Flowers covered in snow - but not on hats!
The beret I am wearing was knit with some beautiful Silk and Cashmere that Jo of Celtic Memory Yarns had sent! It is so soft and warm - it made its debut yesterday, while wearer shovelled snow to make a path for two Cairn Terriers to get out and do what dogs do before they head off to bed for the night!!
The beret on the table (that is my huge work table that my DIL gave to me when they moved) is now adorned with a flower as well. In fact, I frogged the beret back to the smaller size increases, as it just felt a bit too large on my head. I wore it out this am when I shovelled again. The dogs needed out, the bird feeders needed filling and it is milder now and melting. However, the hat was perfect under my raincoat with a fleece jacket, rain pants and boots and my pj's. My DH is now out cleaning out the car, but I have not knit him a hat and I suspect he would not want a flower. I know they look similar in colour, but in fact one is a beautiful turquoise and the other is more like oatmeal!
This beautiful little, in fact wee, Anna's Hummingbird overwinters here in the Comox Valley. I heard him buzzing about as I was shovelling and went over to brush the snow off the feeder so he could have breakfast. I have a feeder out for him all the time and he visits a few times a day and takes long drinks and then flies off to .......... Wish I could see where he spends his nights. Apparently these little guys go into a torpor for most of the day and night and when the temps are a bit higher, they 'shiver' themselves out of the torpor and go in search of food. I feed them in the summer time with a mix of 1/4 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water, but in winter, I increase the sugar to 1/3 cup to the 1 cup of water. If it is really cold at night, as it has been for a few nights in the past week, I bring the feeder in and then make sure it is out and hanging in the exact same spot every day after about 9:00 am. The extra sugar helps the little guy, but also keeps the 'syrup' from freezing. We have had birders with lifetime lists come to our yard to see the Anna's and add it to their lifetime list. It is even mentioned in the Birds of Canada that this little bird overwinters in Comox, where I live. He spends his summers up in the mountains breeding and dreading snowy winters in Comox.
We are about a 45 minute drive from our local ski hill, Mt. Washington, which is having its official opening day today - a week earlier than planned. They have had two so/so winters in the last two years - two years ago, they did not open until they got a huge dump of snow in March. They did honour all season pass holders by allowing them to take their passes that they had paid for over to the next ski season. Last year, we got our first dump of snow (that time only on the mountain, not in our Valley) between Christmas and New Year's. This was not so good for people who had rented chalets, as they cancelled about mid December when skiing looked dicey for Mt. Washington. This mountain has, from time to time, had the deepest snow of any other mountain in North America. It can be heavy snow and the snow removal can be a big issue - even plowing under the chair lifts, as they could hit the top of skiers' heads that might get under the chair lifts. The chairs can even bump into some of the snow banks, so nights on the mountain are busy with snow removal and skiers praying for another good day on the slopes!
For those who read my blog from time to time, you know that when I get a pattern I like, I knit it more than once. Well this photo is of my third beret. I am using a black worsted weight - don't know the content, as the band is lost. I have also stranded it with two strands of the beautiful red viscose that Jo sent! It will be beautiful to wear with the red viscose SIS! The stitch markers you probably recognize from my beautiful gift from Marianne.
I will finish off with a photo of two 'snow dogs'! I imagine they are telling each other that they are definitely not in Kansas. These two are Tibbie and Isla and they are Cairn Terriers, which is the same breed that Toto was in the Wizard of Oz.
The beret I am wearing was knit with some beautiful Silk and Cashmere that Jo of Celtic Memory Yarns had sent! It is so soft and warm - it made its debut yesterday, while wearer shovelled snow to make a path for two Cairn Terriers to get out and do what dogs do before they head off to bed for the night!!
The beret on the table (that is my huge work table that my DIL gave to me when they moved) is now adorned with a flower as well. In fact, I frogged the beret back to the smaller size increases, as it just felt a bit too large on my head. I wore it out this am when I shovelled again. The dogs needed out, the bird feeders needed filling and it is milder now and melting. However, the hat was perfect under my raincoat with a fleece jacket, rain pants and boots and my pj's. My DH is now out cleaning out the car, but I have not knit him a hat and I suspect he would not want a flower. I know they look similar in colour, but in fact one is a beautiful turquoise and the other is more like oatmeal!
