Hello from Massachusetts

Well I THINK I have finally settled in to my new (old) home here in Bridgewater, MA. Tristan and I packed up the truck and left Austin on December 27th and after a few days of hard rental truck travel with four cats in the cab we made it here in between snows.

The house we are staying in was built in 1844 and my new landlord wishes that one day she will find out it was a stop on the underground railroad. I guess there are a lot of houses around this area that can make that claim. To me it is just crazy to think I am living in a house that was built when my ancestors were still slaves in this country. It is a nutty house. Has a bunch of oddly angled walls, has different color paint in every room, and my LG TV has no business being in the living room here. (Hahaha) But it is cool. Just such a huge adjustment to go from the heat of Austin and easy access to every comfort and necessity we need, to moving to a town so small that we actually have to drive to other towns and cities to get all the things we need. 

Another oddity is that unlike a regular duplex (or what I am accustomed to living on the West Side) we share a corner with the main house. Not a full wall or a side, but a corner. Ours is the one hiding behind sleeping trees. And oh yeah, did I mention all the snow? Since we have been here it has only snowed twice and not that bad, shoveling was as simple as pushing the shovel against the ground until we hit a snow bank. But from what I hear it can get pretty dicey here from time to time. 

Ronin watching Papa shovel for the first time.

I have done some knitting since we got here but in this small town, it took 10 days until we could get someone to come out and install the Internet and Cable. That's right they have to come out and do that. No sending me a remote and trusting I'll figure it out. I guess in this place, when people move out of homes the cable companies come through and remove the lines to the towers. I don't know why but that is what both the customer service agents AND the installer said. Strange. 

Here are a few of the projects I have recently completed. I did a bit of a detour on promised projects to people to selfishly knit things that would keep my baby and me warm on these cold, cold, days. 

Diagonal Dots (Purple)

I made this hat using my basic hat pattern but added a purl every 6 stitches for some fun. Some friend brought this yarn back from Italy for me about 6 years ago. I have started a number of projects with it but just never got around to finishing anything. Nothing was perfect I guess (until I moved to the snow). It's nice and warm though, so it should do the trick. 

I also made a WWII Balaclava using a pattern I found on Ravelry. I am digging it and hope to make a few more for friends and family. My first attempt at these was not as great (sorry Richard) but I think I redeemed myself on this one. The trick is soft, stretchy yarns.

Turquoise Knittin' Kninja

Well, that is all for now. I got a few more projects to get on sticks since I am currently unemployed in MA so I should be posting more often.