Tomten a Rather HUGE Under Taking

I have a niece who I just love and I also am rather taken by the fact that she doesn't want to raise her family in the traditional middle of the road way.  I am very proud of her efforts in today's world to try to break the mold and step out in a different direction.  I give her and her family a lot of credit. I know it isn't easy and I know it is very challenging for them.  This winter they had all intentions to be on their land and living there off the grid as they get ready to build.  Things didn't work out as they had hoped.  They were able to move into a yurt and make some adjustments to their goal.

My goal is to make sure they have enough 100% WOOL to stay warm up in the mountains on the Olympic peninsula.  They have hats, fingerless mittens, and some of my older knitted socks that felted and were a bit of an experiment which make for great kid slippers in my mind and lucky in theirs as well!

Back to the Tomten Project:  This knitted jacket/sweater is one I have wanted to knit forever!  I have loved the simple design and the high functionality of this sweater.  I have always thought of it as the going out to the barn to work type of garment.  Now if only, I had a barn, and flock of sheep to go with my half Akbash, Sadie, the guardian dog . . . awh would life be for ever perfect!

The photo is from Schoolhouse Press Pattern #19

Since my niece and her girls are in a rather cold, damp place I figured they each needed a Tomten!  Thus the rather HUGE UNDERTAKING on my part but one I am loving.  FOUR, yes that is right FOUR Tomtens!  THREE of which will be kids and one adult.  I have so much yarn in the stash that is left over from projects that I am almost finished with the first one.  I Tomtens in garter sts just eat up yarn which is just perfect for stash busting.

I am trying to figure out the decreases for sleeves. What does 13.5 inches of sleeve length really look like when one is knitting a Tomten as the body is a bit of the sleeve length? 

Some photos to show the progress of Tomten #1.

I am using yarn from Schoolhouse Press Rangeley Wool.  I like adding a slip sts into the color work to give a nice transition between color rounds.

Lower body color work.

The fronts and back are done and this is the sleeve opening.

The collar is completed and the sleeve sts have been picked up and knitted a bit.

A nice little detail is added to the lower sleeve area for a bit of eye pleasing texture.

Chunky Shetland Yarn a Gift!

My wonderful Aunt Kathy is a knitter and has been for years.  Once she told me if I ever became a teacher (she was a English teacher and HS counselor) to have hobbies or something in your life you can finish.  As a counselor she said, "You never know if a student goes off and finishes their dream."  She had a garden and knitted for years as those were her finished projects.

We have been back in touch again because of the inter-net and chatting about knitting and what not.  She had this chunky Shetland weight yarn and offered it to me as she wasn't going to ever use it.  I of course jumped at the chance to take this yarn off her hands.  100% Shetland anything sounds great to me!

I love the colors that will go with a wide variety and the chunky rustic feel.

There are two vests I have wanted to knit for years and this yarn will be perfect for these projects.  I envision the vests with an icord trim in blue.  One vest is called Lollie's Jerkin and I would change some of the design in this but generally it would look like this vest. The other is the classic rib warmer but this will have some modifications.  Both designes come from SchoolHouse Press my all time favorite designer families EZ, Meg and Cully.

Knitting, FOs (Finished Objects: for you non-knitters--if there is such a thing)

I have actually been knitting a lot this fall as my wrist is better and I can KNIT pain free!

I love this Baby Bootie pattern! I can not even guess how many of these have been given to little feet out there.  I knitted this pair this summer and then promptly lost them!  They did make it to Alaska and I just finished their trim.  They are for one cute little girl--stay warm little one!

Loch Lomond fingerless mitts: I knitted 5 pairs of these this year!  This pair was for my niece's friend as an exchange for some of her excellent homemade goat milk soap.

No Bad Weather Knit Along {A.K.A: NBW KAL}

From mid-October a much needed update  (Dec 14, 2014)!

NBW sweater has had a few minor construction issues like:

*a few inches to large 
(I should add this had nothing to do with the pattern and everything to do with me picking the wrong size as I have gotten a bit smaller and not larger!)

One of the best things I have ever learned about knitting was/is use a tape measure all the times to check your work!  The next thing I have learned is to once and awhile place your work on yarn or a couple circular knitting needles, gently steam block and measure you work.  Never under estimate the importance of a tape measure EVER!

 and 

*I didn't like the knitted hem I was planning on using:

As far as the construction and design of the hem went that was spot on.  The issue was I wasn't done with the design and the hem would have been to deep.  Thus one more reason to frog and just use the intended ribbing.

SO I started over once again!  Many people freak out about starting over and I really have given up on the knitting freak out sessions.  The reason being is one I do get to knit more, but the main reason is knitting mistakes are really pretty easy to fix.

I really enjoy color work as you always feel like you are making great progress!

