Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Snow Day (!?)

Snow Day
Apparently whenever it snows now the local school district here in Nascar, PA. calls for a snow day. Stop everything! It's winter and it's snowing! This means that the junior set is at home, and I am forced to be large and in charge, ruling the roost by preventing tri-hourly raids of the snack cupboard and non-stop Nickelodeon. And all this hullabaloo on the day I don' t teach. Harumph! The native Minnesotan in me has an innate sense of winter weather superiority & scoffs at such readiness to cancel school. "12 degrees? That not really that cold..it's 40 below in International Falls". Yes, it's winter. There is snow. Can't we all just deal, please? I include a picture of the offending weather above for
my peeps who aren't experiencing the joy of white flakes covering their town.

If the above irritating native Minnesotan behavior weren't tiresome enough for you, here's another aggravating habit we have: loving music from Minneapolis with a cult-like devotion. If you are so inclined and are looking for some snow day music, might I suggest the Replacements' 'Skyway' and Trip Shakespeare's 'Snow Day'? And of course Prince's mighty 'Sometimes it Snows in April'! (Thanks, Nicole!)
Target Wave mittens
I can't complain too much--today's snow day meant that Tween Thing was available for a mitten fashion shoot. These are the Target Wave mittens by designer Norah Gaughan. After seeing a good friend's pair, I had to make them as well. I told you I was a copy cat knitter!
Target Wave mittens
These were an interesting mitten to make as the construction is unusual. The hand part is knit flat and then seamed. I chose to do the thumb target in the round because it just seemed much easier. I love how they came out, the pattern is striking, sassy and stylish--all three qualities that today's modern knitter demands...
Target Wave mittens
The Specs
Pattern: Target Wave Mittens (Interweave Knits Fall 06 and Knitting Nature)
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted in 'Shocking Pink' and 'Water Green'

Needles: Size 6 and Size 8 addi turbos

This is my third straight project with the Malabrigo 'Water Green' and I still have a ton left. Is this some seriously amazing yardage or what? It's like the magic porridge pot of yarns...

43 comments:

Risa said...

Your mittens are yummy! I can't wait to stock up on Mmmmmalabrigo at Stitches :)
Enjoy the snow.

WonderMike said...

I super duper *heart* these mitts. Must find time to make them..

Anonymous said...

I love your mittens. The colors are absolutely fab! I'm afraid if I made some, however, I would walk around like The Fonz, always giving the thumbs up.

Pheelya said...

How cute!! Malabrigo is some yummy yarn!!

Heather said...

I crack up every time you write Nascar, PA. We are getting some minor snow here in NYC, too, hooray. Can I just say how much I love those mittens? I've been in love with them ever since I saw them in IK, and have been thinking of eventually making an adult size. Now I guess I'll just have to copy you! :)

Jodi said...

I love that Replacements song! "I'll take the skyway, high above the busy little one-way..."

Minnesotans really do know how to handle the snow and cold, and they know how to DRIVE. Here in Chicago the roads instantly become a mess as soon as the flakes start falling (like today). I think my husband's in for a commute home of at least 4 hours. :-(

Cute mittens!

Octopus Knits said...

Love the mittens, all the hats (especially the "redoise" reversible one), and Drive-Thru! Wonderful! (Clearly, I need to read up more frequently!)

sophanne said...

I'm going to have to come up with something else to name the 'burg with you taking Nascar PA and all. Maybe Southwest Nascar, PA.

I was home from school today- I kind of liked it heh heh.

Veronique said...

More Malabrigo goodness! It's the best addiction to have. (I'm sure you could stop knitting with it if you had to, but why would you have to do that?!).

peaknits said...

I find Malabrigo to be like Chinese food for me too - the more I eat (knit) the more I seem to have - dep yardage!! Love your mitts - they are perfect and plenty sassy indeed:P

Tammy said...

The snow is gorgeous! I'm seriously jealous. I remember seasons... we had them when I lived back east as a child. It was 80 degrees here today. I would much rather be knitting Malabrigo mittens! Yours turned out great.

a friend to knit with said...

ha! i know. no school here either. it actually wasn't bad when they called it, however, it did eventually get bad.
love those mittens. great to have some models around, huh!? i really have to get some malabrigo.

Ashley said...

Wait, are you telling me that ALL these projects have been from the same skein of Malabrigo? That's insane.

nicole said...

"Sometimes it snows in April", last song off "Parade: Music from Under the Cherry Moon", Prince's 8th album.

Ok, so it's not April, but you asked for a snow-themed Prince song. So there you are.

(BIG Prince fan, BIG Replacements fan too!)

Anonymous said...

I miss snow. Thanks for sharing your photo of it.

My mind must be in a weird spot today because one of those photos kind of made the thumb section look like ... boobies with very large nipples. LOL

I know, I need help. They are still very cute though.

