Groundhog Day!

Today, February 2nd, is the day when the groundhogs come out of their burrows and check out whether spring is coming soon or not. If they can see their shadow, it will be six more weeks of winter. If there's no shadow, spring is upon us :)

My crocheted groundhog for the Groundhog-along went out in the snow this morning, and there was only the teeniest hint of a shadow, so his prediction is an early spring. It has to be said that if he hadn't been in our backyard, he would have had a big shadow, since the sun was shining everywhere else. So, what to make of it, I wonder? I think I'm hoping for an early spring anyway :)

The picture looked okay on my computer at home, but on this library computer it's very dark, so I hope you can se anything... Here's a picture with flash, just in case, but it gives him a shadow and messes with the prediction, so it doesn't really count!

Figs, anyone?

Well, of course I couldn't keep away from the 100 Flowers book either, and just had to try out a couple of patterns. A nice break from studying for my Latin test yesterday (which I think went well, by the way). I made a fig leaf and a fig (also made a ginkgo leaf, but haven't photographed it yet).

The fig leaf was actually pretty difficult to make up, because you don't crochet all the lobes the same way on the same round. You're supposed to make first three lobes, then crochet down the middle of the leaf (from the top to the stem), turn, and then make the last two lobes. Then you fasten off, re-attach the yarn by the stem and crochet the second round. That the last half of the first round has the back facing forward doesn't really show on the finished leaf (it's the two pointing down/left on the pictures), but I don't see why I couldn't finish the first round in one go, and then continue with round two without breaking the yarn. You just end up with four yarn ends instead of two... And on top of that, the leaf is sort of split open down the middle, so you have to stitch that up as well.

The fig itself was an easier pattern to follow, except that the book (which is English) suddenly switches to American terms in the written directions. However, if you look at the picture, it seems that the chart is correct. The whole thing is worked in double crochet, but I think it probably should have been hdc, because the stuffing really shows through the stitches, even after I tried to fix it with a yarn end :/

Oh, and look, my groundhog has arms! We are moving forward :)