Taking a deep breath

The last few weeks have meant more changes in our routines, in our lives. I am back at work full-time, and that, as you can imagine, is a huge adjustment. Schedules are upset, habits must change. Everyone’s a little on edge. Does that happen to you as well? As much as I crave change sometimes, I am always uneasy when it happens. The unknown, the imbalance….let’s just say, I will be happy when things have settled back into a routine.

So we needed a family activity to regroup. Since winter was still in full swing a few weeks ago, even though the calendar said otherwise, we thought we’d venture into the woods, for a sugershack experience. And to be perfectly honest, I was looking for a pretty location to take some decent pictures of my finished Cinder scarf. 

Did I mention my feelings about change? 

So, the plan was in place, details ironed out, reservations made. We woke up to bright sunshine on Sunday … and checked the weather forecast. It said -14, or rather -24 with the wind-chill. Does that sound like an idyllic day to go walk outside? My thoughts exactly! So instead we chose to regroup and …. well, clean the house, since that also needed doing. Our sugar shack experience had to wait for another week, but we did make it happen. It was still chilly, but sunny and beautiful. Still a perfect day to be wearing my Cinder scarf.

The Classic Elite Ariosa yarn is perfect for bundling up against the elements. It’s soft and gives beautiful definition to the cables. Speaking of which, how perfect is this pattern? I love the fact that it is reversible. It practically begged to be made into an infinity scarf. It knitted up quickly, and is a perfect substitute for my Herringbone cowl which I have worn constantly over the last few winters.

Renfrew

I hope you don't think that all I did on vacation was gorge on sweets and relax? Well, ok, you got me, I did, but I also did some knitting. When packing for our vacation, I purpusley left any hats at home and took yarn with me instead, to knit myself one. I had been eyeing the Renfrew pattern by Jane Richmond for a while, and decided this would be my next pattern to knit. I used O-Wool Balance, which was originally meant for another project, but was re-purposed last minute.

It was such a quick and satisfying knit. 

Do your knits have a story? Most of mine are associated with a story, an event, a location. The blanket I knitted while my baby was in the NICU, the scarf I knitted during my first KAL, the beach bag I knitted on the beach (where else?), the summer top that required hours of untangling linen yarn.

For me, this hat will always evoke images of a drive through the Alps. We were fortunate enough to be able to spend a week in a chalet, in a ski resort called Bad Kleinkirchheim. It was a three hour drive from our place in Vienna, and I spent it chatting with my cousin, a wonderful, uninterrupted talk we hadn't had in years. The babies were sleeping, and we chatted away while I knitted my Renfrew. It was fantastic, quality girl-time. And what better backdrop for photographing a knit then hiking trails in the Alps?

Ravelry notes here