And It's Not Even Thanksgiving!

Ok, I enjoy the winter wonderland of  Tahoe as much as anyone, but this is getting a bit much! Wasn't it just a few months ago ( May to be exact) when we were knee deep in snow?  Here is our house this morning -- not even bothering to dig out because there is more to come and the wind just undoes all the shoveling you just did.

   
Here is our back deck  - need to clean off my birdfeeder for my little feathered friends the Chickadees and one big Flicker.
                                                                  

 
Almost done with my Out of this World sweater for my grandson.  I'm embroidering chain stitches for most of the planets:

     

                                                                                                                                                            
Lots of time to sit in front of the fireplace, and knit and watch Oprah; is there anything that woman can't do?                                                        

My Lake Tahoe Shawl

Stopped by the Lake Tahoe Yarn Company in Truckee.  It's a cute little shop that features lots of hats, mittens and sweaters for the ski crowd and I always seem to find something that I have to buy when I'm there.
Kelly has a new puppy, a St. Bernard, and he is at the shop with her until he gets older - and a lot bigger! Here he is:

                                                                                                       
                                                                            
       

                                                                                 
Saw the Entwined Shoulder Shawl by Deby Lake and just had to have it:

                                                                               
It was made with Universal Yarn's Classic Shades and here is the yarn I chose:

        It calls for 3 balls of yarn and looks pretty easy.  I like the entwined front so you don't need to worry about wrapping it or the front coming untied.  An incentive to finish my grandson's sweater so I can start this!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Newbie projects

Wanted to show off a few projects done by some new knitters.  They had fun knitting them and I think they did a great job.  First is the Shawl Collared Vest made by my daughter, Sara.  It's made with Misti Alpaca Chunky and with size 11 needles, it knits up very quickly.  If you want to see another version of this, check out the Alpaca Shrug on Ravelry.

My good friend Joan came to visit me and we spent our time hiking, wine tasting and doing lots of knitting while we watched the World Series. Here is Joan's scarf made with Malabrigo worsted.  Love these colors.

       

                                                                                                                                                                            And here is my progress on the Out of This World sweater for my grandson.  It's an easy project; no seams because it is knit in the round and then you knit the sleeves and attach them at the yoke:

                                                                                    
                                                         

An FO and a Sweater for Fo

Well, the change to cold weather and snow has gotten serious around here:

                                                                                   
The ski resorts are delighted; they always plan to be open for Thanksgiving, even if they have just a few runs functioning.  All of this has motivated me to finish a sweater  for myself that I started last June.  It's called Foliage and I actually made it with the yarn called for --  Snowbird by Nashua Handknits which is a wool alpaca blend.  Great for these days when I am out and about and in denial that it is actually cold and I really could use a jacket.

    And who is Fo?  That's a nickname for my grandson Forest  who has an older brother named Rowan.
My daughter has gotten to calling them Ro and Fo and I have been waiting for Fall to arrive to make him a sweater.

     This pattern is a free one from Diane Soucy of Knittng Pure and Simple fame.  I used 2 skeins of Plymouth Encore worsted weight which is acrylic with 25% wool.  It's called, appropriately, Easy Baby Cardigan and it really is a great sweater to do when you are trying to finish a sweater before baby has grown out of it.                                                                                                                                      

On To New Things

New season, new projects.  We have gone from beautiful Fall days to snowy days and back again.  Here is a picture from my deck from 2 weeks ago:

                                                                              
And here is one from this morning:
                                                                            

In between we have had warm weather and sunny days -- that's life in Truckee, California!

My new project is a sweater for my grandson who is really into anything relating to space travel and the solar system.  Saw this pattern, Out of This World, by Jennifer Small, on Ravelry.  I'm making it in Berroco's Vintage which is a wool, acrylic and nylon blend.  Soft, but machine washable.  Will post pictures as I go along.