Thursday 15 March 2012

Snow please go away!

This is the time of the year when I start feeling that we have had enough snow. This winter it came late, after Christmas, but we have had lots of it. Snowy landscape makes stitching a Scandinavian Christmas quilt very OK, but still! Yesterday I made the Churn Dash blocks needed for Block 2, the block I'm re-stitching after I managed to use a too small fabric for my first version.I hope to show the finished block soon.

There is still this much snow on the garage roof, and about 40 cm on the ground where the snow has not been touched. We still get new snow as well, but it usually melts away by the next day.


Two pheasant cocks have started to come to eat under our bird feeder, where the sunflower seeds drop. They are still almost friendly to each other, and wearing their winter looks.




By the time they start chasing the females, they will have to change this much:


I have been working on some secret projects I can't show yet, but I can show you the socks I knitted for my daughter. They are knitted from toe to top and two socks at a time:



The lighter yarn is a vintage ball of camel's hair, and the darker is an alpaca yarn I bought so I could knit her two socks instead of just one and a half. Both yarns were super soft and lovely to knit. The book I used is available in English at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Toe-Up-2-at-Time-Melissa-Morgan-Oakes/dp/1603425330.  This method is perfect for using ends of balls as you can make the socks as high as your yarn goes. This was my second "real" pair using this method, and I'm slowly getting the idea. I really like knitting them at the same time on a long circular needle. The four balls of yarn were a challenge with this pair, but I soon learnt to keep the resting balls inside the sock and out of the way.

10 comments:

  1. We're lucky to have 20C today and a blue blue sky. I just sat outside for a while to read (((o: Hope that spring comes your way fast!
    Lovely to have a pheasant in your garden. What a change it still has to undergo to attract females.
    Congrats with the sock finish. They look nice and warm!

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  2. Your little churn dashes are so sweet. Sorry your Winter is still there. At least you know it will go away, eventually. We have Dove already trying to nest and no greenery yet to hide it.

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  3. I like your Churn Dash row:-) Good luck with the rest of block 2;I really admire you!! You must be such a kind person as all these birds come to your house;Lovely post,Ulla!

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  4. Your pheasant cocks are so colourful - even in their winter finery. Our winter never really came this year so it has been very strange and today's high is predicted to get to 21 C. I do enjoy photos of that white stuff because we didn't get any that lasted.
    I do like the look of those socks. I have not yet attempted socks - nor working on circular needles.
    Your Scandinavian Christmas is coming along quite nicely even if you had to re-do a block. Perseverance.

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  5. Your churn dash blocks are so pretty, Ulla - my very favorite block, too! At least you have the blue sky behind all the snow - and how pretty it is! Wow - your pheasants are so colorful even in winter! Ours are pretty dingy right now. Gorgeous socks - I'm sure your daughter will appreciate two whole socks instead of one and a half - that other foot might get cold (wink)! I hope the snow melts soon and you'll be working in your garden while Mr. K is out catching dinner!
    Cheers!

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  6. Very nice churn dash blocks, love those colours together. How nice to have colourful pheasants visiting your garden.
    Love the stripey socks, they looks so cosy and warm.

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  7. I hope your thaw comes soon. We had blue skies today. Pheasants are so beautiful.

    Oo thanks for the reminder about the socks. Yours look gorgeously soft. I am going to try the small socks they recommend trying 1st of all so you learn the technique. It will be another thing for a niece. I am working on an Icelandic wool tunic. Knitting keeps my hands supple after holding a paint brush or chisel.

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  8. What a wonderful quilt to be working on while the snow melts...and it WILL melt!! Hang in there!! Keep stitching on your Scandinavian Christmas!! One of my ALL TIME favourites!!
    P

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  9. I saw your title, and had to comment. I am in my bedroom, shades drawn to keep out the sun, fan on high, because I am determined not to put the AC on because it is MARCH! The daffodils are starting to fry. This is from Kentucky, US. Nice work on your blocks. I miss winter!

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  10. Winter is my favourite season. You give nice images of snow places go away. This pix looks clear and feel new environment. Well done.

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