Antarctica or it's Time to Turn on the Heat and Start Wearing Handknits

By nature, I am a cold blooded creature.  Most of the time this isn't a problem since I live in Virginia.  It's swealteringly hot here during the summer.  Spring and fall tend to be very mild and there are only a few cold months.  After spending a week in a tropical paradise where it didn't get below 70 degrees, the weather here seems rather chilly.  When I got up this morning it was THIRTY SIX degrees.  Quite frankly, this is unacceptable.  It means that car windshields need to be scraped and it's not even November! I'm sitting here wearing fingerless gloves while trying to type and hoping that the feeling in my cold to the bone fingers returns soon. I have given in and turned the heat on but only to 68.  It is far too early to have to do this.  I think we are going to be in for a very cold winter and I'm hoping it brings lot's of snow.  As soon as I can adjust to the sudden drop in temperature, I will be a much happier camper.

One thing is for sure, hand knits will keep you warm!  I tend to pile them on in layers in the colder months.  Ok, who am I kidding?  I wear my shawls all year long!  Speaking of shawls, Iridill my new design is shawl and shawlette pattern in worsted or fingering weight yarn.  It's currently being test knitted and should be ready for release by the end of November.  I have the worsted weight one (on the right in the photo) on right now and it's really helping to keep the chill off my neck and shoulders.  It's a super simple knit and perfect for that variegated skein of yarn that's been hanging out in your stash!

The shawlette (right) is in Miss Babs Yummy in Maryland 2013 and the shawl (left) is in Miss Babs Yowza in Perfectly Wreckless.

  
I also have a new sock design that will be coming out at the beginning of November, Frost Bite. Shown here in Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Boobie colorway.  I couldn't resist this colorway! Not only is it beautiful, but the name cracked me up.

I just finished reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King.  If you are looking for a book that will scare the heck out of you, give you nightmares and you still won't be able to put it down - this is it.  I LOVED it!  Now that The Walking Dead is back on tv my week winds up being complete on Sunday nights.

Cowltastic

I spin quite a bit, in fact this year I think my yardage is around 7,000 yards.  No kidding and no exaggeration.  A friend of ours  has a llama farm and I do the majority of their spinning.  It's a lot of fun and I really enjoy it.  The downside is that after I get the spinning done for them Im usually too tired of spinning to do any for myself.

 Kristi being the temptress that she is, had given me some of her fantastic super wash merino that she dyed in Zombies Treat the day that I kissed the sheep and caught the plague.  It spun up so nice and lovely, being very soft and light, and just a big knitting tease.  I let it sit on the coffee table for a couple of days so it could be admired by everyone one that came by. 

Today I just couldn't stand having that unknit handspun here a moment longer!  Before I even picked out a pattern, I wound it.  It sat there with me while I searched patterns on Ravelry.  I knew it wanted to be a cowl.  Something with some texture that would show off the colors of the yarn.  I finally came across the Mermaids Tail Cowl.  There was a moment of shear panic when I couldn't find the right needles and then realised that I was looking in the wrong slot in the circular organizer.  Before I knew it, I had cast on and the yarn was flying though my fingers.  Only one pattern repeat left and it will be done.  I think there is more than enough yarn to make another cowl, and possibly some matching mitt's.

Not the best picture, but I was so excited about it I just had to post!

 

Is anyone else counting down the days until The Walking Dead returns?  We can't wait!  Bring on the Zombies!