Hiatus interruptus

"There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any
winter.  One is the January thaw.  The other is the seed catalogues."
-  Hal Borland

I have not succumbed to the lore of the seed catalogue but the January thaw has come.  Living in a river valley means you're aware of seasonal ebbs and flows .   Our town is situated at the junction of two rivers -one many use for fishing and the other for rafting, so river levels are the start of many conversations.   An ice jam release on one can trigger the release on the other.  Right now the river on which we own property is pretty much clear.  The water is running high but all within its boundaries.  The other river is more prone to ice jams but they all went out without incident.

I have been spinning.  After cleaning my woolee winder  the large gear kept coming on done.  I eventually lost the screw and had to write to them for a replacement.  They sent me two free of charge and I am finally able to spin again.  The problem was the gear was re-installed backwards.  It feels good to be able to spin problem free again.  I finished spinning  two balls and have since plied them.

 I knit an om nom hat and polar bear hat.  Then I took some handspun yarn and started working on a pair of slippers for #2 daughter.  The roving that this yarn started from was horrible.  I stopped working with it twice because of all the second cuts.  Finally I just spun it to be whatever it would be...a slubby yarn, but it is soft and is worked out fine for her slippers. 

While reading Sandi’s blog she mentioned having a problem with hats not staying on her head and wrote about making a bonnet.  Following her instructions I made myself one as I suffer from the same hat ailment! 

I have been baking bread and reading my way through the five Song of Ice and Fire series or Game of Thrones as it is better known.  I have a long wait for the next book as it is not due out until 2015.   

I got an external hard drive for Christmas so I have been going through all the files and pictures on my computer to see if they are relevant and worth the transferring. 

But now everything is getting put on hold while I go take care of the grandsons for a week.  Trying to think of something to work on while they are sleeping (hahahaha) when #2 daughter asks me to make a baby afghan for her friends shower in February….So much for my mental and physical hiatus!  

Pictures of finished projects when I return

Old me, New Year

“Year by year the complexities of this spinning world grow more bewildering and so each year we need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities.”  Women’s Home Companion  December, 1915

Oh a new year, new beginnings, new hopes and aspirations…why does it come at that time of year when I just want to burrow in with a warm afghan, a book, a mindless pattern, old movie or tv series.  Yesterday it was the Waltons and McLintock while sitting by the woodstove knitting…the simple life.

After the spring and summer of gardening and then harvesting/canning I move into holiday mode of making presents/baking/cleaning for company etc.  I need this little bit of down time to just vege.  Consider it my two week vacation, inside where it is warm.

After a short time of doing nothing but keeping the house and laundry cleaned and inhabitants fed I will emerge ready to face this  new year.

I will look through the canned/frozen goods and choose what seeds I want to plant this year and where I will put them. 

I will look at what the year has planned (so far just #2 son’s graduation) and decide if we should raise our own pigs again this year.  I could use a few more layers and will have to decide if I want meat birds too before I place my order.

I would like an orchard up by the barn and have even thought of a couple of trees for Christmas's year down the road.  I would like to move extra raspberry and blackberry canes up there along with elderberry but have to think of fencing to keep the deer out.

I will look through the patterns that peaked my interest and decide if they are something that still interests me.  I know I need new dish cloths and socks so they will go on the to do list.

I have lots of roving but I also have 6 fleece that I might send out to be spun for me as I will have 6 more come April.

Decision, decisions, decisions….only time and finances will tell.  Right now I have at least one more week of mental/physical hiatus.  Till then some randomness....

 Grandson stocking

Grandson stocking

Work with me...it looks like a heart right?

Summer resident only!

Grandson O in bubble heaven

 

 

 

 I hope everyone one had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 

Boy a nap sounds wonderful right now.....