Knitting with Chickens, or Wishing on Starfish

Are these not cute? They are from a kit by Artfelt that DD2 gave me for Christmas. I'm thinking about attaching them to a scarf, or using them as brooches. My son thought they were cat toys, but I disabused him.
And this is another kit product, brought from Paris by DD1. I was alarmed to see the instructions were in French, but there was enought detail in the picture to figure it out. The scarf is one strand of merino and one strand of bamboo knitted together, and it is really warm.
Here's the label!
Over New Years I made a quick trip to Ft. Collins, CO to help DS move out of his apartment, but while there I managed to visit My Sister Knits, a local yarn shop. What a charming place, so cozy and full of contented knitters, but best of all was the chicken coop in the front yard. These chickens and their beautiful house qualify as yard art! If you are in Ft. Collins you should certainly go visit.

I read in a blog comment that February is for finishing, and I'm trying to make that my mantra. There is a cardigan from last summer that I redid the fronts and it needs to be put together and finished off with ribbing; there is a pair of socks 7/8 finished, and another starfish ready to felt. there is also a scarf to be frogged; the yarn was not a good choice and it should have been put out of its misery long ago. It's hard to focus with new yarn and patterns beckoning from the stash armoire, but it will feel so good to get these lingering projects off the needles.

Rejoining the Blogging World

It's been a long and winding road, or maybe a just long strange trip, but I decided that with the New Year I'm ready to start contributing to the knit-o-sphere, instead of just taking comfort in other people's efforts. Mom passed away very peacefully on September 26, and we buried her ashes in Virginia the weekend before Thanksgiving. In the intervening time, and even now, a lot of my life has been taken up with attending to all the details that come with the end of a life. Even the most organized person in the world leaves unfinished business; we've been busy emptying out her house so it can be put up for rent and settling her finances.

I worked on these Edelweiss socks during the final days of her life; the pattern was intricate enough to provide a little distraction, but the tiny needles and white yarn seemed unintrusive. They were a Christmas present for DD2, who never tires of the Sound of Music.
These socks are a variation on my Muscle Memory pattern in Cherry Tree Hill supersock. The cuffs are a 3x2 twisted rib instead of the usual 2x2.
Here is another Christmas present: I call it a bubble scarf (Kidsilk Haze tied over hazelnuts and felted); I saw one in the Knitting Sisters shop in Williamsburg VA and made it on the oral instructions of the owner. It was a hit with DD1.
This scarf isn't really 9' long! It is seasilk and uses 2 grape-related patterns from Wendy Knits. It is a scarf that wants to be a shawl, and works well in chilly meeting rooms.
Thanks and happy new year to all the kind bloggers who kept my spirits up this year, especially Nancy, Juliet and Wendy.