Aran Jacket Progress

I have about 22" knitted today. I had to go to DC to help her with her socks, so I used her floor again for the backdrop. My couch is the same color Burgundy, so it doesn't show.

DC had noticed a dropped stitch way back on the gusset. So I took it all out and got the needles back in their right places. So now she has to knit it again..then she can start decreasing for the toe.

Weather is horrible again today. wind chills have been bad...making us in the -11F all day. Didn't go out yesterday at all because it was cold, cold, cold! The winds are the worst of it. It has been brutal out there the last couple of days. Tomorrow is supposed to be the worst! The temps will be below zero without wind chills. Sure is making everyone use up their oil! Come on SPRING! Where are you!!!! lol

Well, off to watch Reba and knit. KNIT ON!

Aran book pattern

I had a comment asking what pattern I used to knit my jacket from. I was having a senior moment when I didn't include that with the original post.

It is from Sirdar #295 - Relax in Aran- Design H. I purchased the book 3/4 years ago and I an not sure from where. It sold for $9.95 at that time. I want to say I got it from City Side Yarn in Bangor Me. They have a web site, so you can check with them or go online and check or check with your own local yarn shop.

Hubby just called from work..told me to stay in today. It is -8F right now...with the windchill it is -32F. The wind is so bad today. The cats do not want to go out either. It has to be cold for them to not go out. With the wind blowing, the snow we got last night is getting beat down so it is slippery out. And I don't need to fall again. Last time I fell, I had to have my right knee replaced. (Sept of 2006)
So I am off to the couch to knit and watch Y&R at 12:30.

KNIT ON!

Aran book pattern

One of the comments I had today on my blog was asking me what the pattern was. Sorry...having a senior moment again and didn't' add that to the post with it. I will include it now.

It is Sirdar #295 - Relax in Aran. It is design H. I paid $9.95 for it a few years ago. I think I got it at City Side yarn shop (http://www.citysideyarn.com) don't know if it's still available...you will have to check that out at your local yarn shop or online.

Staying in today! 32 below zero right now with the windchill. -8F is the temp. DH called from work and said not to go out today. Too cold and a lot of ice and blowing show. He doesn't want me to fall and get hurt again. Last time I fell I had to have my right knee replaced. Did that in Sept. 2006. Still recovering from that. Knee is still not 100% but I keep working at it. All I want to do is bend it like I could before the fall.

Well, back to reading email and then to knitting ... and watching Y&R at 12:30.

KNIT ON!!

Aran Jacket

Today I went to Lincoln with my cousin to visit her mother. We had a wonderful time and it was so good to see Auntie. Since she moved to Lincoln I haven't seen her in a while...only when she's at one of her kids visiting and I would bump into her somewhere. I brought my knitting and got a lot done at the visit. DC got a lot done on her third pair of wool socks today too! Great knitting day for all.

The jacket is now on ball 3 as of tonight. I am so pleased that it is finally starting to come together and I am remembering the directions for the rows now so I don't have to look at the pattern all the time. I still have those senior moments and I depend on the pattern, but it is working up at a good pace right now. I hope to have another picture to post tomorrow.

Got a little snow tonight and there have been a ton of accidents on the roads here. No one has been hurt, but the wrecker services are making a mint on pulling people out of the snow and back onto the road.

Well, time for some well needed sleep. Traveling makes me tired and I didn't even drive. All in all I had a marvelous day! Relatives and knitting...always a good combo! Night all and KNIT ON!

March knitting is going good so far!

We got snow again on Thursday. Plowed our yard and then went to camp. The road wasn't plowed to our camp, so did that. Thought I would be a nice person and go to the end...well I got STUCK!!! Had to call someone to come and pull me out. I called my cousin and she and her husband came up to the lake and pulled me out. I was really stuck good too!!!!! It took a couple of tries, but he got me out. So happy to see them!! So glad he had a nice one ton Ford! I love Ford.

Today I finally got to my DC (darling cousin) to help her finish her second pair of socks. She is using Bartlettyarns wool 2 ply to knit this pair. It is yarn I had from my shop. I took a picture of them..one is finished and the other one is almost done...just had a stitch not psso...so she had one stitch too many. Found it and got she finished it. Great Job LAJ!!!



As you can see, her socks are really nice...she did a great job! I waited for her to cast on the next stocking, yes she is going for pair 3, and didn't get the yarn twisted. She is going to make them with a short cuff, about 30 rows. She has written down the pattern so she understands it. Says she can't read a pattern, but is able to follow her own way of writing it down.



