Coming Out of Hybernation

It has been almost a month since I last did a blog entry because for the most part it has been a dull, dreary, cold, miserable, depressing March. I could think of a few more adjectives to include, but that should give you the general idea. The temperatures are still below normal and there is more snow on the ground than I would like to see for this time of year. However, there are at least some signs that winter may be finally ready to give up. I think this has been the worst winter that I can remember. It got cold at the beginning of December. It stayed cold. It is still cold.

I hate cold.

I did get a bit of knitting off my needles.

I finished up this pair made from Opal Rodeo 1156.

And here is my first stab at Navajo plying knit up...

I am pretty pleased with how they turned out. I haven't worn them yet since I really wasn't thinking when I cast them on and used 2mm needles. As a result they are very warm. I know I said that it has been cold, but not cold enough to warrant this much warmth on my feet. For the most part the yarn turned out very even, just a little thicker than I would have liked. The BFL that I am currently spinning up I am trying to do just a touch finer. I am not sure that I can spin much thinner and not have it continually shred on me. I am just about finished spinning it so I will know soon enough.

Skating Party

Yesterday the weather was supposed to start to warm up so we told the kids that we would take them skating at the neighbourhood rink after school. It was fine until I actually got out of the van and into the open wind. Brrrrrrr!! It wasn't nearly as warm as it was supposed to be!

I did don my skates, however, to join the kids for a bit. I spent my time skating down the rink one way with the wind at my back and then going back the other way skating backwards. The wind chill didn't seem to bother the kids too much. I shot the following pictures after I had already given up and crawled into the back of the van and out of the wind.

Our extremely cold winter didn't lend itself to many outdoor activities and we were all out of practice on our skates. Here Katie and Tessa are at least upright even if their ankles are a little wobbly.

Then one went down...
Followed by another...

And then it was all three... Goes to show the high threshold to pain that kids have. They spent more time lying on the ice than on their skates, but they still didn't want to quit.

Enough With the Winter Already!!

I haven't been posting very much lately. One of the main reasons is because I am just such a boring person that there really hasn't been much exciting in my life. It doesn't help at all, however, that winter just doesn't want to ever go away. And I am not just talking about a little snow and cold temps, but down-right frigid temperatures! We are a pretty hardy bunch up here on the prairies of Canada and long cold winters are just a fact of life. This year, though, is testing the patience of even the most stoic of us. Generally we will get a very cold snap that lasts for a week or two and then we will get a bit of a break and the thermometer will rise a bit until the next Arctic air mass moves in again. Not this year, though. It seems that we have had a deep freeze that started at the beginning of December and hasn't let up yet.

I woke up on Saturday morning on the last day of February to temperatures of -31 with a wind chill of -45 Celcius. That is -49 F for those of you south of the border.

Yes, you read that right.

It is hard to find any energy to venture outdoors and do anything with temperatures like that. So I find myself wandering around the house wishing I was in Florida. Today it is supposed to start a gradual warming. And it is about bloody time!