Winter blues and pretty hues & the emergency vacation day!

Sorry in advance, this entry will be writing heavy.

It's been a difficult winter. I have a recent four-year-old and an almost 7-year-old and I work full-time and we live in Wisconsin. None of this is anything to complain about (except this living in Wisconsin in the winter part, but I'm not technically allowed to complain about that). But I'm the kind of person that when things get to be too much, I need a day to knit and watch Downton Abbey. I took that day this past Tuesday. Season 2 wartime Downton Abbey + knitting = happiness (or as close to it as I can come when it is less than 20 degrees outside).

The weekend involved a trip to the circus with the kids which I have mixed feelings all around on the experience. I'd never gone, so I felt like I couldn't judge. Now that I've gone I can judge and never go again. We also had a 7-yr-old boy's bowling birthday party, which was fun - but if you don't know me, this is all a lot for me.

Work on Monday morning had me looking for an escape. Tuesday - emergency vacation day!

While watching Downton I finished an arm warmer with some yarn I don't particularly care for. I've got plenty of this yarn, so I'm sort of just trying again with another ball and it seems to be going better. I'm still very novice when it comes to double pointed needles, so I'm okay if this doesn't work out great. I'll call it practice. My goal is to finish something with a thumb hole soon. I have this tendency to get to the thumb hole and something goes wrong and I abandon the project. Every time.

I also finished a cowl. Two actually. And now I'm working on some stirrup socks which are fun. I didn't know how I'd feel about yarn than changes colors when you knit with it (I like my control, you know), but I've been pleasantly surprised. These are fun.

I also had a big yarn fail last week. I ordered some yarn from an etsy shop with a gift card from my husband, and when I went to wind the hank into a ball, well, there was sneezing. Painful sneezing. I work with wool all the time, but something about this is off for me. I'm not sure I'll be able to use the yarn. I think I'll put it away until I can knit outside and see if it has the same affect then.

I'm also starting to really think about writing again. I had a burst a few months ago and got 5 or 6 pages out. I think I feel another burst coming on. At this rate, maybe I'll finish a book by the time I'm 80.

Here is my show and tell for the week:

 This lovely thing is the Lucky Ribs Cable Cowl by Wendy Bernard - It was a November Knit Along that went wrong for me. I misread the pattern the first time around - It looks much nicer with the 4 extra side stitches, and honestly, I like this silvery blue color better than the first color I choose. I didn't attempt the provisional cast on - maybe next time. Wrapped around my neck twice, it's really rather warm.

This one I like to call Big Blue. It's really a lovely bright blue color. I was trying to get an artistic (?) shot, but I just kind of look like I have the winter blues I guess. This is the Cable and Lace Cowl by Stefanie Japel and I used the suggested yarn and color. I love it. It's funky but it doesn't keep me too terribly warm. I wore it to the circus and that was the best part of going to the circus for me.