Snow Day!

At this rate, we'll be in school till June. For some of you, this may be a cause for confusion, as you're always in school till June. We started school on August 19th, a good 2 1/2 weeks before the traditional after-Labor-Day start that seems to be more common on the East and West coasts. For whatever reason, our district never builds snow days into the calendar. They tease us with Spring Break, then take it away to make up missed days. Our total so far this year: 2 1/2 days in October for flu, one day the following week for flooding, 4 days the first week of January (2 for a "boil water" order in town, 2 for snow/ice), last Friday and today for snow. We had school on MLK day, and will have school on Presidents' Day. That makes up 2 of the 9 1/2. Four more will come from Spring Break (they're letting us keep the Friday). That leaves 3 1/2 which I guess will be tacked on to the end of the school year. Looks like May 25th could be our last day. God willin' and the crick don't rise. And that's happened, too. We've already missed one day due to flooding in October. Spring rains could cause more of that. Que sera, sera.

I received a plea from Afghans for Afghans. They're conducting a youth campaign right now. They need sweaters, vests, socks and mittens for 7 - 14 year olds. Apparently, they have plenty of hats. Deadline is early March.

I have decided to kill several birds with one stone. I wanted an Olympic knitting challenge, and this is it -- a sweater for an Afghan youth. I have some wool yarn that a friend gave me years ago. I should have enough to make a sweater with a 34" chest (stash reduction). Now, for a pattern: I have never made the Basic Crew from Jaqueline Fee's Sweater Workshop, and this seems like the ideal time for it. So I have already swatched (pats self on the back) and filled out my "Gauge Page". I don't care for the 2x2 ribbing at the bottom of the sweater and the sleeves, so I have to figure out what to do instead. I think I'll still use the 90% of key number cast-on (key number is gauge x chest circumference) and the 2-sizes-smaller needle, but some other kind of edging. I have Nikki Epstein's Knitting on the Edge; I should be able to find something in there that will work.



Meanwhile, I have finished Tudor Grace (photo above), and am starting the Spring Fling February challenge, a Wendyknits pattern. This will be the Mock Cable Socks from Socks from the Toe Up, in Trekking XXL color 147 (wine).