Goodness Gracious...

...great balls of roving!



(Coffee cup added for scale)

These lovelies are from Beaverslide Dry Goods of Dupuyer, Montana.  We're going to blame this purchase on Knititch, who has been raving about some Beaverslide worsted she is using to make a sweater for a friend.  I had never heard of the brand, so I checked out their website and soon found that they sell roving as well as yarn.

The ball on the left is Jersey Cream (perfect for kool-aid dyeing) and the ball on the right is Thimbleberry.  The prices were so reasonable that I ordered 8 oz of both colors, not realizing just how big a bundle of roving 8 oz really is.  Unless I contract a nasty bout of amnesia, I don't think I'll be able to justify another roving purchase for quite a while!

No school for the kids today.  We had a big ice storm yesterday and the roads are still a mess.  I have to go into work this afternoon, so I am really hoping for a thaw.

I took some crazy ice pictures to share with you.



This is a holly bush beside my front walkway.



A light fixture beside my driveway.



Berries on a tree out front.



A very sad birch tree that usually stands upright but is now weighted down by a ton of ice.  Hard to believe that this poor guy will ever be the same.  Better to bend than break, I guess.

I finished Aidan's mittens and put a little elastic inside the cuffs to help them stay on.



Then I whipped up a quick pair of Fetchings for my sister.



These are made of Diakeito Diamusee yarn - 100% wool.  Much softer than Kuryeon, but similar gorgeous colors.  The label tells me I bought this yarn at Knit A Round in Ann Arbor, my favorite roadtrip yarn store.

That ends my instant gratification Christmas knitting for now.  On Friday night I started my Dad's Christmas sweater.  I think this might be the latest I have ever started it.  Sweaters for my Dad's birthday and Christmas are absolutely mandatory.  He is my most appreciative knitting recipient, so I have to keep him happy.

Luckily for me, Dad prefers what the world calls vests or waistcoats.  He calls them "those sweaters without sleeves".   Without sleeves to worry about, I actually have a prayer of getting this done in time to mail it (likely Express Mail for more money than I paid for the yarn).



I took this basketweave stitch pattern out of "The New Knitting Stitch Library".  It was easy to memorize and I like how it looks.  Of course, it progresses slower than plain stockinette, but I never claimed to be logical.  I need 15" to get to the armholes and I have 5.5 so far.  I'm thinking I better get back to it!

Comments

[Karen in Toledo]

The ice is pretty, and gave me a day off (I might get my Christmas tree up!), but it sure is making a big mess!

Pretty knitting, Becky. Be safe this afternoon.

[Kim]

Crazy ice storms! Am very happy we didn't have to deal with that (although an extra day with the kids would be nice).

Funny - I purchased some of the Diakeito Diamusee from Knit a Round too. I just made basic fingerless gloves - yours are much nicer

[Amanda]

Ice is pretty but too dangerous for comfort.

Good luck with your dad's sweater! I know you'll get it done.

[merete]

wow those ice pictures. and i do hope you will have as much fun with the roving as i have with the actual beaverslide yarn. love it.

[Hannah (Hannahknits)]

Found your blog at Ravelry and couldn't resist to take a look.

What a beautiful pictures of the ice. Here in The Netherlands we have very dull weather at the moment: grey and wet, no frost, no snow. If we are lucky we will have a little bit of winter in Januari or Februari.

I already commented on the fetchings for your sister but again: very lovely, the other projects are very nice too. Nice to knit for someone who appreciates it as much as your father does.

(Sorry if my english is not very good, I am from the Netherlands so I do not speak or write english very often)