Snow

A Haiku

Snow-it's the white death.

I'm tired of shoveling.

The snow-disgusting.

That's about the only civil thing I can think to say right now. I'm sick of shoveling and the driveway gets smaller every time. I am running out of places to push the snow. And the snow plow just keeps throwing more slushie crud in the bottom of the drive. I have to move it away because I don't want it to freeze on the driveway because I like to get out when needed.

Okay. I bought myself a birthday present yesterday and I just can't decide which project to knit first. Here's the book. I love it. The colors are so vibrant and mixed.

Here's the first one I want: The Bloomsbury gauntlets.

The next: Last minute mitts.

And finally: cuffed socks.

Here are the colors that I have for the project. The dark one on the top left is actually a nice, deep,dark purple. The main color will be the orange-y color on the right side(the colors didn't come up great...the ball in the front is actually red). So what do you all think? Which one should I knit first?

I was going knit in the Knitting Olympics but decided to finish what I have been working on instead. I know, aren't I oh so good? I have been diligently knitting on my Ragna sweater and have only 7" more to go on the front before decreasing for the neck. I'm going to try and finish it this week. In between shoveling.

Tomorrow I am going to try and cook some things because, well, I like to eat. And in this weather it seems all I want is CARBS! But, unless I want to be the size of a hibernating bear, I must make some vegetable dishes! Soup sounds like a good winter meal so I will make lentil and greens soup with orzo. And some bread.

Now my tea is ready (Harney's White Christmas tea..the BEST!) I saved some as a special treat and now the pot is ready to drink. I think I will put on some jimjams and have a cuppa while I slog away on Ragna.

Stay warm and safe all.

Still snowing. I shoveled the driveway 3 times today before we had a break and now it's all covered again. *sigh*. Didn't even get very much knitting done. But I had a great lunch. Amanda made some potato skins for SuperBowl and saved me some of the skins. I filled them and they were sooooo good.
Pictures from this afternoon. I just looked out and it is absolutely POURING snow. Can barely see to the end of the driveway. Well, I suppose the shovel will get a workout. As will I.

Stupid "albino brain suckers".

Here are better pictures of my stuff at the library.

The vest is one that I knitted for mom. We were putting the window together and needed something to fill in the left side. Mom took off the vest and offered it up right then.

Of course, now she misses it!
I really like my felted bag but it needs more pockets. I think maybe I will make myself another one at some point. With more pockets.
The clothesline idea is cute, no? Thanks mom.

All in all I think it looks pretty nice.

I think I have a doppleganger at the library. She always has most of the same books on hold as do I and what are the chances that it's knitting, vegan, alternative health and similar items? Yet I have no idea who she is except her name and taste in books. Very odd.

Lunch! Mushroom marinated mustard (love the alliteration!) greens, mac 'n "cheese" and tempeh/oatmeal loaf with mushroom gravy. Very tasty and a good meal for a cold day.

The "white death" came and it was a pain. The wet/slushy stuff is soooo hard to shovel. But did get the driveway clear. Just in time for the next hit. *sigh* But I made a trip to Traders today and stocked up on things.

Did you ever have one of those days where you just want to stay in bed? I cannot find my size 6 double points and I KNOW that I have a set. I can even see them. They are 4" long, which is the perfect size for a pair of worsted weight socks, and I know this because I have used them to make myself at least 5 pairs with them. So where are they? Not only that but I went to one of the yarn shops today to replace them (and one of them was completely out of 6's! What's that about?) and when I got home and got the bag out of the back...3 of the 5 needles are missing. Excuse me?!? When I put the bag in the car all of them were in there. I have torn the car apart and looked everywhere and can't find them. And why only 3? Don't you think that all of them would have slid out or whatever? Obviously there is some kind of plot that involves size 6 dpn's that I'm not privy to. Fine.

