the Winter that is Spring

Apparently spring has decided to give us a miss this year.  It is hard not to be slightly resentful of the British Columbia coast where daffodils apparently are blooming and crocus's are up.  Here we have ice flows.
It's interesting though, this landscape which is essentially black and white with a tiny bit of colour thrown in just to keep my eye from exploding.  No self respecting tree or bush has woken up yet.  Time seems to have stopped.  But work on the river banks is frantic right now, preparing for any flooding.  We pray we don't have a repeat of last year.

Libby is really enjoying this weather though.  She didn't enjoy the old snow which was crusty, sharp and sounded like styrofoam when we walked on it.  We have had new snow this past week - light powder which she delights into running through, making her unique snow angels in, and searching for her orange ball.  She's in luck.  More snow is on the way tonight.
Libby puts a whole different spin on this weather.  She makes it fun.  Good thing!

And in the studio, work is going well on the writing of the "finishing your work" class.We are calling it "Homemade to Hand made".   As soon as I have proofed the work and added as many pictures as  possible, I'll post it.

I'll  be teaching this class - I think I mentioned this, at Stash Needle Arts Lounge in April.  Also on my personal teaching schedule at the shop this spring season are learning to make slipper socks, and a very cute felted lunch or carry bag, as well as teaching " learn to knit", so April, May and June will be busy in Inglewood at the little yarn shop. 
 If you're in the area do check out the class schedule on line.  There are some fun things to learn and do.  And as I said to my class last night - you learn a hobby that will last you your whole life.  Can't beat that.

A Hint of Colour

We had 2 cm of  fresh snow this morning - a sort of spring snow that could have been rain, except it wasn't.
We have been having chinooks this past week. Lots of sunshine and warm temperatures  have melted a good deal of the snow around the city and dried up some of the roads.  The front garden is actually showing lawn - well, it was until this morning... but all the plants are still fast asleep. Very sensible of them I think.   In desperation, I bought a bunch of bright red tulips at the grocery store.  It will be quite a while yet until tulips poke their brave little heads out of the frozen ground around here. 

Meet the glacier that occupies the north facing back garden. . The raised beds are buried under  ice, but the glacier is receding, very slowly, inch by inch as a glacier should.  I'll keep you posted.

The first day of spring is the 20th of March, this coming Thursday, but in our part of the country it is a wish, not a reality.   Here we will be lucky to celebrate spring in May...tra la, unlike our Canadian west coast which is awash in blossoms.  I'm trying not to be envious.

I am working hard right now preparing a tutorial on the proper finishing of hand knitted creations.  Knitted garments are on the runways, and knitted sweaters, toques, scarves and mittens are still being created here for a while yet.  So...seaming, using mattress stitch, kitchener stitch, and proper blocking are all on the drawing board to help new knitters take their creations from homemade to Hand Made  I'm knitting dozens of 4x4 squares to help with the demonstrations when I teach the class at Stash Needle Art Lounge in April and May. And I will post a tutorial here once I have put it all together.

It begs the question, doesn't it why so many knitting terms are named for British peers - Lord Cardigan, General Kitchener to name a couple of them.  I don't think these gentlemen ever picked up a knitting needle.  I'll have to do some research on that - unless someone out there has any information they can pass along.  If you do, I'd love to hear from you.
And so it goes.

Random Winter Musings

 Snow squeeks.
 It squeeks under my boots as we walk along the path. 
It is very cold - minus 25 this morning.
 We are bundled up against the wind chill.  
The cold wind brushes my face and makes my cheeks tingle.

The orange ball keeps freezing in the ball chucker. 
I bang it against the fence post to loosen it from its moorings so I can toss it.
 The ball is also frozen - a solid orange circle that keeps squirting sideways out of Libby's jaws as she pounces.
Every few feet she stops, drops and rolls in the snow, making random sideways snow angels.
The snow is packed, frozen.
We walk on top of it - walking on frozen water.
Home, finally, I brew a pot of tea and get out the sock I am knitting.

Winter isn't over yet.