wearing that she made for herself. She made it using a sock weight yarn and luckily she has turtleneck shirts in almost every color in the shawl. Very versatile!

Kathleen turned out two more Baby Sophisticate cardigans.

And Sheila offered to model a hat that Kathleen made. We had to make sure it was warm.

And it is!
Elaine cranked out some colorful hats using remnants left from other projects. Elaine hates to waste any yarn! Check out the cute teeny-tiny mittens too. Cathy started a baby blanket last night and ...

Beth started a sweater.

I'm working on a ruffled scarf but there isn't anything interesting to show yet. Maybe by next week there will be enough progress to show what it looks like.

The inventory is filling up nicely but if I want to have something to show you next week I better get back to my knitting.

Knitting for Warm Hats Not Hot Heads

Ellen and Alison have a great idea to bring civility back into our lives, starting with the leaders of our country.

http://twinset.us/?page_id=3736

http://spindyeknit.com/2011/01/warm-hats-not-hot-heads/

These are the two hats I knitted to send to my Senators Schumer and Gillibrand from New York. Well, I'm going to send them a letter and a photo of my hats since I'm sure they don't really need hats.

The hats will be donated to a charity so a needy head can be warmed. Won't you check it out and maybe make a hat or two which you can send to make a statement?

Happy Valentine's Day

Some pretty roses...

I found on the....
internet to...

wish you a very...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Finished Objects

I was very busy this week finishing up some gifts and donation projects.

My favorite booties are a free pattern which you can find here: //http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/patterns/cbbooties.shtml

They require only a bit of sock yarn which I find leftover after knitting a pair of adult socks from approximately 420 yards of fingering weight yarn. The pattern calls for ribbon ties but a three stitch I-cord works just as well.

I recently found out that a friend of mine suffered the same experience as my family. Her daughter gave birth to a stillborn girl, so I wanted to make prayer shawls for her and her daughter. I used Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors Sock Yarn ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/franknit) from my friend Karin, who hand dyes all her yarns and she dyed this one in memory of my granddaughter, Eliana. I thought it would be the perfect color to use for these prayer shawls in memory of another precious angel.

Here is Ishbel being blocked on my family room floor. No one is allowed to walk through that corner of the room when there is blocking happening. The color is true to this photo but the next few are a little washed out.

The details of the lace portion are so pretty and not too difficult to knit. All the work is done on the right side, leaving the wrong side for you to sail through nothing but purls.

The finished shawl measures about 20" X 40", just enough for a little shoulder cover.

The second shawl in "Eliana" is a pattern called "The Lazy Day Lace Shawl", another free pattern which can be found here: http://www.marykeenanknits.com/LazyDayLaceShawl2a.pdf

This is a good "TV" project as the pattern is easy enough to memorize and watch TV. And you don't even need to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. LOL!

A simple geometric pattern is set off by this teeny tiny cable up the center.

This hat was a free pattern offered on Ravelry, the site for fiber artists of all kinds. If you are a member, you can find the pattern here:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/2x2-ribbed-for-his-pleasure

I used a sock yarn, actually the same yarn that I used for the booties up above. It took me about a week to knit up. I have lots of ideas swimming around in my head for all the yarns waiting to become something warm and cozy so I must get back to my needles. Enjoy the Superbowl tonight.
I'll be knitting.