This sweater is now done and has been worn a lot already.  I knitted this sweater with the idea that it would be worn as one of my many layers when I go out skiing here in the far north.  I have found as crazy as this sounds that wool is really the best insulator for the cold weather I ski in on a regular basis here.

Done!  I did change the collar a bit and knitted a folded over hem for the inside of the collar.  This was casted-off and sewn down which gives a nice stretch to the collar neck area. (Pre-blocking)

Excuse the rather big hair as the wind was coming in from the east behind me.  The neck is still on needles a rather nice needle necklace effect all pre-blocking.

Here is the finished, blocked sweater in action!  The No Bad Weather Pattern is available at: Knit 'N Needle and the 100% Merino PDS superwash worsted weight yarn is available from my Favorite Yarn Shoppe as well!

I am very happy with the end product, I love the colors and the easy wash-ability of this yarn.  

October 8th, 2014 First Snow

Looking south form First Hill and you can see ice on the river with a slight dusting of snow.  Snow on the hills beyond our colorful tundra world is transforming to gray and then to the white of winter!

Now will I be able to ski on my birthday?? Always hopeful!

October 8th the first day of snow here in Unalakleet.  I always get a kick out of kids who are so excited to see snow here as their world is pretty much consumed with winter.  Yet when those first snow flakes start to fall we are all so excited. 

September 27, 2014 First Frost! & No Bad Weather (NBW) Fall Knit Along (KAL)

The first sign that winter is truly on its way!

There is nothing like waking up early, to some late for me 6:30, on a Saturday morning to sky full of stars, and crisp fall air.   What?  Is that ice on the puddle?  I tentatively stick the toe of my Bean boot into the puddle hoping, wishing to hear the wonderful sound of ice cracking and what do I hear? Yes, ice cracking under the toe of my boot!  Northern Lights dancing in the sky, plus the lights of a barge in Norton Sound heading south before things really start to freeze up for winter.

One of the many joys of living in rural Alaska are the body parts your dogs get to either find and hope to bring into the house or the parts they love to roll on/in.  Tally was so thrilled with this wonderful find the other morning!  Nope---we are not keeping it!  It will be heading back to the beach where I am sure it came from today. 

The tundra is actually fading now to just browns and muted green lichen.  Fall has come and now we move into the rather dullness of browns and grays until winter arrives to blanket my world in white.  This tundra plant I love!  It is such a rich red and it really does look this red!

Tally enjoying an after school romp on the tundra in earlier September. 

 

My girl Sadie!

 

 

 

A recent batch of smoked salmon. Smoked with cherry and spicy seasoning added.

 

 

 

   

    

No Bad Weather (NBW) Fall Knit Along (KAL)

I have been working on my NBW KAL with the ladies from the Knit 'N Needle in Whitefish, Montana online through Ravelry.  This is a wonderful design and the yarn from the shoppe is great!  PDS worsted yarn is just full of life, with rich robust colors which is becoming a favorite of many knitters!

Like all projects I seem to always have to start the body about 3 times until I seem to work out some issues.  I have pretty much resigned myself to this knitting fact.  I casted-on a sleeve and knitted that up just fine.  The color is rich and deep which I really like in my yarn.  I casted-on for the body using a long tail cast-on and with two colors.  I decided instead of a ribbing I would do a knitted hem.  This is why I like to cast-on with 2 colors as I can pick up sts. easily having a contrasting color. 

That green purl like bump is where I will be picking up sts. to knit the hem which will be knit in a PDS sport weight yarn.  The lighter yarn will add less bulk and pull in the bottom just a bit.  This will be done later.

I thought, I would do a bit of added color work in the lower section.  I picked a design that I thought would be perfect.  It would have what I thought would be snow and hearts.  This would have made the statement that I love bad weather.  Well . . . it make the statement that this is way to much color work and your hem will be HUGE!  I decided to frog this section . . . oops forgot to mention: I had already frogged once before as I had twisted my yarn when joining the first round!

The reason for the color work is to have a nice line to sew the knitted hem to when I cast-off the hem on the inside.

Back to the drawing board.  I picked a much smaller simpler design of color work which would represent hills, drifts, and snow.  I knitted this color work only to realize that . . . Do you see those 2 ^%^%$%^*^* sts  there . . . yes 2 red sts side by side!!!!!!  Yes in the first round close to the beginning!  &*)(*&%$#$%%^

I was able to get this frogged again, and knitted yet again.  Now on a positive note look at how great that PDS worsted weight yarn is holding up to 3 froggings.  I will admit  I wanted to toss the whole thing into the trash!  However, I nicely reminded myself this is not the first time nor the last time knitting will humble me!  I took a few deep breathes, swore a bit and like E.Z. would say "Knit On!"

I have been knitting for over 20 years and yes even those who have been knitting for years (decades) still makes mistakes and still find new ways of making mistakes.  To new knitters out there just try and relax it is fine to make mistakes, learn how to frog, laugh a bit at yourself and then KNIT ON!

