just showing off

quick update on T's truck...it's being fixed. in fact, it may already be done. but i'm not sure yet if it is so we'll leave it at being fixed and hope it's done soon if not already!

now for what i really want to write about: my knitting!
i've been knitting lots again lately. so here are a few more FOs i want to show off.

first i need to share all the Christmas gifts i made this year.


1. knit cowl for my mom {and no complaints about the photo, mom! you look great!}


2. two knit dishcloths, also for my mom


3. and two crochet doilies for my mother-in-law

i then knit a lovely vest for my mom's birthday present. and forgot to take a photo of it before i gave it to her. she did take a few pictures of it for me, but i don't have one yet to share with you.

dad liked mom's cowl. {he was impressed with the way it works--it keeps your neck warm without scarf ends dangling and getting in the way.} he sort of requested one too, so i found a "manly cowl" pattern and made him one!

you can't really see the pattern when he's wearing it...it bunches up, but it was a relatively easy and nice looking pattern. and dad says it's nice and warm. the perfect neck warmer for ice fishing and cutting wood in the winter.

since i was on a cowl kick, i made another one--this time one that buttons up!--for myself. alas! it's another project i haven't photographed yet. :-)

finally, i would like to show off my scarf. i began knitting this back in september. it's finally done!

it's lacy, lovely, and i can't wait to wear it!

suicidal deer

so i haven't posted to my blog in ages. and there's tons of stuff i still want to write about like Christmas and our home remodel project--which i still haven't even transferred my pictures from my camera to my computer so that's my reason for not writing lately--but today i must share about the insanity of our local deer population.

first, let me set the stage. we're doing a home remodel--replacing our windows. and our contractor had to stain and varnish the trim. which really stunk up the house. and being the sensitive-to-smells family that we are, we couldn't stay in it so we've been "visiting" my parents for a few days {and nights}. it's very nice that they only live about 25 miles from us. so it's not very far.

anyways, T has been going home in the mornings before work to shower and get ready and, most importantly, to air out the house a bit. all had been going quite well. until this morning. when a crazed deer decided to take itself out with T's truck when he was just a few miles down the road from mom and dad's. thankfully, T wasn't hurt. unfortunately, the truck was. which means we are, at least for now, a one-vehicle family. but trucks can be fixed and/or replaced, and so we'll manage and are thanking God for keeping T safe.

now for the almost funny part to my story.

my dad went to get T since the pickup was leaking fluids and will need a tow. T still needed to get back home and get to work so dad brought him back here to get our van. {i should mention that T called and reported the accident so the sheriff had come and was taking pictures for the accident's file.} anyways, on the way back here, yet another crazy deer ran right across the road in front of them! thankfully, dad wasn't up to speed yet or he probably would have hit it too! isn't that nuts?!

but my story doesn't end there.

after T got the van, he decided to stop at his truck and get the mail that he had left in it. as he was getting ready to once again get back on the road, a dodge durango drove by. they had slowed a little, probably because they had seen the truck's flashers on the roadside. T pulled out behind them and was just getting going when the durango slammed on its brakes, fishtailed a bit, and then he said he saw a "flash" as yet another psychotic deer ran across the road right in front of them. it was less than a quarter mile from where T had hit his. thankfully, for their sake, they didn't hit it.

and the moral of my story is this:
if you live in northern minnesota or plan to visit anytime soon, watch out! the deer here are decisively suicidal.

it made for an interesting morning. i think i've had enough interesting for one day.