Let It Snow....Let It Snow

This is what I woke up to on Saturday morning, a wall of white snow, over 70 cm of it, fresh from above in just one day. The Blizzard of 2009. My deck is somewhere under this enormous mass. Its all a bit overwhelming, as winter does not officially start until next week. Where to put all the snow is the question on everyone's mind today, the shock is over, now we have to get those shovels out and deal with the reality of it.

Some of us have been snowed in for three days already, with constant power interuptions. Cabin Fever starts to set in quickly. What can be worse than a knitter stranded at home without a project to work on? One of my customers confessed trekking to the store on snowshoes just to see if it was open. It wasn't. She was desperate for a pair of circular knitting needles to finish off a Christmas gift. Another customer travels in her car with a spare knitting project just for those days when she may be stuck in a snowstorm at the side of the road. Think of it as part of your emergency road kit, along with flares, a blanket, and a flashlight.

Knitters are highly creative people and can make the best of difficult circumstances as long as the right tools are within arm's reach. In a pinch, changing your needles one size up or down for a ribbing or border will not make a noticeable difference. If your yarn is running out while knitting the neckline, simply shorten the number of rows in the pattern and cast off a bit earlier or add a contrast colour in the same weight of yarn to make a stripe of edging. Sometimes this is a better option, than trying to blend in a new ball of yarn in a different dye lot. Sock knitters often start a new pair of socks with leftover yarn from a past project, unaware that their LYS may not have the same colour in stock, or it may have been discontinued. Finishing the socks usually requires a contrast colour added for the toe or heel section. If you plan ahead, add the contrast colour in the top ribbing as well to give it a look of intention not an oops...I thought I had enough to finish......