Finally got a couple of photos of the yarn and pattern I started a little bit ago. Bought this at City Side Yarn Shop in Bangor. It is Cascade 220. It's a reddish brown...or should be. I had a doctors appointment on Feb 28. I went to the shop to get a couple more skeins and they were gone...so will have to keep a close eye on how much I use on the back and fronts. Want to put the hood on it. I need to make some more of the skeins into balls. Used one and almost done with the second one tonight.



This photo shows my knitting and the book photos. I have made it before and it should be easy! DUH my old brain won't work! I almost took my knitting bag with me when I went to camp yesterday. But I didn't. I was close to the camp when I got stuck, so had to walk back to get a signal on my cell. I went in the camp and started a fire..it was colder inside then out. Could see my breathe. I decided to watch TV and knit. Found a skein of sugar and cream and a pair of size 8 needles. I started a dishcloth, but was way too cold so I wrapped up in a blanket, but not enough heat from the woodstove and my feet were getting cold. (didn't have my wool socks on). I walked back to the truck to warm up. I had some water and my Shania Twain CD so I got the knitting started. I was almost done with it when my hero's came to rescue me. lol I promise I will not go to camp alone again to plow!!!!!! I can not believe that not one person came by on a snow sled...nice day and no one out sledding. Oh well. More sledders here in town then out in the woods right now.

Well, time for bed. Been a long day and I need my beauty sleep...hahaha. KNIT ON!!

Where has the time gone??

Well, I haven't posted for a while only because I have not been doing much of anything. DH and I went to visit our son and his family on Sunday it the most excitement in a long time. The baby is getting big! She now stands up and does raspberry's. LOL And she likes hats to chew on. Grampa and I had a wonderful visit with the three of them, even with the long ride to get there and then to drive back! That is the only thing I wish...we or they, lived closer so we could see them more often. Last time over was for Christmas. Took a lot of pictures of everyone and the dogs too!



Here is a picture of Ollie. She is getting old and has a hard time to walk. She has hip displacia. It is starting to take its toll on her. She is still very alert and is able to get up to go outside when she needs to. She was so loving when we were there. She will always be my favorite of their dogs.



Here's a picture of Baxter. He is one wacky dog! He loves to play and chase anything you throw. Snowballs are the funniest of them all. He will look for a long time for it knowing it broke when it landed. He is a wonderful dog. He is such a goofball. He is DGD protector. She is his and no one else. He watched every thing that is done and who is there. I don't want to have to come up against him at any time. He has never growled or shown his teeth to anyone, but this baby is different...she belongs to him and try to do something and watch out!




Knitting has been slow...finished my second pair of socks and have been working on my wool jacket. I have taken it out so many times I don't remember. I finally had to write out the first row to figure out what I was doing wrong. It was me as always. I had too many patterns for my stitches!!! I hate the way the new pattern directions are done today! Just write them out for me...I am too old to send all the time trying to decipher them so I can knit!!!!! lol Sometimes new isn't always best...old ways are a lot better for me any day! Cheaper for the publisher..takes up very little in pages with the graphs instead of all the words to explain it. Oh well...just have to write it out to get it straight I guess.

And my cousin is on her second pair of wool socks. She is a quick study that is for sure! Really enjoy teaching her as she picks it up quick. Her tension is so way better then mine any day! She has NO ladders in her socks at any point! Wish I could say that about me. I always have ladders. I think it;s because my hands hurt so much I don't have my tension as tight I was did when I was younger.

Well, supper is almost ready so I am done for today. I hope to get some pictures of the yarn and my pattern on here soon. Take care and KNIT ON!

Where are we going to put all this snow!!!

Got up early today and started plowing again. Lots of strong winds today so the snow is blowing everywhere.
This picture I took this morning at the top of Penobscot Ave and Katahdin Ave...people were starting to get out and get things done already!



Here a picture of Rt 11. Driving was difficult today with the winds blowing and the snow drifting everywhere. Very glad to have 4 wheel drive!

