Are you snowed in today? This is what it looks like outside my front door:
See our Big Blues still sitting there? Even the garbage trucks didn't make it into our neighborhood. However, I did see our neighbor's Smart Car go tooling right by this morning. I was impressed. Who thought a Smart Car could tread where our garbage trucks dare not? Hmmmm.
Here's the view out my back door:
But a big heartfelt thanks to my friend Melissa for brightening my view indoors:
Missy knows I adore hot chocolate. She also knows that Williams Sonoma is my favorite store and that I can't go to the mall without wandering through every aisle at WS marveling over their wondrous array of everything gourmet and kitcheny. I've seen their peppermint hot chocolate and vanilla marshmallows for several holiday seasons and I've even bought some of the pretty canisters as a gift before but never for me. That's the sweet and wonderful thing about friendship, isn't it? We gladly buy something special -- something we would never buy for ourselves -- if we know that it will bring our loved one a little happiness. Thank you Missy. You've always had a gift for giftgiving and I thank you.
Kind of rings a bell, right knitters? We'll splurge on that special yarn and spend hours happily knitting away on some project, and gladly part with it thinking about the joy it will bring to its recipient and yet have hardly a single handknit item in our own closet. Today I realized I didn't even own a knitted hat!
Back to the chocolate. It didn't disappoint. The mix is not a powder, it's actually little flakes of smooth as silk chocolate (I know because I ate a spoonful). It leaves no dark residue at the bottom of your mug. Every bit of the chocolatey goodness goes right to your tummy. The peppermint flavor is light and not overbearing. The marshmallows are each wrapped in their own cute little packet (Not very environmental I am afraid but keeps them remarkably fresh tasting).
The marshmallow has enough substance to melt very slowly leaving a smooshy little lump of sugary goodness for a finale. So..... if you have ever wondered whether or not that pricey WS hot chocolate is really all that, or if you have bought it for a friend but never treated yourself, I can tell you it rates five stars on the yummy scale. But I would still probably never buy it for myself. Thank you Missy!
By the way, if you are wondering about the Christmas dishes still on my counter on Feb 2nd don't judge me too harshly. I love the warmth and cheer the bright red adds to our kitchen and I put them up with reluctance. Tim says "Why don't you just leave them out all year?" But then I would miss the specialness of getting them out the day after Thanksgiving each year -- they mean the Christmas season is here in our house. Just like everything, it's the not having something for a good while that makes the having it so special.
Oh, yeah.......I just remembered this blog is about knitting...
Finished the crocheted Valentine washcloth with the chain stitch heart and picot edge.
I spent my snowed-in day yesterday making videos -- one to demonstrate getting started in crochet and two others to show how to make the chain stitch heart and the picot edge. I am headed to the Mac Store tomorrow (roads allowing, that is) for my lesson on I-Movie to learn to edit and add titles. We'll see how it goes. You'll know it went well if I post the videos this week.
Tim just headed outside to shovel. The chances of making it to my Mac class just went up. He's wearing the hat I made him for Christmas.
I used Susan Anderson's pattern "Modern Rib Hat." I made the same hat for my son-in-law last year out of Cascade's Eco yarn and it came out larger and sloucher. Tim's hat is more form-fitting. It's made with Cascade's newish yarn Cash Vero. It's a wool/cashmere blend, similar to Debbie Bliss Cashmerino -- very soft and pleasant knitting. Tim says it is very warm and not picky at all.
Hope you all enjoy your snow days.
Happy Knitting, Josey
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