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Monday, March 01, 2010

Happy Kazimierz Pulaski Day

Today is Pulaski day in Illinois. (It's celebrated on the first Monday in March. Somehow, I missed that it's a holiday here until this year.)

While living in New Jersey, we drove over the Pulaski Skyway a few times. It was an exciting adventure each time. ;) --for those who've driven over the skyway

coneflowerThis is the first year for my participation in Ravelympics. I had the great idea that I would finish the Panama shawl I'd been working on. (It had been sitting idle for a while.) But, a few days before the end of the Olympics, I realized that there was no way I was going to finish in time. I still had a whole skein of yarn (440 yds) to go.

So, I decided to publish a crocheted flower pattern. I had worked up a pattern for a pansy a while back but didn't want to publish such a short pattern. So, I worked up and published patterns for that and 2 other flowers (one of which is at the right) -- just before the closing ceremonies of the games. I assume that I received a medal for publishing the pattern but have no idea how and where. But, the important part is that it's at least published.

This year, I'm keeping up on the Monthly Dishcloth KAL on Yahoo! (The background for the flower is the back of the mid-February dishcloth.) I've promised myself not to start the March dishcloth until the shawl is done.

I'm also halfway through knitting a summer sweater for myself. (---a couple other reasons for not getting the shawl done.)

There's still a lot of snow on the ground here. Our yard is blanketed in snow -- with some drifts (courtesy the city) around 5' high. This is the third year in a row that the area has gotten over 50" of snow for the season (which has happened only once before in over a hundred years) and the seventh snowiest winter on record. This is our third winter here and, it seems to us, the mildest. On the other hand, the snow did melt off during each of the previous winters for a few days. This winter has had a continuous blanketing of snow. But, at least, it hasn't been as bad as in some parts of the country.

a miscellaneous comment: Killer whales are dolphins, not whales.