Well springtime in the mountains has come, though we aren’t finished with snowy days quite yet. This past week has been the usual yo-yo weather.
Down in town the high temperatures were mid 70s on Monday and low 90s on Tuesday (which actually felt more like summer than spring). Both of those days we saw high 50s to low 60s up here on the mountain.
Then Wednesday came with slightly cooler temperatures. I went to the yarn store that day and my fellow crocheter and crafty friend Margie came by. She had this fun little sugar egg for me. Isn’t it cute? Scary thing is it is edible. Eek!
By the time the boys and I had gotten ready for bed the temperatures were dropping and it started to snow lightly. I woke up Thursday morning to below freezing temperatures and spent most of my morning feeding the wood-stove to keep the house warm.
Thursday evening the snow settled in for a steady visit and Friday morning this is what my backyard looked like. Fortunately the temperatures were a little warmer and toward the evening most of the snow had melted. That is actually why I prefer spring snow storms. They don’t stick around like the snow when we have the weeks of arctic temperatures.
Saturday morning was crisp, but not too bad temperature wise. The big town Egg-Hunt was on. Being we are all mountain folk the egg hunt goes forward no matter what the weather does. So it was nice to have sunny relatively warm temperatures for it this year. A few years it has been conducted in freezing drizzle. And sometimes the poor Easter bunny had to hide the eggs in the snow. It was a bit muddy, but I’ll take mud and sunshine over freezing cold.
I drove down to Longmont after the egg-hunt to teach at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe. It was pretty quiet there while I taught, usually Saturday is a hopping day at the shop. I think the nice weather, after a couple of cold snowy days, had made everyone decide to stay outdoors and enjoy it while they could.
I had to grab a couple photos of these trees in bloom. Most of the trees are still just beginning to get leaf buds, so there is that hint of green like a mist around the branches, but a few of the trees are already beginning their spring show. Because of our longer wintery weather I really love to see Springtime showing up.
I hope everyone else is enjoying this time of renewal as well. And for those of you celebrating Easter today, a very joyful holiday to you.
Mamas2Hands 
Hi Andee! Thank you for putting up the lovely photo of the blossoming
trees. Here in Center NYS, it’s snowing today, Easter Sunday. Somehow, we did manage to have a maple syrup making season. Those blossoms
reminded me that it’s spring SOMEWHERE.
We have our wood stove going again, too. Will huddle under a blanket
and continue crocheting on an alpaca scare. I might need that through
the end of May….
And say hello to GPS Gina for me!
Gina
Syracuse, NY
So happy to find your blog after a search of the internet yesterday, which began with my looking for information about Rita Weiss (tatter as well as crocheter), which led me to a youtube of a CGOA fashion show in 2010, which then led to my seeing your fabulous blue lace Ruana creation! Then my search for you began! I had to find out how the ruana evolved and if the pattern was available!
The audio was difficult to hear, and I didn’t ‘catch’ your name. I thought Lily Chin’s name was mentioned and that you attended her class? Through Lily Chin on Ravelry I found Doris Chan (she has a beautiful pineapple shawl, using Lily Chin’s yarn), then I found Doris’ blog, (amazing person! I recognized her from the fashion show) where she mentioned the show and she also labeled a photo in which you are among the group! Then back to Ravelry, found your name, then your blog – and your post in 2010 showing the Ruana! (How’s that for playing ‘detective’).
So it’s great via the internet to write to you ‘in person’ to compliment you on that fabulous blue Ruana – which is actually a new term for me. I haven’t been interested in making shawls, although I admire the work that goes into them, but yours appeals to me because it is ‘rectangular’ and doesn’t involve shaping and drapes perfectly. Love the ‘long’ look, and it is beautiful with the black outfit you wore!
I was very impressed, and laughed when the audience (and I) called you back to the runway! I love the color and pineapple design. Again I couldn’t quite hear the audio due to the ‘echo’ effect, so I didn’t catch how the pattern evolved. It seems you ‘altered’ a pineapple pattern to create the three rectangular panels. I hoped your blog would have an explanation of the pattern, and I’m curious when you crocheted it and how long it took! Of course, I’m wondering if you intend to publish the pattern! I’m sure you’ve had requests for it!
You have made very rapid progress from learning to crochet to designing and are now sharing your patterns on Ravelry and in magazines!!! These days I’m primarily a tatter – since 1989, but am a long-time knitter. I was involved with Knitting Guild of America (1987-99), and our Guild did a TKGA fashion show at the National Convention in Pittsburgh, back in 1993. (Wish I could encourage you to try ‘continental’ knitting again. I know purling is a ‘drag’ but once learned, you would ‘fly’!) I don’t do as much crocheting as knitting, but have done various projects from doilies to afghans to vests (no sweaters, though); and find crocheting very useful with knitting also. So many knitters don’t crochet, and vice-versa, which is sad.
By the way, I’m also interested in protecting my hands. At the age of 58 back in 2002, while ice skating, I broke both wrists!! I was lucky to have had a complete recovery within a year, then in November 2006 came down with ‘scary’ arthritis, which fortunately cleared up after a few months! (Another long story). I’m at the computer too much these days, and I’m amazed how ‘forgiving’ my wrists are, but I try not to over-do!