It was on our list of "must haves" for several houses we looked at over the years, and bought. I have still never had one.
So I settle for a DVD of a burning camp fire, complete with crackling and popping. It's actually pretty good.
We found it when we visited Minnesota's North Shore last summer. Some guy actually filmed a camp fire out in the woods and made a DVD. It was playing in a gift shop and, of course, having been inspired by being in the north woods, we had to buy it.
Since I am unlikely to ever have a real fireplace, it's the next best thing.
While sitting next to my "fireplace" (such as it is), I'm knitting ear warmers. Not wanting to start a large project before our journey to Arizona, they go quickly and will surely be appreciated by my little 3 and 4 year old granddaughters the rest of the cold Minnesota winter.
For the little ones, I cast on about 12 stitches, using a small, size 6 needle, and am using a double strand of yarn.
I knit this in a strip to about 14 to 16 inches, then bind off and stitch together end-to-end. You want it a bit snug for the head measurement. It can then be slipped on over the ears.
For adults, use a thicker yarn and a slightly larger needle, but make it nice and snug and tightly knit.
It is below zero in our neck of the woods, so we'll take anything we can get to keep warm. Ear warmers and DVD camp fires help.
Happy Holidays!