Here's my new cowl. It's on www.Ravelry.com as the Birthday cowl and a fun easy knit and I really like it. It's rather loose which is nice for a little bit warmer weather as it isn't snug against my neck. I also knit a cabled headband to go with it that keeps out the breeze beautifully. As was evidenced by the chilly breeze today. Which is a harbinger of the WEATHER (teehee) to come tomorrow. The "storm of the century" is on the way. Not that bad actually, but accumulating snow is the forecast. Guess I will have to warm up the shovel. *groan*. But it will be good knitting sweater and I really want to get more of the Ragna sweater done. I finished the back the other day and think that the front will go alot faster. I have the pattern done now so it goes much smoother now.I was riding down the street the other day and saw this goose standing in these huge pots. Talk about a goose in every pot! Made me laugh. Actually there were 2 standing quite tall and proud but by the time I could get the cell phone out it was too late to catch both.

Here's today's vegan lunch. Mushroom and walnut marinated mustard greens, mac and "cheese", and tempeh "meatloaf". Yum! I will definately make it all again. And very good comfort food on a cold night.

I have my cuppa strawberry green tea and getting my knitting ready to watch "The Office" and then "The Mentalist". Keep warm and safe!

Not much has been going on here this week. Sooooo cold. Last night it was 5*. On the upside I can just layer on the handknits. Except for the ones that I took down to my local branch of the library to be in their window display for February!I thought they were going to have things from several people but I guess that I was the only one they asked. So I took down a variety of things and they let me set up the display and then they added the knitting books.

Sorry about the cruddy pictures but the cell phone isn't the greatest especially with the glare from the front doors.

One of the librarians took some photos that she is going to email to me so hopefully I will have some better photos.

I was going to cook today but just couldn't seem to get motivated. I did make some "velveeta/sausage"-like dip yesterday using nutritional yeast and tvp (textured vegetable protein) from the cookbook "500 Vegan Recipes". Pretty tasty if I do say so myself. I dipped tortilla chips in it and today made a quesidilla.

Also made a tempeh/oatmeal "meat" loaf that I am enjoying. As well as some lovely mustard greens with toasted walnuts and marinated mushrooms. So good.

Now I have made myself hungry so I think I will go foraging for some dinner. And then off to knit and watch some dvds. I think I shall finish watching the last season of Northern Exposure. Stay warm and knit lots!

I just think the moss is such a lovely shade of spring green. But I don't understand how it can be growing when it's been so cold! Last week it never got out of the 20*s so how can the moss look so spring-like? But I suppose that I shall think of it as a sign that eventually winter will be over and spring will be here. Although I really haven't disliked it so far. Got alot of knitting done and I do enjoy being at home. Especially when it's so bitterly cold. On the upside-I have made quite a few pairs of fingerless gloves and gauntlets. Love them! My hands get COLD and they really help.

Had Chinese for lunch today. Mmmmm. The best buffet is not too far from here-Twin Dragon- and it is fabulous! They have a Mongolian grill that you can make your own dish and they cook it right there. Lots of veggies and the absolute best scallion pancakes you've ever had. Love them! We went for a belated birthday for sis and an early birthday for me. So good.Sunday we went to Hyde Park to get some coffee and tea at Coffee Emporium (the house on the left). They have the best in town. We got Winter Solstice coffee, which has caramel and some other kind of taste that I can't remember) but oh so good. They have very smooth tasting coffee that doesn't have that bitter, nasty aftertaste.

Also got some new teas. Well, a few are infusions of herbs and nuts which are what I try and drink at night. Or I have some white tea. Right now I am really enjoying Tazo's Berry Blossom white. Very tasty.

I would have gotten a closer picture but it was raining that day and didn't really want to be standing in the middle of the street (across from the police station, so they didn't need to see me either!) taking pictures with the cell phone.

This funky house is an interesting thing. We still can't figure out what was going on in this guy's mind! Have no idea if it's a house, a business, or what. But it's very fascinating to see.

Lunchtime!

The plate is a fried tofu pasta casserole and
some marvelous collard greens with pine nuts and raisins that was amazing. I love collard greens the best so I like to do all kinds of different dishes with them.

The sandwich is a faux-Rueben with marinated tempeh taking the place of the meat. The bread is a ciabatta roll and I couldn't get enough of these. I ate one every day until the tempeh was gone. Mmm mmmm mmm.This is a baked macaroni and "cheese" that I would just use elbow macaroni instead of mixing the pastas. That's what happens when you have several small amounts of different pastas around and want to use them up. It has a delicious topping of panko that gives it a nice crunch.

