Not much for us.

The big blizzard that hit New England yesterday dropped only four inches where I am:

I measured in several places, and the official National Weather Service results had my town in the 4-6" category.  I saw friends report much more in other towns in the county, so I guess we were unlucky, or lucky, depending upon your view.

Today was clear with a brilliant blue sky and the highest temperature I saw was 18°F.

The pullover is within a few inches of completion: the body is done, and one sleeve, and I'm two decrease rounds from the ribbing on the second sleeve.  So it should be done tomorrow, within the month.  Not bad, especially given that I sidetracked to other projects periodically.

Including darning a mitten, which had a hole at the base of the thumb, the tip of the fingers, and in the ribbing.  The hardest to do was the thumb, because it included an increase, and I forgot to photograph it.  I also didn't get a "before" picture of the ribbing, just after:

Darning on the ribbing - three locations needed it.

The bigger hole in the tip, before mending.

The mended hole in the tip.

I got the yarn in a kit from Morehouse Farm many years ago at New York Sheep & Wool, when their mittens kits included single-ply wool, and knit them for me.  There was a hood but it came out smallish and I donated it, but the mittens just fit.  I think a moth munched one; the other was tucked far into the coat pocket.  I don't have any of the yarn left but these are workaday mittens and I had a bit left from something else that I decided would do, and I did.

Resolutions Update

If I finish the remainder of the second sleeve tomorrow, and run in the ends, I will consider the pullover finished although technically it would need to be washed and blocked for many to consider it truly DONE.  But I think it will be wearable without blocking, although the yoke looks a bit wonky.  That's one more item completed from my resolutions list.  I'm making progress in the second book of the year, also.

Souper Saturday.

Yesterday I decided to join a weekly session called "Shining Lights" which is designed "to shine a little light into the dark spaces. Come be inspired by examples of kindness, bravery, and hope all around us .... connect over Zoom to be reminded of how much love and beauty there is in the world."  We started with a discussion of the hostage-taking at the synagogue in Colleyville last week.  Apparently it dropped immediately off national news reporting, which I didn't realize because I have been following the papers there and of course they have constant reports.  We agreed that it seems sad but unless people die, most of the news quickly loses interest.

Then in the evening we had Rev. Alvin Johnson speak to our service, giving words of wisdom as a longtime friend of the congregation and our rabbis, and also a pillar of the community.  It was good to hear from him, as we often do around the MLK day observances.

Speaking of which, due to the weather, I was late to the blanket-making session.  I used the additional time at home (to be sure the roads were clear enough to drive safely) to write some more cards for the Meals on Wheels collections.  Then I stayed to help make egg salad sandwiches which were destined to be lunch at the South Park Inn on Tuesday.

We were supposed to provide 60 sandwiches, we ended up with about 70 plus leftover filling that the children ate while the adults cleaned the kitchen.  It was amazing where we found egg salad.  Start to finish was about 90 minutes, very impressive.

Most of the week was standard in terms of work.  I continued to make progress on the pullover and pulled out a UFO scarf.  Yesterday I did the weekly errands because today I was enrolled in a One Day University course on Abraham Lincoln, which I enjoyed.

I also made soup from a 1948/1951 cookbook:

I may have over-simmered it a bit.  I tried to halve the recipe, for practicality, and didn't measure exactly.  I also substituted carrot (which I have) for celery (which I rarely have), left out the bacon and flour (it was clearly thick enough), and didn't soak the lentils.  Overall, it's not bad, and fairly close to ad hoc recipes I make.  I definitely wanted some more seasoning, just having what the frankfurters brought was a bit one-note.

It happened again.

A gunman in a synagogue.  This time, everybody got out safely, except the hostage-taker.  I kept checking news feeds through the day and evening, and many of us were communicating on social media.  Some reports said it was a coincidence he went to a synagogue - no, it wasn't.

We are very, very tired of being targeted.

Originally, this post was going to be about the knitting I've done this week. I finished a hat to go with the seawater-dyed mittens:

Sadly, they are too big for me.  I also made a pair of mittens from UpNorth Yarns superwash wool in the "Campfire" colourway, deliberately too big to use up as much of the yarn as possible:

Tomorrow is the annual Day of Service in honor of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I am going to a scarf-and-blankets-making session.  There is also a cardmaking option; I wrote some notes on pretty stationery or cards and will drop them off at that table.  I may or may not stay for the working session; I took a number of blankets I've collected for the dialysis center in Dallas, and will donate them here.  No telling when I'll get to deliver them to the friend who transports them, and no telling when they would be accepted if I did get down there.

