get in a better mood

You know, I've always considered myself more of a winter person than a summer gal, but this season I am SERIOUSLY being tested.

It's kind of the perfect storm of seasonal annoyances around these parts --relentless snowstorms that we don't *usually* have this early in the year (and I might add that I don't have snow tires, so this morning's drive in was beyond stressful); a freakin' TRANSIT strike (i.e no alternative bus/train that I'd normally use when I deem the weather too terrible to drive and therefore 40 times as many cars on the road) and a major bridge closure that is backing things up mental into the downtown core.

It's not even Christmas yet and I am SO. over. this. Now that I've moved the two + hour walk in is less palatable than my previous hour of walking, but after this morning's relentless fish-tailing at every intersection I'm starting to re-consider it. Though judging from the people I did see walking today I also don't relish the idea of walking down the middle of the main roads with my back to traffic because the freakin' sidewalks still aren't plowed. Last year we had record snowfalls and the city completely blew their budget on plowing so it seems like this year they are hell bent on holding out as long as they can. How can this beeeeeeee???????

Ok, that is my local rant--I promise it stops there. I'm stressed out about money these days (new home, go figure) and I'm starting to feel like it's my civic duty to be worried about the economy and my country plunging into an eventual crisis of 1930's depression-era proportions, and it's Christmas and I'm trying to be frugal but I still have to be spending and spending and then the heating bill came and and and and.... I know, I know, it's the same everywhere.

************knitting, where are you????????**************

I've been trying to get re-inspired a bit lately...rather than just keep telling myself that there's nothing new out there that I want to knit, I've seen it all before blah blah blah. There's a new Knitty...though for the most part I don't tend to knit too much off that site...the last Twist Collective was pretty good...checking out Phildar sweaters, perusing my old knitting books (which if nothing else had me asking the question "WHY did I buy this???") You know how it goes.

I then decided to re-visit Berroco which has a lot of free patterns, and that I haven't been on in AGES, and with a current pattern hunting criteria of "fast & fun", here's what I've come up with:



Boot Toppers!!! How fun are these? These may be just what a pair of soon-to-be-tossed boots needs to extend their longevity.



Flip top mitts. About a month ago I scoured Ravelry for a pair of these...a task you'd think was easy, but finding a pattern that didn't have individual fingers proved difficult. These ones look great --and chunky yarn equals a fast knit!



Ice Scraper mitts! I had the best of intentions this year in making these for all the "dudes" in my office (the women are all getting bracelets so the men needed something for their wrists too, right?) but then I just never got around to it. I'm liking this pattern better than the one I had in mind originally though so who knows, maybe I can still bust out 5 of them as "New Year's" presents. Yeah, right.

Or maybe a Jellyfish?



Ok, maybe not.

But I think I might have even come up with my next sweater project via Berroco...



Umberta. It's a bit of a departure from the kinds of sweaters I'd normally knit, but I decided it was time to take some of Stacey & Clinton's usual advice for my body type and apply it to what I'm knitting this time....empire waist, v-neck, long enough body etc. etc. And not so chunky that I will look like a line-backer in it. You know, as previously stated...back to basics.

With any luck I'll be checking my LYS this week for the pattern and yarn (what was that about not spending?). I'm making the exception here...knitting keeps me sane after all.