A world away, are hearts wondering?

My Anna is fourteen today.  So many things fly through my mind on the birthdays of my two China girls.  Do their birth parents wonder what happened to their tiny babies?  How I wish I could let them know their China girls are safe and loved and cherished.  That these girls have changed so many peoples lives through their love.  Do their China mom's know they changed my life?  That I'm beyond grateful to them for giving me the greatest gifts I will ever receive.  My girls are the two best decisions I've ever made in my life.  They came in and shook my world like a snow globe gone mad.  I always felt that adopting my girls was the most selfish thing I've ever done.  I'm incredibly blessed to have them in my life.  To Anna, who's ready smile and laughing eyes melted my heart the very moment she was placed in my arms in that tiny crowded room in China.  Who gleefully waved a cracker around as a toy because she didn't understand she could eat it.  Whose eyes widened in shock and surprise when she ate that cracker and discovered how good it tasted.  Whose tiny little fingers wrapped around my finger and whose heart squeezed mine tight with love.  Have a wonderful new year as you charge into your teen age years.  Be fearless and try all sorts of new things.  Explore and always keep reaching for new adventures.  I love you.

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Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

somewhere else please...well the great snowstorm over the weekend was a stiff one even for home grown Minnesotans.  I went out and shoveled our door out enough Saturday so that our dog could get outside.  Otherwise inside we stayed.  After our road was plowed Sunday, we are left with towering snow piles all along our street.  Over five feet tall piles.  It is like driving in a canyon!  Now it is bitterly cold.  And it is still December.  This is shaping up to be a winter like those of my child hood. 

Check these pictures out.  Better than any words I can come up with. 

Anna is standing on the huge pile across the street fro us, you can just see her through the branches of the tree, note where her head is relative to the street lamp next to her...yup, she is only a foot or so below the lamp.  Crazy...and guess what...they are forecasting more snow for tomorrow...should be interesting, don't you think? 

Waiting out the storm

So we wait.  It is late, and the snow is beginning to fall.  The projected amount?  16-20 inches.  In one storm.  In one day.  sigh.  I love my knitted mittens, hats, and scarves.  However, even I whimper at getting 20 inches of snow in one dump.  Oh did I mention the wind?  Ya, winds of 25 miles an hour.  With powdery snow.  Means you can't see your hand in front of your face.  And the temps?  Lets just add that into the mix as well.  Temps will drop with windchill to -25.  I guess that is the trifecta in winter weather.  Lots of snow, lots of wind, lots of cold.  It means we will stay home for the next 48 hours.  On the bright side, because I really do try to look at the bright side, I can spin and knit while looking outside at the snow globe I'm currently in.  So really not THAT bad.

And to add to my delight, my picture of my Lettuce Slide Scarf is now listed on Ravelry on the main pattern page.  smile...funny how something that simple can make me so happy.

So my friends, tonight I'm snuggled in my bed, listening to the wind start to blow, knowing when I get up in the morning, we will be in for a winter wonderland on steroids!

Winter Wonderland

I've lived in Minnesota for a large portion of my life.  I had a long detour the 14 years I lived in Texas, but other than that, it's been Minnesota.  It is a wonderful place to live, but can really test you.  Today is the 3rd day of December.  We are on our second major snow dump of the season, it is going to get cold immediately after this latest round.  Cold that makes cars groan and dogs moan.  Now as a knitter and spinner, this makes my heart sing.  I can actually make things out of sticks and string that will combat the cold temps outside.  So while others are wailing and gnashing their teeth over the indignities of winter, I will be sliding my hands into my sturdy wool mittens, wrapping a new fabulous wool/silk scarf around my neck and tugging a simple double thick headband over my ears.  Yup, living in Minnesota can be such a trial.  smile...

This is the new scarf I made.  It is made out of my handspun, a combo of BFL and silk and I just love it.  It isn't a long scarf, but perfect to tuck into my jacket to keep the wicked wind out.  I've never kept anything made of my handspun, so this is wonderful.  And it is so ME.

Christmas is fast approaching, I'm working on one gift so can't talk about it, other than to say it is out of my own handspun as well.  But that means I still have a few gifts to get.  And Anna's birthday is fast approaching.  So I see some shopping hitting me in the next couple weekends.  I'll take each girl individually and they can pick out gifts for the other.  I'll go myself either after work on on a weekend as well and do a major push to get the remaining presents selected.  I'm happily listening to Christmas music most of the time and remembering the true meaning of Christmas.  My life is blessed.  No matter what, my life is blessed.

Knitting is fun again

After what seemed like a long time, knitting is fun again.  May be because I've finished all my commitments for other people and I could cast on for myself...more on that later.

