Cue the National Anthem:

Don’t be fooled. That’s not snow, it’s camellia petals.

And not a moment too soon! It was 68° when these pictures were taken. I might have contracted frostbite without them.

Brrrr.

“You’ve just won the gold, what are you going to do now?”
“Well, Bob, I think I am going to check my email for the first time in a couple days. Then, I am going to catch up on my blog reading. After that, I might vacuum the house. That last one has been a dream of mine for some time…”

They aren’t the greatest bit of knitting I have ever done (what with all the lumpy parts and uneven stitches). I didn’t expect them to be, the Checks and Charms Hat and Mittens were a Learning Project for me. They have served their purpose: I am not afraid of two-color knitting anymore! To prove it: I have my eye on one of these.

Mitten bodies!

To the thumbs – and VICTORY!

Much to my delight, the Yarn Aboard Radio Box is finally on its way!

They are checking for anything liquid-perishable-or-potentially-hazardous.

Why, yes, that is a customs slip a top the box. It’s on it’s way out of the US! I have a confession to make: in the interest of the Greater Good, I went right to Rachel and divulged my Secret Identity as her Box Pal. Desperate Times call for Desperate Measures, people! You would have done the same thing in my place. While the surprise of the box itself is spoiled, the inner surprises are still good – no sneak peeks for YOU. You’ll just have to lurk around Rachel’s blog to see what was inside.

Now, for Becky and the rest of you who are interested in the porch:

The one on the right faces the road. We really do live in town!

It’s a good-sized porch, Great Gran’s is much bigger. It wraps around three sides of the house. This is what the view from Great Gran’s front door looks like. The azaleas are just beginning to bloom.

PS I planted most all of the trees in the bucket, all that’s left are a red bud, two birches and the long-leaf pines.

Just for you, Becky (your socks look so good)!

We actually have two front doors. The house is very symmetrical.

It was foggy yesterday when I went out to take pictures so I thought I would wait ’til today and try again. It’s foggy today, too, so you’ll just have to take what you can get. This is not the view straight out the door (as I am sure you can tell). That view is of a vast, muddy expanse of driveway and a gigantic tree stump that has been leaning across it since Katrina. The part of the tree that was in the driveway has been cleared, but it’s too much effort to get the farm equipment over here for just three upended stumps. There will be more down this summer. It’s just too depressing. So I’ve opted to show you what I choose to see when I look out the door: some of Gran-Dad’s camellias. You can’t really see the flowers because of the fog, but trust me, they are pretty. The bucket of sticks is actually my haul from Bay Minette’s Arbor Day. Alabama is 70% trees so we take Arbor Day very seriously.

And now I tag: Leah and K.T. and Jenn. Show us the view from your front door!

Yarn Aboard Update
I gave up on the ordered yarn and bought Emergency Yarn to send along to my Box Pal. I was all packed up and ready to go and went to copy her address out of my email only to find that it’s not there! HOW did I manage to lose it?! Every other Yarn Aboard email was still in there. I can tell you my Pal’s name, blog, fiber preference and generally where she lives. Everything except those crucial numbers and street names. I’ve emailed Amanda (who I am sure has saved everything because she knows disasters happen and honestly, I am surprised she still lets me play) so the box should be on it’s way shortly. I hope.

Update to the Update
Akk! Amanda is having her own disaster with “corneal erosion.” It isn’t permanent but it does NOT sound fun. Speedy healing, Amanda, and don’t worry: I am taking matters into My Own Hands.

It needs to be blocked, but the worst is over! On to the mittens!

I also worked on bedspead examples to give my left wrist a break. I liked the one in Rowan Magazine #33 much better than the others (as well I should – I had to pay for that one). But I didn’t like it as much as I felt that I could like it with minimal effort. I made some changes. Well, I made a lot of changes. The only things that remain the same are the number of stitches, the inclusion of yarn overs, a bobble row (with a different kind of bobble) and a leaf. The hard part is deciding which yarn to use.

On the left, Sugar’n Cream. On the right, Shine.

I know which one I like to knit with better. I know which one is prettier. I know which one is softer. I know which one will be less expensive and which one will allow me to make fewer squares. What I don’t know is: Which one will hold up better and stand the Test of Time? The Sugar’N Cream is 100% cotton and the Shine has %40 modal. My gut says that the Sugar’N Cream is the way to go because it is the closest to the cotton that Gran-mother used. Has anyone made anything from Shine yet? Knitter’s Review praises it (and I can certainly see why – it’s marvelous!) but for a spread, I just don’t know. What do y’all think?

The Yarn Aboard Radio Box came to ME!!

I hold all my yarn above my head in triumph.

This tickles me: I saw the yarn leaving Alison’s and tried to order some! Sunshine Yarns was out of “harvest” but more was promised on Valentine’s Day. The Radio Box made it here before I had a chance to order. This yarn is really pretty stuff! Not only are the colors spectacular (handpaint) but it’s awfully soft. I can’t wait to try it! But I think I’ll wait until April (can I stand it?) and use it during Project Spectrum. I think I am going to make a pair of socks each month. At the end, I will have a rainbow of socky goodness. The rest of the box held:

The post card with skiiers and balloons (HAH) is inside the bag.

Somehow I managed to not take a picture of the actual radio box. I’ll be sure to get one when it is packed and ready to go along it’s merry way. I hope that will be soon – I ordered yarn the day I found out the identity of my Box Pal. It isn’t here yet and no amount of grilling Ms. MailLady seems to help. Apparently the USPS is not omnicient. Thanks again, Alison, and may I just add: “You Rock.”

Now I have to go and unravel two rows of hat shaping. I can’t watch curling and count at the same time. Stupid counting.