Is that snow on your garden gnome, or did he get into the cupcakes?

It's my favorite day of the year. It snowed last night and I woke while it was still dark. Andy brought me a cup of coffee in bed and Roper hung out with me while I relaxed into the morning. I snuck outside while still in my pajama's to take a few pictures. The sun was just starting to come up and the sky was a beautiful whitish blue. The only sound was the ice cracking on the trees as the breeze blew through them.

After living in Maine for so many years, I stopped enjoying snow. The last winter I lived there we had 99" of snow accumulation over the winter. There was so much snow and it was so incredibly heavy that the roof of the barn needed to be shoveled. By the end of the winter I could stand on the huge snowbank next to the barn to reach up and shovel more snow off. The first winter that I lived in Virginia was like being on vacation! It didn't snow at all and I don't remember it being colder than mid 40's. Since then, I've found that it does snow here on occasion, but it's never very much. It melts within a few days and looks pretty while it's here. There never seems to be that gray sludge on top of the snow from the street that happens further north. It's just pretty and pristine and reminds me of a frosted cake.

The Nikomedes pattern is nearly finished.  Im putting the final touches on it now.  Shannon and Beth have been really wonderful test knitters. The pattern should be ready to be released by the end of next week.  I've really enjoyed writing and designing this pattern   It's fun knit with a very easy to remember stitch pattern.  The lace  continues down the heel which is perfect for showing off with clogs!

Nikomedes shown in Shalimar Yarns Zoe Sock Driftwood

Here is a little teaser for Mirrored Step, which will be coming out at the end of February.  It's a great pattern for semi-solid as well as variegated yarns.  Knitted cuff down and will come in three sizes.  The Mirrored Step stitch pattern really helps to break up any pooling and will work well with a variety of yarns.

Cindy and Tierney have just gotten the test pattern for this fun knit.  Im anxious to hear how they are doing and see progress pictures.  It's so exciting when I get to see my patterns come to life in the knitting of others!  

  Check out Tierney's blog if you have a chance.  She has some really fun things on there and is very talented!

Snow!

It seemed like winter never really arrived in Virginia this year.  Daffodills had started to bloom and I noticed that a few redbud tree's had started to get little buds on them.  When we heard the forecast for snow yesterday Andy and I chuckled a bit.  Well it turns out the joke was on us.  We had a little over eight inches of snow yesterday.  It's the kind that sparkles like glitter in the sun which is my favorite. 

When I lived in Maine I couldn't wait for winter to be over.  Some winters there is so much snow that it is overwhelming.  We had 99 - ninety nine - inches of snow the last year I lived there.  All the shoveling, plowing, and snow blowing became very tiresome to say the least.  Living in Virginia has been a refreshing experience.  Businesses and schools shut down at the near mention what would be considered flurries in Maine.  Grocery stores get wiped out of bread, milk and eggs before a storm so a little planning is helpful if you know that snow is coming.  A few people who are native to the area have said to me that the snow here is much worse than what comes down in Maine.  They have the impression that snow in Maine is light and fluffy and pretty much what you would see in a holiday movie.  That ice storms just don't happen that far north.  I can tell you from first hand experience that  there are ice storms and the snow in Maine is just as heavy as snow in Virginia.  The snow in Maine doesn't melt in a day or two like it does here though.  The ground there freezes to the density of granite which helps keep the snow around for the entire winter. 

Im going to enjoy the snow here while it lasts and be thankful that it will be gone in a day or two.