A little bit of winter

. . .  made me a little bit behind on the posting front!  If it's winter in Minnesota, it's hockey season. And that means I'm spending the weekend watching this kind of scene - penning and unpenning the youth of America.

Whose letting these dogs out?

Otherwise known as a hockey tournament. We're on our third game of the weekend right now and that usually means a lot of knitting for me. Unfortunately, I brought along my Owl Mittens by SpillyJaneKnits from my library.  A lovely pattern that I've had in my library for over a year. A pattern that I forgot to enlarge. 

Oh, my aching eyes! I'm just not able to knit in the stands.

I have been able to knit in my hotel room, however. I'm using a larger yarn than the pattern calls for - the Stone and Pepper Nature Spun color ways - and watching a few Japanese television dramas to kill the time between games. This one?  Atashinchi no Danshi - a crazy "anime style" drama about what it means to be a family. English sub titles, of course, but still quite fun. 

One more game tonight and then playoffs tomorrow! Onward!

A truthful New Year

To be entirely truthful - the Palindrome reversible cable scarf did not get finished in December. That makes it the first project of the New Year.

Nico says, "Give me that muffler or I'll bite you!"

It's lovely and warm but rather short so Mr. R. wears it like a muffler (folded) rather than a scarf. I actually used up all the yarn (all 436 yds but doubled) so my only other choice is to sew up a loop on one side and a button on the other. He thought that seemed a little "old man ish" so - we'll see.

The cables are really nice - I recommend this pattern!

I do have an excuse, though. It's hockey season in MN and with tournaments every weekend (OUTDOOR tournaments!) that really cuts down on my knitting time.

8 degrees F.,  two overtimes, a shoot out and - a goal for Youngest Child!

At least the daylight makes for a more pleasant occasion. This past weekend, our first game was a night game.

A chilly chalk talk from Coach Frank.

And I have started my first sweater of 2013 - a Breezy Cardigan from Hannah Fettig. 

It's a top down cardigan with lots of stockinette stitch. As it happens, it looks more like a cowl than a sweater so far. I'm using up some Davidson Domy Heather - this is the never ending yarn. You can use it for anything!

Also since Youngest Child saw my  QuoVadis mittens (I wear them with liners to hockey games), he wanted a pair. Well, I showed him SpillyJane's pattens and he chose . . . 

Owl Mittens. 

Those are queued up with Cascade Yarns fingering in orange and grey to match his coat. So, I've pretty much covered any and all knitting occasions right now.  Time to pick up those sticks!