You Know its Spring in Wyoming when the snow is up past your knees!

Boy oh boy has it been snowy this spring.

I took this one the beginning of April 

And the one below today, April 25th.   This is the old leaky stock tank I use for container gardening.  Won't be doing any of that for a while!  We seem to have a few warm days and then rain or snow for a few days, which means a good grass year hopefully.  Much better than drought although I think I prefer for the moisture to not be white!

We've had some nice warm sunny days to be sure.   Even a few in the 70's but the nights remain cold so the grass hasn't really taken off yet, although it is green and the cows have NO interest in the round bales of hay anymore.

So what do I do on these snowy days?   Knit of course.   Socks right now.     I ordered the Mary Maxim surprise sock yarn box and was very pleased.  Enough yarn for 3 pairs!

I made these for my oldest son and daughter-in-law.   All the yarns were smart wool (washable but not machine dry!) in fingering weight.  These were the first I've made in fingering weight and the yarn is like knitting with string.  You just knit and knit and knit, and you've got an inch done!  Ha.

This is the final pair from my surprise box.  Obviously, with the pink, they will be a ladies pair of socks.   I am doing a two at a time, cuff down, on circular needles.   I have two balls of yarn in the 'yarn' bowl behind them in the picture.   The trick is to keep turning them fro and then back to not tangle up the 2 balls.  It's relatively simple and I LOVE my addi circular needles.  Size 2 and 40" long. The two at a time is nice so far and then I won't have a sock with an unknitted mate!  I like to knit socks but I also like sweaters and mittens.  Hats are okay but not my favourite.

This is our new Schnoodle, Lucy.   We got her from a rescue in Torrington and love her to pieces.  She is very well mannered and so loving.   Baxter, (below) has introduced her to rabbit running and wrestling, his two favourite activities.   A Schnoodle is a miniature schnauzer/miniature poodle cross.

Baxter is OBSESSED with rabbits and a total character.   He keeps us AMUSED. He lives to hunt those rabbits.   Yesterday before it snowed and it was still pretty warm, the dogs went with Tony to feed the bull in the corral.   Baxter spied a rabbit across the pond and as soon as he spied it, he took OFF, Leapt into the air and came down into the pond with a huge splash and took off swimming to the other side.   Climbed out of the water and took after that rabbit.   Hubby said he looked like the retrievers in the dog food commercials the way he took to that water.   Lucy, however, decided prudence was more in order and ran AROUND the pond keeping herself dry.  Sadly, for Baxter, and happily for the rabbit, they did not catch him.  But it sure wasn't for a lack of Trying!

Took a trip to Belfry, Montana and picked up four head of new cows   Our herdlet is getting aged so these are young replacements.   The trip was beautiful and the people we bought them from were so very nice.  I had packed a lunch/snacks for us but Hubby kept buying jerky sticks when we would stop for gas or bathroom breaks.  He came to regret his choice of snack food that evening........................

Like the guy in the Indiana Jones movie said, "Choose Wisely."

I did not Shoot My Eye Out but....

I knitted my arms off!!!!  I literally gave myself tennis elbow from knitting!!  Who knew you could do that?  I didn't.  I DO now.   Tennis elbow is pretty painful for quite some time.

I made quite a few knitted gifts this year for the Holidays.   I made a lot of the Fisherman's Wife cowl from Raverly.  I love this pattern.  Its by Kalurah Hudson.  She has a knitted version and a crochet version.  I made the knitted version.  It knit up quickly and who doesn't love Aran knittting? Everyone who received one said they loved it.  I had trouble finding enough buttons.  It called for the braided shank button and I could only find 3 sets at Central City.  I bought out one bin of yarn at Hobby Lobby so went to a polyester yarn with alpaca fiber woven in.  It seemed to work out okay.  

The cream Fisherman's wife cowls.

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Also Ravelry patterns.  The owlet sweater and Owlet hat.  See the buttons? those are the eyes of the owls.   I learned a different way to set in my sleeves with this sweater.   Gray for a little boy.

And in pink for a little girl.

3 more Owl hats for more children.

Blocking some of the cowls.

Surprisingly, I am NOT a fan of natural fiber knitting.  I find the colors tend to bleed, usually you have to hand wash and line dry and phooey! Who wants kid's items like that?  Plus natural fiber is very expensive.  I vastly prefer polyester, machine wash and dry yarn.  Even I was surprised at this since we used to raise sheep and wool.

I find knitting to be a great de-stresser and very addictive.   I love to knit.  I self-taught myself in high school (now that was a few years ago!)  Did half of a fair isle vest front and did not knit again.  I liked it but had other fish to fry at that time of my life :)   Last fall in 2014 I took some lessons and it came back quickly and I've been knitting ever since.  I really enjoyed the knitting lessons.  They have a group on Tuesday evenings I would love to attend but alas! distance is one of the limiting factors here 60 miles north of nowhere.  Very limiting in the winter.

I decided to get back into Knitting when Nancy at Wyoming Breezes sent me a pair of her hand knitted socks, which I loved.  So Nancy, YOU were the cause of my painful Christmas elbow!  

Christmas was a white Christmas here and COLD!!! very cold in Wyoming.  And it's stayed cold since with sub zero wind chills.   Weatherman says it will stay until the New Year is rung in.

As I get older, I don't get out in the sub zero temperatures much any more.   I worry about falling on the ice with no one else home and injuring myself.   I don't have chores to do since I got rid of my chickens so it works out.

Well now I think I should start earlier than September with my holiday knitting.   So have been thinking of doing slippers next year.  Like maybe felted ELF Slippers?

or

Grinch Slippers?

So many patterns!!!!!!

HAPPY KNITTING!

And a Happy New Year.