This beautiful little, in fact wee, Anna's Hummingbird overwinters here in the Comox Valley. I heard him buzzing about as I was shovelling and went over to brush the snow off the feeder so he could have breakfast. I have a feeder out for him all the time and he visits a few times a day and takes long drinks and then flies off to .......... Wish I could see where he spends his nights. Apparently these little guys go into a torpor for most of the day and night and when the temps are a bit higher, they 'shiver' themselves out of the torpor and go in search of food. I feed them in the summer time with a mix of 1/4 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water, but in winter, I increase the sugar to 1/3 cup to the 1 cup of water. If it is really cold at night, as it has been for a few nights in the past week, I bring the feeder in and then make sure it is out and hanging in the exact same spot every day after about 9:00 am. The extra sugar helps the little guy, but also keeps the 'syrup' from freezing. We have had birders with lifetime lists come to our yard to see the Anna's and add it to their lifetime list. It is even mentioned in the Birds of Canada that this little bird overwinters in Comox, where I live. He spends his summers up in the mountains breeding and dreading snowy winters in Comox.
We are about a 45 minute drive from our local ski hill, Mt. Washington, which is having its official opening day today - a week earlier than planned. They have had two so/so winters in the last two years - two years ago, they did not open until they got a huge dump of snow in March. They did honour all season pass holders by allowing them to take their passes that they had paid for over to the next ski season. Last year, we got our first dump of snow (that time only on the mountain, not in our Valley) between Christmas and New Year's. This was not so good for people who had rented chalets, as they cancelled about mid December when skiing looked dicey for Mt. Washington. This mountain has, from time to time, had the deepest snow of any other mountain in North America. It can be heavy snow and the snow removal can be a big issue - even plowing under the chair lifts, as they could hit the top of skiers' heads that might get under the chair lifts. The chairs can even bump into some of the snow banks, so nights on the mountain are busy with snow removal and skiers praying for another good day on the slopes!
For those who read my blog from time to time, you know that when I get a pattern I like, I knit it more than once. Well this photo is of my third beret. I am using a black worsted weight - don't know the content, as the band is lost. I have also stranded it with two strands of the beautiful red viscose that Jo sent! It will be beautiful to wear with the red viscose SIS! The stitch markers you probably recognize from my beautiful gift from Marianne.
I will finish off with a photo of two 'snow dogs'! I imagine they are telling each other that they are definitely not in Kansas. These two are Tibbie and Isla and they are Cairn Terriers, which is the same breed that Toto was in the Wizard of Oz.
posted by Peg-woolinmysoup | 10:22 AM
8 Comments:
I am now knitting up the beret in a rich red wool and after the fiddly seeming first couple of rounds am flying through the pattern, I love it.
The 'Anna' hummingbird is beautiful, I guess I never thought of the hummers wintering in the north...
Those are your dogs? They are beautiful, (even though seen from the back,) I love dogs.
I'm with you on this beret pattern, I'll definitely be making more of them. It pleases me no end that you are enjoying the stitchmarkers so much...
It's 21F here with sleet coming down, it's only supposed to get colder....but my cold is starting to clear up!
My children would love to be there with the dogs in the snow (and so would I!).
Love all the hats, Peg! It's no wonder you're using that particular pattern more than once - the beret looks great on you.
The snow dogs look very happy! :0)
The berets are great! I've never knit any berets, just regular hats (in kids or baby sizes).
I like your beret and the flower is a lovely touch. I looks like it sits loosely on your head. Do you ever worry that it will fall off?
I've got some Lavold Angora that I've been wanting a hat pattern for, and I think I may have just found it.
Peg, thanks for stopping by, and yes, the sun is shining here and 35F so dripping also but the temps are to drop and ice up all the drippings.
Little Smoochie cat does not like the white stuff at all and DH softened up before even I did and she has stayed in the house 2 days and 2 nights, remarkably well behaved, has her own little bed that she actually does nap and sleep in at night...
still working on the red beret, all I can say is...you just may be getting more knitting time in than I do, that and you are one very fast knitter...er, Knitter!(I'm thinking you are very very fast with the needles and yarn).
The berets are very nice, i have yet to knit one , i knit only hats. lots of snow here today in quebec. the first we had this winter
Hi Peg, I've been reading your blog for awhile but I just now set up a blogger account so I can comment! I can't believe how much snow you have. And I really like your beret. By the way, I lived in Nanaimo for 12 years. I'm now in Ontario, near Toronto, and I really miss the west coast. I go back for visits as often as I can.
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