No Bad Weather KAL (Knit Along)

My yarn arrived today for the Knit Along (KAL) I have joined through the Knit 'N Needle yarn shoppe in Whitefish, Montana.  We were quick to get the girls out on the tundra for a photo shoot with my new PDS worsted yarn when we got home from work today at 6 p.m.  I love the colors in person and am looking forward to casting on a sleeve for a swatch.  This hand dyed yarn is from a very talented independent yarn dyer in Whitefish.

The colors I picked, as always have some kind of theme or purpose in "Nancy's World" and this yarn is no exception.  The green (Douglas Fir) is for evergreen trees which I especially adore when covered in snow.  The red-ish color (petroglyph) is for the fall colors on the tundra as we transition into winter, and the white (beargrass) is of course for one of my favorite things: SNOW!

The No Bad Weather Knit Along will be starting officially on September 14th.  It will be hosted on the Ravelry site. For you non-knitters (is there such a person yikes!) think FaceBook for knitters, only a lot better than facebook could ever be! On Ravelry you would just have to join the Polka Dot Sheep Publications group.

Fall . . . I love the start of fall

September 2, 2014 the a.m. dog walk was under northern lights!  What a treat!  The air is crisper, the stars are out, and the mornings are now dark here.  I walk the dogs with the light of my head lamp leading the way so I don't kill myself walking in the dark.

Yesterday we had a good ol'storm rain for most of the day, high winds, and pounding crashing surf.  We also had  a "Sadie Storm."  A sick barfing dog from 3:00 a.m.  until 5:00 p.m.  I hate when our animals get into trash or dead things on the tundra or beach.  Luckily they seem to survive what ever they seem to think they need to eat.  Today I am watching her as she finally ate something and lets just hope it follows the normal course to the end result.

Here is a health Miss Sadie before she food some nasty treat that made her so sick.  She is fine but for about 12 hours she was one sick girl!

I am in love with the tundra! A close up antler lichen or it is sometimes called caribou lichen.  I am always fascinated by the plant life on the tundra.  At times I am convinced there is a whole little world of gnomes and creatures that live under its coverage.

Christian with "the girls".  We were able to mountain bike over the week-end.  We rode on the hard pack road that was put in on the beach to help reinforce the sea wall.

Oh in search of the internet!

Since I made this post yesterday WE NOW HAVE INTERNET AT OUR HOUSE ONCE AGAIN!!!!!!!  I can now add captions to photos!
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As soon as I have internet at my house again I will be posting!  I have a lot to share but no working internet.  This may be a good thing as I tend to get more work related things done!  Since it is my house I really don't like working from my house . . . at times I have to as there is no one interrupting me there.  Back to the issue no internet which makes it hard to blog.  I am hoping next week we will have internet back and working until then . . .

Photos just to let you know we made it back to Alaska and captions  will be added once we have internet!

Tally resting after a day in the back seat on our drive north and me knitting away during sunset. Some where in BC.

A short stroll from Nakusp Hot Springs in BC,

Tally enjoying a swim some place along the Alcan highway.  Every day the girls got to swim in a new swimming hole.

I love this photo of Tally she is all about FUN!

The nosiest campground in all of BC!  It was also very clean with wonderful campground hosts.  This rail line was yards from our camping spot and there was another on the other side of the river.  

The girls enjoying the AC and view.  If their eyes could talk: "Are we there yet?"

Jiffy Pop Popcorn!  The secret is a leather glove and vice grips and you get perfect popcorn every time.

Kluane Lake a beautiful spot which we love.  Last spring it was frozen on the drive south.  Now we all got to enjoy the sunshine and ice free lake.

One of our favorite hot springs, Liard Hot Springs, and I do mean hot!  This one is set in a pretty spot and always a treat.

Liard Hot Springs

This is the divider between the extremely hot pool and the lower temperature pool.

The boardwalk at Liard to the pools a pleasant stroll.

Takhini Hot Springs This place was a great discovery in the spring.  The pool is currently filling in the early a.m. 

Tetlin Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.  This little place has a nice small campground with the call of the lonely Loon.

Tetlin Camp ground with the morning cup of joe!

Back home in the village rainbow and all!

Christian with his huge grayling!

Now we are talking FISH---silver salmon from the Unalakleet River.

Another HUGE salmon!

Christian with a salmon more our liking!

Rainbow above Unalakleet River

Unalakleet in the far distance by Norton Sound and miles of tundra.

We actually hard a visitor here!  Our friend Karrin, recently back from Africa and now working in AK, dropped in for a week-end visit!

Here are several Kayaks a few plastic and the rest have been made by Maligiaq.  He was here at our school for some work.  I wasn't able to get in a paddle but I hope to next year. 

Maligaq working on a practice paddle.

Knitting and mosquitoes sometimes don't mix!