Package arrived

A few weeks ago I won a contest.  The package arrived the other day so I thought I’d share a picture of my winnings from Amy.

dyed in the wool winnings

There are several patterns in the book that I just might have to knit.  The project bag is so cute.  It’s just the perfect size for a sock project.

Thank you Amy!

Sleeves in

Last evening I spent two hours sewing in the sleeves on the papaya cardi.  It didn’t happen with the first try.  There was some undoing at times.  Next step is to steam those seams while the sweater is still in the two-dimensional stage.

The side seams and sleeves will be easier as the stitches will all be going in the same direction.

There will be more crochet edging along the bottom edge but I think I can handle it.

Finding 1-inch buttons will be a challenge.  Should I go with funky buttons? Subdued buttons?  Plain buttons?  Striped or patterned?  Matching?  Contrasting?  Clear? 

Oh, the choices!

Last night

Last night Mr. Aitch and I had a lovely candlelight dinner complete with wine.

Candlelight and wine

We got about 12 inches of snow yesterday.  I left work early and managed to make the 18 mile trek in Mr. Aitch’s 4-wheel drive truck in about an hour.  The trip usually takes about 20-25 minutes.  Cars and trucks were scattered all over the roads.  The I-68 was shut down.

I was just getting ready to turn off the stove and put dinner on the table when we saw a flash of light coming from outside and the lights flickered.  As we looked out the window, we saw a bluish-green light in the valley.  Then an explosion.  The transformer blew and the power went out.

It wasn’t total darkness as there was still enough daylight left to get out the flashlights and find some unscented candles for the table.  I turned off the burners on the stove.  Mr. Aitch poured the wine and we sat down to enjoy a candlelight dinner.

I needed to cast on (again) for my special knitting project but there was not enough light for me to see what I was doing.  I can knit in the dark but I really do need to see the stitches when I cast on and knit in the round at least for the first couple of rounds.

So we worked on a crossword puzzle.

The power was restored about two hours later but we still don’t have phone, cable or internet service.

Hat – check

I finished the hat last night and it’s in the mail.  I found out after I finished the hat, that it wasn’t needed until February 10.  Oh, well, it was a fun, albeit frustrating knit at times.  The recipient requested tassels instead of pom poms.

I do have a photo of the finished item but will wait until later to post it since I found out it is a gift.  Oops!  I hope she doesn’t read this blog.

Now I can concentrate on seaming my papaya cardi…and my special project.