Snow days!

Yay, we finally got some real snow! Of course it's already rapidly melting but still, it was fun to work on my sweater while Mother Nature offered some inspiration.
On the birdy front, some of the girls have moved into their new pads. As I suspected they were not the least bit impressed by the new giant fixture in their cage but they're starting to warm up to it. Mom (Amelia) is the only one still trying to nest outside the box but I think this is largely due to Dad (Cosmo) picking a fight with her every time she tries to enter the last unoccupied home. I don't know why he's being so picky but we've had some words today so maybe he'll back off her now :-) Who am I kidding? He never listens to me, Amelia will eventually tire of his yelling and kick his butt, then all will be well.
That's the two un-named girls sitting on their respective eggs and Idgy (the gimpy bird) was napping on the ramp (until I started taking pictures). Dad built him a handicapped ramp before we new he'd have no trouble getting himself up and down the ladder. Idgy's such a trouper!

Yarn n' Feathers!

The picture is upside down, but that's the neck and shoulders of the sweater. It's coming along nicely and is an easy knit so far. I really like the yarn which is a wool and cotton mix (Salishan) but I don't understand why Knit Picks decided to discontinue it. Hope I don't find out the hard the way that it pills terribly, the color runs or the yarn doesn't wash well.

On another note, the birds have been fighting over the nest a lot lately and have taken to sitting in the corner of the cage to nest leaving eggs all over the place. They look like they're homeless and it's very sad to see, so I begged papa to make a birdie condo. After much begging and pleading it's almost done....
Is that not the cutest thing ever!?! He gave them each their own doorknob, house numbers, South-Western motif and even a clock and dart board to occupy them while they're nesting! Yes, they will soon chew all of this to shreds but until then it looks great! He'll put a roof on tonight and then I'll put it in the cage. I have a feeling they are going to freak out at first but eventually I think they'll love it. Once they all pick their place he plans to add name plates to the door. This man needs grandkids quick, I think he's bored with us grown ones :-)

To keep with the theme of bird cuteness check out this picture from cuteoverload.com which is aptly named, "Snorgle"...

Done, Done and Started

I finished my Wine & Roses fingerless gloves which I'm thrilled with! I have so much of the yarn left-over though. I can't believe it, but I think I could get a second pair out of what’s left. I guess I'll be making a light scarf or headband so I'll have a matching set - which is of course, OK by me :-)

I also finally finished off the last little bit of the Quant - not that I need it, they promised snow for this weekend but all I see are sunny blue skies!

I also got one of the basic socks done but haven't bothered to cast on for the second yet because there's a new project on my plate....

What is that blue blob you might ask?
It's the beginning of my Tree Jacket sweater! Yes, after a long hiatus from attempting sweaters (the first and only try being such a disappointment) I'm ready to give it another go.

I have no idea why they call it a "Tree Jacket" because it's not a jacket or even a cardigan and there's nothing "tree-like" about it, but I love it anyway and I think the yarn will work well for it. Keep your fingers crossed for me please.
Oh, and I caved and bought a couple things from Knit-Picks...
I wanted to try a shorter cable for magic-looping and I've found that the Knit-Picks cables are the best for me since the regular and the lace Addi cables kink terribly. I'm so disappointed they cost so much and are by far the WORST compared to Knit-Picks or Susan Bates! Anyway, I also got the magnetic pattern holder which has already come in very handy for keeping track of what row I'm on for my lace patterns. Lastly, are the pretty colored wood cable needles. I wanted to see that rainbow wood in person and I wanted to try that style of cable needle anyway (the metal slip so easily) so when I saw I could get both things in one product for less than 5 bucks I had to jump on it!