Snow Day Blues

I wasn't really expecting a snow day today. With the way weather is in DC, we usually just get a little icy snow and a lot of rain. So imagine how happy I was to wake up to this:
I was grinning from ear to ear. I seriously thought about doing a little dance of joy, but that would have taken way too much effort for a day off. Better to work on a Project Spectrum Update instead.

I spun up two of the Grover blue batts last weekend, resulting in about 280 yards of dk-ish 2-ply. Two of these bobbins:
equals a skein like this:
It was my first time using the built-in Louet lazy kate to ply and it was a pain. The kate is untensioned (it's basically just a couple of metal bars) and spit out singles much faster than I could ply. I might be cobbling together a homemade tensioned lazy kate - maybe if there's another snow day this year, he he he! The color of the yarn is really more Sam the Eagle blue, rather than Grover blue. It's like half-faded jeans. I've got 4 batts left, so I'll probably have about 840 yards of yarn in the end.

A co-worker was talking about the Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl and in a case of contagious startitis, I cast on last night:
It's a pretty easy 8-row repeat where you really only need to use your brain for 3 of the right-side rows. Pretty sweet, huh? The yarn is Lion Fisherman's Wool, hand dyed with blue icing dye by Jersey Boy (I helped a little of course).

Since I have blueness and snow and wintry things on my mind (plus I missed the silent poetry reading this year), I thought I would post this Sara Teasdale poem I first ran into at choir of all places. There's an SATB setting of Teasdale's words by Frank Tichelli that is absolutely lovely. I found a nice free recording of it here (just scroll down to "University Singers Excerpts").

There Will Be Rest
Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)

There will be rest, and sure stars shining
Over the roof-tops crowned with snow,
A reign of rest, serene forgetting,
The music of stillness holy and low.

I will make this world of my devising,
Out of a dream in my lonely mind,
I shall find the crystal of peace,--above me
Stars I shall find.