I can feel Spring on the edge. Snowdrops and crocuses are in bloom and even though the temperature is in the mid 40’s, it feels warmer. I completed my knitting frenzy and already sent it off. The Duxbury sweater for my daughter is beautiful, I am happy with the pattern modifications although the armholes may be a little large. I brought it on a 3 day trip to Nova Scotia, but was too exhausted at the end of each day to even look at it. I did complete a pair of socks during the car ride though. We were looking at seaside places to buy for retirement. We saw several beautiful affordable places but concluded that: a) it is just too far away from my roots in NY; and b) it may be too complicated to gain residency during retirement. It seems that doctors are in demand and in order for me to retire from medicine and live full time there, I would have to work as a doctor. Not exactly what I had in mind. It would definitely cut into knitting, spinning and sailing time. There were beautiful properties though if you only wanted a second home there and that would be less complicated.

I finally knit up a pair of Fiber Trends clogs and am ecstatic. I don’t think it will be a stash buster for me because now I plan to knit them for everyone I know and have particular colors in mind. I found that the Paton’s Classic Merino felted like a dream.

I am looking forward to tonight – Spinning Guild, tomorrow – Fire Island knitters coming to my house to dye with Kool Aid; and Saturday when I will attend a knitting workshop.

In between, DH has been getting the boat ready for us to move aboard May 1. The only problem (well actually there are more) is that the boat is blocked in the yard and there is a chance we could move in on the hard. There is always the lingering question of what to do about the cats. I think I will have to attempt to have them live aboard for our 2 month initial trip before we move to our next lighthouse. Then we’ll be ashore for 2 months and perhaps by then, my son will have chosen a law school and may live off campus… In between all this I am working and preparing for a backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon at the end of the month. I’ll knit a lace weight shawl.

I looked forward to the snowstorm all weekend.  How childish that I was looking forward to an unscheduled day off work.  I only work 2 days a week and will have to reschedule all these patients anyway but….yipeeeee!!   Overnight the house was shuddering with the wind.  Snow frames all our windows and the wind and sleet are still blowing.

DH went off island anyway but I intend to stay by the fire and work on my Duxbury Sweater.  I am down to the second sleeve and love how the saddle shoulder is knitted onto the front and back of the sweater pieces.  I’ll remember this sweater because it is about my 4th Fisherman style sweater and the first where I have gotten rid of the cable needles.  I worked with techniques from EZ’s knitting glossary and a video I found on Youtube, which was even easier.  I realize I let my stitches float in the air a little more than shown on the video.  In between I darned DH’s slipper socks, which he has worn to shreds.  Later I hope to spin up some Corriedale that is Kool Aid dyed.

I may also dye the rest of my Corriedale roving because I just received a pound of grey Shetland and white BFL that I am eager to get to but have been working sequentially on projects lately.  I’ve decided to make socks out of the Mohair Merino Blend since I havent’t tried carding nylon into my yarn yet and want them to wear well.  My next pair for DH will be EZ’s mocassin socks so I can replace the sole as needed.  I saw that he has completely worn away the sole on the slipper socks that have a suede bottom that I made last summer.  I’m happy that he likes them so much.

We went to the Adirondacks last week and went cross country skiing and snowshoeing.  Lake Placid was pretty quiet considering it was Winter Break for many schools.  I got to wear all my warm 2008 items, Thorpe, Cowl and Norwegian mittens.  And I could knit in the car and got several hours of work on the Duxbury. The cowl has been reworked again.  Since it is too big and I am too lazy to rip it out, I have now knit up an I-cord so it fits snuggly.  It’s great to wear when I run because I like my hair in a pony tail and hats don’t stay on.And for a random photo, this large sea creature was offshore last week, hmmmm.

Tim and I were on a quest today.  I wanted to see the snowy owls that have been seen at Jones Beach and was afraid they may leave as the weather warms.  We drove out to West End Beach 2 and met a mixed batch of birders.  The first group we met was happy to point us in the right direction although we didn’t really know where they meant.  The second group was quite a contrast and were quite closed  and tried to discourage us from looking.  Tim’s strategy was to use the binoculars to look for groups of bird watchers who might be watching the birds we were looking for.  This didn’t work too well but then someone told us that the area had become so popular that it was fenced off.  This we could find.  Even then, we wouldn’t have been able to see the Saw-Whet owl sequestered there until a photographer showed us it hidden in a pine tree.  It wasn’t the Snowy owl though so we were off to the nature center.  There the guide told us they hadn’t seen it that day but had seen birders in the west end of the park.  This seems to be our best strategy, find the birders who might actually be looking at something and then try to find it.  We saw a snowy owl but it was off in the distance and really looked like a piece of styrofoam.

Then we were off to the Connetquot State park for a hike.  We went to the fish hatchery where even without others, we were able to find trout trying to jump over a dam.  The smaller ones had a clear advantage because they could slip between the dam and the bridge over it.  The larger ones jumped so high that they rammed the bridge and fell back into the water, perhaps a little dazed, to be snagged by one of the fly fisherman.

When we returned to Fire Island, there was another crowd there enjoying the full moon rising over the lighthouse.  Quite a day.  We didn’t pack a lunch so I had some chocolate covered almonds in the car, which I saved in a clean exam glove and we enjoyed a snack from the candy man.

Candy Man

Originally uploaded by One2KnitFar

Yesterday was a spinning and sample day. I spun some of the corriedale that I had dyed with Kool Aid and food coloring. I swatched!! I tried a 2 ply that was randomly matched and a navajo ply. I liked the softness of the 2 ply better but didn’t think the colors worked at all. Then I took the photo and realized the colors were exactly like the tablecloth. I must be blind or something.

And for a random addition, these are my favorite bowls that I bought in Maine this summer from a local potter.