morning hike

Stephen West's Boneyard Shawl in Quince&co. Chickadee

quince&co and seeds

A mild weekend has helped to melt down some of the snow

and definitely lifted many spirits.

My color swatch cards arrived from Quince&co on Friday.

I've always wanted to try their yarn but needed to see the colors

before a decision could be made.

I secretly wish that I could work for a company like this!

Repotted my elder ficus and olive trees

and am trying to start some chamomile seeds.

I probably don't have enough light and they prefer to grow

 outside but I would so like to grow my own tea.

reading, reading, reading

xo, j

more snow...

downy woodpecker

Yes, today we received about 5" of snow.

The roads and sidewalks are messy and difficult to clear,

there is no where to put all the white stuff!

I went into work and then stopped by 

my local library to pay off an over due fine.

Their computers were down so I couldn't check out any books.

sigh…

The Downy Woodpecker is a very shy bird 

so this was the one photo I could take before it flew back to the trees.

Today I registered with Cornell University to be a bird counter.

It's late in the season to start but I will automatically be set up for next year.

xo, j

snowstorm!

mocking bird

tufted titmouse

finished?

next one!

Early this morning a strong storm dropped

about 10" of snow at a rate of 2-3" an hour.

An afternoon lull brought some cold rain and now

another 3-6"of snow is expected this evening.

My work was closed today and

other than the necessary task of shoveling out my car

I've stayed inside, painted and watched a movie.

Sadly, my hands hurt too much to knit right now.

The birds were taking turns at my feeder all day.

Poor little ones still found the courage to sing at my window.

I can't wait to see the ground again…!

xo, j

the spinnery

I'm back from a long week of meetings in Chicago.

It was exhausting and I'm glad to be home.

To combat the bit of cabin fever I felt creeping in I went for a ride along

 the Delaware River to one of my favorite places, Frenchtown, NJ.

I dropped by a shop called The Spinnery that specializes

in spinning, weaving and dyeing supplies.

Despite the cold it was good to get out and walk around

 and I made it home just as the snow started up again.

Thank you to those who left encouraging comments on my previous post.

xo, j

hibernating

It seems to snow every other day

and the cold has been unrelenting.

I should be writing thank you notes

but instead grab a book and a cup of tea

then pull a blanket over my head and nap with the cat.

winter

snow day

Another day of snow,

how fortunate that it is all mine.

Willi Singleton cup

the hot tea melting a ring in the snow.

I finished a pair of gloves.

Next time I will carry the twisted knit stitch 

up the middle finger.

xo, j

after the storm

The sky was a silvery grey at dawn this morning

and is now the bright ice blue of the day after a storm.

The year round birds were outside my window 

waiting for the seeds I forgot to pick up last night.

Tomorrow they won't be disappointed.

this week...

tuesday morning snow

washing sweaters

starting over

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

There is so much to be grateful for…

xo, j

Snow and the Perfect Sweater

It's really snowing here again!

After a winter of very little snow it seems to be catching up with us now.

I don't mind, it won't be around for very long, and the robins are back.

Spring is only a couple of days away.

Here's a photo of the sweater I am working on.

This image was floating around various tumblr sites and the designer,

Isabell Kraemer, has finally made the pattern available on Ravelry.

Mine is a lighter grey Merino/Cashmere blend found on sale at my favorite yarn shop.

I'll be knitting many versions of this sweater!

More Snow and Orchids

It snowed all day today.

Large snowflakes that stuck to the trees but not the roads...perfect.

My kitchen window orchids are still blooming.

A pair of brown wrens were singing to each other all afternoon.

Courting and looking for a place to nest, I suppose.

It will be nice to have them near this summer.

Started another knitting project, more on that tomorrow.

Snowfall and Sunsets

I wonder if it will snow again

before winter ends

daffodils 

Dunnfield Creek, Delaware Water Gap, NJ

brother and sister boots

poor lost handmade mitten

tree hugging rock - winter

Today my brother and I went for a short hike at the Delaware Water Gap.

This is the same walk we took 6 months ago when he visited in the summer.

There were patches of snow and some dramatic icicles along the way.

After our walk we stopped by a local diner for an egg sandwich and a burger.

Although I couldn't walk very far or fast, still have a cough from the flu,

we had a great day together.