Freezy, Breezy, days of Winter

Super Bowl Sunday had arrived. It's a beautiful day here. The sun is out. There's not a cloud in the sky. It's breezy. And did I mention that it's 11 degrees? Yep, that's what the thermometer says, and you have to take into account that it reads a bit warm because of where it's located. Needless to say I planned ahead and I'm not leaving the house today. (Oh, I'll probably find something that I need to pick up at the store -- like the buns that I need for the Italian sausage sandwiches that we're having for dinner...)

Here's a lovely bit that I picked up at the grocery store yesterday.



I really enjoy a good cup of Earl Grey in the mornings, but none of that decaf stuff for me. This is all they had. Do you see the interesting little pyramid shaped see-thru bags. It was a bit pricey (not too bad) but it's really very good. The tea isn't all ground up and powered and you can see the spicy bits that make Earl Grey Earl Grey. It was quite delicious.

I spent Saturday getting my taxes together. I use TaxCut software. It's great! I haven't filed it all yet. I like a day or so to think about it all to make sure I haven't missed anything. Then I'll E-file and viola, the return will appear in our bank account in less than two weeks! After working so hard on the taxes, I rewarded myself with a little knitting. DH and I are working through the DVD's of Desperate Housewifes that I got for Christmas. We're about two-thirds of the way done with Season One. What a great way to watch a program! No commercials either!

First, I worked on my Landscape bag.


You can see that it's moving right along. I'm at the end of the first skein of the varigated yarn. There's one more left to go. Now that I've gotten onto the pattern and the yarn for this bag, it's really a lot of fun. I may have to try out some of the other colorways that are available. But I do want to Google around to see how to line this bad boy. I'm thinking that some fuseable stuff inside whatever fabric I use to stiffen it up a bit might yield a more professional looking job.


When I got to the end of the skein, I moved on to the Felted Clog slippers for DD. ANYTHING to get her to wear something on her feet in the winter. She requested purple and yellow and she's getting it.



I still have to make the second sole, stitch it all up, and weave in the ends. Then move on to the second slipper. But I did do all of this in about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. This is such a great pattern. I'm all for using free patterns. But I have several patterns that I've purchased for smaller type items (i.e. purses, felted bucket hat, mittens) that are well worth the small cost of the pattern. I think because the items are small and they've been test knitting over and over. The kinks are worked out of the patterns and they knit like a dream. This is the famous Fiber Trends Felted Clog pattern and I think at this point I've knit about eight to ten times. A couple different sizes and a couple the same size, with consistent results. Plus, I've worked out my own shorthand notes to keep me on track when I'm knitting and found that a couple strategically placed markers are necessary.


Well, enough of that. I'm cooking up some Italian sausage in the slowcooker today for the game. I've made some crab spread to snack on. There's some corn chips, salsa, and CheeseWhiz. I've got a transcript to type and pages to go before I can knit and watch football without feeling guilty.


Go Bears!