Finished Something!

Hi Megs,

I love days when I get a package - but when you get 3! At first I wasn't sure I liked Mason-Dixon Knitting but it is growing on me when I actually read some of the text and didn't just look at the patterns and pictures. Some of the geometrics are cross-overs from rug hooking patterns. The hooked rug you reference - hooked with yarn - is really nice. Many of our hookers use yarn. We dye it just as we would the wool. I really prefer the wool strips - and feel you can do more variation of dyeing techniques with a large piece of wool material rather than a skein of wool. The fog purse I am making now I have done the outlines with wool. When we use skeins of wool for rug hooking and for the trim on rugs usually use Briggs and Little pure wool sport weight because it dyes and overdyes so well.

I have been sooo busy this week with meetings - garden club, rug hooking, rotary, craft guild, lunch with the girls and going to Figures. This retirement is exhausting. But I did manage to finish a project! I finished my grey socks. Now this is truly the first project started and finished in 2007. The "knit the two together" really works. And are they ever warm. They are from Interweave Knit Winter 2004. Really like the way they fit. Also used Briggs and Little but the one ply wool/nylon.

Have needed that because we have gone into a deep freeze and it is snowing every day. Not a lot of build up - just enough to get your feet messy. This weekend we are staying in and doing nothing but watch the birds. We now have 3 pair of cardinals. All the birds love the red egg you gave me. I also put in the birdbath heater so they have nice water. Our deck is very popular.

And - surprise - the Sobey's grocery actually had Rooibos tea - and is it ever nice. Was very surprised when I found it in the natural foods section. And it has nothing silly added - just tea. Proud of good old Sobey's. So had a cup this afternoon and though of you and our very strange adventures in Namibia. It is nice but the tea does NOT have my name on it. I loved that idea from Portsmouth Tea.

Really do like the snow and cold. Is a great reason to just stay in till we get dug out - knit and hook and watch "The Wire". We got season 2 and 3 and are really enjoying it. You got us hooked over Christmas.

Take care - love the Rowan sweater you are making, very YOU - the best in that issue. And just enough colour to be interesting without getting tiresome.

Love ya, Mom XOP