Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Cold day today. -25 F with wind chill = no school. Cheesy grin.

Winter in Michigan is not for the faint of heart, let me tell you. (Canadians, please don't laugh.) Among the many dangers are slipping on the ice and falling, having a heart attack while shoveling snow, getting into a car accident, getting frostbite, and dying of hypothermia.

But the most dangerous of all? Getting impaled by Killer Icicles.



Lest you think I jest, remember this episode of Grey's Anatomy? It's totally possible. Totally.


Hello, we are Killer Icicles. We are here to impale you. Or at least drip on you when we finally melt in April.

No knitting news to report. My goal is to make significant progress on knitting for Small Children. Finishing would make me ecstatic.

NaKniMitMo,Take One

It's still white outside. And it's bitterly cold. I'm pulling for a cold day. What's a cold day, you ask? It's a day on which school is canceled for no reason other than that it's frigid. How frigid does it have to be? We were debating that today in the teacher's lounge, and one teacher claimed -25 after the wind chill, but we just don't know. Maybe the buses won't start. That actually happened one year. Really, I'm pulling for a cold day. But just out of concern for the munchkins. Wouldn't want them to get frostbite at the bus stop. Yeah... I'm just concerned about the munchkins. Heh.

So, I finished the first pair of mittens for NaKniMitMo, and at the rate I'm knitting this month, it just might be the only pair I finish this month. I really have two more pairs planned, plus two pairs of fingerless mitts, plus finish this project, but we'll see how much time finishing the KNITTING FOR SMALL CHILDREN takes.


Photo taken yesterday, when it was much less frigid outside.

The thumbs gave me a bit of trouble. I had gaping holes at the base of the thumb where I picked up the stitches, so I sewed them closed before weaving in the yarn at the end. How did I do?



I modified the tip by decreasing on the sides rather than evenly around. I think it looks neater this way.



These are a birthday gift for Blee, whose birthday is not until next Friday. I'm ahead of the game on this one.

Yarn
Dream in Color Classy in Some Summer Sky

Needles
Size 5, 3.75 mm

Pattern
Basic Mitten Pattern from The Knitter's Book of Handy Patterns by Ann Budd

All Is White in the World

It's white again.



For those of you who can't fathom how life moves forward in the Great White North, here's a picture:


Snow removal is easy when you use a bulldozer outfitted with monster truck wheels and a plow the size of a pachyderm.

Scooter apparently wants to ship himself somewhere warm. Anyone want to host him for a while?



The first pair of mittens for NaKniMitMo are almost finished. There should be a finished object post tomorrow. Then it's on to a hat for a certain birthday girl and reknitting some too-tight sleeves and finishing a pair of pants. Will knitting for Small Children ever end?

Favorite Things Friday—Blasted!

Mother Nature has totally blasted us with her wrath. Snow day! Snow day! Snow day! Do I have to tell you that one of my most favorite things in the world is a snow day? And thus we teachers begin winter break one day early here in Michigan. Ahhh... 17 straight days off. It's pretty glorious. It's even better because of my recent decision to hire the best plow man ever. Any time I come home to a plowed driveway, I want to marry the guy.

If you're from someplace warm and sunny, put on a sweater, because you might get cold just looking at these pictures.

A typical wintry day on my street, taken on November 30.


Today.


Snow is almost up to the threshold of my neighbor's door...

... and is higher than mine.

Here is what Scooter sees when he looks out the back door.


There is nothing to do but stay inside and knit. I am working on some feather and fan washcloths for Grandma for Christmas. This is one Christmas knit that I can discuss and show you, since there's not a snowball's chance in hell that she will be reading this. I'm not sure she even really knows what the Internet is.



I have finished the blue one and am about halfway through the yellow. Then I can wash and block them to open up the lace.

After that, I'll be continuing my work on Project #3 and Project #4.

I'm also scrapping the worsted weight mitered square blanket after knitting three squares, and I'm in the mood to do something with all these crazy leftovers.



I just need a break from the Christmas knitting, so I may play hooky from it this evening and start a striped scarf à la Brooklyntweed, using the remnants instead of Noro. It'll be crazy and probably unwearable, but who cares?

Four more days to participate in my KnittiBlogoversary giveaway! Stay warm!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

A view in my front yard...



Christmas knitting has also commenced.



What is it? Whose is it? Only time will tell. There will be a full photo display after Christmas, but this is all you get for now!

Fellow knitters, I have three wishes for you this season:

1. May you stay warm.

2. May you finish your Christmas knitting with time to spare.

3. May these not be your neighbors.