I also made myself some vegan peanut butter cups that are just sooooo good. I think that candy bars are the one thing that I miss alot so these definately hit the mark.

I don't know why I have no knitting pictures to show today but I will have more soon.

Enjoy your weekend!

Here's a video of one of the Quakers' having a bath. His name is Rufus and he does get wet.

I @#$#%^$^ %^$*%$. Whew. That's better. I spent a great portion of this afternoon seaming together the Celtic poncho (better known as the never-ending project) and it was going along swimmingly until ( this is the part where the ominous music begins...dum dum DUM!) I held it up and ....I can barely stand to write it...it's too short. ARRRRGGGGHHHHH! I think I am going to have to make a whole extra tier of triangles to lengthen it. So I folded it (sorta) and gently removed the bag in which it has been residing and placed it out of sight out of mind. *sigh*.

Freezing cold here this week! And snow. Yesterday we had 5" of the foul white stuff. At least it was the light, fluffy kind that was relatively easy to shovel. And shovel I did. After the 4th time I decided that it didn't need to be done anymore until today. I just wanted to be able to get out of the driveway with a minimum of fuss. And it is now covered again with a light layer. But it's sooooo cold out that I just don't care. Wind chills in the single digits and negative so I am staying inside. With my hot cuppa vanill apple white herbal tea and my "cheesy" crackers that I made for myself. They are a variation of Goldfish crackers but vegan and whole-wheat. And are they good! The little "cookie" cutters are Noah's Ark and I get great pleasure out of biting the heads off the lions...teehee. Since it's so cold I've been doing some cooking. These are some baked chimichangas and so good. I will definately make these again. Today I made roasted cauliflower, roasted brussel sprouts with apples and onions, and macaroni and "cheese", and a "Rustic" pasta from Alicia Silverstone's book "The Kind Life". It has cabbage, celery, onions, soy sauce and lots of yummy things. A winner! And for dessert, some chocolate-peanut butter rice crispy treats.

I really like roasting vegetables because it brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetable. If you've never roasted any I would highly recommend trying it.

And some of the cauliflower with a marinated fried tofu and a barley-mushroom "risotto" that was not only yummy but healthy as well.

But the knitting has not been neglected. I made another bobbled headband for myself. It's so warm and comfortable that I had to have another. This one is a blue tweed color and actually matches my coat.

Here are the wristlets that I am making right now. It's a pattern on Ravelry called "Symmetrical Braided Gauntlets" and so easy and fast. The yarn is "I Love This Yarn" worsted weight from Hobby Lobby and the color is so bright. Which is nice this time of year.

I love fingerless gloves. I have several in each room and they certainly do help as my hands get cold. I am going to make some that have fingers as well.

Went to the library today and got a few dvds as I am not going anywhere this weekend if I can help it. Brrrr. I think I just may have to make some more crackers though. I can't stay out of them!

Stay warm and safe.

New Christmas mug. I had to replace one of my favorite Starbucks mugs because I "killed" it. I dropped it on the floor and thought it survived so I went to wash it in the sink and then the handle fell off. *Gasp* So sad. I got this one at Borders because I belong to their reward program and they sent me an additional $5.00 in rewards money so I had to spend it. And the mug was half-off so it was $4.00. Score! It's nice and big and the snow man just looks kind of crazy and eerie. Just like a snowman should....teehee.Here's what I got myself for Christmas. Pretty sock yarn. I bought it from www.LittleKnits.com and talk about great service. I ordered it not too long before Christmas and actually didn't expect to receive it until after the holiday but it came several days later. And the receipt had handwritten notes from the owner and the person that either packed the order or processed it. I think that's a nice touch. And the yarn was on sale for 60 to 75% off, depending on which one it was. So who could pass that up in any case?Here's one of the things that I made for Christmas morning brunch. It's a tofu and veggie scramble wrapped in crescent rolls and baked. Absolutely yummy! I couldn't stay out of it. I served it with hash browns that were baked in muffin tins. I made so much great food and we ate so much that I could hardly look at food the next day. I did get alot of knitting done though.

