Yopping Update #29 - Three for One

Well, snowmageddon seems to be over now.  We were housebound from Sunday to Thursday.

what the heck - this is the balmy westcoast of Canada!

Things were getting serious because by Thursday morning - after our morning cuppa coffee we only had this much coffee left in the house.

Time to call out the National Guards!

It was either get the car out, or call a taxi to pick us up on the street beside our house.  Car was out thanks to salt, kitty litter, and my dh shovelling while I used a broom to get the 14 inches of snow off the roof of the car.  

Our other big concern were out little hummingbird friends.  We had to keep bringing in the feeder at night so it wouldn't freeze and then get it out at dawn each morning.  One day when it got down to -7 we had to bring the feeder in twice during the day to thaw.  This little girl sat on her swing by the feeder for a couple of hours.  

she looks innocent, but she kept chasing the male away when he tried to feed

serious icicles

I was suppose to work three days this past week, but the snow cancelled school for two of the days, and I couldn't get out of my driveway for the other one, so all got rescheduled for the week to come. 

Reading posts from my friend in the blogosphere inspired me to tackle my craft/study/yoga room on Monday.  So in two hours I went from this:

to this:

Now I have my stash where I can reach it and entered into Ravelry I might add.  I also used my husband's new label maker to put nice labels on all my teaching file boxes.

notice the tacky labels on the file boxes

much better

I also organized my knitted socks drawer and put a few pairs in the give away pile because I don't wear them anymore due to making them too big when I was a newbie sock knitter.  I think some of the pairs I have in there are about 10 years old!  I have to make room for the new ones I have planned, right?

I even set up my new desktop easel that my friend gave me.  I am ready to paint when the mood strikes me - which I hope is soon.  

the happier life poster was made by my daughter to remind me

And of course, due to the snow-in I had lots of time to knit and netflix. (Schitt's Creek, Grace and Frankie, Six Feet Under, Retribution....etc.) 

I finished my peace park shawl and I LOVE the colours.  I was playing yarn chicken in the end - but, as you can see

I WON!

I changed the bindoff to the bird's eye edging (from sandhill county shawl) cause I don't really like picot bindoffs.

So I had nothing on my needles and I was awaiting my knitpicks order - but with all the snow I wasn't holding my breath.  However on Tuesday this arrived:

Snomagenddon didn't stop the Postman (well it did for the rest of the week)

And by last night I had accomplished this:

This is a sweater for my son.  I had chosen the Joukahainen pattern, but after reading pattern notes on Ravelry people were saying the shoulders were fitting too tight.  So I pulled down my tried and true Patons classic pullover pattern (I have had this pattern since I was 12 and knit my first sweater) but this pattern involves lots of seaming.  I hate seaming raglan so I turned to the Curse Your Boyfriend sweater pattern which has the body knit in the round up to the raglan decrease  - the sleeves knit up to the raglan decrease and then you put the whole thing on one needle and do the raglan decreases then.  I will do the cable raglan decreases from Joukahainen, but I also had read that the neckline for the Joukhainen pattern is quite high, so I will use the neckline from the classic pullover pattern.  It is a little nerve wracking what I am doing but I think it will be alright in the end.  I always start sweaters with the sleeves because a) I hate finishing the front and back and then STILL have sleeves to do, and b) it is how I figure out if I am getting gauge.  My gauge is perfect - so onward.  Three patterns to make one basic pullover.  Who am I, and why do I have to make things so complicated?

I wasn't able to get to the pool until Thursday so I found some youtube yoga classes which I did every day and I am hopeful that this is helping my hip.  I finally got to the pool on Friday and Saturday and it felt great to be back in the water. 

I started reading another Croatian mini novel yesterday and I am happy that I understand most of it without looking up too many words.  Baby steps!  (I have missed two Croatian lessons because of the snow so I hope to have some progress to show my teacher this week.)

My beautiful girl turned 31 on Wednesday (which also would have been my father's 96th birthday.)  It has always been a blessing to me that she was born on what would have been his 65th birthday.  She is so far away but thanks to Whatsapp we can chat almost daily.  It is inspiring to watch her become the beautiful person and amazing mother she is.  I can't wait to see her little family again this coming spring. 

And of course, what would be my Sunday update without this:

hiking with momma

Have a good week yoppers and readers.  Stay warm, stay connected and remember - Spring is coming.  No really, it is coming!