Sub Zero

The wind is sincerely howling around the house.  I can hear it trying to reach down our chimney, but I have that fireplace so stoked with wood that there's not a chance it will get through.

What does one do as the temperature plumets from 35 degrees to -4 in just a few short hours?  If you're born and raised up north, you get the heck outside and get as much vitamin D as you can while the sun doth shine, my friends.  Throw on some extra clothes and play a little boot hockey.  (or sit in your heated car and take pictures of your husband and his friends - it really was too cold).

I took a stroll through our local park and admired the ice sculptures.  I guess it wasn't technically a stroll.  More like a moment of hopping up and down trying to keep warm with my back to the wind and cursing like a sailor.

This one was my favorite sculptures - a growler - what do you call them in your neck of the woods?  You know - a big jug of beer that you can have filled at your local brewery and bring it home to enjoy. Ours is The Excelsior Brewing Company - and low and behold, they have a blog.

This chilly day was also "Hockey Day Minnesota".  The highlight for me was watching a high school varsity hockey game being played outside -  "pond hockey" style.  Go Benilde! (they lost)  I watched this game

. . . from the comfort of my couch.  With half of my family and the half empty growler close by.  No judgement, right?  The other half was . . . playing hockey.  I prefer the spectator sports myself.

And now, the sun has set.  All are sleeping - I am here next to the fire working on a Valentine's Day bunting for a friend.  It's so cute, though.  This might find a home right here.

Happy Hockey Day to all and to all a warm and peaceful night.

Crochet Frosting

Thank you for your gentle suggestions for me to get over myself.  I have an iPhone and iPad an a teeny tiny iBrain so I'll start posting pictures.  It was suggested by my good friend "Anonymous" that I have it repaired.  That's a great idea but not only am I a Knitter with a capital K, but I'm also Lazy.  We'll see.  I may get desperate.

Here is what I've been working on:

I have a family room that is all beige and pale yellow.  Snore.  It needed a little color, so along with the Ripple blanket from hell, I am going to be so crafty and cover these cheap IKEA pillows with crochet frosting.  I mean, look at it.  Isn't she a beaut?  The other side will have a different color scheme and stitch pattern.  Haven't decided yet.  It has to be painless and mindless.

If you're still JUST a knitter, I highly recommend you buy yourself a hook and start covering stuff in your home with crocheted yarn.  It's therapeutic. 

Ugly Afghan

As promised, here is my ugly afghan. The pictures don't really do justice to the neon pink and purple. I find that if I blur my eyes and look at a thumbnail picture, I can almost like it.

I bought it as a kit while learning to crochet. I won't say where I bought it from, but it was clear to me that the "kit" idea is a great way for the company to get rid of their "uglies".

It's not done, yet, but as I mentioned earlier, working on this thing is about as fun as picking ticks off my dog.