I figured I could donate some scarves I've made also, and a hat I finished for National Hat Day yesterday:

The scarf on the right has a matching hat.  They are of mystery
$1 yarn from A.C Moore.  Top left is Caron Big Cakes and
bottom left is Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball, used double.

Leftovers of Patons Classic Wool (purple, it looks
blue in the photo), Koigu, and something else.

We've had snow.

It was the first decent snowfall of this season.  I took some photos of the usual vistas the day before, in preparation, and the following morning:

   

  

My area received about six inches, although the official measurement for my town was eight inches:

Today is sunny and VERY cold, so the snow remains fluffy and mostly intact.

I knit mittens, which I finished today.  The yarn is from Seacolors Yarnery and the pattern is Palmistry which I think I did incorrectly because I don't have the nice curve at the bottom of the thumb.

Resolution Update (Already!)

Yes, it's just Day 2 of the year, but I have an update on the resolutions.  These two are COMPLETED:

The book is one of the two I mentioned as being in-progress, and there were about 140 or so pages to finish.  I woke early this morning and decided that snuggling in my blankets and reading was the perfect thing to do on the Sunday before I return to work.  So I did just that, and finished the book.

The story is a bit confusing, especially if you pick it up midway through after several months' hiatus, but I found my bearings quickly enough.  Overall I enjoyed the book, but I'm somebody who has a love of history who moved into law after a "History of Law" class in my second year at university.

The mittens are one of last year's UFOs, and I completed the weaving-in of ends during tonight's KnitTalk virtual get-together.  This is a better picture of the colours:

Buffalo Wool doesn't do this sort of sampler anymore.  The yarn is a bit scratchy and the mittens are too big for me, so I will sell or donate them.  Yes, the righthand one does need a bit of blocking to sort out the panel of colourwork.

We talked about our resolutions in the KnitTalk get-together, and I gave the ones about finishing my two carry-over UFOs and the pullover.  I'd shown the mittens during show-and-tell 

This leaves the Magical Miniskeins socks and seven more books to finish.  Plus, yes, the other items listed, but I wanted to keep it to these two categories.

Begin as you mean to go on.

 

Some people say it's a good thing to start the new year doing what you intend to do; others say that what you do is an indicator of how your year will go.  I like the former idea a little better, giving autonomy to the practice; tying in with something from this week's parsha or bible study:  "I shall be that which I wish to be."  For those keeping track, this is what I expect to do in 2022:

• Cooking
• Reading
• Knitting and Crocheting
• Eating ice cream

Inc has an article with some good, small suggestions for "small joys" for 2022.  I already do most of them (not naps on most days, and some days weather isn't conducive to going outside), so I may try to focus a little more on the ones I don't.  Most people who know me understand how difficult the seventh one can be for me.

Resolutions for 2022

Borrowing from last year's list, this is what I plan/hope for the coming year:

• Read (or finish) eight books.  I do read plenty of magazines and shorter stories, this commits me to full books.  I have two still in progress from last year, and hope to finish at least one of them as one of the eight.  These are, by the way, paper books, not e-books, as are all the ones I read last year.  Once I am finished, I usually pass the books along, either directly to another reader, back to the library or person who lent it to me, or to a secondhand shop or library sale shelf for somebody else to find and enjoy.
• Complete the two UFOs remaining from 2021.  This is where they are as of this morning:

• Complete at least two other UFOs.  One of them will be either of these, so I can wear it at DFW Fiber Fest 2022 in September:

Top of Fiberlady "Swirl" in "Oh, Happy Day",
a special colourway created for DFW Fiber Fest.
Yoke is finished and now it's just a foot-and-a-quarter of body.
I think I need to reknit the sleeve edges on smaller needles.

This is the "We Knit In Texas, Y'All" cowl, converted to
a vest.  I bought two of the kits and am struggling with
the neckline and armhole borders.  Then it's weave in ends.

• Finish the pullover I started for myself, and make a cardigan for myself.
• Make another cheese soufflé.  I probably have to do this at my parents' home.

Resolutions are not big in my religion, and I've heard of people talk of "setting an intention" for the year ahead.  A knitting adventure I should be following (but haven't, because I tend to wait for all the clues and then create the thing, plus I was working on other projects) suggested these to start your thoughts:

I will start my days with _____________.

I will approach life with _____________.

When things get overwhelming, I will _____________.

I may finish the last one with "eat some ice-cream" or "take a walk".

Speaking of walks, if I want to start this year with another thing I would like to keep doing, I should go out for one of those.  It's rainy but not cold at all; the current temperature is 47°F.