Socks and Snow again

It has been so cold here the last few days...-35F with the wind-chill. Today is a big snow day! The whole state of Maine is closed down. I went out to my cousins this morning to help her with her second sock. She got the heel turned and the instep done. I had plowed out our yard around 11 am and when I came home at 2:00 it looked like I hadn't done a thing. Put wood in the stove, hubby called to say he was staying over until 11 pm on snow removal. So I went back to my cousins house and we knit some more. I have the second sock of the second pair (same yarn for both pair), almost finished. Came home around 6:00 and had to plow again. I got the snow out of the drive way in our yard and a couple of the neighbors. The plow hasn't been by all day, so lots of snow from the wind blowing. I decided to finish it tomorrow. It is still snowing and wind has picked up so much that it just blows the snow right back. So no use beating my head against a wall!! It will wait until morning. Then I can get it done in day light. Not too crazy about plowing at night. So I will get up with hubby at 6 and head out to plow. He will do all the shoveling, something I can't do any more, so that will take care of the steps and the walkway.

I went to Bangor to CCOM to get my results on my blood tests. That was last Tuesday. Hubby came home from work early and went with me. I had to drive back down to Bangor the next morning to have another kind of blood test done. So after I got that done, I went to City Side Yarn and bought some Cascade 220 in a burgundy color to make a long hooded jacket with. I have the ribbing done on the back, but have been so busy with teaching sock knitting, I haven't had time for me! Once that second sock is done, I will be making this for me. I still have the other wool that I want to make a cardigan with for my too. That will wait a little bit, as I already have a few things to do for my Granddaughter.

Well, its time to put up hubby's lunch for tomorrow. And then head to bed and knit until he gets home in about half an hour. Will have some pictures to add tomorrow of the snow and the new yarn I bought. I am just thankful that we are not getting 12 feet of snow like in NY. Two feet will be enough for now. LOL

My new Socks!! Something for me!

I started these last night. I hope to finish this one today and hopefully get the other one started before I go to bed tonight. If I would get off this computer and do something I would have had this one finished and the other one already started and probably the cuff would have been done! What if? What if? What if? LOL Oh well, just wanted to post this pic. Off I go to start knitting the toe to this one.
I am using Bartlettyarns wool again. I have so much of this yarn left from my yarn shop days. I will never knit all I have before I die. I hope I can take my yarn with me when I die! LOL
The color of this one is Light Heather 2 ply (worsted weight) wool.

Yarn! Winter! Knitting

I finally have the yarn that I want to knit myself a cardigan with. I have the yarn, now to find the right pattern! I had enough in the old shop to knit with...it is Bartlettyarns 2 ply wool from Harmony Maine.The color is raspberry!!! I have started another pair of wool socks..this time for me. These are in Light Heather from Bartlettyarns wool. It is colder today then it was last week. Its -4 F and -25 F with the windchill. BBRRRRRR And I want my feet warm in the evening while I am knitting. I hate this cold..it makes my bones achy and sore. And I knit no matter how bad they feel. But my new knee and back are very sore from this cold. Had someone ask me the other day if I can feel the cold in my new joint. NO. I had not even thought about it getting cold. I just know when I am cold and its not my knee! lol

So WIPS I have right now, another fun fur hat for charity, a pair of wool socks for me, and Anna's skirt, which I don't think I will ever finish. I just can't get back into this project at all. I am at a loss as to where I stopped, even though I have kept all the rows marked on paper and I have that paper. It just doesn't want to click for me at this time...oh well. I will keep trying to finish this project.


Coming into Millinocket from Rt 11..or as we call it, the Brownville Road. Have been at camp plowing. Alan shoveled the roof and snowblowed the deck.


The Baithole Trail on rt 11. The wind is blowing hard and the snow is blowing all around on the roads.



The Green Bridge on rt 11. They resurfaced the bridge, now it needs a good painting.



South Twin Lake. A snowmobiler is racing across the ice with the snow blowing! A very windy but beautiful day in Maine!



The Snowmobile trail that crosses the highway (RT 11) just above the Turkey Tail road at South Twin Lake. Was hoping that there would be someone on the trail today.

Ground Hog Day 2007

Well, the ground hog didn't see his shadow..so an early spring is expected LOL.
And horrible weather in Fl. Called my niece today to see if she was hurt. She said no, that they had slept through it all. It didn't happen near her. Thank God for that! It is so sad that all the destruction and death! It was a night event, so most of them were sleeping. Latest news I was listening to said 14 are dead. God Bless those poor people.

Got up this morning and couldn't see across the street. FOG! After it lifted the whole town looks like an big ice crystal. Here are some pictures I took while waiting for the truck to warm up and defrost the windows. WOW!! It is sure pretty. We have had 8 or 9 days straight of below 0F temps and today we have fog. Only in the low twenties right now.




