Day 7 - Still cold but a little bit warmer

Now that really is a weird way to start, isn't it? But I guess that really sums up our weather. I just read that from the middle of the country to New England there is terrific ice cover. I hate ice! It scares me. Snow is something that I can deal with but ice is dangerous. I sure hope that people have enough knitting to keep them busy until the ice melts or isn't dangerous any longer. You know, we always embrace a storm. Then we can hunker down at home and play with our projects. Pearl has special projects saved for storm knitting. Storm days are like free days. You don't have to do any thing that is scheduled, instead you can hide from the world and normal responsibilities. This winter is starting out with the promise of some good storm knitting.

The Open House is over and we return to normal. It did cause me to move some things around here in the shop. First of all, I NEVER move things around. I don't like change. Unless I am forced to move things because something new enters my life and it doesn't fit in the old place, I don't change things like furniture around. For this Open House I did decide to move a couple of things around. And I like the new way better. The rocking chair is now in front of the window that you first see when you enter. And the container that was there is now over on the far back wall. It really makes a better traffic flow and it is easier for those who need the chair to get to it. I have to have some thing in front of the window or people come in and start to look out the window and miss the step down. Even with a sign at face level hanging there, folks just don't see anything but the view out the window.

I have been evaluating some of our dog training plans and I think that I have a new way to teach the dogs fronts. As a clicker trainer I break down tasks into small parts and teach each small part building to the whole finished behavior. I never thought that I would be using Skinner's behavior studies at this time in my life but I am finally pulling on stuff that I learned in college for something useful. It is so much fun seeing the light bulb click on in the girl's heads as they understand what they are to do. Emma has become a real problem solver and loves to work things out. Lilly is just happy putting it together and getting it. She doesn't seek out problems to solve. Winnie, is our little cheer leader, she watches the big girls and follows along. She really doesn't initiate anything but learns the behavior and applies it. Josse is still pretty much in the dark about it all. She knows that clicks are great and that they happen when she does some things but she hasn't tried to control the clicks to keep coming. It will come. I know people who have applied clicker training to sports, dance and music training but I don't know anyone who has used it to teach knitting. I think it is because we knitters have so many different styles and they all work that clicker training isn't useful.

Now back to my wrap. Almost done. Instead of finishing it, I knit the Mood hat and it is finished. But I really need to get cracking. Tomorrow we finish Christmas shopping and get the stuff mailed out to the kids. Then I can get back to what I need to do. I did get my boots ordered. I hope that they get here soon.