Winter…Rain and cold and ice storms…not much outdoor time this month, a few views of the mountains, and a visit to the eagles of Balfour-Klickitat, a lot of knitting and a bit of quilting…but all is well at the end of January, as we welcome longer days.
First Day Hike – January 1 – We tried to go out to the Gorge, but the wind was cold and relentless. We returned to Portland, and hiked at Powell Butte, which was sheltered from the cold blasts of east wind (next post for details).
Ice Week – January 13 to 19 – It began on Saturday, the 13th, with below freezing temperatures and fine, powdery snow. High winds blew down many trees throughout the city. We were fortunate not to lose power though many did.
Powdery snow
On Monday, it stayed so cold that nothing melted. The sun came out and I went for a short walk, but the bitter wind made it rather unpleasant.
We wouldn’t see thawing temperatures for a week – and in a city without many snowplows, that means we all stayed home for the week, almost in pandemic lockdown mode, especially after Tuesday, when everything was coated with an inch or two of sparkly but treacherous ice.
An inch of ice on every surface!
We counted 25 gold finches on and around our neighbor’s bird feeder.
Also, a hungry squirrel.
On Wednesday we were teased with a bit of thawing, but then it all froze again.
Finally on Sunday we had serious thawing, but it took a few days to melt entirely, and some people were without power for many days. These conditions may be common elsewhere, but I personally am not a fan of the cold temperatures.
The snow and ice added much needed snow to the mountains, and also shut down the roads through the Columbia River Gorge, with icy conditions and fallen trees. Many of the trails still have trees down, landslides, and flooding. We could see some of this the next week when we drove through the Gorge for our annual trek to see the bald eagles near the town of Lyle, Washington (next post for details).
Meanwhile, I have had plenty of time for Knitting and Quilting:
I finished two long time projects – the Anthology Throw, by Helen Stewart, made from 24 different 20 gm leftover balls of sock yarn.
Anthology Throw
The Hitchhiker Shawl by Martina Behm, made from a discontinued silk marino yarn.
Hitchhiker Shawl
I’ve made the first three of many hats I plan to knit as part of the Puddletown Knitters Guild service project, destined for the local women’s shelter.
In progress: I started a pair of socks with the alpaca wool yarn my son bought for me from a Philadelphia yarn shop.
Philadelphia Socks
And I have finished two of the five clues on the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Shawl KnitALong – the two yarn skeins I bought at the Sacred Sheep event in Portland last fall. it is lovely to work with the bright colors and beads on these gray days.
Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Shawl
I also started the Modern Quilt Studio Secret Agent Mystery Quilt Along – with the Transparency fabric. We are about half way through the clues, and I am enjoying the process.
Transparency blocks, in progress
For the record, I have been practicing quilting on my new Juki machine, and hope to have something to show for it next month.
In The Wild….Two of my children were out and about in New York city in January; and the third, in North Carolina, has assured me that her custom knit convertible mittens are really great for biking on cold days.
Margaret Quilts 