Spring Fever

Well, my husband's vest is almost finished. I really hope he likes it. Honestly what's on my mind today is Spring Fever. It has been so beautiful and warm here the last couple of days. I am looking out of my office window and the snow on the mountains is almost melted, which from my California mind is a blessing, because last winter was soooo long and soooo snowy, that I was ready to hightail it right back to the beach! Last year, I think it was sometime after Mother's Day, thinking, "I am still so cold! Why am I still cold?" I would soak in a hot tub just to warm up my bones. This thinking process even lead my wandering mind back to a series of books I first discovered about 15 years ago by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander). The main characters were in damp, cold France I think it was, and got into these hot mineral baths so they could finally get warm. The way she described the cold right in the midst of her bones, was so compelling, and I supposed that's why it has always stuck with me, not to mention the fact that Jaime is soooo hot in my mind's eye. I know all of my girlfriends will agree with that one. If you haven't read them, they are historical fiction, but oh so addictive.

I have given up pleasure reading for the most part, because whenever I get into a book, the world fades to black and until I have finished it, I can get nothing done and no one can talk to me, because I truly transport to another world. Very unheathy I must say if you have children. Knitting is so much better because you can converse, keep food out of your mouth (mustn't muss up the yarn, you know) watch the television, put down the project, do what you need to do, and pick it right back up again!

And speaking of keeping food out of your mouth, at my Friday afternoon knitting group, someone brought .... Girl Scout Cookies!! Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad! Is anyone capable of keeping their hands off of them? And what's with the new Daisy Go Rounds? They are reduced calorie, which is supposed to make you feel better for stuffing the whole box into your mouth? Right! Well, sadly today is filled with laundry, vacuuming, ironing and running up and down the stairs, so (sigh) I won't be getting my daily yarn fix. Maybe if I work really hard and quickly, I can get to it. Let's hope for miracles, ladies.....

The New Project

I was knitting my husband a cotton vest from the "simply Sublime organic cotton book". It was getting a little tedious. Okay, if we're going to be honest here, it was BORING!!!! I mean stockinette stitch, while the basis of all knitting, can get really boring. I have to knit something like 18 inches until I get to the beginning of any interesting pattern. But because of the fact that all of my kids got something that I knitted them at Christmas, my poor husband (with a dejected pout on his face, I might add) said, "What about me? How come you haven't knitted anything for me?" So, I scoured the pattern closet and found this great beachy looking pattern for him.

While we were in California (at the beach, even) I scoped out a yarn store and ran across this new Rowan magazine no. 45. (See cover photo). Now, do you see why I attempted this? What a challenge!! Now, truth be told, I am really too stupid to realize that I'm not capable of a certain level of expertise when it comes to knitting, so I jump in with both feet (and my eyes metaphorically closed) and hope for the best. So far so good! Take a look for yourself! The best part is that even though I have crocheted, I am really NOT a crocheter. But it really wasn't that hard. Once I downloaded the difference in terms from the UK to the US, it was relatively easy. What do you think? One of the gals at my knitting group said that when I finish it, I need to wear a battery-operated neon sign stating "I MADE THIS".

So part way up the first sleeve, I started feeling guilty as the partially finished front of my husband's vest began to call out to me from deep within the recesses of the bag I had banished it to. Soon that vest began to be annoying. In fact it turned into a complete nag! Well, just to shut it up, I reached into the banishment pile and picked it up again. I am on row 85. Mindless work, but if I can at least finish it, maybe it'll finally shut up!