The first picture is of the paper mill that is right across the street from us. It has been downsized and a lot of things have been removed or demolished.



This is a picture I took while stopped at the light by McDonald's. It shows the trees in the distance.




This I took while driving down Central Street hill by Peddler's Hill. It is so pretty to look at. I hope you enjoy them.



A little closer then the first one. Still driving (which really isn't too smart is it? lol) I am so glad my camera takes such great pictures.









Knitting at this time: I am working on some fun fur hats that are being given to teens at a hospital in Mass. It is for teens having Chemo treatments. They are easy to make, and there isn't much thought going into this knitting. Have three done and started a fourth one last night.

Waiting for another snowstorm tonight. I don't think we will get much. Hubby is worried he will have to work the graveyard shift if it does snow. Nothing yet. But the cold is coming back in full force late Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I hate below zero weather! Got my shopping done after the doctors this morning so I am all set for 6 days. Love going early morning...get a good choice of the discounted meats. We are having bake-stuffed haddock tonight, tacos tomorrow and beef stew Sunday. Monday is chicken..not sure if it will be a whole one or just two breasts stuffed. I hate shopping for food! Pay to eat it then you pay to flush it away. Got ya coming and going! ha ha ha on that one!

knitting, snow, and more cold weather!

Tried to do this yesterday, but the site went down while trying to publish this. Just my luck! Here is a picture I took from the street I live on. The mountain is beautiful covered with snow. We are blessed to have this scenery every day. You can see we got a little bit of snow that last storm...lol


Here is a picture of the wool socks I knit for my DGD. She is only 5 1/2 months so these should fit her this season...I hope. She has really long feet and the ones she has from the store are too short. So Grandma to the rescue. If these fit, I have a lot of left over wool to make a couple more pair for her. As you can see, my foot is there too! It shows just how little this pair of socks are. They will keep baby Sarah nice and warm.

Starting writing this earlier today, and now it's 10:00 pm. The weather is very, very cold tonight. Tonto went out and I made sure I let him back in 10 minutes later. He was right there to come in too! No waiting for him to decide if he was coming in now or later...lol It is -9F and wind-chill is -19F. I went to my cousins house this evening to show her how to do the heel and to pick up the stitches. It was cold when I went over to her house, but it was extremely cold when I left to come home at 9. BBBBBRRRRRRRRRR Heater was just starting to blow hot air when I turned in my driveway.

Well, it is time to head to bed..too cold to be sitting here at the computer when I could be in my flannel jammies curled up next to hubby...he's better then a wood stove on this kind of night.

Knitting Sunday

Spend most of my day Sunday at my cousins house teaching her how to knit socks. She caught on really fast with just minimal help. Her husband teased her a lot and kept asking when his new socks would be done. So nice to see a husband encourage his wife to knit. I have a friend who is not allowed to knit when her husband is home. He can't stand the sound of the needles clicking together..LOL I told her to get wooden needles..they don't make such a loud clicking noise. She still only knits when he isn't at home.

I brought my cousin two hanks of Bartlettyarns wool in a nice rich brown color. I also brought DPs in size 5. (They have the curve already in them from a lot of use!) I copied my favorite pattern (a very old, 1945, sock pattern from Red Heart) and taught her how to use the 4 needles. We had a very relaxing afternoon and early evening knitting and talking and catching up on the family, our dads are brothers. I enjoyed myself immensely. Told her to call when she was ready to turn the heel.

The weather was horribly cold again yesterday and has started out very cold again today. supposed to have snow showers off and on all day. Hope we don't get any tomorrow..hate to drive in the snow and have my doctors appointment in Bangor in the afternoon. Don't mind so much when its daylight, but do not care to drive in the dark when it's snowing. Can't trust other drivers any time, but snow is even worse. They all think they can still drive at 70 when the speed limit is down to 45. They are the ones that cause the problems! Oh well, if its snow, I will just keep it in 4 wheel drive and take my good ole time!!

One of those Yucky Days

Well, finally got dressed around 3 pm...thought I would go to the store but when I stuck my head out the door...NO THANK YOU!! Too cold for me today. And windy. So I got supper started and played bingo on the internet for a little while. DH has some kind of bug..had a flu shot so he swears its not that. LOL Just know he is miserable and wants the whole world to know too!! hahaha.

