My Easy Cabled Scarf pattern is now for sale on Ravelry!

USD $2.50

That is the last pattern for a little while. However, I have another hat pattern in mind, and another cowl.  AND, my Aunt Kathy suggested mitts to go with my Bulky Twisted Rib Hat, which was a great suggestion.

So, this Easy Cabled Scarf:

I. LOVE. IT.  First of all I love the yarn I used, Cascade Cloud.  It is 70% merino and 30% alpaca, so you can’t go wrong there.  It also has an unusual construction in that it is a chain yarn.  The strand of yarn looks like a tiny knitted i-cord (or a chain) and that gives the yarn a nice texture.  It is an aran weight yarn (also known as heavy worsted) and knit with size 11 needles, which means the fabric is fairly drapey and nice and squooshy.  I have scheduled a “Cables!” class at The Spinning Room (March 21, 12-2pm) to teach how to knit various cables by getting started on this scarf, as well as learning to cable without a needle. Second of all, I love that using the size 11 needles makes it a fairly quick knit.  Mine took a day and a half.  Although, you can’t go by me because I knit pretty fast these days.  Especially when I’m on a mission.  Your mileage will vary.  Let’s just say it is probably quicker to knit than your average scarf. *And a special thank you to Yvette who braved the cold with me today to take the final pictures I needed of me wearing my scarf!

If you decide to knit any of my patterns, I would LOVE to see the results.  Please post them on Ravelry or you can email me a picture:  lizatlizytishknitsdotcom

So, that’s it for pattern news.

How about me going on and on and on about how cold and snowy it is?…..

I have decided that I really need some snow pants:

Trudging up Grandma’s back hill through the 15″ snow to make a path for the Doodlebugs so they could sled (1 time for Miss Ladybug, 3 times for Mr. Doodlebug) made this very clear.  They did well trudging on their own when it was flat:

Luckily this week the sun was out, so despite temps in the teens, it wasn’t too cold to get outside for some shoveling-the-yard-then-pushing-each-other-over-then-burying-themselves-then-eating-snow.

One of the days, after we came inside, we made craft stick/bottle top catapults and measured how far conversation hearts would launch:

So much fun! Great fun to see how far they would go and great practice for them to read numbers, especially the twenties/thirties/forties.  They loved the idea of launching them and then eating them.  We were following the 5-second rule, in case you were wondering.

Today, it got all the way to 7 degrees, after starting out at minus 7.  AND it was very windy.  So it was wonderful running all my errands, making my 8 different stops into the warm stores and back out in to the frigid cold.  I was so happy to get home.  It’s going to be cold all weekend and we are supposed to get 6 or more inches of snow Saturday into Sunday.  While this is painful to think about and makes me want to complain even more, it will be great for sitting here in my comfy cozy chair under my knitted woolens, knitting more woolens:

I don’t plan on leaving the house.  Might even bake some bread and cook a pot roast.

P.S.  My new favorite thing:

Mechanical pencils from Staples.  I never use pencils when I’m making notes on my knitting patterns because you have to sharpen them, and there is never a sharpener around when you need one (or you have to go to a store to buy one because you can’t ever find the one you have but never use because you never use pencils).  I always use a pen, scribble out my mistakes, and overall make a general mess of things.  But then Deirdre at The Spinning Room had these in her pencil cup and I fell in love.  Best things ever.  No need to sharpen.  There is always lead there.  Even extras in the handy dandy holder under the eraser.  And how cute are they with the cute patterns and cute colors? Meanwhile, Paul, a mechanical engineer with an intimate knowledge of mechanical pencils wonders if I have been living under a rock.  (Deirdre, I’m bringing back the one you so nicely gave me after I made such a big deal about how great they are.)