Spring IS coming....right after this next snow....

The saying, "Great Minds run the same course," is an oldie but goodie....and I've often used it as smiling commentary with friend or family when we are generating ideas on the same path.  This past week I've had several "smiling moments" to myself, though, as I take on a task only to find that several others in this blogging world are going that same journey. 

Just a few days ago, I was taking stock of my stash, which by the way is growing, growing, growing, and I had to admit I need to be a very busy woman in the next few weeks....well, months....okay it may take me a year, but then I felt much better as I viewed other blogs where pics of great yarns flowed down the page and honestly, they made me want to go find more.  You folks have to stop that temptation--well, no don't.  There's no harm in dreaming unless it further challenges my monetary resources.

Other "same paths" popped up as well.  We all seem to be having that urge to sort and identify or clean up and make that stash a bit more manageable.  I had already given in to the "must organize books and pattern" bug, and with my realization that that attempt really was laughable at that point, I turned to other things.....like starting felted bag #4 for Daughter #1 and dreaming about some nice little felted slippers that had long ago enticed me into buying the book they were in:

 

Now here's the thing:  I bought Felted Knits by Beverly Galeskas while vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina....in the midst of August.  The image of those softly rounded slippers drew me in, and I'm guessing as much because of the superb photography as my tendency to very chilly feet in the cooler months.  So while it's warming UP toward spring, I'm tempted to give this pattern a try??  Go figure.  

I do love, though, the pattern for the purse that I now have memorized.  The issue of Creative Knitting (Nov 2008) from which this little gem came bears evidence of my effort, with its dog-eared pages and permanent center crease formed by my tucking it into various bags to carry along.  

My Baby Bobbi Bear is waiting for the arrival of some needles I ordered--finally--after looking in every store around that could have possibly had the #9 double points I needed.  Of course, I couldn't order just the #9--heavens, the shipping would have been wasted and the site, eKnittingNeedles.com, was offering a special and.....you know the rest of that story.  I will not need to buy any (ANY!) double point needles in any size for a long time...if ever.  And I suspect that there are some great minds out there that have followed THAT same path as well.  What a comfort!!

Inspirations and realities...and more subtle guides....

Amazing, isn't it, what a few glimmers of sunshine will do ?!  With the peeks we got from the Great Star over the weekend, our snow began its slow-melt and some people around here are thinking that the snow storms are over.  I've reminded them of the 10-incher that fell one mid-March and the fact that I may be able yet to say, "That's what you get for thinking."

No matter--nothing could squelch my energized response to get a start on organizing the wealth of patterns I've gathered over the last year or so.  Several folders, packed with these "hopes," stared at me from my desk and one of my knitting bags, so I decided it was time to sort and punch my inspirations.....much to my little German Pincher's curiosity....

She surveyed the scene--all of these funny looking piles of paper--and then decided...well, obviously she had better things to do.....

 

She patiently occupied herself as I cleaned up my messy attempt at managing all of the free patterns I've gathered over the last couple of years...and the reality check was clear:  I need several more binders to hold all of these many "hopes."

After facing the fact that I needed a trip to the office supply store and it was too late at night for that task, I did what any savvy knitter would do--I started browsing blogs.  Need I say much more, except that there is temptation with every turn I take--well, every click I make.  It was a simple task to take in glorious yarn eye-candy from several great sites.  I've found some wonderful bloggers who post superb pics of both projects and possibilities, and on this particular adventure I spent the rest of the afternoon ooohing and awwing over them, including Javajem's wonderful color combinations and the beautiful lace and honeycombs on brooklyntweed.  

Impasse exists here, though, as I look at even more "starts" I'll need to tuck into my bag.  How can I start another (yet another another) project???  Although I have finished purse #2, now ready for the great felt washing so it can go to Daughter #1, my Baby Bobbi bear--for Grandbaby #2 (Yah!!!!)--sits waiting for attention because I have to secure those #9 double-pointed needles I mentioned in the last post....I can hear the voices saying "You knew there was a reason and that the circular ones wouldn't work all the way." 

 

I also need some #7s (circular 16 in. and 29 in.) for a sweater I'm dying to start....and the list goes on.  Where's a girl to go to get great needles (I've been favoring wood/bamboo) at a reasonable price?  I can attest to places like Michael's not carrying them--the store carries every other size--but of course the "other" is not the one I need.  Any suggestions would be greatly welcomed as I wrestle what I know so many also juggle--tool need and tool costs!!

In the meantime, I guess I'll just have to start that pair of reading gloves I found on Ravelry (mercy, I  LOVE this site!) that I DO have the needles to make and use a skein of yarn I couldn't resist a couple of weeks ago.....organization and project finishing will have to wait their turns.....I'm dancing into a new reality!

And the snow goes on....and on...

I had to laugh several times this past Sunday on a comment a new couple in our church made at the end of services.  Having moved to the Alleghany Highlands last July from the sunny land of Arizona, they told everyone they almost considered moving back after this latest snow storm blanketed the area.  You have to understand--this kind of "pile--up" only happens here about every 10 years or so....at least that's been the pattern for a few decades.  But with a steady 20 inches still hanging around, one has to wonder!  The scene has changed just a little, with our home now sporting some pretty impressive icicles.  The grey sky and chilly temps remain obvious reminders that things may be changing but not quickly.

