Straight Up.

Hey.  Did you forget about me?  I have not forgotten about all of you, but I have been a huge lazy ass when it comes to my blog.  I have begun a monogamous relationship that has been taking up any and every meager bit of spare time I have.   Her name (yes, it's a her and it's really not that racy) is Coraline and she is a warm and nifty little thing.  Well, take a look for yourself.

Almost done!

The pattern was written by Ysolda Teague.  I'm using a basic Knit Picks Swish DK in persimmon and a puny size 3 needle.  It has been a turbulent relationship but I think we've come to an understanding.  She looks good with a nice pair of jeans. 

We're still wearing wool sweaters and jeans in Minnesota but today I wore a short sleeve shirt underneath.  Sadly, I even wore my floor to ceiling down quilted ugly brown coat to work today.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a miraculous 58 degrees.  I'm skeptical.  We have an outdoor field trip scheduled and I'll be damned if I will spend another two minutes standing around watching my own breath freeze in the air.

Spring has been keeping us busy.  The garden is completely untouched.  Too cold.  Now it's too wet.  Wah wah wah.

Stella has grown into a pretty little lady.  She is quite the swimmer and retrieves like a mo-fo.  Seriously.  We've been smacking tennis balls into the woods and after zigzagging back and forth for 5 minutes, she comes back with the darn thing.

Easter came and went.  It was lovely.

We rented a little teeny tiny cabin with the kiddos and had a sweet little vacation in the woods.  Wait.  Don't we live in the woods already?  I guess we do.  Hmmm.  I'll have to think about that a bit.

 Fishing for minnows in a hidden creek.

 Floating rubber duckies down the creek.

 I forgot the graham crackers.  No worries.  We made due.

 Mr. Darling was the master roaster.

 

 While the rest of the family played games in the lamp light, I snuggled into my top bunk (I had to wrestle my kid for it) and knit on with my headlamp.  You all would have been so proud of me.

Bob, Chuck Norris and Flower - bad ass rubber duckies

Hello, everybody.

Happy April 15th.  Or in Minnesota, you can also say, "Happy Snow Day!"

Just stopping by to tell you that it's snowing tonight.  Right now, actually.  As I tuck my sorry butt into bed.

Not complaining.  Just letting you all know.

Cheers!

Signs of Spring (and knitting)

Minnesota's winter is hanging on with sharp claws, but I think she's beginning to lose her grip.  Take a looksy at this.

That's my garden and until just recently it was covered in snow so deep that I was certain that this was evidence of another ice age.  Under this pile of mud are tiny asparagus babies, weeds and flowers - rubbing their eyes and about to stretch.  I have taken to sitting with a cup of coffee in my window and just staring at it.  Dirt.  Snowless dirt.  Frozen dirt, but still . . .  a gardener's Turkish Delight.

And another thing.  I am going to finish this damn sweater.  My lovely and talented bloggy friend Harpa just cast on for a man's sweater.  Knowing her, and I think I do just a tiny bit, she'll finish that man-sweater faster than green grass goes through a goose.  So I sort of sassed off and told her that I would be finishing my sweater before hers and now I think I need to start knitting.  Here it is thus far:

 The "Swamp Thing" socks are really more ball-of-yarn, than sock.  They'll remain neglected until the sweater is off the needles and blocked.

There are a few lame snowflakes in the air today.  I'm not going to fret.  There has been far too much whining and complaining on this blog lately.  Yesterday, I grabbed the camera and took the family (except for Lumpy who is down with flu or something) to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.  It's a hop, skip and a jump from my front door.

There were birds . . .

and would you believe - flowers?

Mr. Darling has also been busy boiling down sap from our maples to make our year supply of syrup.

The supply never makes it past the summer.  It's that good.  There are also friends and family that often leave our house with a jar for themselves.  Mmmmmmmaple syrup.  Thanks, Mr. D.

Filler

I will be the first to admit that I've been a totally lame blogger lately.  Whining and whinging.  No knitting.  And using Youtube videos to take up space.

BUT THIS IS SOOOOO . . . . . it's SOOOOOOO . . .
well.  You decide.  I think most of you will laugh so hard you'll cry.  I did.

Endless

I was just beginning to think that I should put down the wool sweater and start something more summery.  I mean, spring is just around the corner.  How many more days of cold and snow and dark and gray can there possibly be?  There is a finite number - the earth keeps moving in its axis and we eventually tip towards the sun, right?  Something like that.

Insert snowstorm.

So I'll keep fidgeting with this Knit Picks wool and my nice little cardigan sweater.   The truth is that I'm in a sort of knitting purgatory - and endless parade of stockinette stitch that has no end in sight.  The sweater has taken on a metaphoric meaning - winter is endless.  Knitting 114 rows of stockinette on US 4  . . . is endless.  But the spring will come and it will be spectacular.  My sweater will be, too.