Snowed In!

Winter has definitely arrived in Nebraska. It started snowing yesterday morning and continued throughout the day — we ended up with around 10 inches — and then, the wind kicked in. This means blizzard conditions — blowing snow, major snow drifts, limited visibility and extremely hazardous driving conditions.

All the schools were closed yesterday and many businesses closed early and sent staff home. DH arrived home around 12:30 PM. Schools still closed today — sun is out, but it is bitterly cold and there is a large drift covering our entire driveway. No sign of a snow plow, so for now — we are snowed in.

I spent most of my time yesterday afternoon finishing the Chevron Hat — I frogged it back to the beginning of the crown because I did not like the way it was turning out. Found another beret pattern that has you decreasing stitches by half every so many rows — tried that, keeping to the alternating of colors every 4 rows. Much better. Hat is now done and awaiting blocking along with the scarf. I will post pictures tomorrow.

Have a fresh loaf of bread going in the bread machine — didn’t make it to the grocery store before the big storm. Fresh homemade bread and a hot pot of soup sounds good — off to make the soup.

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First Row of Teddy Bear Squares Done!First Row of Teddy Bear Squares Done!

\"First Row of Teddy Bear Squares\"
I have completed the first row of Teddy Bear pattern squares on my baby blanket. This project is knitting up nicely and I am happy with my adaptation of the original pattern. I think the choice of the cotton Peaches & Cream yarn was also a good one. Just read a thread on Ravely about yarns for babies and one knitter commented on how the Peaches and Cream yarn gets softer with each wash – exactly what I wanted: a soft, washable baby blanket.

The Roomba Ate My Socks!The Roomba Ate My Socks!

Roomba
I have a Roomba – which is a small robotic vacuum cleaner. You are supposed to be able to contain it to a single room using little devices called “lighthouses”. I really like this little guy for frequent vacuuming of my kitchen. So, the other day, I turned it on and left it to run around the kitchen while I did some things in my office.

Well, it escaped the kitchen and headed off into the living room – where my two at a time socks using magic loop project was laying beside my recliner (I’d left them there the night before) …AND…the Roomba ate my socks!

I heard this weird little sound coming from the living room and went to investigate – and there I found the Roomba thrashing about entangled in my 40” circular needle and the yarn from one of the socks. (I was so traumatized that I forgot to take a picture.)

After turning the Roomba off, it took me several minutes to remove the yarn from around the various moving parts and then deal with the fact that the circular needle had somehow ended up wrapped around one of the wheels. Eventually, I succeeded in extricating my circular needle – but it was a close call, as I had begun to consider the possibility of having to cut the cable. (WHEW!) Fortunately – one sock was still on the circular needle. The other, however, was laying in the middle of the floor – off the needle and minus its ball of yarn. I tenderly picked up this wounded creature and set it aside to recover from all the trauma.

I discovered that the lighthouse that should have prevented Roomba from going into the living room wasn’t working (dead batteries). Once I replaced the batteries, the darn little thing worked just fine and stayed in the kitchen where I wanted it to be.

Socks_BackTog
Happy News! – I was able to frog the wounded sock back to a point that I knew where I was in the pattern and then pick up the stitches and reconnect the yarn to the sock as I reknit it back to where it had been before it was attacked by the Roomba. It is now back on the same circular needle with its brother.

Oh! More Yarn!Oh! More Yarn!

During my recent trip to New England, I visited a couple of yarn shops in Boston, MA. And, of course, I bought yarn in each of them!

CascadeHeritage2
At Wolcott & Co. in Harvard Square, I purchased two beautiful hanks of Heritage Sock yarn (Cascade Yarns). I plan to use this soft superwash merino yarn for a scarf for my daughter’s roommate.

MindsEyeYarns1
At Mind’s Eye in Porter Square, I purchased a lovely skein of undyed handspun alpaca yarn and 3 balls of Online Linie 2 Supersocke Silk yarn. The alpaca was a stash purchase and will wait for the right project to find it. The sock yarn will be used for a scarf for my daughter (she picked it out).

BabyUll_1
I was still trying to decide what pattern and what yarn to use for the baby sweater I want to make for my new grandson due in January. After knitting the baby blanket, I decided not to use the same yarn for the sweater – so off I went to Personal Threads, one of the local yarn shops here in Omaha. There I found what I was looking for – I ended up buying Dale of Norway Baby Ull in three colors in sufficient quantity to knit a cardigan sweater and a romper to match! Oh, and I bought the pattern as well.