This forced slow-down has created some definite shifts in life-style.  We've gravitated to soups and hearty chili more so than usual, and it seems I just can't get in a hurry.  I'm having to remind myself that while the snow is still present, the roads are clear and school is on!  But that evidence of change is present in the halls at my college as well.  This morning as I contemplated the day's events in American Literature, one student stopped by just to bring me a cupcake, and she shared that she had made them for no particular reason--just seemed like a good idea.  Of course, I was tickled that she came to my office to share, and the sweet little gift made me smile the rest of the day--even after I gobbled it down!

I've also not been able to shake the urge to pick up my knitting needles for a few minutes...at anytime during the day and have even considered sneaking them into my work bag......oh me!  But the persistence to knit more has led me to start another small project--something I swore in January I would not do---"Finish what you start first" was the resolution that is now long gone.  But with the news of a second grandbaby reaching our ears a few days ago, what can I say??  I reached for an adorable little toy pattern, and this one will be my first attempt at knitting one.  My daughter--the soon to be mom--had picked out this little fellow in a knitting shop in Kill Devil Hills, NC, called The Knitting Addiction.  "Bobbi Bear" from Blue Sky definitely tugs at the heart with his simple form--and I've had lots of good experience in felting with Patton's Classic Wool, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  Besides, it was the closest in suitable color and texture in the store I had stopped in to get some yarn :)

The pattern calls for #9 double-pointed needles, but all I had was #9 16in. circular and I'm giving it a go.....we'll see...looks and feels fine right now!  I'm thinking I may have to incorporate a #9 dbl-pt when I get to the little legs....maybe.  It's an adventure for sure because my experience with dbl-pts is limited, and I would love some suggestions for using them...although I already know that practice does, in this case, bring a bit more perfection.

So that's my temptation....a tiny little bear in soft wool!  I'm a pushover--but don't tell my students!

One other quick note--I'm a little behind on this great aspect of "sharing" blogs, but I have thoroughly enjoyed several connections I've found....one in particular is a great spot to find wonderful inspiration and just good sharing....if you're interested, check out Implausible Yarn, and she's got a great little give-away going!  Enjoy!

Winter wonder......and more snow!

The buzz phrase for the Alleghany Highlands right now is "Here we go again!"  Outside the snow is coming down and showing no signs of halting.  Weathermen on three channels sing the same tune--"Five to eight inches are expected....."  Put that on top of the seventeen inches that waited on the ground and here we are....again.  One brave fellow stated in his report, "There's a chance of it staying with it."  Ya think?????  How long does it take two feet of snow to melt....when the temp isn't predicted to go above thirty for a week????  And just how much room does the water table have down there????  If it takes ten to twelve inches of snow to equal an inch of water.......that's some kind of melt!!

I think about all those plant roots of my perennials and flower bulbs, and the snow really is a gift--not only will the moisture be a benefit for that springtime bloom that seems hard to envision right now, but I know that blanket is also protecting those same plants from bitter cold that could freeze them into oblivion.  Shall I count my blessings?  Yes, I believe so.

The day stretches ahead with so many possibilities.....the ever present grading I have from so hardworking students.....the purse I'm knitting and hoping to finish this week.....the list of "need to do" that remains in the forefront.......and again, I've been given a day to get some of those things completed.  I can't complain--especially with all those great skeins of yarn that also call from the basket with even more suggestions of things I can do.  

Getting started.....

When I look at my interests--writing, quilting, knitting (really fiber arts of any kind), gardening....and on--getting started has never been a problem for me. Getting finished--now there's the hitch! I was not born project-oriented. You can then imagine the state of my sewing room, but I'm getting better I think.

Most of my day is filled with teaching and the resulting pile of grading that comes with helping college students define their composition skills, their literature awareness, and their art analysis ability. I have a special spot for future teachers--leading me to be their advisor/mentor--and I am constantly amazed and encouraged by both the depth and wealth of their ideas and hopes for their teaching choices and careers. The future is in their good hands!

When I take time for other things, I gravitate toward stitching of some kind unless the weather's beautiful and warm, and then I'm outside enjoying the garden and the mountains right outside my back door. At present that view includes watching the Blizzard of 2010 fall on my Virginia mountain home--we already had 8 inches on the ground, so if I do a small bit of math and look at the predicted 2 to 3 inches per hour for about 10 hours, we're in for the long haul. So be it. The homemade hot cocoa mix is on the counter and ready. I have plenty of work and stitching to do. The winter beauty is wrapping us in that blessed peaceful sound of falling snow. "Blessed" is definitely the key word here.

In the knitting realm, sometime ago I was bitten by the felting (or fulling) bug and after some basic attempts at coasters and small bags, I tried a small purse....and then showed it to my daughters......you know what happened. I finished request #1 a couple of weeks ago and started on request #2........with yarn bought for request #3......and some for the friend that saw it, which is request #4. I think I'll hide my purse!

I did take some time for myself and knitted a hat to wear, which was very good timing as well, considering the two feet-plus snow that is gathering outside. Initially, I feared I had wasted both time and wool, but my husband--smart man that he is--suggested I take the odd-shapen piece that emerged from the washing machine and stretch it over our medium saucepan for a form. It worked!! Perfect fit! He's quite a guy!

Funny how these projects multiply, but then that's part of what I love about stitching, as I know others do as well--giving the result to ones we care about!

Well, I've gotten started with this blog....we'll see where it goes. I have to go hop on those papers to grade....or maybe a bit of knitting.