My little patient is recovering swiftly, so I am back to work.  Luckily the surgery went well and we are now at home getting back to normal.  

At the same time, I am one of those people in the south that experienced the snowstorm that sent everything to a screeching halt.  After growing up in a desert, my experience with snow is very limited (the first time I was in snow was on my honeymoon), but I certainly wasn't freaking out about it like the locals.  I went to Walmart to buy a few Duraflame logs (since I seem to lack the ability to make a decent fire with regular firewood), and it was like the apocalypse was coming.  Duraflame logs all gone, plus a run on food, water and salt to put on the driveway.  An article in the local paper told residents to stock up on supplies, gasoline and cash.  Food I can understand, and my own pantry was already well stocked.  Gasoline, what for?  The roads would be icy and every store closed, so where would you drive?  Same goes for cash, with all the stores closed and people in a panic, I don't think shoppers would be playing nicely.  

But anyway, it all seems to have turned out fine at my house.  A bit of a frozen pipe this morning, and I haven't tried to figure out yet if I have hot water or not, but the snow is already melting so all will be mended soon enough.  While my patient was napping yesterday afternoon, I put on my big coat and boots and took some pictures of the snow in my yard.  The little girl living next door was out playing, and ran over to me and expressed her joy about the change of weather:  "Do you see all the snow???  I LOVE SNOW!!!"  My dog doesn't seem to mind the snow either; he leaps and bounds with joy, leaving little tracks all over the yard.

Hello knitting friends!  I just wanted to write a short note letting everyone know that I will be away from the computer until at least the end of January.  I will be visiting my family for a week, and after not seeing them for 2 years I will want to take full advantage of the time with them and step away from the emails.  Then right after I get back my husband is having surgery, and I really don't know how much care he will need afterwards.  This will be my first time playing nurse, and I want to be sure to do a good job!  

I am assuming that I will only be checking my email sporadically, so if you have questions please be patient or ask for help in the Ravelry forums.  I promise to respond to emails, I just can't say how long it will take me.  

Until next time, stay safe and warm, and happy knitting!

Brrrr, it's cold outside!  I hope you are all safe and warm, snuggling up with cozy handknits.  Just in time, I have finished a new sweater to keep me warm.  Lava Rock Cardigan is a sporty zip-front cardigan with raglan sleeves and panels of cabled zig-zags.  The body and sleeves are worked from the bottom up and joined at the underarms and worked in one piece up to the neck.  No seams!  Only a bit of grafting at the underarms.

I used worsted weight Malabrigo Rios in color Jupiter.  I can't say enough about how much I loved working with this yarn.  Rios is incredibly soft and springy, and the colors are amazing.  Jupiter has a range of cool reds with bits of green and very dark brown.  I can't wait to work with it again!

Installing a zipper might be a bit more fiddly than buttons, but I love zip-front cardigans.  My pattern includes a tutorial for sewing in the zipper. 

You can learn more about Lava Rock Cardigan on the Ravelry pattern page, or just:

While I still have some kale and spinach clinging to life, my garden is mostly empty dirt and I am having gardening withdrawls.  I miss going out into the yard several times a day to water and check my plants.  I happened to find a book on houseplants at my library and decided that would cure me of the winter gardening blues.  

I still have my terrarium and wanted to make a few more.  But Lowes was out of succulents, so some full-sized houseplants came home with me.  I've been collecting vases and fishbowls from the thrift store, and these became the new homes for my plants. 

I really like this one.  Begonia Strawberry?  Strawberry Begonia?  Something like that.  It sends off runners like a strawberry plant, so maybe next spring I can propagate a few more plants.  I added sheet moss around the tops of the vases for extra greenery.

Of course Che, my favorite model, decided to horn in on the plant photoshoot.  Apparently, all photos must be about him.

So we'll see how good I am about keeping theses plants healthy.  As much as I like succulents, I either water them too much or not enough and they don't last too long.  Hopefully it will go better with these plants!