Warm?

I finally decided to take some pictures while the light was not horrible today. First up are socks that made the jump after sitting in my stash for 2 years. Now normally I don't keep stash that long but this was acquired during my first trip to NY Sheep and Wool Festival commonly referred to as Rhinebeck. 

No wait my first trip to Rhinebeck was in 2007, that is some well marinated wool. There is still another skein still  in there. Oh my!

It is Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Pheasant color way. I originally bought 2 skeins to make socks for D but he vetoed them. No worries I love the colors so I made a pair for me. Now what will I do with the second skein? I keep wanting to make mittens but I think the mohair in this yarn would drive my wrists crazy. Who knew my wrists are such delicate prima donnas? I think a shawlette would prove to be the same issue but different area. My neck is just as sensitive as my wrists.

Plus I already have a shawl that I love beyond all reason. I made the Multnomah shawl from some alpaca  yarn from Times Remembered. This yarn was so squishy and soft that I had to get it. I let this one sit for a while as I did not know what to do with it either. 

My first Multnomah was way too small for me so I thought a sport weight yarn with more yardage would suit me better. It has quite a good wingspan, but I wanted something that I could wrap a few times when needed.  I have been wearing it since I finished it. I did not even bother with blocking I just wrapped and went. I think that is what I like best about it, it is casual and functional. I like beautiful things but at heart I am a practical person first. 

Do you know how difficult it is to photograph the color grey? All nuance is lost it just comes out looking flat and grey. I like to wear it draped over my front with the ends hanging down my back or wrapped again around my neck. It has come in quite useful this winter. It keeps out the wind that always seems to find a way to get into my bones and chill me.

So that is what has been keeping me warm. What has been keeping you warm?

Work in Progress Wednesday

So some brilliant person on Ravelry came up with work in progress Wednesday (WIP). I will try to show off what I am working on.

I made Mustardy Cheese Pretzel Bread, or was it Cheesy Mustard Pretzel Bread? Either way it was yum. The dough did not seal very well with cheese mixed in so I got 'mountain' shaped bread.

Does not matter how it looks, it tasted great. I think D may have finished it today so I guess it is no longer a WIP.

Remember this sock? I knit on it while I was on my way to Oregon. Such a great color. As much as I loved knitting on this, I was fighting the feeling that it was wrong. Don't get me wrong I am sure I would have loved the socks but...I think it wants to be something else.

I found this pattern last week on Ravelry. (I must be on there a lot.) It did not matter what I was looking at this pattern kept popping up. I enjoyed the simple lines. Then I saw the name, Multnomah. I was constantly mispronouncing this word in Portland. It was the street where I stepped on to a city bus for the first time ever. It was my linking point between the MAX light rail and bus route 8.

I really wanted to knit the pattern using yarn that I actually bought in Portland. I petted, I pondered, I imagined, I talked to the pattern asking it which yarn to choose.

It told me that the sock was wrong for my blue alpaca yarn. That yarn rode Multnomah St. with me. It was riding in the car when we crossed back into Multnomah county. That yarn was just as much Oregon to me as the yarns I bought there. The pattern whispered that it would be OK they would work together.

And so far we are all sharing the love.