I'm Seeing Red...and Green!

Look: I finished my Minimalist Cardigan (left) at 2:00 a.m. this morning...woo-hoo! I just love, love, love this yarn (Cash Vero DK, Color Number 020) that I got at Knit and Caboodle in St. Charles. I modified a pattern in the Interweave Knits magazine, Fall 2007 edition, lengthening the sleeves and the body...just enough. As you can see, there are no buttons, just a shawl-like collar, knit in stockinette stitch...against the Moss Stitch pattern for the rest of the sweater. I started knitting this project on 1/5/08, with the goal of wearing it on Valentine's Day...looks like I made it by a whisker!

Here's a close-up of the Moss (pattern) stitch:


We're planning on trying out a new (for us) restaurant in St. Charles called The Vintage House. In checking their menu, it looks like they are heavy (pun intended) on their German heritage, and they feature local Missouri wines. This should be a super-special "date night" for us!

Of course, our conversation at dinner is likely to center around our upcoming trip to Ireland...ooh, can't wait! I've been reading up on the Emerald Isle...circling the sites we want to visit...printing out addresses of wool shops all over the country...plotting our course for the 7 days we'll be there. This is usually Missy M's role, but she's been unusually swamped at work, so I thought I'd try to help out. More on this later.

Since it's been cold, cold, cold here this week, I thought a nice bowl of chili would hit the spot tonight. Ummmm...smells like it's ready. Time to close!

Snow...and FO's

It's a Snow Day in STL! We got nearly 7 inches of the fluffy white stuff yesterday and into the night...our heaviest snowfall this season. The dogs are alternately crazy-nuts about leaping and bounding around the back yard (remember, Basset Hounds are pretty close to the ground...:)...or, they don't want to get off the deck and get their bellies (or other important parts) wet. Mr. T has worked hard to keep paths clear for them, but at times the snow was falling faster than he could sweep.

Here, right...Mr. T sweeps off the Solar Light Bird Feeder on the deck so our feathered friends can get a little breakfast. The rest of the feeders in the back yard are covered in snow, with only a few assessible...and it seems that every bird in the neighborhood showed up for the buffet this morning. I counted 9 male (red) cardinals in one area...with numerous house finches, purple finches, sparrows, titmice, "snow birds," woodpeckers (3 different kinds), and grackles. The squirrels and the bunnies are quite active, too, trying to share in any feed that has fallen to the ground.

And, check out the photo of the deck below, left! We won't be sitting out there any time soon, will we? Also, it's hard to tell...but that's a photo of the bridge over the fish pond, right...both of which are covered in snow. I sure hope those fish will make it through this.

It's a perfect day for a cup of hot tea, lots of lemon and sugar...the warmth of the fireplace...and the click of the knitting needles! I'm currently working fast & furious on my Minimalist Cardigan (pattern in the Fall 2007 Interweave Knits magazine) in deep red Cash Vero DK on US6's. I've finished the back and the left front...working on the armhole decreases on the right front today. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a sleeve going by the end of the weekend! I've also been working on M's "Harry Potter Third & Fourth Year Scarf" from the Charmed Knits book...a great take-along project, as I am knitting it on circs like the First Year scarf (the finished one of which went to Mr. T, who is wearing it with regularity, much to my delight).

I took advantage of my business trip to ATL earlier this month, to have some quality knitting time (no dogs!) to finish a couple of pairs of socks: (left) the Panda Cotton red ones with the colorful "Fruit Salad" toes and heels are a Valentine's gift for Mom; (right) the multi-color Sockotta stripey ones are for moi. The center photo shows a cabled hat in Wool Ease Forest Green Heather that I knitted for SIL J in Nashville...her birthday is next week. The pattern is called "Jack's Cabled Hat" from the Knitting Pattern-A-Day Calendar Box that she and Brother J gave me for Christmas. I peeked ahead to March 31st...but I thought the name of the pattern sounded appropriate...and the yarn just begged to be cabled! I hope she will enjoy wearing it. I will get moving on a pair of blue-hues for Missy M soon, using some of her Yarn Pirate sock yarn.

Thank goodness for the calming effect of knitting. It's been a tough month around our house...one that I'm happy to say "so long" to, without a doubt. We've all been battling some "-itis" or other (sinunitis, bronchitis, etc.), plus I've had a re-routed root canal (originally done 5 years ago...had to be re-done...ow...) and re-emergence of my old nemesis, back pain. A trip to the Out Patient Surgery for an epidural cortisone injection has eased that last problem...at least for the moment. Fingers crossed...toes, too...that I'll only need to go through that just once this time (instead of the customary series of 3). I hope, I hope, I hope...

Anyway, my flight back into the STL airport was from yet another direction (north by north-east to the southwest?), so I snapped a fuzzy photo that shows the curve in the Mississippi above the city...can you spot the Arch in the haze to the right-top of the pic?