Muffins! These are mixed fruit cornmeal and they are wonderful. They are really good with a nice, hot cuppa. I just ordered some tea from Harneys and can't wait for it to get here.

Also just ordered some sportweight yarn from Herrschnerr's today. Going to make a sweater from the book "Indigo Knits" that is gorgeous. A loose "sloppy'' kind of sweater with cables at the top and I think that I will really like it. I ordered it in a medium purple color that should show off the cables really well.

I've been cranking out socks like crazy lately. Finished both pairs for A. and she seems to be pleased with them. I am almost finished with the pair for myself ...about 10 more rows of ribbing to go and then bind-off.

These are a pattern that I adapted from several patterns. It's a bobble rib pattern that I switched to work from the toe-up. It worked really well and I'm pleased with them. I am going to try and finish up some UFO's that are on the needles so I am going to try to NOT cast on anything new until at least one of them is finished. I think that I will finish the v-neck sweater first. Only have half a sleeve and the front to knit so it shouldn't take too long.

Still working on the scarf kal with Jill and Sheri. We are knitting the linked rib from "Knitting New Scarves" and I ripped mine out Monday night and decided to use a different yarn than the stuff that I had gotten on Ebay. The new yarn seems to be much better for this and shows up much better. I sense light at the end of the tunnel. You should see how Jill's looks. It's absolutely stunning and made mine look just sad. But I'll catch up...hahahaha.

These are the socks that had me stumped. As you can see, I finally was able to figure out how to turn the heel on a toe-up sock. I think this yarn is very nice. It is Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Yarn!". It's a worsted weight and ever so soft. I didn't make knee-highs but aobut half-way up the shin and I was able to make a pair of socks from one skein. Not too shabby. The color is really nice-"cranapple". I still have to finish the other pair that I'm working on now. I should be able to finish the second one tonight since I made one yesterday. Although I won't get any knitting done if I continue sitting here surfing blogs and playing around on that bad,bad Ravelry.

Actually made it out for awhile today. Had to go to the post office and try and figure out what to do about getting the mail delivered while we have no mailbox. They pretty much didn't know what to tell me because it's up to the carrier to decide if they can deliver the mail or not. Since they have often pulled into the driveway to deliver packages up to the door, I don't see that it's such a big deal. But noooooooo, they have to make a whole "thing" about it. So now I must call the post office on Monday between 7:30 -9:30 am to talk to one of the managers. Eeeesh.

Tomorrow is a trip to Trader Joe's to stock up on a few things. Being stuck in the house for days means we make a dent in the staples. Today I made a coconut-pineapple cake with "cream cheese" frosting (vegan) and a delicious tomato, chickpea and pasta soup. Very good.

The other dish is a kale,onion and white bean dish that I got from"The Mediterranean Vegan Cookbook"that I just bought. Fabulous recipes and very easy and fast which is how I like to cook. I also just found one called "Vegan Express" which I would like to have. As a matter of fact, the soup I made was from this book. And now I must have a snack because all this food is making me feel a little peckish.

Cabin fever is setting in here. Not a very clear picture but ice is all over. The roads were a mess and practically everything was closed. A passing snow plow took down the mailbox (it looks so sad lying there in the ditch covered with snow and ice).

The upside is that I have gotten the sock pattern conquered...woohoo. I finished the pair yesterday and started another pair today and finished the first one. Toe-ups are fun and they go fast in worsted weight. A.will be glad to have more socks.

I call these socks "cabin fever". They are knit with TLC Essentials by Coats and Clark in the color "Turf and surf". I hope she likes them.

Hooray for me! I finally was able to conquer the heel pattern on the toe-up sock and managed to get it turned and am well on the way up the leg. I found a pattern that had the same number of stitches and explained it SO much better. It really wasn't that hard but I was having sinus/headache problems and the thinking wasn't so great. And since math is BAD (at least for me) I just didn't deal with it very well. All is well now and will probably finish the first one tomorrow. I would have gotten it finished today but....snow!! We only got about 2" but I needed to shovel the drive 'cause we are supposed to have sleet and freezing rain tomorrow and who needs that on top of snow. Then I made orzo pilaf with pearl onions and peas and some fabulous strawberry (fresh) cornmeal muffins. I did knit some but seemed to go so slowly that I just decided to sit here and read some blogs and maybe play on Ravelry. Bad,bad ravelry. I just love to look around on there. Such fun.

Happy Birthday to me. Had a lovely lunch yesterday....scallion pancakes good!!! Jill brought back wonderful gifts from Germany. Got some yummy yarn (Schoeller-und_Stahl's Odessa) in beautiful fall colors. She picked out colors specifically for each of us. And a wonderful bookmark from Neuschwanstein castle and a chocolate pig. And she made me a very cute Hello Kitty journal that will be perfect for knitterly notes.

I'm glad it was a nice day 'cause I have a nasty headache since yesterday and spent most of last night and today lying in a heap under my soft velour blankie staring blindly at dvd's. And I think I will take my tea and go lie back down. See you soon.

