Wintertime Blues (and Purples, and Pinks...)

Aren't they pretty? These are my very-first-ever mittens, made from Peace Fleece yarn and using their Simple Mittens pattern. I can already feel my fingers itching to knit another pair... but more on that later. (Yes, they're the same size -- but they still need to be blocked.)

This past weekend, my friend Fran and I decided to check out the Spa Knit & Spin event up at the Doubletree in Portland. I'd only found out about it when I received an email from Central Yarn Shop talking about the shuttle they were running from the hotel to their shop and back. I saw the word "yarn" and dashed off an email to Fran: "Want to do something naughty?"

Anyway, we didn't know a soul there, but we had a blast! There were knitters and spinners all over the lobby, in the halls, in the rooms... everywhere. We missed the greeting table on the way in, but we sure didn't miss the vendors' area!

I swear I went into complete yarn overload. I can walk into a big yarn shop and still keep my wits about me, but this area carried hand-dyed and -painted yarns and fibers that you don't usually stumble across in a store or online. It was truly nice to be able to support New England fiber artists and to be able to bring home things you wouldn't see just anyplace. I was good, though -- I only brought home one skein of sock yarn, but it's a doozy. Go take a look at Amy's Spunky Eclectic site and The Woolen Rabbit. If these colorways don't make your fingers itch to knit, then you surely must be dead.

Remember when I said I was looking around for my next pair of mittens? They found me. One of Amy's thrummed mitten kits followed me home, as did a skein of Skinny Sock yarn. (No, it wasn't one in the Dinah colorway, but it should have been!)

Fran brought home a lovely Lantern Moon knitting bag in multicolored brocade. I found the size 5 shortie dpns I'd been looking for. All in all, it was a successful hunting trip.

They're Not Dogs, They're Pupsicles

We got dumped on again last week, on Valentine's Day. (I'm sure at least half the guys in the county were silently thanking Mother Nature for getting them out of Valentine's Day dinners...) This time, we ended up with about 18-20" of snow. The pups, of course, were thrilled to bits.



Seamus couldn't be happier about having nice fresh snow to break-dance in.



Charlie thinks the world is his snow-cone.



Dinah spent the morning at the beauty parlor, and came home to greet her adoring public.