Catching Up

The last few weeks have been a little bit unusal to say the least.  We had an unexpected, inconvenient and unprecedented SNOW(!)storm that no one could have predicted in October!  Sure, I heard coworkers talking about it, but I fluffed it off as typical hysteria, thinking we surely could not have snow this early in the year.  Wrong.

Jim snapped this picture while cooking at the grill. 

It wasn't just an inch or two; it was approximatley eight inches on top of trees with leaves they had yet to shed.  Needless to say, it was not long before the entire state was left without power.  For SEVERAL days.  The first night was extremely cold, and we piled every blanket we owned on the bed.  I couldn't help but think of Little House on the Prairie and realize that if there were ever a true natural disaster, I would be among the first to perish.  I was so thankful for the crazy gag gift from last Christmas of about a hundred packages of Hot Hands. 

We were luckier than most.  My sister only lost power for a day, and she kindly invited us and my parents to stay at her house.  I really can't complain since Jim and I had the best accomodations of all.  We took the finished basement, complete with full bath, HD TV and Wifi.  Five days living out of a basement is not fun in the best of situations, but we were entertained by Gianna and Season 6 of Dexter, and that in itself was sort of cool.

It became a bit surreal and scary when we saw lines at the gas station hours long, grocery stores running on generators with no products on the shelves, downed power lines and no working stop lights for miles and miles.  People were coming to work dressed like hobos with no makeup and days of beard growth.  Even Halloween was cancelled by the governor. 

It took several days for things to return to normal, food to be replaced, and for people to begin trusting that the power would not go out a second time when high winds kicked up this week.  Generators are being sold around these parts in record numbers, and we, too, purchased one right from my smartphone.  It has been quite the experience for our little Connecticut.

One nice perk from the storm was that I was able to get my hands on my long-sought-after and beloved bittersweet.  I can never find any of this invasive vine in CT because it has been banned, yet there it was, a huge pile of it wrapped around branches that someone had dragged to the curb. 

I say this every year, but the holidays have snuck up on us once again, having lost nearly an entire week with this storm.  There is much knitting inspiration and not nearly enough time for any of it.

I finished the baby sweater my dad requested for his coworker.

I really enjoyed this simple pattern; but, as usual, I feel like I rushed the finishing and made the arms too snug. 

I whipped out a Frost hat just because I really liked the pattern and needed a quick knit to occupy my hands.  Non-knitting Coworker has taken photos, which I will post at a later date.

I have once again become consumed with the Gnomes.  Why I am so taken with these little creatures is beyond me, but I can't seem to stop making more of them.

I have my eye on the unusal cable in this mitten.  I love this squishy cowl.  And I still need to finish my afghan and start a couple of sweaters in my queue.  In good time, I suppose. 

Back to the end of the weekend and some downtime knitting.  Ah, Sundays are so... bittersweet....

A special thank you to Sarah B. of TDWool Design for her kind offer of hospitality.  We definitely saw the best and the worst of people during this storm.  xo

 

Comments

[madmad]

Didn't realize you were among the powerless! I'm so sorry! Awful, wasn't it? And unbelievable, in this day and age, too.

[raina]

Hi, thanks for popping by. I read about the snow storm and I can't believe it!! Sounds like you survived :) I start my new job tomorrow, nervous as heck and it will be crazy. I am very slowly going to get back into blogging but I have one more week of school to get through. Hugs.

[RoseRed]

Oh my goodness! How awful! And how lucky you could bunkin with your sister.

I did nOt even know bittersweet was a plant!

And I cans ee why you are gnome obsessed! They are so cute! And all with their own personalities! And you can't even tell the men from the women! (they must be related to dwarves!)

[Mary]

I'm glad things are back to normal. Being without power is the worst! We ended up buying a generator too after Hurricane Irene, but ended up letting friends borrow it, because we never lost power. So you see they do work. You buy one and then you never loose power again. Murphy's Law. That's is okay with me.

I must make some of those gnomes this year. They are so cute, and I love all your variations.

[Jodi]

Holy cow, that sounds like quite the experience. Glad to hear that you're OK! Those Hot Hands are amazing, aren't they? We use them at outdoor football and hockey games in the winter.

Your bittersweet is gorgeous, and the little hat and cardigan set is even cuter. I love the gnomes!

[Rebecca]

Goodness!! That is such crazy, weird weather. Here in England we always imagine that the rest of the world laughs at our inability to cope during even the lightest dusting of snow, I can only imagine that if we had been hit by that sort of unseasonal storm we would currently be facing civil war.

The gnomes are undoubtedly weaving some strange addictive magic upon you, I now need to resist the urge to knit my own. It could be hard.

[Bells]

how weird and awful to lose power before winter is even properly begun! A week? Such an inconvenience.

The gnomes are so sweet! You'll have an army before long. Don't we need a photo of Ms G with some gnomes? I'm sure we do!

[Non-Knitting Coworker]

love how G and Dexter kept you occupied during the storm...that is one funny combo.

and...who you callin' a hobo, huh?
xo going to fetch that photo now.

[jane]

What a wild week! But to find bittersweet at the end of it all...all good. Wish I could find some around here. I've taken to driving with the shears in the car...just in case. Happy holiday knitting Kim!

[Nicole]

Sorry the snow caused such a mess. I can't believe they cancelled Halloween! That's cray-cray!

[Renee]

wow! Good to hear you're all well, and some bittersweet to boot. :-)
Good plan to get the generator.
Happy Knitting!

[leslie]

hi you.
i love that you are making gnomes... again.
i SO remember the last time!
xx
oh! hurry up and show heathers pics of frost... i bought yarn last week and plan on working on it over the thanksgiving break.