That is a rhetorical question. It's frreeeeezin around here, but I know in my heart of hearts that this is NOTHING compared to what lies ahead of me in the real winter. I like the cold, but without the proper accoutrements, it can be difficult to deal with. This is why, instead of making progress on my sweater, blanket, capelet or Christmas knitting, I have added two new items to my repertoire. Remember this?

Why it’s that darned Caryl’s Kerchief that I went and knitted with a skein of Koigu that was being saved for gloves. Here it is, with other skein waiting patiently in the background for me to RIP it out and start swatching for my gloves tonight! I can’t live with these icicle fingers through the long cold winter, so I need to get down to work while they’re still capable of movement.

Since my legwarmers have been keeping me so toasty day and night, I was inspired to knit some wrist warmers from the same “pattern.” (That pattern being, knit a long strip of ribbing, sew up the seam). I got the nicest Diakeito yarn called Diavoyage that is the best color combination—its dark and grayish but multi-colored at the same time. Really nothing beats the alpaca/wool blend either. I’m planning on knitting until the yarn runs out and then making some kind of thumb opening so they will basically be tubes that can be pulled up and down over my fingers when needed. Seriously, my office at school is a meat freezer and it’s not even November yet. Of course the REAL teachers' room is nice and toasty...

Now I’ve never been one to toot my own horn, but I can’t stop wearing the things I have knit for myself and wanting to knit more. I strongly believe that hand-knit items are just warmer than things that are bought in the store. Can't this be true? I have literally been wearing my legwarmers day and night, and I am fighting the urge to bring my crazy clown slippers with me to school—they trap the heat around my feet like no one’s business! Maybe subconsciously I just want to wear around the things that I have spent so much time on, but really… I don’t think I could buy anything better.

That being said, it is getting colder by the second and I am wasting precious knitting time typing on my laptop in the open air. I think I to get my fingers moving with some alpaca to keep ‘em warm.