Well, brownies are baking in the oven and writing in this blog is about it for today. Supper was good but nothing to write home about. As soon as the brownies are done, I am going to go knit and watch TV. Have one sock done for Rhonda and hope to get the other one finished tonight. Going to watch Hallmark Channel...new show on at 9.

Off to check on my brownies. Like I said, it'e one of those yucky days..too cold to go out and just couldn't get motivated to do anything but lay around and knit. ta ta

Snow again!

Took a ride to camp with DH after he got out of work. We got to try the new plow out. Put it in V mode and off we went. Only had part of the road opened up, so we had to plow in a little over a mile to our place...but we went to the end so the others could get to their camps and get their roofs shoveled off. We didn't have time to do that today, so just got the driveway plowed out...had two storms to take care of. I am so surprised how this truck handles. The bronco worked hard all the time and this new Dodge Ram 3/4 ton is unbelievable. It was like slicing thru butter with a warm knife. It moved the snow and ice with no problems at all and I didn't even work up a sweat...and the truck didn't either...lol This picture is of the woods were we turned around to head back into our camp. The ride was a lot of fun.

\

The kids across the street enjoyed the day off from school today. They were outside sliding down their walk..and it's a steep one too! They shoveled out their parents van and then played for a while. The kids up a few houses dug a tunnel through a pile of snow..that made me nervous. I was afraid the town plow would bury them when it was plowing. Could not watch them at all!





I gave my neighbor Tom a pair of wool socks today for plowing me out. Last night I gave his wife, Rhonda, a pair of double thick mittens I had knit...made myself a pair and had enough left over to make another pair. Both were very pleased to have some nice warm home made gifts from me!! Love my neighbors!! lol








I knit 6 of these hats....this one is very small and will give it to my granddaughter Sarah, the next time we get over to visit them. Was hoping it would be this weekend, but with all this snow and the winds and crappy driving I am staying home were it's warm and toasty! DIL will get her birthday presents in the mail now instead of in person. boo hoo We wanted to see them and the baby!!!! LOL I do not know why they felted up so small...they all did. I am assuming that the fisherman wool that I used didn't need to be in the machine that long. I left them in for two complete washes, as I would with the other type of felted hats I made before. I like felting in my front loader at camp then this one here at our home in town. I think it just pulls the crap out of everything with that back and forth agatation. The round and round from the front loaded is not so rough on them. I will make Sarah another one for next winter and felt it when we move back to the lake.

Well, time to finish the next pair of wool socks I started last night. I am going to make these a short cuff pair for Rhonda, as she said she would prefer them to just go a little above her boots, not like the mens.

COLD COLD COLD

Well, winter is finally here. It has not been above zero all day or evening..right now its -8F. windchill is -23F. The cats go out and I set the timer for 5 minutes to make sure I don't for get them..too cold and do not need them to get frost bite on their ears or footpads. And I love them too much to want them outside when I don't want to go out.

Finished one blue wool sock yesterday, got a lot done waiting for the doctor to come in. (Don't you hate it when the put you in a room and don't come in for an hour or more??) Anyway, I am going to need surgery on my back to help with the stenosis. She wants to do a Laminetomy.....do not like the sound of this word any more then I did knee replacement 2 years ago. First I have to see the hemotoligist for my clotting problem and then back to her for scheduling the surgery. It will be just a one day thing..if I lived closer I would not have to stay overnight.

After the appointment I went to City Side Yarn Shop to see if they had any cotton yarn in DK weight..and they did...with 20% off. Got 5 skeins of a red DK for my granddaughters sunsuit. I also went into AC Moore and bought some 6 skeins of DK cotton in a peacock blue. Now can't wait to make the two summer outfits for DGD. She will be 1 this summer so I have plenty of time to get them done. And I will have plenty of time to do it. I will not be able to anything for 3/4 weeks except walk or lay down. No lifting, prolonged sitting, bending, prolonged standing....what a way to get some knitting time!!! It will be the hard way though.

