Small lil pizza's

Bought some Naan bread while in town last trip to experiment with. Tonight's was small pizza's, a very small amount of pizza sauce, then spinach, roasted red peppers, pepperoni and mozz cheese, not bad at all. Could have used some fresh mushrooms but didn't buy any this trip.

Back working on another pair of monstersocks, main color I think will be red but then something else might jump into the mix. Waiting on the wool-silk mix in gray to arrive from Paradise Fibers, hopefully the other color will be burgundy, both needed for two pair of upcoming socks, will pass the colors by the gal from Vanc Island that they are for at Desert Mesa in April.

Fraternal socks

Finally finished Isabel's Monstersocks, she wanted fraternal and they really are. Do hope I haven't gone overboard with them.

Ended up having to go back to town Monday this week for a visit with my favorite Dentist (NOT), badly cracked tooth. My appointment wasn't until 4:40 Monday thus guaranteeing I couldn't make it home before dark and as it turned out had to stay over to get repairs finished on Tuesday. Lighter in the wallet but tooth is good to go again.

Woke up yesterday to a skiff of snow and it was gone by noon, today's snow is coming at a tad bit colder temps and looking like it might stick, especially since its still snowing. Nothing to complain about we here on the almost west coast have had an incredibly mild winter, Vancouver ski mountains didn't fare very well this year at all, most have been closed for the last month or so.

Need to make two more pairs of socks both out of colors I didn't have in my stash, so ordered Cascade Heritage wool-silk mix from Paradise Fibers in Spokane, and will be raising my prices on socks to $50, still prolly only getting $1 an hour, but am not doing it for the money just a love of wild & crazy socks with as many colors as I can squeeze in.

On this weeks trip to town I found frozen chicken livers in Safeway, one of my favorites. One more meal with leftovers then will thaw a pkg. and have salad, livers and rice.

town

Finally got to town, went in Tuesday and did a a whole lot of running around, then headed up to friends just before 5 to crash, then Wednesday morning started just after 8 am by getting car filled w/ gas, then to Kal tire to have tire pressure checked, wheels re torqued, Margetts Meats (didn’t buy anything) and then to SaveOn for a pretty good grocery order, just about everything green they sell, kale, spinach, mixed organic salad greens, head lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cilantro, celery, cucumbers, green beans, sugar snap peas, then 2 each large red, orange and yellow peppers, and a spaghetti squash, so last night for supper had a large salad. Will have same again tonight along with some of the rotisserie chicken I bought. Am I happy you bet. And best of all the roads were bare and dry both ways. Lucas car unloader came down from school bus and had car unloaded in just over 10 minutes, best $20 I spend. Had 4 flats of water (24 bottles each) and he is strong enuff to carry two at a time. And just in time snow forecast for today and again tomorrow. Haircut within 10 minutes of getting to town, first I’ve had since the middle of December, so much needed.

Planning on messing around with the Ashford blending board I have, will use up lots of bits of leftovers and make wild and funky sock yarns, certainly have enuff scraps to fill several bobbins and then once I am better at doing it will try planned colours. A friend in Oregon has been making some incredible combos, I have had board for some time (last spring) and was afraid I’d not do it right but last nights attempt didn’t come out to bad so will continue on and see what I end up with.

99% of snow in yard is gone, driveway is even muddy (trust me thats way better than the solid ice it was for almost two weeks), soon with wind and sunshine it will start to dry up. I’m planning on going down to Whidbey Island the end of March, will be good to see green grass and flowers as well as lots of friends I only get to see once a year. And am thinking about a new car this year, will probably get another Subaru (full time all wheel drive) likely another Outback. The 2006 Forester I now have need to be retired and driven around town on pavement by another ole lady.

Pride goeth before a screw up.

I've made more than a few pair of socks and I should know how to cast on correctly, NOT. Just after Downton Abbey last night cast on (I thought) for Isabel's second Monstersock, first time got number of stitches right and promptly started knitting with the tail, wasn't gonna work, so pulled everything out and started again, this time to have first three stitches (beginning of cast on) slide off the needle, OK I can do this so started over once more, 72 stitches on 2.5 mm needles. By Jove I think I got it, proceeded to knit the first row as I always do and found I was 6 stitches short on first needle, thought I could at least count to 18, apparently not. 4th time was the charm and by now after getting a couple of rows into ribbing figured it was time out before I did something else stupid. Pix is the first sock, problem free.

