Snow Day!

legwarmers, originally uploaded by leeleetea.

Yesterday we got the biggest snow dump the city has ever seen in a good many years, especially so early in the winter season, seeing as it's not even technically winter yet. However, here it's been winter for a few weeks, and this snow dump just proves it. Apparently this is more snow in one go than we had all last year. Hey, weather is just keeping us on our toes.

Of course, lots of snow means snow days! I was fortunate enough to not have to go into work. Since it wasn't really necessary to have three people at the store, they said I could stay home. I took the opportunity to sit in my room and work on my Christmas knitting. I made major headway at the Lettuce Knit holiday party on Saturday, and then doubled that yesterday, while watching Robin Hood episodes off YouTube. I was able to completely finish one of the legwarmers, and need only graft the cuff onto the other. I decided that the easiest way to make the two sides of the legwarmer symmetrical and equally stretchy was to just knit the second cuff separately and then kitchener it on. It's a bit of a pain in the butt, but then so would a sewn bindoff.

While watching TV I also managed a few rows on my Feather and Fan shawl, which is now averaging over 1,000 stitches in the round, with about 40 more rounds to go. Knitting in front of the TV is certainly making a difference in getting this done. I can do about 2-4 rows in one sitting, depending on how long I sit for. I think today I did 1.5, but I was only there for an hour and a half. Yesterday I was there for four hours, waiting for Northanger Abbey to be on, and then watching it. I got the time messed up a bit! At this rate though, I still won't be done for a good long while!

Mmmmm .... yarn....

ribbing, originally uploaded by leeleetea.

Isn't this just yummy all knitted up? I am loving working on these, if only for the colours. Good thing it's also Christmas knitting, so I'm allowed. They will be socks for my dad, out of Dream in Color Smooshy, colourway Dusky Aurora. They started out being the Gentleman's Lozenge Socks, from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush, but my gauge was way off, and they were ending up way to big, so I ripped back to the cuff and just continued that. I figure they're going to be house socks anyway, so it doesn't much matter if they are a little big, the ribbing will keep them up and comfy.

Right now I'm alternating between these and some simple red and white striped legwarmers, for one of my cousins. I just have to bind off on the first one, and then I'll be half way there. I think I can get it all done, but we'll see. Good thing today is the perfect curl up with a cup of tea, knit and watch all the snow day!

Mermaid Tears

Mermaid Tears, originally uploaded by leeleetea.

Yesterday was all study time chez Tricotastique. Or rather it was mostly study time, as I took lots of breaks to do other things as well. One of those breaks involved fondling some new stash that arrived in the mail! I present one marvelous skein of Schaefer Anne from the Loopy Ewe. Since Anne colourways are mostly one offs, Schaefer doesn't name them, not even a number. However, The Loopy Ewe gives them their own names, and this one is called Mermaid Tears. Isn't it gorgeous? It's all sorts of blues and greens, just like the ocean.

I also got an etsy package in the mail as well, from imogen. In it were two small pendants. The goldfish one is for me, to help along the goldfish obsession I'm going through right now. The second one is a little owl, which will got to a friend for the holidays. You can see a picture here. I would post one, but I'm not sure how to blog from two pictures from flickr. Anyone know if it's possible?

This sucks

Dear weather,
I know that I live in Canada, and that I should be happy that I'm not knee deep in a blizzard, but this is ridiculous. I love the snow, and I love that when I woke up this morning, there was a good 4-5 inches of some of the best snow this city has seen in a long time. It was good solid packing snow, wet, but not heavy. It wasn't too cold. I do believe that I even remarked that it would be pretty amazing skiing conditions. But then you changed your mind. You decided that what we needed was a good solid cold shower, that lasted all day. All this succeeded in turning all that glorious fluffy stuff into a blanket of slush. Slush that appeared solid, but upon any kind of pressure, would simply give way and reveal itself as simply water pretending to be snow. There was so much of this, that my boots soaked through, since the leather just kept taking on water once it started.

This idea to inundate us with water has two outcomes for tomorrow. The first is that everything will be a solid sheet of ice, which will be a nightmare for both pedestrians and cars. The second is that it will remain in it's slushy state. In event of the first outcome, I will prepare myself by walking very slowly and dressing warmly. For the second, it's going to be all about the rubber boots and handknit socks baby.

I see your tricky ways weather, don't think I'm not prepared.
love, me.

The Knitter's Bane

gryffindor scarf, originally uploaded by leeleetea.

Some people have lace, some have sweaters. I had the Gryffindor Scarf. It was my little hell, waiting for me, visiting upon my guilty conscience. It was a commission for a friend as a gift for his girlfriend. The yarn was scratchy and horrible, and I wasn't even really good friends with the guy anymore. It was supposed to be finished months ago, but honestly, I couldn't care enough to put enough effort into it. It festered in my closet over the summer, when both of them were miles away, too far for either to get it. When they broke up over the summer, I rejoiced, thinking that the scarf was now unwanted, and could now go permanently unfinished. Alas, the guy was a dink, and decided that the scarf could now go to the new girlfriend. C'mon, who doesn't love Harry Potter? So the scarf still sat, worked on occassionaly as TV knitting, gradually growing. I got a call this week asking for it, finished or not. Thank god, I thought. Finally it will be gone. Luckily for him, I actually got it to the point where it's passable as a scarf, if it weren't for the fact that it will make you go crazy with itchyness, but hey, that's what happens when he choose the yarn himself. I gave it to him today, most of the ends unwoven, but I did tell him how to do it himself, and that's not a hard job. Sigh. It's finally done. Gone. Out. Finished. A weight of my back.