I finished the fingerless mitts on commission.  I had to knit 3 black/gray mitts to get 2 that were acceptable together, then ripped out the odd mitt and used it to knit the thumbs for the 2 fraternal twin mitts.  I was going to deliver them to the buyer but the Twin Cities got a huge ice storm Saturday night which turned the streets, sidewalks and freeways into ice rinks.  So the van stayed home all day Sunday and I was able to indulge myself.

I spent the day spinning and knitting.  I cast on a scarf from a new book I recently got, Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders.  I LOVE this book.  Now it may be because I have um just a few skeins of sock yarn in my stash.  But the patterns in the book are very diverse and fun.  I'm making a scarf called the Lettuce Slide Scarf.  It is a simple pattern but fun all at the same time.  And to add to my delight, I'm using my handspun.  I realized I had not made anything from my own handspun for me.  I've made things from my handspun, just not for me.  So I took a recent spin that is comprised of BFL and 25% silk and created this.

It doesn't look like much, but it feels wonderful and I know I will use and enjoy the scarf during our long winter months.  I also decided that I'm not knitting many Christmas gifts this year.  What I am knitting cracks me up.  I've given my mom Christmas socks for probably 3 years now.  She loves her handknit socks.  But this year I decided to mix it up a bit, I sent to the UK and got a kit for this.  Stop laughing.  It is cute.  But then I think pugs are cute.

Struggling with knitting

Well that is a title I never thought I'd type.  I think the massive amount of time I spent knitting leading up to the October craft fair did me in.  I'm spinning quite a bit, but the knitting is definitely taking a back seat.  I have finished the first of two reading mitts that a person ordered.  She wanted a brownish pair, I showed her several skeins via pictures and she picked this pair, it was brown, black and red.  Clearly the red has taken over the color palette.  I'm hoping it will still work for her.  You can see in the upper right corner the yarn I'm using for the black pair she also ordered.  It is a Zauberball of black, grey, and a bit of cream.  I'm up to the thumb gusset for the first mitt and while it is a bit thicker in weight, I think it will work out fine.  Just a bit chunkier.  I'm finding knitting on commission is more nerve wracking than I thought.  It is easier to have a finished product that the person can touch and feel and take.  This is harder for me.  I hope she will be happy.  Then my friend Ellen has ordered a pair of mittens and glittens for her granddaughter and husband.  So I have more knitting to whip out in the coming weeks.  I'm hoping to finish the fingerless mitts by next week.  So I can start on the mittens right away.

I have been spinning quite a bit.  I'm finding that is relaxing me more than the knitting at the moment.  We have had a lot of doctor appointments in the last month between my mom, youngest daughter, and yes our pug Gadget.  spinning has helped take the edge out of monitoring every ones meds and appointments. 

I realize the knitting content has been low lately, I will try to kick it into gear, after all the holiday's are fast approaching...soon I'll have my countdown and projects listed...why not know?  Pshaw...there is SOOO much time between now and then that there is no challenge....ya that is my story and I'm sticking to it.

OH I did do something exciting!  I took a knitting class.  This is only my third knitting class period.  I was able to get into a Lucy Neatby Ambidextrous Knitting class.  She is an amazing teacher.  I had a wonderful afternoon and feel like I can now neatly do stranded knitting with a different yarn in each hand.  She was encouraging and empowering.  If you can take a class from her, don't hesitate, you will enjoy it and learn.  And above all?  It was FUN!

Trunk or Treat

This year we participated in our church's Trunk or Treat festival.  It was the first time church did anything like this and I must admit, it was more fun than I anticipated.  While it was chilly it wasn't as bad as it could have been, no snow!  smile...In Minnesota one has to think about if you can get warm clothes under a costume in order to trick or treat.  Or you suffer for the sake of costume beauty and are cold.  This year Anna was an 80's girl....in all her crazy glory...and Emily invited a friend along for the fun.  Emily was a 60's girl ready to step out onto a dance floor while her friend Joelle was a princess, sweet and regal.

I'm working on 2 pairs of commissioned fingerless mitts, one will be finished in the next couple of days and hopefully the second pair will fly off my needles as my friend has also commissioned a pair of mittens and glittens for members of her family.  My Yggdrasil afghan still sits in the corner, waiting for me to tackle the final 2 1/2 sides of the final border.  Soon.  Once I get these fun projects complete I will focus on my own holiday knitting.  Do you realize there are 52 days until Christmas?  Yup...let the countdown begin.  I'm only planning on 2 knitted gifts this year, my mom loves knit socks, so I'll make her a pair to add to her collection.  And then just because?  I ordered a kit to knit a pug.  Yup, I've officially gone around the bend, because while I swore I would not knit a sweater for Gadget, apparently I don't think it odd to actually knit HIM.  Lord help me....I'm sure pictures will follow.