Winter has been mild in Minnesota this year. This week is a reminder of what our winters are normally like. Cold, crisp, beautiful. Beautiful as long as you don't have to drive anywhere at certain moments. We got a huge snowstorm on Tuesday. It started snowing around noon and quit Wednesday morning. I love looking out into my backyard. We have large pine trees and in the winter they take on a magical winter wonderland appearance. I was able to work from home Wednesday so I didn't have to struggle in traffic for hours. This is my view while I'm sitting at my table working. Not too shabby.
To give you a sense of scale, there was no snow on my outside bench before Tuesday. Just a bit now! And that is a very protected area too. Virginia is not happy right now trying to go outside. It is deeper than her legs so it is a bit challenging for her.
I've been meaning to knit some new mittens for myself for the last 3 years. Even got a few pair started this fall but they all failed for multiple reasons. Finally this week, my old pair of mittens gasped their last breath. The thin spots in the thumbs gave way to a gaping hole. Not so warm here to have a gaping hole in the thumbs! And I certainly can NOT wear commercial mittens/gloves. Seriously! I would have to turn in my knitters card if I did that! But I have NO time to whip out a new pair of mittens right now. I thought I was going to eek my old pair through one more winter since this year was rather mellow. Um look at the pictures...not so mellow anymore. So I did a little surgery. I snipped off the top of the thumb, ripped back to a sturdy section of yarn on the thumb, slid the live stitches on needles, added some bright, cheerful, left over handspun yarn and knit a new thumb. Sort of a Frankenstein mitten you might say. I love it! Not perfect by any means, but I do smile every time I put it on. Tonight at Emily's cheer competition I will graft a new thumb onto the second mitten. Maybe I can refine the first row or so, but if not? My thumbs will still be warm and I will still smile at my mittens. 
