Heart stopping delivery!

I nearly had a heart attack this morning...! My new cooker was delivered in the midst of a snow shower, and just as they reached the door and started to lower the hand truck carrying the cooker, it fell forward. The man in front fortunately caught it, but not before it had damaged a front foot that cracked and fell off. We had to go back to the shop for a replacement foot which Jim will fit tomorrow with the help of one of my next door neighbours sons. It's a big improvement on my old cooker, it's much bigger, it has a double oven, the main one a fan oven, a ceramic hob, and is wide enough to take most American cookie sheets, though not the large Wiltons unfortunately.

Still pondering my next knitting choice of sweater, though I think I might just go buy some 4 ply wool and knit a pair of socks. I have one of Ruth Greenwalds patterns that I bought last year, for her 'Leafy Green Socks.' They are a pretty design and I've never made socks before. (I don't count the Christmas socks!!)

The snow we had today quickly turned to slush, a sloppy wet yukkie mess and I found my 'walking' shoes are not waterproof, I guess I need to go buy a pair of winter boots. The rivers Derwent and Rye are still extremely high, when we crossed the Rye today it was very close to the top of the dyke on one side of the bridge and over the bank on the other. If all the snow melts very quickly it will flood some of the fields.

Dropped in on Margaret to deliver some goods and a book for Reg, they were just off to hospital for an appointment. Margaret was wearing her new mittens.

Mittens finished and delivered, River in flood.

I finished the mittens this morning, and delivered them to Margaret this afternoon. She is thrilled to bits with them.

So, what next? I've knitted a cardigan for Jim, a Starsky-Hutch jacket for my son Mike, so I think it's my turn now, I just need to make up my mind what I want to knit - or crochet, I've got some double knitting yarn in a lovely jade colour, and some Aran in Purple, that I bought to match a length of Harris Tweed I bought while on holiday on the Isle of Harris (Outer Hebrides) several years ago. I keep promising to make a skirt for myself with it. An Alice Starmore sweater would be nice!! I also have the pattern for the Calla Lily Cowl sweater from the Mission Falls book, 'Mission Falls Goes Crochet' - but I haven't decided yet what colour I would like to use.

The snow certainly caused chaos down south yesterday, many schools closed for the day and the children had a chance to go sledding. Today there were still 5000+ schools closed around the country, except the one we visited today where we do our weekly drama. They were closed yesterday due to teachers being unable to get in, but overnight it rained heavily so the snow is melting quite fast in our part of the world, but now the river is near flood stage and the fields look like lakes. We are supposed to get more snow soon, but I hope not for a couple of days, I have places to go and don't want to get stuck anywhere.

There was a serious accident today, several young girls used part of a roof that had been cut from a car, as a sled, turned upside down it probably seemed ideal but being metal it moved downhill very fast and they went through a wire fence, then through a wooden fence. One girl has been critically injured and airlifted by helicopter to hospital, the others were also badly injured and taken to another hospital by land ambulance. I hope they all recover very quickly.

Latvian Mittens

This is my first blog. Right now I am working on my third pair of Latvian Mittens. My first pair, knitted last year on 2mm circular needles, were a challenge as I had never done anything like them before, and with such fine wool and thin needles. But I loved it. I was following the Lizbeth Upitis KAL on the Schoolhouse Press website, along with a number of other Ravelry members.

If you haven't heard of www.Ravelry.com yet, and you are a keen knitter or crochet fanatic, pay a visit and join, it is a fantastic website.

The first pair I knitted for myself, the second pair for a friend in Minnesota and the third pair are for a friend in the next village. With temperatures of 50 below in Minnesota and snowstorms from Russia heading towards the UK I think the mittens will be a cosy blessing.

I used Debbie Bliss 4 ply Rialto in four colours for the first two pairs, green, eggshell blue, red and beige. The third pair I am knitting withDebbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, and they have five colours, plum, purple, pink, jade and yellow. As Baby Cashmerino is 5 ply the mittens are slightly larger, but just right for my friend.

The fringe on the bottom of the cuffs was also a challenge at first, but now I find it quite easy and have used the same method to create wigs for knitted dolls. The braid above the fringe is quite attractive and I have used that also when knitting Christmas stockings for my great grandchildren, Sophie and Joshua.

I have been knitting both right and left mittens in turn, and tnight finished the right one except for the thumb. The left one I had worked to just above the thumbhole, so tomorrow I will continue the palm and finish it, then work both thumbs.