now it’s snowing . . .

each year it seems, just when we start thinking about spring and green shoots poking out of the earth here in ohio, nature has herself a big, huge belly laugh, tosses her head, and the winds howl, the temperatures plummet, and the snow begins to fly like nobody’s business.

maybe we won’t get as much as our friend kim is getting slammed with in new hampshire (click on her name, scroll down and just take a look at that snow—oy!), but boy oh boy, is it coming down. all my teacher friends are doin’ the happy dance; this is the second day running that schools have been closed. there will be much shoveling in my near future.

other than that, it’s a good day to stay in and knit (oh heck, when isn’t it??).

yesterday in class i finished up the second sock of this fine pair.

the pattern is all written and test knit; i’m just waiting for the resident sock model to rise from his beauty sleep to snag a few photos.
these are just the rugged, cozy, handmade-top-to-bottom kind that david loves. if he doesn’t immediately need them for this year, they will go on the sock shelf for next winter.

i’ve already got the yarn wound for the next pair, which will be knit with the pavé pattern we all enjoyed so much in the paris-roubaix mitts.

this is some stunning briar rose grandma’s blessing that chris sent me after christmas; she dyed up a few different yarns in dark combinations for all manner of manly knitting. it’ll be gorgeous in the pavé pattern.

i dunno though . . . i really REALLY like it myself. i mean for myself. i just might—by accident mind you—cast on not enough stitches for a mansock, then knit real fast to some point past the heel and then pretend i am too lazy to rip back and reknit. heck, yeah—i just MIGHT.

meanwhile, i am well on my way to the toe of the newest lovely

which is basking in the glow of your nice comments and effusive compliments; there’s practically no talking to it i tell you.

i’m liking it very much myself. for those who missed the information in the last post, the yarn is dyed by kim at the woolen rabbit, but will not be available in her shop yet (though you should go over there and look around . . . her stuff is amazing).

instead, this sock will be available as a kit from yarn4socks as the april installment of their sock club. but here’s the cool part: at yarn4socks, anyone can preorder and purchase single club installments. so if you love this one, you can order it here. the pattern will also be available as a standalone item in my shop, sometime near april 1st.

i’m writing that up today and sending it off to jocelyn to test knit.

on sunday, beckie came over to knit for a few hours and i worked on gale

it’s just about to the halfway point now . . . and you know that’s always an inspirational point for me. this is a truly relaxing knit that i can do anywhere, so i save it for when i want to talk or when i’m tired.
the custom-blended cormo/angora yarn from wooly wonka fibers is the closest thing to handspun that you’ll ever find in a millspun yarn. it will make a great kit with this pattern. it has the rich hand and singularly quirky qualities of yarn that i spin myself.

except i didn’t. so if you don’t spin and have been wondering what we all go on and on about, take a hike over to [the other] anne’s shop and look for her custom-blended artisan yarns. sometimes she has them and sometimes she doesn’t . . . they appear as they are available in small lots. it’s like a treasure hunt, see? a serendipitous stroke of good luck if they’re there, just another ho-hum day of her regular gorgeous booty if they’re not.

and the color, not shown to its full advantage in that photo, shifts elusively from one tone to another in a haunting, stormy-sky way which makes me pause every so often and just stare.

actually, it will go well with the socks, no? hmm, next time i’ll get a photo of them together.