Hello! The weather here seems to be warming up! I can't wait 'till spring! I have discovered a nice nature trail nearby. There is a river, a bit of woodland, and some pasture land. I'm looking forward to seeing swans with their cygnets and sheep with their lambs in the spring. I plan on going out there often with my camera. I'm going to buy a new camera soon! I really want to improve my photography this year. I want to develop my eye for good shots and also become more familiar (and more confident) with the technical side of photography. I'm excited to buy the camera! It will be my first SLR!

So, on the site I actually have some updates! Nine special adoption pixels have been abandoned and are now back up for adoption. I've updated my reading list with a few new books and I have a new link exchange, Kittycookie!

I also have one new pixel. It is a Portuguese good luck rooster (Galo de Barcelos) and it is a symbol of honesty and integrity. My mom owns a couple of these traditional rooster figurines which is what inspired me to make this pixel. The rooster has a story behind it that I think is really interesting. The story goes that a man was traveling to Spain and on his way came to Barcelos, Portugal. A crime was committed in Barcelos and the traveler was immediately suspected. A judge declared him guilty and sentenced him to be hanged. On the day of his execution, he made a last request to declare himself innocent before the judge once more. He was brought before the judge as the judge was hosting a dinner. The man claimed his innocence and the judge demanded proof. The man pointed to the cooked rooster on the judge's dinning table and said something like "If I am innocent, may that rooster crow!" And surely the rooster stood up on the platter and crowed. The man was immediately released and declared innocent!

I knit another hat! This one is for myself. It's my first project making cables. It turned out great and I absolutely love it! The color and yarn are wonderful! I bought the yarn last month at the Christmas market in Lincoln. :D The pattern is free on the Ravelry website: link.

I finished knitting a beret for my sister. I love the leaf motif and the color (which is actually a bit more teal than the picture shows). It was a challenging hat to make because it was knit from the center to the brim. It turned out beautifully and my sister is really happy with it. :D The pattern is free from Knitting Daily.

England got a bit more snow last week! However, it is all melted now, as you can see in the above picture. Below are a few photos I took of the icey weather. Click on them to see them larger.

I have two new lovely affiliates, Carson and Danica. They both have great sites. Please visit them!