Monday, December 12, 2022

Playing Chicken on a Frosty Night

 Last night I finished my yarn chicken project. I won. 

A friend recently went to the US to spend Thanksgiving with her family. As she always does, she went to Goodwill (thrift store) to see what was there. She has found some great yarn there over the years. At the moment, I am wearing a sweater I made from a giant cone of yarn she brought back for me a few years ago. I still have some of that left. This time she found 10 balls of a superbulky superwash wool yarn that she wants me to use to make her a jumper (sweater). Incredibly, she found 8 hanks of merino wool yarn in purple--my favourite colour! Also, there was a ball of green superwash wool and a coppery coloured ball of wool/silk/cashmere yarn. Fun! I am pretty sure I know how I am going to use all of it. I started with the wool/silk/cashmere. It is so squishily soft. I had 120 yards of it and decided to play a little yarn chicken. Fingerless gloves seemed like a good use of the yarn. I use those a lot because my wrists ache in chilly weather and these would feel so nice when I wear them. Would I have enough yarn? I decided to try it and see. 

Success!
I am wearing them now and they are warm, cosy, and so soft. The colour is a bit more coppery than in the photo and they go well with my sweater, which is a rust colour with brown slubs.

I had just a tiny bit of yarn left:
It's definitely time for the wool here! It's been hovering around freezing for several days with milder weather not expected until the weekend. It's gotten well below freezing in some parts of the country. This is a big deal here and they're not really set up for it. There is a lot of black ice around and even though some businesses (and the local GP) were salting footpaths (sidewalks) and walkways into premises, it was still slick. Some businesses closed for the day and the GP was going to call everyone with an appointment to see if it couldn't be handled over the phone. Gatherings have been cancelled. They are gritting the main roads, but not side streets.  Some areas of the island got snow, but we just had a few flurries a few days ago. Now we have a moderate warning for potential freezing fog. Haven't seen that since Fairbanks! Our woolly bits are being put to good use!







10 comments:

Vicki said...

I don't like cold without snow. I like those fingerless gloves!

Shari Burke said...

Thanks, Vicki! I am not keen on the snow/ice here because it's not dealt with well. There is rarely snow and if it gets really cold there's just a thin layer of black ice which is treacherous. It's not enough to use the spikes for safer walking but just enough to make walking difficult. It snowed last night--not much but enough to leave a coating of ice on the stairs when I went out to sweep it away this morning. They were almost dry, too :-(

Rostrose said...

Dear Shari,
really great that you are well prepared for the cold snap. With your Alaskan past, that's not really a challenge ;-) But it's always good to have nice yarns and to be able to make chic / practical pieces out of them. Your hand warmers look really good!
I hope you have a pleasant pre-Christmas period!
XOX Traude (just returned from a 3-week trip...)
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/12/besuch-im-tierpark-stadt-haag.html

Shari Burke said...

The problem here is just that they don't deal well with this kind of weather. Main roads are gritted, but that's about it. Other roads and sidewalks are left untreated so it's treacherous, especially when there's a little melting with ice underneath the water/slush. We walk with great care :-)

Lowcarb team member said...

I do like those fingerless gloves.

It's been very cold in many areas of the UK recently.
Out earlier today and I took extra care walking as it was quite slippery/icy in places.

All the best Jan

Shari Burke said...

Thanks, Jan!

I'm glad you took care while walking. Even as it warms up, there can be ice lurking under the puddles. It's slightly warmer here today and supposed to be quite mild for a day or two to begin next week. I hope you get melting too! Take care and stay warm!

Rostrose said...

Oh yes, please walk carefully, dear Shari!
I wish you a wonderful Christmas time
and all the best for 2023, Traude
πŸŽπŸ•―️πŸŽ„πŸŒŸπŸŽ„πŸ•―️🍎
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/12/costa-ricanische-weihnachtsgrue.html

Shari Burke said...

We're back to rain! Not sorry to see the ice melt :-) Happy Christmas!

Lowcarb team member said...

Stopping by on Christmas Eve to wish you and Bill a Happy Christmas.

All the best Jan

Shari Burke said...

Thanks, Jan! And a very Happy Christmas to you and Eddie!