Just after I published the last post, I was hearing a strange, muffled noises outside my window. Somewhere in my sleepy head, I kept dismissing it for snowmobiles. It finally dawned on me that I was hearing owls. I opened the den window and it sounded like the pair were within a few hundred feet of the window. Great horned owls, from the sound of it. They are in their nesting season January-February here in Minnesota. And according to the DNR, they can eat up to 4,000 mice in one year.
OWLS! I WELCOME YOU!
I found this on YouTube - another Minnesotan who was not feeling as sleepy as I and happened to set up her(his) camera to record the calls. I wish it was louder, but you'll get the idea.
So here are some "Owl" inspired knits for your viewing pleasure (these are not my knits - click on the links to get the patterns):
So I was hanging out, over at We Heart Yarn, and was yet again inspired by the ever-talented Neuroknitter. She is finishing up a pair of socks using a (free!) pattern called Leyburn (pdf). After her suggestion on her post to check out the beautiful varieties popping up on Ravelry, I became obsessed and ended up with some foofy purple/pink, sparkly yarn - and despite being a month behind on a certain pair of navy of socks and a large child sized sweater, I cast on immediately and here is what I have thus far . . .
They will be a pair for my little gal. I had to modify the pattern, which is toe-up - I am not a friend of the toe-up way of thinking. It seems so very wrong. But that's another post. I CO 58 and I'm only doing the gorgeous pattern you see there across the front. The back is just plain old k2, p2 and of course, the picot cuff, which I also learned from Neuroknitter (thanks).
I. LOVE. THESE. SOCKS. Yeah, the color reeks of grandma-yarn from Ben Franklin, but the pattern is so fast and easy to memorize and it is THE perfect pattern to use with a short striped or variegated yarn.
+++++++ I am WAY WAY out of the loop. Apparently, unbeknown to me, there is an entire Leyburn sock knit-along! I found that out on We Do Not Have A Knitting Problem (she does, by the way, have a terrible knitting problem . . . and yarn stashing problem . . . which is why I'm always checking her blog . . .)
Originally, I was only going to blog about knitting, but somehow, my other life seems to creep in. So this post is dedicated to knitting and knitting only.
Pattern: Dashing (free pattern and knits quickly!) Yarn: Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Needles: US #6
Pattern: Supersize Me by Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs Book: The Yarn Girls' Guide to Knits for Older Kids Yarn: Berroco Peruvia Needles: US #7 and 8 My first 'big person' sweater for my darling "Vidiot". I still have to attach the hood and finish the zipper/trim. Oh, and next time I'll take a class on seaming since the seams look horrible. I'm mentally finished with this project, so the ugly seams will remain intact.
Pattern: Bunny Hoppers by Kathleen Taylor Yarn: Can't remember - I'll post it later.