I will get some more things ready and into bags with patterns, needles and notions before I go in. That is what I did with the knee replacement in Sept. I didn't do much knitting in the hospital..too out of it to concentrate more than one row an hour..lol But I did knit a little. Did a lot more at home after the pain started to go away...or not so intense. Thank God for pain medications. tee hee hee

We have another snow storm heading our way. Predictions are a Nor'easter. And our area is in the midst of it so we are supposed to be 8 or more inches of snow. The storm will start tomorrow night late and all day Friday and into the most of Saturday. Looks like that takes care of our trip to visit with our son and his family for another weekend. But it means hubby will get called in to plow the mill again and that will be so nice....need fuel oil..almost empty again~ And woodstove is pumping out the heat like crazy, but with the windchills so bad today had to use the furnace to keep the house at 68 degrees. The cold penetrates through the foundation walls and through any little crack in the insulation it can find. Liked it better with no snow and nice temps...spoiled I guess.

Time for bed...hope to get my other sock done tomorrow after I go grocery shopping..and I hope its not as cold!

Picturetrail photos

If you would like to see more of my knitting albums you can always visit them at

http://www.picturetrail.com/mainelywoolyns

I would love for you to veiw them...ENJOY

Spring In Maine

Here are Mane Lupines...their color is always breath taking. Wish they bloomed all summer, but don't.






Well, with winter coming tomorrow...supposedly...been hearing this for two winters now and nothing...now they are talking of mixing again....LOL Oh well, life goes on. I am so wishing for spring to get here so I can enjoy the beauty that God has to give us again. Here are a couple of pictures I took of the Maine Lupine and our Humming Birds that show up every spring...usually the weekend before Mother's Day the males arrive then the females arrive by Mothers Day. This last spring they were two weeks late, but we had so much rain up and down the eastern side of the US. We usually have about 10-15 females and 3-4 males and then in June we have an explosion of babies...2005 we had over 35 Hummers at our feeders. I used over 200 pounds of sugar that year...and still had to buy a couple of 5 pound bags the last couple of weeks in September. But last summer I only used about 75 pounds of sugar and we saw only 2 males and 5 females...we did have a few babies, but not like it usually is. There were times in the morning and late afternoon the would fill all the perches on the feeders and be waiting in line for a spot. And the males are always trying to hurt the females...it is delightful to watch!

Sue and Tammys Aran Cardigans

Front and back view!






Wonderful Arans!

Here they are finished with buttons on them. One has silver pewter buttons and the other has Moose antler buttons...home made at that! (But not by me)

They are both knit from Canadiana acrylic yarns in Aran. The pattern came from a very old knitting book I had. I can't remember the name of it at this time. I will post if if I come across it again.

Wish I could figure out how to turn the pictures I have so I could give you better close ups...but alas, I can not do that right now...more learning for me to do!

Baby dresses 2006

I knit these dresses in a fingering weight acrylic yarn. I can't remember the name of it, but I bought it at Walmart in Lincoln, Me. The purple one is at a local gift shop for sale. The white with spots was given to my granddaughter Sarah. I am hoping mom will send me a picture when she puts it on her for the first time.

Things I knit in 2006

Well, it's been over a week and I have not posted. Oh well. Have been going through my projects I completed in '06 and thought I would share them with you. I have knitted two pair of mittens for me. I have also received the books I won on eBay and have been going through them to decide which aran sweater I will knit for me!!!!! Everyone has one but me. So I think I will make this one for myself.

This sweater is the one I knit in June/July for my friend Sue. It ended up going to her daughter because it was too big for her. Made the next one the smallest size in the pattern and fit her to a T!! "Love it when a plan comes together" LOL

It is knit with Patons Canadiana in Aran. The new colors are more yellowish then the old company. But then they were made in the USA back in the day.

What am I doing????

I spent all day Friday trying to figure out where I am on this darn skirt!!! So I put it aside and started another pair of wools socks. These will be for DH. I know he will need them soon..if the weather ever decides we live in Maine and not down south. The temps yesterday were around 45 degrees. Today it hit 52! Here it is 10:40 pm EST and it's still 50 degrees. The cats do not want to be in the house at all. So they might just spend the night outdoors.

