Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Getting spring where you can...


As a native Minnesotan, I have been raised to believe that people who complain about the weather are weak, moral degenerates who just need to toughen up and get over it. "After all, it could be worse!", Minnesotans love to say. Add to this Scandinavian pragmatism a steady dose of my mother's English stoic temperament and proclivity to never complaining about anything ever under any circumstances, and well, I don't look so good. Why? Because I would like to know where the flippin' spring has gone! I am sure it's right around the corner, but in the mean time I will look to my favorite colors, pink and green, for the sensation of springtime. The above-pictured fingerless gloves were finished in an evening and provided a timely distraction from the Baby's First Aran Sweater, which is high cognitive load knitting as you have to read a chart and all that, and the interminable stop-the-world-I-want-to-get-off merry go round of the Green Gable. Both should be done by the end of the weekend, but I just needed a start and finish a project in one night, just to know that I still could actually finish something. The gloves were done one of my faves, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Somerset.
I should be able to get a lot of knitting done this weekend as I'm going to a conference in NY, and taking the train. There I hope to a. present my paper and wow the audience with my mad French teacher skillz b. visit School Products and experience the insanity for myself and c. maybe check out a Spider or two at The Point on Friday night. We'll see! But I am looking forward to this little jaunt, spring or no spring.

20 comments:

...Sarah said...

I am with you on the complaining thing. I spend most of the winter admonishing people for being happy about the lack of snow—hello, can you say global warming? But after seeing flakes outside my window just tonight, April 11, I say enough is enough!

Those are very lovely colours, and I quite enjoy reading your blog.

Veronique said...

I'm looking forward to meeting you at the Point! I should be there by 5:30.
Et j'aimerais beaucoup t'entendre parler francais... A bientot!

Anonymous said...

Very cute fingerless gloves. Still waiting for spring here in Central New York. But you're right.... it could be worse.

pamela wynne said...

have a great trip! & good luck at the conference!

schrodinger said...

Yay! You're coming to the Point - I hope.

Good luck with the conference.

Unknown said...

School Products! You're in for a treat! I can't go there for a while- there's something about cones of yarn that makes me loose my head (and all my money!).

Sonya said...

Please come back, spring. Please? It was blizzard-like outside my window for half the day. Enough already.

Good luck presenting your paper. Hope you get lots of uninterrupted knitting time.

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh, poor you! I'd complain even more if spring wouldn't be here these days - it's about highest time, isn't it? But hey, I'm sending over lots of sunrays and warmth to you in the meantime to warm you up!
Those fingerless gloves are so very beautiful - and you're right, these colours will definitely cheer you up! Gorgeous!
All the best of luck with presenting your paper - fingers crossed!

Unknown said...

First it was yarn crack, now candy krak? AND pretending to present a paper just so you can go yarn shopping? You are so sneaky. Good luck with your presentation!

Prof. Knitwit said...

I love the fingerless gloves - and they definitely speak "spring" to me. Have a great time in NY and good luck at the conference.

nicole said...

As I write this, huge snowflakes are falling down. It looks like Christmas! Crazy.

Thanks for your kind comments on my Icarus shawl.

Bon tricot sur le train, et bonne chance pour ta présentation!

Heather said...

Good luck with the presentation, which seems to me one of the more nerve-wracking parts of academia. I would think that after that a yarn purchase would definitely be in order. Don't forget that School Products closes early on Saturdays! But Purl is open later. :)

Zarzuela said...

I for one have no problem complaining when Mother Nature dangles spring in front of me and then slaps me in the face with another dose of winter! :-P

Anyway, enjoy your trip to NYC and good luck at the conference. Let me know if you need any tips. I work in mid-town Manhattan. :)

Jessica

Melissa said...

I hope you have a great trip!!

knittingphilistine said...

Cute lil spring mitts! Have fun buying tons of yak at Schoolhouse Prods... I hear that's what you do there!

Anonymous said...

hope you have a good trip, cute mits! : )

carrie said...

oh, i'm sorry that i won't be at the point tonight to see you -- relatives in town. je parle francais, aussi!

Anonymous said...

Very pretty fingerless gloves, at least you'll still get some use out of them in this chilly 'spring'.

Have a great trip, and make sure to get lots of goodies for yourself!

Alison said...

Yeah, I'm still in Minnesota and it snowed earlier this week...
I am seriuosly ready for spring andsome outdoor knitting- you know, knitting things for next fall!
You know how we always say there are only 2 seasons here in Minnesota- winter and road construction? Well, road construction has begun and that means winter's on it's way...
I would make a poor Englishman, we've barely thawed here and I'm already dreading next winter!
Knitting helps keep me calm, a little bit anyway...
Fun fingerless gloves, by the way!
Happy knitting,
ali

WonderMike said...

We don't get snow out here in the Bay Area (well, Mount Diablo doesn't really count), so I can't empathize. In fact, I wish it were colder so that I justify making Lopi sweaters and wearing Angora without suffocating. Having said all that, I'm all for the beginning of Spring and I think you're choice of pink and green is lurvely.