Cleaned out my box where I stash ball leftover from various other projects, thought maybe this batch might make an interesting pair of Monstersocks. Maybe, just maybe it might be next after the 2nd brown-ly Monstersock is done.

The freezing rain in the forecast for last Friday turned out to be just rain and lots of it 20.7 mm about what we usually get all winter (not counting snow of course), made puddles in my yard big enuff for ducks to be landing on, then Saturday the mess froze and my driveway is mostly ice. Am guessing 95% of snow disappeared.

More snow then freezing rain

Got out to Knitting Bee yesterday, glad it wasn't today with the snow and possibility of freezing rain early afternoon. Just about tired of winter, seems like it been particularly hard this year dealing with not being able to get to town for groceries, Williams Lake has been hammered with even more snow than what we have had and roads have been a nightmare. So would rather do without than drive 3 hours with white knuckles. Not about to run out of food just the things I crave this time of year like salads, fruit, fresh veggies etc.

Got a pix of baby wearing the 2nd pair of socks, trading a run to the dump with my goodies on board with the babies grandmother, slick. I don't mind the trip myself when the snow and ice are gone and will go back to doing it as soon as that happens. Have two more pair waiting, reds with a seed stitch leg and a pair with pastel colors.

Stopped on the way home from KB and picked up 4 loaves of w/w bread, each loaf must weight close to 2 pounds, enuff bread to last me close to a month. Then ordered 6 more but what she calls artisan bread, half w/w, so should be good for a long time. My favorite is a bread from SaveOn in Wms Lk called Great Plains but not looking like I'll be getting any of that for some time.

Have on a wool sweater even as I add the pix to the blog, can't imagine living here without my woolies, especially socks.

Company

Coming to watch Super Bowl, something wrong with either their remote or TV. She is bringing sandwiches and I made a large pot of burger vegetable soup, sure smelling good, a pound pkg. of extra lean burger, lots of carrots, celery, 2 small sized potatoes, home canned stewed tomatoes and a can of cannellini beans. Started it at 9 this morning so hopefully all will be blended by the time we eat it.

Saw a cow moose in my yard yesterday around 3:30, dark colored moose in even darker trees meant no pix, altho I stood out on porch for 10 minutes just in case it came back this way. First I've seen in my yard in a good long while.

Supposed to be getting snow today but right now sun is trying to shine and I can count the flakes coming down, guess environment Canada didn't guess right again.

Way to early

Up this morning just before 4:30am, various critters talking, first coyotes then wolves, both sounded like they were east and maybe a bit south of my place. Kind of hard to tell exactly where they were because they are always moving. Tried going back to bed when noise calmed down but that didn't work as they soon started up again. So nothing to do but get up, start the coffee and knit before checking puter.

All but one of the parcels I mailed have arrived, still waiting to hear if Maggie's socks made it. Socks to Mel on Vancouver fit and she was happy, two pair of fingerless gloves rec'd one pair to Vanc Island and one pair to KY (pix below). Update Maggie has her socks, they fit and she likes them, so now happy to report all 4 parcels are in their new homes.

Another pair of baby socks went to Jo when she picked up my goodies for the dump, this is going to work just fine. I get to experiment with new designs and color combos and her grand daughter has warm feet. Pair I am working on now is from a leftover ball of Regia wool & silk mix and I think prolly more suited for a boy but will run them by her next time and see what she thinks. Once they are finished back to Monster socks for Isabel.



Yesterday made a large pot of chicken w/ noodle soup, lots of celery and carrots, now have leftovers for a couple more nights (and of course soup will taste even better tonight). Sunday nights are for Downton Abbey on the telly, watch it in Hi Def at 6 and then can get it at 9 on the PBS west feed if I think I missed anything. Its the only thing I watch faithfully, except for the news at either 6 or 11pm.

