Thursday, November 30, 2006

Second Snow - The Chill Continues!

Evenings as low as 17 degrees, and days with highs from 25 to 47 degrees! It's cold in New Mexico. We got out second snow, the day after the first, and this one was even worse.

Chica was kind enough to pose for a quick picture to show off the snowfall we got. Sam actually had a 2-hour delay for THIS! Can you believe it? But honestly, the roads were a little slick.

Needless to say, we had the wood stove going in the evenings. Fortunately, we get tons of sun exposure that warms the house up incredibly during the day.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

First Snow 2006

John woke me at 4:30 this morning and said we'd gotten some snow over the night, but it was gone and it was just wet out.

I'm guessing it wasn't done snowing, or it was still too dark to really see, because when I let the dogs out at 7:00 we still had snow.

I snapped a couple quick photos simply as proof that New Mexico really does get snow. It's rare, but beautiful all the same.

There were no cancellations or delays locally, however, immediately north of us got hit a whole lot harder (3-5") and many schools are closed.

In my day - you didn't miss school unless it was frozen solid, or snow was over 6" deep. But if you could see how people drive in perfect dry clear conditions out here, you'd understand why.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Congratulations John!


Extra special congratulations to John who signed on his first home today.

After a few last minute changes, and a little scrambling to get all the right information in the right places, John has officially bought the house.

We celebrated by taking a ride on the dual sport out into the desert and watching the sun set against the Sandia Mountains.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Backyard View

This incredible picture is a view from our backyard looking toward the Sandia Mountains. (If you look close, you can see a telephone pole.)

I took this picture one evening right around mid-October. This is just after the sun set far enough that the mountains were no longer illuminated.

I love the view we have. It is different every day. The mountains never look the same twice. It was this mountain I first fell in love with back when we visited in June 2004.

And I am very blessed to announce that John is officially buying this house. He will be closing before month end. We have many years of enjoying this view ahead.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Etsy.com - Version 2 Now Up



Etsy has just upgraded their website, improving store function, shopping carts, imaging and more. There are some really creative and wonderful products here. Be sure to check out my favorites when you visit - I've bookmarked some of my favorite sellers and products from soap to just plain bizarre!


New in my store:


Elfish Stocking Cap - 39" LONG!!!

The colors are simply wild - not your traditional Christmas red & green!


Hooded Child's Poncho

I saw this pattern and wished I'd had it for Sam when he was smaller. Real easy on/off without having to wiggle little arms down tight sleeves.

I've already thought up a million variations for this one that I can't wait to try.

Knitting can be one of the most relaxing, yet productive activities. I love knitting in front of the TV on Sunday evenings. John and I watch our favorite shows and I produce fun items like this, with very little effort.

Blogs & Comments


I've had some feedback lately from a couple of different people that told me they were uncomfortable leaving comments online on mine or anyone's blog.

I agree with this discomfort. I don't like leaving comments on my friends' blogs either.

Sometimes there are things you would like to say privately, that you wouldn't say in a roomful of strangers. Online, anyone can see this page.

So, I'm making a change. All comments posted to my blog will be kept PRIVATE, and not published. Only I will see them. They cannot even accidentally be published.

Feel free to type what you will in response to any of my blogs, and know only I will receive your comments.

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

Letting Go of the Patterns and Designing My Own

I've done a lot of knitting lately, and therefore, am actually getting not only a lot faster, but definitely braver. Most recently, I made Friendship Scarf (pictured in previous blog) using two alternating colors every stitch with a fairly complicated furry yarn, without a pattern. I also finished a pair of socks for myself - with a pattern to remind me how the process goes.


I joined a newsgroup of sock knitters, and am learning lots of techniques from them and the websites they link to. I've gotten so used to turning the heel, now I look forward to it. I've even made little footy socks for myself simply to have another opportunity to turn heels without working long bodies.

Now I'm making hats without patterns. Once you get the gist of shaping... You can do anything! On the top left is my latest pattern, Peppermint Candy Twist. This was a lot of fun... I just made it up as I went along. I also documented my work so that I can recreate the pattern, and distribute it (maybe even sell it!)


On the bottom right is Snow Lantern. I'm not a huge fan of variegated yarns simply because I'm a control freak and prefer to know exactly what color is going to land where, but I'm learning to "release" and this was a neat project to use variegated yarns on. I took a standard, plain hat, graphed out a snowflake-like design and I think it came out really cute.


John suggested I make another one similar to this but with carousel horses going around the design band. I'm not big on horses, but the colorful challenge the idea presents is growing on me. I'm thinking I'll have to graph out the entire band and follow my chart stitch by stitch. It seems a little daunting, but I've done it before in beads, why would this be any harder?


I've made a scrapbook of all my knitting projects, complete with pictures of the finished product and the pattern for each. Its a fun (and beautiful, if I may say so myself) way for me to keep all my favorite knitting projects in one place, and perhaps a wonderful family heirloom to pass on one day.

If anyone has any homemade knit items on their wish list for Christmas, I'm doing holiday knitting now. Post to this article and let me know. Be sure to tell me if you have any specific colors in mind, material (cotton, wool, acrylic), and I'll need measurements. I wish I had time to make everyone a sweater, but I don't... so contact Santa for anything other than socks, mittens, hats, scarfs, mug cozies and headbands.

We are riding less, burning brush to clean weeds out of the yard, and roasting chilis on the grill. I'm very focused on building up foods in the freezer (chilis, lasagna, whole chickens, etc.) to both save money and to reduce last minute trips to the grocery. John is focused on the paperwork and processes involved in buying the house.

Oh, and one last thing... Yes, it gets cold in New Mexico. We've had a number of nights in the low 30's. Colorado is just to our North and we've already had some of the major snowstorms that buried them drift South to our higher elevation areas. John took a motorcycle ride two weeks ago and encountered a lot of snow.

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