Gingersnaps with Tea... said...

SO A couple of weeks ago, Calgary was on record as THE COLDEST PLACE ON EARTH. It was -32°C with a wind chill that made it feel like -55°C. The doors at work were frozen shut. But I'm not complaining :-). Lovely mittens mmmm malabrigo.

Anonymous said...

At least your model was around to model the lovely mitts. [Snow days are unheard of down here.]

weezalana said...

You're supposed to start this kind of post with something like, "When I was a kid, we walked 10 miles in a *blizzard* just to go to school..." ;) Man, I wish we had snow days. Or beach days. That would work, too.

Love those mittens, they are SO cute!

anne said...

Ha -- I got beaten to the punch in naming Prince's snow-related song. It came in handy the times it actually did snow in April in Minneapolis!

Sarah said...

How did I miss that fantastic pattern?! I'm going to have to dig back through my issues of IK. Yours look fantastic, as always.

I think the school cancellations aren't so much because they can't deal with the snow, it's because they have a serious lack of faith in the municipal ability to plow and salt (and trust me, that lack of faith is for very good reason here!).

KeanaLee said...

you make me homesick (i'm from where you live nascar,pa)
love the mitts, u have some of that yarn.....hmmmmm

Yarnhog said...

Love the mittens! Neat design.

It was 76F here yesterday. Not that I'm rubbing it in, or anything. We do have fire days and earthquakes, after all.

Valerie said...

Ohhhhhhh more Water Green. I couldn't stand it after your Very Warm Hat and I pulled out my dye pots to try to imitate. I LOVE THAT COLOR!!! And it's so delicious with the dark pink--Super cute mittens!

nova said...

"...magic porridge pot of yarns..." I love it. The mittens are pretty great too. I like how you are being so resourceful with the Malabrigo.

Kirsten said...

Those mittens are fantastic!
Malabrigo does go on forever! That's fine too, because I'm loving that color! I'm looking forward to seeing where it pops up next.

Anonymous said...

Looove Malabrigo and it looks awesome in these mittens! The colors look great together!

...Sarah said...

Oooh I love your "grink" (or should it be "preen"?) mittens. I would have added them to my mitten love blog post had I seen these last night.

I also happen to think that if it isn't cold enough to wear long underwear and snow pants then it just isn't winter.

Happily Knit said...

That is too funny...I'm over in Wisconsin right now, and the thought of me not having to go to class over 12 degrees actually made me scoff. hah! At least you survived the horrible weather so far...lol

Your mittens are adorable, great color choices together!

Philigry said...

love, love these. the pink and blue looks awesome!

Knitting Bandit said...

Doesn't look like much of a storm there. Maybe black ice lurking somewhere? Try my way... a snow day at my house means lots of snacks and TV and everything else that's bad for you! I'm selfish that way! But then we only get 3 or 4 a year...they're cause for a celebration!
Darling mittens.

Anonymous said...

Those mitts are awesome! You are so quick and putting out the FOs. You rock!

We get snow days for less than that - granted though, our buses have to get up some pretty steep hills so it's more for the safety of kids that we get snow days.

Sonya said...

Love those mittens! They cancel school here for every flake too. I think it's fear o' lawsuits.

Robin said...

The mittens are great! I know what you mean about the over-reaction to snow, having always lived in the Chicago area. However, I'm not above milking it if it gets me out of something I don't feel like doing!! LOL

Kyle William said...

I miss snow days... that photo is awesome... being in Los Angeles keeps me from that kind of impromptu vacation.... :(

Faith said...

Those are awesome mitts! I love your color choices- they're fun and oddly sophisticated. (Having spent the last 4 years in burrrrrlington VT, I am similarly perplexed by "cold" weather panic.)

knitseashore said...

Nothing like pink and green to cheer up a winter day! I think you have all our snow. We've gotten very little this year in Southern New England, for which I am very grateful.

Knittymuggins said...

Mmmmm..... yums!!

knittymuggins

Sourire11 said...

So fun! and malabrigio's yardage is AWESOME.

Anonymous said...

Another great Malabrigo color combo. Love those thumbs!

I know what you mean about the snow, all you need around here is the hint of a bad weather report, and everyone clears out the stores like Armageddon is coming. Never seems to lessen the traffic anywhere though, lol.

schrodinger said...

Don't know why, but those mitts fascinate me.

Anonymous said...

those are some sexy mittens
I had to go straight to ravelry and add them

Anonymous said...

Love. These. I've wanted to make them for so long, and now even more. Your colors are gorgeous.

casapinka said...

OMG!!!! I am looking to make the Twist Collective "Sylvi" in Watergreem w/ Shocking pink cuffs and a peter pan collar. I can't find the yarns here in RI, though and they are all sold out on line (the chunky.) Thanks for posting all these photos!