We watched alot of movies and generally just laid around. Which was nice and relaxing.

Here's one of my finished projects. It's a scarf from the lastest Noro book. I made it out of Lion Brand Suede yarn because I didn't have the yarn it called for but this was the same weight. It looks nice but just like any suede or chenille it does get rather loopy and loose. But I do like it.

Here's another fast knit. It's a super bulky yarn and I thought it was a cute hat.

Here's my current sock that I carry along in my purse. I didn't realize that the yarn-OnlineSupersocke- is a sport weight so I just knit it using the Yarn Harlot's basic sock pattern and size 2 needles. No wonder it knit up so fast!

But it will be warm, that's for sure. It's nice and thick. I do like the yarn though.

Well, off to do some consignment knitting. It's a pair of socks that are worsted weight, which always go fast but they are size 11's so it takes a while to get through the foot. But almost finished with the first one so I will soldier on!

Happy New Year to everyone! And stay warm on these 11* nights!!

I hope that everyone has a blessed and merry Christmas! And you all get lots of yarn and "stuff". See you soon. Happy knitting.

Went to the birdstore the other day to pick up some safflower seeds for the parrot and here's the view. The chincillas belong to the owner. Aren't they cute? So soft and I just want to "squeeze" them.

Crazy big bird alert!
Here are the holiday flower bouquets from Trader Joe's.
And the store has some lovely decorations.

I love the smell of the cinnamon pinecones at the front door. Smells like Christmas.

I've been busy getting some of my ufo's finished. And a few fast, bulky knits inbetween as well. Because everyone needs a new hat or headband, right? But I only have 2 ufo's left...yes,yes, one of them is the poncho. But I'm getting to it.

I'm off to finish a hat for a friend so I will be better about posting as soon as I am finished with the gifts.

Here is my favorite hand lotion. I treated myself to some as soon as Williams-Sonoma got it in stock. It smells luscious and feels so good. And lasts quite a long time as well. Quite worth the money as I get alot out of it.

Here's where sis was a week ago. She has a friend that has season tickets to the Bengals' and he invited her along to see the game. Talk about a bird's eye view! But she had a good time and got to tailgate with some of his friends in the parking lot. Mom and I stopped by Burger King the other day for a veggie burger (mmmm. good) and this is their tree. Very nice decorating job,no?

I have finished several projects...woohoo! and happy dancing all around. I made a few speedy things out of super bulky yarn that finished up in an hour or so. First is a speedy cabled cowl ( I found the pattern on Ravelry) and it's lovely and warm. I have worn it several times over the past few days and it's super. Covers the back of my neck that is not covered by my sweater or scarf. And I can layer instead of having a shirt and sweater on all the time. Two thumbs up for this knit!

This is made from the same yarn...Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Chunky in Cranberry. I do hate knitting with needles any bigger than 8's but these were on 13's and 15's. *groan* But knit so fast that it is done before I had alot of time to moan about it.

Sis has a friend in town this week who is also a vegan so today I did some cooking to share with them. I made roasted tofu and veggies (so good) ,a macaroni/tempeh dish cooked in a skillet that is reminiscent of hamburger helper. Also made pumpkin ice cream, cherry almond cookies, papaya and toasted coconut muffins, and pumpkin brownies that are below. I am tired now. Oh, and also some lemon squares. All vegan and pretty tasty as well.

I also finished the sampler vest that I was working on made from Peaches and Cream yarn. Mom liked it so much that I gave it to her. I think it looks better on her anyway. And she seems to be really happy with it. Now I'm going to work on my Ragna sweater and TRY and finish putting together the Celtic poncho. Hahahahaha...no really, I will get it finished. Stop that laughing, I really will get it finished. I promise.

Yah!! I am FINALLY finished with the secret knitting. Did the last bit just a little bit ago! Happy dancing all around. I'm glad the yarn came 'cause I didn't have enough.Whew. Will post tomorrow because I'm just tired.