The upside of being stuck inside for days is that much knitting gets done. Voila! A.'s socks are finished.

YARN: Red Heart Strata

Color: Bermuda

PATTERN: "Rock and Ribbed" from Knit Socks!

NEEDLES: Size 3's

A very easy, stretchy fun knit. And she should really like them.

Last night I cast on a new pair...and I am attempting a toe-up pair. So far it seems to be working really well. I do have to work on my wrap and turn because when I did one before it didn't turn out as well as planned. I think A. should like the toe-up ones alot because they don't have that very annoying "pointy" toes. We shall see.

Ice, ice baby!

Here's what I did all day. Besides drink tea and look at the ice.

Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh! The white death is approaching. Everyone run to the store and buy everything that you can carry home. You would think that we never had snow here. Although we are supposed to get anywhere between 4-6" and then some sleet/freezing rain/ice and if we don't get that then we can double the snow amount. Well, alrighty then. I got some dvd's from the library and have some books on cds and my knitting so it can go ahead and snow. They are forecasting temperatures in the upper 30's by Thursday so it should melt by then. Let's hope so...Saturday is my birthay lunch at Twin Dragon Chinese Buffet....mmmmmm. They have the best Mongolian grill and really fresh vegetables so I can't wait. Plus I invited the "art/knitting" group and some friends so it should be fun. No presents or anything, I just wanted to have lunch.

The sock is mine and the pair is done. Woohoo! They are VERY sturdy and warm.

YARN:Red Heart Strata--color-Cherryberry

PATTERN: Starter Stockinette from Knit Socks!

NEEDLES:size 2 dpns.

Next time I will knit the ribbing on 2's and the rest on 3's. The material is very dense and not very flexible. But nice socks.

Working on a pair for A. in a k1,p1 pattern on size 5's. These will be very stretchy and I think she will be verra pleased with them.

Well, still no "albino brain suckers" but I have my tea (Tea of Good Tidings from Republic of Tea). Unfortunately it was the last little bit of it but managed to get a pot from it. Getting ready to put on my jimjams and get all settled in for the weather...heehee. See you when I stick my head out from under the covers!

So I'm walking up the driveway from getting the mail...lalalalalala...when I look up and see (don't be scared!) a raccoon in the chimney with it's head sticking up in the chimney capper!!! I didn't know that they could get under the ones with mesh but obviously they can. So I have the hav-a-heart trap out and a radio blaring heavy-duty rock and roll into the chimney waiting to see if we can "flush" it out that way. The one company we called wanted $450.00 (no credit cards or checks) and he was rude so I cancelled the appointment. I am sure we can lure it out but if not I will find a company that can get it out and put up one of the new stainless steel caps. Lovely.

On the knitting front my finger is better so I finished my Red Heart Strata socks and started A.'s pair. Here's a shot of them. Why is it that legs look so fat from that angle? Well, they are but still.

So sad. Knitting injury. Well,actually I don't know how it happened but there it is. I either have a really bad bruise or a hairline fracture. It's a pain. Literally and figuratively. Hard to type. Be back later.

Here are my pretty new Crocs...I got a pair in metallic purple as well. They were on sale at Whole Foods (it was Wild Oats) for $12.50 each. I think they will be cute with skirts. And shorts. It is supposed to be almost 60* on Tuesday and I could wear them then. Oops, forgot it was going to rain. Ah well, I suppose that I can just wait for spring. Although we haven't really had alot of winter except those extraordinary cold days last month. And December. But I have been enjoying wearing my hand knits. And my socks are fabulous. I just finished my first Red Heart Strata sock and am working on the second. Mine seemed to take much longer to knit than knitting A.'s for some reason. Mine are even on size 2's and hers were on 3's. Don't know why they seem to be taking so long but I'll get them done.

Tomorrow there are a couple of lys's open for SuperBowl Sunday and having sales so I might just have to take a trip and see what jumps out at me.

I just finished crocheting a scarf out of some yarn that I had in my stash that I had gotten on Ebay. It's a cotton/chenille some kind of mix and I had no idea how many yards there were. So I grabbed a J hook and chained 30 stitches and single crocheted the whole thing. It's nice and thick and should be good and warm. A very nice light grey color.

FEBRUARY POETRY

I cry your mercy-pity-love!-aye,love!

Merciful love that tantalizes not,

Once-thoughted, never wandering, guileless love,

Unmask'd and being seen-without a blot!

O! let me have thee whole,-all-all-be mine!

That shape, that fairness, that sweet mirror zest

of love, your kiss,-those hands, those eyes divine,

That warm,white,lucent,million-pleasured

breast,-

Yourself-your soul-in pity give me all,

Withhold no atom's atom or I die,

Or living on perhaps, your wretched thrall,

Forget, in midst of idle misery,

Life's purposes,-the palate of my mind

Losing it's quest, and my ambition blind!

"I Cry Your Mercy" John Keats