Blue Skies over the cold Streets of Vancouver

I love this weather! The sky is blue, there's just enough wind to blow the leaves around & give you hypothermia if you don't watch out. It's good weather to wear your Cowichan sweater or handspun bulky knit with thick socks, mitts & a hat while you race your dog across the park. It makes you appreciate the hot toddy when you come in to a nice warm house!! As a kid I loved to be outside in this weather & still do, if I'm warmly wrapped. And that's the secret. Be warmly wrapped. It's too cold, when the sun goes down, to be out there without wool or good fleece, if you must. Time to donate blankets, good used coats, heavy wool sweaters, mitts, socks & hats to those who have not, folks.

I finished the red & pink socks last evening. And I've cast on for the Hairdresser's boyfriend socks. I found some blues, white & black Confetti yarn in the bottom of the sock yarn pile which should be good enough for him. I am ensuring good perms for the next year by doing this - I really don't give a damn about the boyfriend, who is another aging bum. Amazing how independent women attract the helpless men of this world . . . Maybe independent women need weak men, at least they stay out of the way when we're doing things.

My mother also made some "cold feet" comments the last time I called her so I guess I should get off my butt & knit some more socks for her too. I have one pair in the basket & should get another knit up quickly - maybe Santa will arrive this year for a change!!! hahahaha

Have you ever had an oil sprayer explode??? I got one for myself several years ago because I wanted to just spritz a little oil on things. Fewer calories that way! I bought the most expensive one with the classy brushed aluminum finish that you pump up every time you use it . . . So, I decided to spray just a light bit of oil into my pan to cook some fish. I pumped it up but it only drizzled so I gave it another two pumps & it exploded. Everywhere. I only hope I can get all that oil out of the front of my favorite purple shirt!! And I'm still cleaning up little blobs of oil after a week! The kitchen floor has never been so clean. Thank gawd for Watkins Degreaser.

I've been puttering away on the Wonderful Wallaby in the purple Marble yarn but my fingers have been so sore in all the damp weather, especially since I'm a Thrower - this year's extremely sore fingers appear to be my thumbs & right index finger. Hooray, lets have all the useful fingers messed up at once!!! I have to finish two sweaters for me before the old hands give out!!
I still have my heavy jacket-in-progress in the Anniversary Blue Briggs & Little yarn to finish. It's done to the armholes in the back & the shoulders in the front. If you remember, I knit it in one piece to the armholes & intend on picking up the sleeves from the deep armhole & short rowing the shoulder a la EZ's Tomten while knitting them to the cuff. I'll pay for that operation since the jacket is quite heavy. I had to quit working on it in the early spring when it was so damp because my hands just couldn't handle the weight. Nice project for the cold & dry days we have right now though - the old fingers are not as sore when it's dry!

So, maybe I'll just finish the sock projects & the pooch cowl for Christmas. I'd like to wear the heavy blue sweater but it's something to work on if I get snowed in again - if the Ice & Snow tires I just got installed don't get me out. The Famous Farmer's Almanac is making nasty, cold predictions for us this winter - apparently we're going to be 6 degrees colder than normal this winter & should get another big dump of snow.