ice curtain

This past month, conditions were perfect for some tremendous icicles to build up at the edge of all the roofs.

This view is out my back door.

We had two big ones that were at least 5 feet long.

I'm glad I took those pictures yesterday morning; the temperatures hit 40 degrees in the sun during the day. By evening, this ice curtain had come down.

cool!

I am working at my food co-op today through Saturday this week (where I am a sub in the deli, and I jump in when someone is sick or takes a day off) - but I wanted to stop and let you know that "crapshoot" was included in another etsy treasury.

Thank you to the creator of the treasury! Her stuff is way cool....SO much more hip than I'll ever be.

better stock up...

The amazing Anne Hanson mentioned packing some of my yarn up for her month-long trip, which will end right here in Albany at Trumpet Hill - I can't wait to see her again, and also what she will transform the Hydrangea yarn into! Of course I have some yummies in the shop, but not THAT one, of course.

Funny, I've been wanting to knit up a couple of her patterns....the race is on!

ice breaker

Yesterday's storm was quite an interesting one. It started with a bit of snow, was followed by sleet and several hours of rain, and topped off with freezing rain in the evening. The result is a thick crust on top of snow, and where the sidewalks were cleared, just a nice layer of ice. Which is now getting covered with more snow. Lovely!

every little branch is covered with ice, and topped with snow falling this morning

There is a major dip in temperature forecast for the weekend, which means if we don't get the ice off the sidewalk now, while it's juuust around freezing, we might have a skating rink outside our door. So I'm out there chipping away, putting down rock salt where there's tough spots, coming in and waiting for a bit of melt, and going back out to clear some more.

It's a layer about 3/4 inch thick.

Meanwhile,  I am knitting a nice warm blanket for a kid, to be donated to THIS. Because I once again feel lucky to be able to. Maybe you have time to make a pair of warm socks, a blanket, or some mittens for a kid, and mail them out in early February?

crafters for a cause

I've just been informed that my yarn is once again included in an etsy treasury by an etsy devotee- this time in the company of crafters who all make beautiful things AND support a cause!!

Thank you so much for including me, and thank you everyone for being so thoughtful and caring.

another snow day!

We are having a "wintry mix" that started with snow and has changed over to freezing rain. The kids around here (and teacher-husband also) got an even longer holiday weekend.

So I'm checking in on my ravelry group, and am linking my way through to, well, you know how it goes. You have a bit of time on your hands (dyeing was on the schedule today, but with family members home, there is no way I can turn off the heat in the house and start simmering yarn and ventilating my kitchen out the back door), and you start checking a couple things out, put some knitting patterns in your rav shopping cart, read some new blogs, and before you know it, you find something cool.

Like THIS. I hope the link works for you, it's a 6 minute video that explains how self-patterning yarn is made. It's a segment of a kids show in Germany, Die Sendung mit der Maus. Kids get to send in questions, and a guy who always just mimes goes and explores. This time he got a letter from a kid asking how the yarn gets to be so colorful, and included in the letter is a small ball of yarn.

The camera team goes to what turns out to be the Opal sock yarn factory. The commentary is spoken nice and slow and in a fun way, easy for small children to understand. I am hoping that you English speakers will understand what goes on just by seeing the footage.
The final steps involve setting with steam (when they show the thermometer), washing, drying, reeling and rewinding, but I think you'll get the gist of it.

Lastly, the guy knits himself all kinds of items - though he miraculously ends up with socks even though he is knitting flat.

OK, enjoy!

easy way out

The new year is 13 days old, and I am already falling behind with the blogging.

There's been snow, and more snow.

 I've been dyeing yarn like never before: in winter. (Turn off the heat in the house. Seal off the kitchen, open the back door for ventilation. Wear sheepskin shoes and extra layers for warmth. And don't think that the yarn on the racks won't freeze even though it's standing in a patch of sunshine on the back porch. Clean up kitchen at 3 pm when crafty girl comes home from school. Bring yarn in to defrost and dry by the radiators, since the heat has been turned back on.) Yes I usually take a break from dyeing until March, simply because of the cold weather, but the shops need to be restocked (thank heavens for intrepid knitters!) and so I turn my house into a yarn dyeing igloo. Kudos to the family who tolerates the smell of wet wool and silk!

Anyway I was going to just take the easy way out today and show you this gorgeous blanket. (If this link lands you in the comments, just scroll to the top of the page.)

Wow.

The only teensy tine-sy complaint I have is I WANT TO SEE HOW SHE SEAMED THE SUCKER UP!!! I want to know how she got those strips to lie next to each other so very very neatly. Any ideas?