Rumor Has It

Rumor has it spring has sprung. If this is true where you live, congratulations. (I freely admit to feeling a slight twinge of envy.)

In this corner of the world, the persistent blanket of snow has disappeared (for now) and we’ve experienced a few tiny glimmers that hint at the tantalizing possibility spring might one day arrive … eventually. While these subtle signs are welcome, I'm not holding my breath. It will be mid-May before the official frost date indicates the chance of a hard freeze has passed in this area.

Meanwhile, I've been spending lots of long days in the office cranking to meet deadlines. My office is on the chilly side, so I rely on layers of knits to keep me warm. Today, for example, I'm wearing a sturdy turtleneck, a red felted vest and an ancient Ralph Lauren lambswool cardigan. 

Regular readers know I wear fingerless mitts all day almost every day because my hands tend to get cold. Today, I’m wearing a pair of Last-Minute Mitts. If I run into a task where the mitts are in the way, I can just pop my thumb out of the thumbhole, push the mitts down to my wrists and wear them like cufflets.

Lap-sized afghans have been my constant companions this winter. Today, I’m using the Color Check afghan and am relishing every scrap of warmth it has to offer. (Did I mention my office tends to be cold?)

Even the beverages have their own handknit accessories. I started the day with hot coffee as shown, but I'll soon switch to hot tea. When I'm working against deadlines, it takes a delicate balance of caffeine to keep the mental engine fired up but not overly revved.

In spite of the fact that it's freezing outside, cold inside and local weather forecasters are predicting more snow this week, rumor has it spring has sprung.

My mother always told me not to listen to rumors. Clearly she was right.