Had a young man go through the ice Friday afternoon at Fergeson Pond, just up the road from us. The fire department was called by one of the other men with him, using his cell phone. The rescuers had to wait for the cable people to get to the road to unlock the chain across the road. The man was very lucky. He was in the water for quite a while before they could get him out. He was transported to our local hospital and then transferred to the big city a little bit later. He is still in EMMC tonight. He is one lucky young man to be alive today! Can not believe anyone would go on the ice right now. There has been no cold weather to freeze the waters thick enough to hold the weight. And the man was on a snowmobile to boot! Some will never learn...and we the tax payer have to pay for those rescues. There isn't a fish in the world worth taking that kind of risk for. I love to fish, but will not go out on the ice for anything. I will fish in the summer and fall from my little row boat!! lol

Worked very little on the sock today. Roasted a fresh chicken for supper and all the good, fattening things that go with it. I haven't felt like cooking in a long time. I still don't have the strength in my knee yet to stand all the time and make sweets. I only made one pie for Christmas compared to the 3 I usually make plus the cookies, scotch-a-roos and jello molds. Oh well. We had a wonderful Christmas at our sons without all the extras! And no one missed them either.

Started reading one of my new books this evening. This one is Knit One, Kill Two. I got them at Amazon.com for less then half price with the shipping. And they were in excellent shape. Got the other two in the series also. I went to bed early tonight, but couldn't sleep. Decided to read a little more of my book, but ended up on the computer first. After I am done with this, I will read. Going to look for one of those little lights that clip onto a book so you can read at night...that way I can go to bed with DH and read after he falls asleep. He is such a light sleeper, I know that the light on my side of the bed would bother him. I hope one of these little lights wont.

Supposed to be really nice tomorrow but Monday the weather is going to be snow, ice, sleet and freezing rain before it turns into just rain. And in the mountains it may stay all snow. Tomorrow we will have to get the plow on the truck. Its been sitting all summer so will need to be hooked up before the snow gets here. Do not want to try to hook it up and it won't connect when we have a storm. Been there, done that many times before with the Bronco. This plow has all the parts on the plow and not inside the hood. So if there is a leak it wont get on the motor and start a fire like the old one did.

Well, time to shut this down and go read. If I don't read another chapter or two I will lay awake thinking about the book! Night

Jan 4, 2007 Mount Katahdin

Took a ride this afternoon up to the Abol bridge. I stopped at different places and took pictures of Mount Katahdin. We should have a ton of snow by now, but we have nothing...you can't snowmobile on tar or ice. The lakes and brooks and little ponds are still open and flowing freely everywhere. You can see the mountains reflection in the open water in some of these pictures. I didn't see any moose or deer today, but a lot of chipmunks and squirrels everywhere. Also noticed several out of state plates on pickups hauling their snowmobile on trailers looking for some place to use them! Hopefully we will get some snow next week. Then we will get us put the new plow on the truck and give it a good work out. We have owned it for over a year and never had to plow with it yet. Hubby said it will be so much easier with this 3/4 ton Dodge compared to the old '89 Ford Bronco we had up until I was plowing with it and the motor caught on fire...lol So happy to see my husband drive up behind me. He opened the hood and threw snow on the motor...darn thing started right up. He couldn't pick up the plow, so drove it into the drive way at camp and left it..and there it still sits..rusting out. We did have a few small storms that we could have plowed, but it would warm up and rain...so no need to.
The weather today hit 47 degrees. It was sunny and there was a slight breeze, but it was a great day. I went to the post office and mailed out the three packages to my son, his MIL and my niece. Hope they all enjoy their gifts. I sure enjoyed knitting them.

I got out Anna's skirt this evening. I have spent over 2 hours looking over the pattern and the shirt...and I still can't figure out what row I am on. I have all the papers where I marked each row, but it just doesn't seem to be right....NOT AGAIN!!!!!!!! Oh well. Tomorrow is another day. I will try again..if not, I will take out that part of the pattern (chart 4) and start it again. I feel like I missed a row between the charts, but can't find it. I should have finished it when I first started it. I am not even going to try to change the YO that I didn't like. Do not need that hassle. Just want to finish it and be done with it. Then off to my next project. A cardigan for me and three Christmas stockings for my little great nieces. Think I will make them the one with the Christmas trees on them with their names knit into them. I want to make them different from my sons. And I have enough yarn to make the tree ones and not the moose ones. Would have to go out and buy 6 or 7 skeins of yarn for them, and I am trying to reduce my stash considerably this year. I will die before I ever use it all up. Have some of it bagged to donate to our church. The ladies there make afghans and blankets to give to families when they have a tragedy in the family, like a fire or family injury. They will have 3 or 4 large trash bags full to use..and its all brand new. Next is the get to the spare bedroom and go through all that yarn there. Some of it I bought from Zayers when they went out of business ???????????? years ago. I remember buying all the yarn they had. It was all in boxes. I used up most of it, but I still have a couple of boxes of red yarn. And at this point in time, I do not plan on making the hooded sweaters I did with that yarn again. I used to sell my knit items at craft shows at Christmas time. I did very well back then. Now it seems no one has money to spend on knitted items today. And I refuse to sell things at just yarn prices. Today I want to get at least twice or three times what I paid for the item. I have not done a craft show in years, and probably won't do them ever again. Too much work setting up and taking down. Knitted the stuff is not the problem. Its the fact that no one wants to pay what you re asking...they think you should give it away. Not any more. My time is precious.