Vancouver area got hit with a major pineapple express and it was big enuff to catch my valley as well, rained quite a bit Friday and made my driveway into a skating rink, will wait for either more snow or more melting before I give it a try. Hardly any of what is called the north shore mountains escaped, most are bare except at the very top where the wet slushy snow shows up. This ski season was a bust from the very beginning.

Would dearly love to make a trip to town soon, but will wait until weather is a bit better. The main hiway into town was down to essential travel only for a day or so due to ice.

This and That

Last winter traded a friend socks for her 2 kidlets for home canned stewed tomatoes, will never buy canned tomatoes in a can again. Liz's are so much better I've even been known to eat a spoonful right out of the jar before adding rest to soups or chili. So this year have started on more Nolund 10 I think is getting a pair of Opal 6 in faded denim blue color and Miss Maela will no doubt get something in pinks or purples.

Then made a smooth trade with gal living south of me she will stop on her way to the dump and gather up anything I have to go in trade for baby socks for new grand daughter. Slick. Variegated pink pair for the next time she stops.

Dave plowed my driveway so a big truck with round bales could come down, truck can't make the turn into his place so would have to try and find someplace to turn around almost impossible this time of year. Didn't have much notice truck was coming until I heard Jake brakes while coming down the drive, quick grabbed a camera and got pix thru wool room window, wouldn't have had time to get out to porch for unobstructed shot, truck would have been into the trees before that could have happened.

Experiment of trying to slow down with knitting on tiny sock needles didn't make any difference in arthritis in left hand, in fact it might have gotten even more painful while I wasn't using it so much, so back to socks on 2.5 mm needles, Isabel I will be getting back to yours. Have packages to go down to PO today fingerless gloves and socks going to NY, 2 to Vancouver Island and KY. Seems like weather went every way but good since I've had them done, first snow (lots) and as soon as I got my driveway plowed had a batch of freezing rain followed shortly thereafter by the arctic bomb (-34°C) won't try and start my car at those temps, then another 20 inches of snow, so now today rip sh** or bust am headed down to PO to get them on their way.

Weather

All weather alerts, warnings etc. have for now been lifted, bout time. Seems as tho the last half of December and first 8 days of January there has been snow fall warnings, freezing rain, more snow warnings. So happy to see the end of them.

Dave started plowing my driveway yesterday, he is expecting a big load of hay to come some time this weekend and its almost impossible for a big rig to make the turn from the road to his hayshed, its pretty nearly a straight shot via my drive. But since he wants to use it, it has to be plowed.

Knitting is in the slow lane just now, finished the Opal 6 socks for Nolund and am slowly working on the Monstersocks for Isabel, arthritis doesn't hurt so much if I don't push my self. The larger needles and heavier yarn sure goes fast and doesn't seem to aggravate hand so much. I do stretching exercises at least 4 times a day hoping that it will eventually help.

For the first time in many, many years I am going to make sloppy joes, have a newly opened bottle of chili sauce, that and some mustard and seasoning should do the trick. I think while growing up it was a weekly staple for family suppers, never liked them as a kid but now that I can control what kind of beef is used (extra lean grass fed) I think they will be much better.

SNOW

Snowfall warning still in effect, while I haven't got near as much as some parts of the province, trust me its enuff. Early yesterday snow just starting and 11 am today after it snowed (fine and dry) all night. Temp steady yesterday at -16°C, has warmed up a bit now to -13°C (8°F). Don't want to go out to measure.

Day 1 and day 2.


Much smarter to stay indoors with my knitting and a batch of homemade chicken w/ rice soup.

Spent a good part of the morning on the phone with TD bank Visa fraud line, several charges that weren't mine, means now I have to get a new Visa card, at least 10 days before it arrives, meanwhile will have to call and explains why card was refused at several places. PITA. One I think was Jimmy Beans for latest batch of Koigu.

Two Junior hockey games on today first will be for the bronze medal then at 5 will be Canada vs Russia for the gold medal, early supper of the chicken w/ rice soup so I won't have to miss any of the 2nd game.