And the Weather Is….

Severe thunderstorms with 100% chance that any important flights coming in to any Chicago-area airport will be canceled.

So we had our exciting adventure to see the Yarn Harlot yesterday, but it didn't quite turn out as planned. Leaving Vernon Hills we had
1) Carful of knitters
2) GPS
3) Munchies
4) Knitting
5) Good spirits.

Well, the trip went fine and dandy, but the ‘seeing the Harlot’ part just didn’t happen. As many of you in the knitting world already know Stephanie couldn’t get out of Toronto yesterday due to our crummy weather here in the Midwest. The Hilton was lovely, our hostess was gracious and the crowd was more concerned about the well-being of their guest speaker than the outcome of the event. We had a nice road trip got in a little knitting along the way and still ended up having fun even if the main objective wasn’t met. We’ve been promised a do-over and that’s good enough for me.

Here’s a shot of Michelle, Jessica (our lovely driver) and Kelly knitting at the Starbucks in Oak Lawn… another of the very patient and understanding crowd… and one of the group at Caribou in Vernon Hills afterwards… making the most of our adventure. (We met the very pregnant Melissa at the train station in Oak Lawn before the event and then brought her back up north with us). Oopsie... I forgot to implore an innocent bystander to take one of all of us, so I'm not in any ... bad knitblogger! Oh, but that's probably for the best...

ps just to end on a positive note: the floors are done (can I get a woohoo?)

Sunday, Sunday

Between the weather I’m tired of having and hearing about and the craziness in the news lately, I find myself just wanting to curl up in a ball and hibernate along with the cats. I don’t know anyone currently attending NIU, but have several family members and friends with ties to the school and the Dekalb community. The whole incident is stunning, distressing, perplexing and just a little creepy. What can I say? I’m so sad that something like this can happen. (Ever, anywhere)

Yesterday was pretty much all about getting our taxes done (yet another reason to hibernate) in the morning and in the evening we had a “Sweetheart Banquet” at church. One event was decidedly more pleasant than the other.

I have been doing a little knitting, but the project I’m making the most progress on is not being tracked here (due to it being a secret swap project). The Annetrelac socks are progressing, I’ve actually turned the heel and started on the foot;

but I wanted to get more of the other pair done first… plus on the Annetrelac, there’s a yarn-sucking-pattern issue threatening… I think I’m going to have to start the second sock before I finish the first sock because my yarn cake is looking pretty skimpy in terms of doing a foot and a whole other sock.

I do have some complimentary yarn in the same weight if I need to do the contrasting heel-toe maneuver… that’s why I think I’ll probably go ahead and start sock number two before I work any more on sock number one. So that’s a little less than motivational on that pair. But, there will be less ripping and gnashing of teeth later on.

I also realize that I have a baby sweater that needs to be knit sometime in the next couple of weeks for our new grand-daughter. The baby is due the 24th. We will probably go up to MI to see her sometime in March, so in my mind there is no hurry…. But everyone knows that best-laid gift knitting plans often do go astray. I have a pattern and yarn picked out, but have been too unmotivated and only worrying about the two simultaneous pairs of socks to actually think about casting on for a baby sweater.
Good thing baby sweaters are usually quick knits, and the pattern I plan on is a very quick knit by all reports.

Since I don’t have many pictures to show of the socks I’m working, here’s the finished shot of the yarn I dyed the other day. I haven’t come up with a name.

Wow just as I was typing this, it just struck me that the purple didn’t quite turn out as bright as I hoped and is actually more … gray… so … wow…NIU colors. I think it might be fitting to call this colorway ‘Husky Love’.