Well, time for bed. Rain is coming tomorrow and I have a lot of things to do tomorrow outside before it gets here.

Anna's socks are finished! Jan 3, 2007

I finished the wool socks for my daughter in law (DIL) this evening. I am going to start another pair for my husband (DH) from the same color yarn. I was able to make Anna's socks with just one skein of yarn with just a smidgen left over. Tomorrow I will get out the skirt I started a few years ago and finish it up. I hope to get it done for Anna by her birthday the end of this month. I will add a couple of pictures of the two pieces I have done.

The weather today was very nice, but the wind was nippy. I wore my new ice cleats out again today. The yard is so icy and slippery. Am hoping the sun will melt a lot of it in the next couple of days. DH went to the town garage and got some sand. He sanded the driveway and our neighbors driveway too. It will just melt tomorrow and freeze over again at night. LOL

It is a full moon now..took a couple of pictures of it this afternoon about 4:15 o'clock. It will be another cool night with no clouds.




As you can see, it was a nice bright moon.

Well, time for bed. Need my beauty rest. LOL Oh yeah, got my knitting book I won in eBay today. It is holiday arans from Sirdar. It is used and marked up, which I don't mind, but it smells like old cigarette smoke. UGGGGHHHHH I will have to put it in a bag with a bounce fabric softener sheet for a few days...that should take care of the smell.

Anna's socks

Here are some pictures of the socks I am knitting for Anna. They are going to be short cuffed ones for her. I can almost make a pair from one ball of yarn in her size. It depends on the amount of yarn in the hank. The color is Blueberry 2 ply from Bartlettyarns. I took the pictures at different angles to show the heel. I have used wooly nylon to reinforce the heels and use it in the toes also.

Fun Fur Scarves

Here is a picture of the scarves I have knit. I am keeping the green and blue ones to go with my coats. Not very warm, but very pretty when draped around the collar.
Hope the girls enjoy theirs.

Jan 2, 2007

Well, the weather is changing fast...its now cloudy again and the wind is blowing like crazy. Have to worry about power outages now. No snow from the big storm yesterday, just a lot of rain and ice. Supposed to be in the 40's all week. No ice fishing for sure.

Finished the other purple sock for my son. And started another pair for my DIL. Hers are in blueberry by Barlettyarns. www.barlettyarns.com they have some really nice yarn and I love knitting with it. Especially my wool socks. They have the lanolin in them. I remember the first time I used this yarn. I kept wondering what the smell was. It is Sheep! It smells like Sheep and feels like sheep. I like having the lanolin on my hands in the wintertime. It helps keeps my hands from drying out.

I was hoping to mail out the fun fur scarves to my niece and her 3 daughters. But because of the death of President Ford there is no postal service today. It will have to wait until tomorrow now. I will also get out the photos of my granddaughter that I took over the Christmas weekend to them and Anna's mom, Meg. The weather will be wonderful all week, so no excuses to get them in the mail tomorrow. LOL

Socks

Here are the socks that I am knitting for my son. I hope to finish them today. The weather is not nice so I know I am not going outside for any reason at all. Do not need to fall on the ice and do any damage to my new knee.

I have knit these socks out of Bartlettyarns wool..2 ply. I also have used wooly nylon to reinforce the heels and toes. My DH is waiting for his new socks but will have to wait until I have Anna's skirt done. Hopefully not to long of a wait for him.

I hope that it will not take me long to learn how to use this blogger...seems I have to do things two or three times to get them right. Like downloading the picture. Didn't see where you had to accept the terms...again! Dang, going to take all day at this rate. LOL

Hard to believe that it is 19 degrees out and its raining! Should be SNOW! Last year we had no snow at all. The businesses in town were really hurting for those snowmobilers. And it seems like it will be the same this year. We will never get to try out the new plow we bought for the new truck again this year if things keep on this way. Will just have to get out the boat! lol

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!