Tag Archives: St. Louis

Home Safely

Days like yesterday will never cease to amaze me. I went to work early today at my employer’s request. Out of habit and an internal need to be prepare, I packed some extra clothing; my medication ;an extra skein of cotton yarn and the current wash cloth being made with a ‘no brainer’ pattern. Since the weatherman was predicting a major winter storm coming our way, I wanted to be prepared to spend the night at work if necessary.

The snow had begun to fall by the time I left the house. That was all right.  It continued to snow off and on for my entire shift. We received updates on road and weather conditions from employees as they arrived. It was going to be fun night to drive home. Oh Yuck!! It goes with the territory, but I don’t have to like it. In typical fashion, the nurses, of which I am one, were the last ones to leave. We got our cars cleaned off and headed out for home.  A trip which normally takes about half an hour to make, took closer to an hour. I got off the highway as soon as possible and chose an alternate way home. It is easier that way in snowy or icy weather. The trip home was slow but steady  going. My vehicle and I made it safely home after what seemed like forever. That was such a good feeling. Nothing equals the feeling of arriving safely home after a perilous journey.

Outdoors looks beautiful now that I am safe and warm inside of my own home surrounded my family. Hopefully I will be up early enough to capture some pictures of the snow in the morning before it gets warm outside.

Snow on the Way

Weather in St. Louis is known for changing quickly. This week has been no exception to that. We had 70 degree temperatures on Tuesday afternoon that plummeted to 15 degrees by 9pm that evening. Today it is predicted that we will receive snow. The amounts we are to have vary depending on the area in which you live. At this point the average snowfall will be 8-10 inches across the region.  Today could prove to interesting.We will see what happens by tomorrow morning.

Have a great day!

Delightful Adventure

    Today is my day off in the middle of the week. I decided to take advantage of the good weather late this morning and go to the newest yarn store in our area, Knitting Couture.  I went looking for some cotton yarn, knitting needles  and ideas for what to learn next. I had heard good things about the store and had decided that if only half of it was true, then it must be a good place.

It  was all true and more.

    Upon entering the store I saw a lady sitting at a table reading knitting books. The table was nestled between two low setting book cases. Love at first look. :) I took off my coat and began browsing the shelves. There are  all six of Barbara Walker’s books, several by E. Zimmerman, some by Meg Swansen and others. The books alone are enough to draw me back to this store.

    The owner, Thi, was quick to greet and welcome me to her shop. The next thing she said was to " feel the yarn". And so I did. I spent at least an hour looking at books and yarns, including the swatches she has placed on a cabinet within feeling reach. Each yarn is more beautiful than the next, each with their own unique qualities.  Mixed with those activities was a wonderfully delightful conversation with  Thi and other customers.   

Thi very graciously answered my questions about making lace with needles. I examined several books about making lace before choosing to bring home Harmony Guide:Lace and Eyelets .
She also told me about the the Knit Along starting in January. The project is Elizabeth Z.’s Pi shawl. It sounds like it will be fun. I will keep you posted.

I left this store with a renewed sense of the fun of knitting. 
This was a delightful and wonderful adventure. :)   

October in St. Louis

It is finally October!!!! Well duh….It is actually October 15. This is and always has been a special month for me. It is the month my Mom and I have birthdays. It is also the start of the most glorious weather in St. Louis. Some days are hot to the point where it seems that Summer in all its hot misery will never end. Some days start off a bit chilly but then get St. Louis Summer hot with all of the humidity that goes with it. Other days have a St. Louis type mixture of sunny and warm to sunny and chilly all in one. Then there are some truly Autumn days. These start off and remain a bit chilly compared to the summer days. These are my favorite. They remind me that Autumn is finally here.

There are other signs that Autumn is here. We begin to talk of and wear jackets and sweaters. They get put in vehicles just in case it gets chilly out later. We talk about jackets and heaters in cars at work. The air conditioner is no longer on the entire day. It is actually chilly out at night. The house really does get cool with the windows open. The sun is still not up at 6:30am. It starts getting darker after 6pm. Long warm pants sound good to wear. I begin to think about making scarves and hats for others from the yarn in my stash. I begin looking for slipper patterns.  The abandoned bags of hats and scarves that only require the weaving in of loose ends begins to look appealing. We begin to talk about Holiday plans and how work schedules will affect the next few months. These are some of the more subtle signs that Autumn is upon us.

It is truly Autumn in St. Louis. October is finally here.

Field Trip

Yesterday was a most delightful day spent with some very special friends. They are members of the St. Louis Crochet Club.  Some of us met here in Missouri and traveled the short distance to meet with others in Fairview Heights, Illinois.

The day was bright and sunny, which made for a perfect day to take a field trip. The company of long time friends and some new to me friends was most delightful.

Ronnie graciously gave me a ride both ways. The time spent visiting with her and catching up on each others lives was most pleasant.

I was fortunate to find some skeins of discontinued  Caron Cozi. It will make some beautiful and warm scarves for winter.

For a much better account of the days events I refer you to Crochet News @ CraftGossip. My friend Joani tells the tale far better than I would.

All in all it was a wonderful treat and a great way to spend a Saturday!