Knitting Weather!

Baby it's cold outside...

So it is really cold for Southwest Florida. Yesterday the car thermometer read 41 degrees on our way to work, and 48 this morning. And I know I will catch a lot of flack from Northerners, especially all my relatives in Minnesota for mentioning it. Yes, it gets very cold in Minnesota. I heard it was 2 degrees in Minneapolis last night. That is mighty cold. It is what my father calls, "colder than f*$%." And he's right. And if one is properly dressed for such weather, you can survive just fine. (You won't have fun, but you won't die of hypothermia.)

When the temperature gets down into the 40's here in Florida, most locals freak out. Especially if they are Florida natives. (Incidentally, Florida natives are rare - most people are here to escape the cold.) The reason we have problems is because we are not properly dressed. When I moved to Florida I had lots of sweaters, heavy shoes and coats. Not to mention scarves, mittens (my favorite being a pair of red angoras knitted for my by one Miss Sally Watkins of Seabrook, NH), and hats. I gave most things away to the Goodwill because even the winters here are usually in the 70s and 80s everyday. I have lots of sandals. I wear flip flops almost exclusively when not at work. I don't own any pants that are appropriate for work. And then a day like yesterday comes, and I freeze all day because why? I am not dressed appropriately.

And add to the fact that it is like a meat locker in the back room of the library where I have my desk, and I was an ice cube by the end of the day. Kosta, my husband, made a strangled squealing noise when I put my hands on his neck.

So what does all this mean to a blog about knitting? I can actually knit something for myself that I can wear now! And I am going to make myself some arm/hand warmers this weekend! I am using this pattern from Crazy Aunt Purl. I am all jacked up because I am going to a yarn shop on Thursday night. There is a place here in Naples called Gabriella's Yarn Shop. They have a drop-in knitting group on Thursday nights from 6-8. Anyway, I am going to pick up the necessary yarn needed for this project, because the next day we are headed off to the Keys for a long weekend! I have never been to the Keys, which is a travesty, considering how long I have been living here. So the hand warmer project will go with me. I don't know if I will be able to knit in the car without getting sick, but we'll see.

Yarn Porn
I can't take credit for coining the phrase, but I love it. I said I was going to review knitting books, and I already have two in my possession that I am going to read. The first is Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Stephanie is the woman behind the blog Yarn Harlot, and she is a true obsessive knitter. She knits everywhere, including the subway and bus. (Oh, that I could take public transportation to work! Think of all that uninterrupted knitting time!) 

The other book I got (so lovely working in a library) is Knitting Lessons: Tales from the Knitting Path by Lela Nargi. I don't know anything about it other than what it says on the book jacket. Lela Nargi seems to be not a knitter, but she sets on a quest to find out about it when she notices everyone around her is knitting. Neither book has patterns (at least, it is not a book of patterns) but more essays on the ways of the knitter. I'll let you know when I finish them.

Current Project
You probably want  me to put my money where my mouth is, right? All this blathering about knitting, but am I really putting forth the effort? Actually, I am! Right now I am working on my first (and hopefully very easy) felting project. I am making a hot pad and coasters for my teapot. I got the pattern from Fabulous Felted Hand Knits, and I had to slightly alter it a bit. I needed felting yarn, and couldn't get to a real yarn store. So last weekend I went to JoAnns and bought a skein each of Lion Brand Classic wool. My teapot it pink and green, so I bought the following colors: petal pink, jade heather, and taupe (which is closer to a chocolatey brown). I am using the pink and green for the stripes, and the brown for the main color of the hot pad. The pattern in the book called for chunkier yarn, and this is worsted weight, so I just cast on the right amount of stitches (I hope) to get the finished size. I will post pictures tomorrow. I keep forgetting to put my camera in my purse. I am almost halfway through the hot pad, and will make the coasters afterwards. The knitting is pretty easy, just counting colored rows. The yarn says on the label it is good for felting, so I hope it works! I'll keep you posted.