January 19, 2021 – Just Everyday Life!

Swanket(TM)????? You bet!!!!

So, I FINALLY finished the hubs sweater! {Ed. Note – And it’s not even July!!!!!} Yay! Until he put it on…. I took his measurements in October and now in January, he’s 20 pounds lighter. Again, Yay! but really??  The sweater hangs on him. {Ed. Note – I wouldn’t think that the inventor of the Swanket (TM) would complain about the initial trial run and modeling, but what would I know????} He says he’s fine with it but I will at least be shortening and tightening up the sleeves a little. I’m still calling it finished though😊! The pattern is Mille. It’s a great pattern, very easy to follow and make adjustments for size if needed. I used Knitpicks Swish in Squirrel Heather. It’s a very soft superwash merino wool.

  

A true Missoula original!!!!

After working almost exclusively on his sweater, it was time for some other quick knits. I started the Missoula Cowl with the Christmas yarn I received but wasn’t loving the pattern. I decided to just freestyle it with some simple yarn overs, garter stitch and stockinette stitch. It came out just like I wanted. Long enough to wrap around my neck twice or to just hang decoratively. It was fun knitting directly from the blank! Even though the yarn pulled off twisty, the blank held it all together and didn’t roll around like a ball! 😊 The colors are lovely – the hubs said he picked the blues to represent the huckleberry jelly and pies we enjoyed in Montana – so I’m calling it my Huckleberry Cowl. {Ed. Note – They sell that jelly in Fort Collins as well!!!}

  

The peak truly does look like a Horsetooth!!!!

We took a nice hike last weekend at the Horsetooth Reservoir. It was only a 15 minute drive away and a beautiful day. There were several parking lots along the road and trails all through the natural area. It always amazes me that here in Colorado I can go just minutes from our home and be walking along some kind of nature trail!

 

I believe I’ve posted about this before but I LOVE how the utility boxes are painted in this state! These are two side-by-side with cats on one and dogs on the other. They always make me smile when I drive by.

It’s like she was in knitting prison!!!!

Another finished project! I’ve had these socks on the needles for over six months. {Ed. Note – You coulda worked on it at any time!!!!} Socks are my “go anywhere” project that I keep in my car so I have something to knit if I have to wait for something. I’ve always said, “you never know when you’re going to have a flat tire and have to wait for AAA!” (Yes, my dad did teach me how to change a tire (thanks, Dad) but I have AAA now and don’t have to if I don’t want to.) I bought this yarn in Kansas City. The color is Garden Party. They came with a mini skein of green and I decided to do the toes and cuff in that. Love them!

Like a small child!!!

Another adventure we had was on the Poudre River Trail.  It is a 21 mile trail that goes all through Fort Collins. It meanders along by the Cache la Poudre River and behind neighborhoods, businesses and farms – it’s a LONG trail. Some paved, some not. This section is actually very close to Old Town Fort Collins. It’s quite a busy trail, with joggers and dog walkers, like us. Since our dogs aren’t the friendliest to other dogs, we try to avoid them as much as possible – NOT easy in this town! We wandered off the trail into a natural area and came upon this creek or offshoot of the river (not sure which). {Ed. Note – offshoot!!!} It looked completely frozen over and was not deep at all, so we decided to cross it to get back on the trail instead of going back the way we came. I’ve never walked across anything frozen than the ground because, you know, water…but I just couldn’t resist it. Interestingly, the hubs made me go across first, not sure what that means but across I went! It was (of course) quite slippery but just a short little walk and we were back on the trail. Anything out of the ordinary amuses me these days!

Who is WE here?!?!??!?!

We also discovered the Fort Collins City Park, again only about 10 minutes away! {Ed. Note – Some of us have known it was here the whole time!!!!}  It has a pond in the middle with a paved walk way lined with benches and double swings, a pool for the summer months and picnic tables. Surrounding that part of the park are fields and playgrounds to wander through. It’s been quite cold here so the pond is partially frozen over but the ducks and Canada geese are still hanging around. I love watching them walk on the ice!

  

I decided to try to bring a little bit of nature indoors. The tulips bloomed quickly but the hyacinths are still going strong. I hope everyone finds a little joy in their lives everyday! {Ed. Note – Mask the &$%# up!!!  Super ‘Rona’s coming!!!!}