a fine Alpine

 Just a bare dusting of snow...but plenty to see.

I love photographing snowflakes.  Some are filled out with flat ridges of ice...

...and some are all prickly shards.

You can see in the first picture how different each snowflake looks.  We are supposed to get between 3 - 8 inches of snow this week - a white Christmas!! - so I'll have more chances to find new shapes.

It's been dry, cold, and quiet here.  The front pond is frozen...

...and even sunny mornings are foggy and atmospheric.

The kittens seem to know that it's a sleepy season.  I put a small wooden bench by our front windows, for the kittens' viewing pleasure.  I decided to go one further and added a cat bed.  It seems to be a success...

...even more than our bed!

Busy busy, but I'm making time for some creative pursuits.  I'm slowly picking away at my Vintage Christmas quilt, having finished all 15-square side pieces (see left section) and the wide patchwork alternating sections (see right section).  I'm working on the middle section, blue stars made up of different styles of fabric. It's very colorful and cheerful, so I'm excited to see the finished product!

I've also picked up my knitting again.  I'm knitting this cardigan:

Deco, photo courtesy of Kate Davies

The dress is Alpine from Lindy Bop...must buy!!

I put it away for a while, because I had Christmas knitting and other time-sensitive projects.  It's knitted in an unusual (to me) way.  You make a basic vest, and then pick up the stitches around the armpit hole.  You knit in a back-and-forth fashion (short rows), picking up an extra stitch each time, until you've worked the entire circle.  This creates an excess of fabric at the top, where you need it.

Then you can knit in the round, making a tube.

After both arms are finished, you have to pick up stitches for the hem, neck, and front button bands. It's a bit confusing, and I'd chosen this cardigan as an easy knit.  But I love a challenge and look forward to conquering these techniques!

Colder weather is coming, Christmas is coming, and it's wonderful to have so many fun projects to work on in my free time...the aforementioned, as well as working hard to beat my personal post-college best for the most books read in a year.  Bring on the snow!!

Have a great week!