Wool-n-Ski: June 2016

Monday, June 20, 2016

Coming Home Hat

The Coming Home Hat was a fantastic knit! Well designed/written pattern, easy to follow, knitted with rich colored super wash PDS yarn that is hand dyed all help to create a great finished project. I really enjoy a great fitting hat as I seem to spend most of any given year in a hat. I don't live in the warmest places and prefer higher elevations or higher latitudes thus the reason for hats.

I have waited a long time for this front porch and it is almost done. Evening knitting is a great reward to any day full of fun.

Great texture on this hat to keep any knitter happy and engaged.

Front porch knitting . . . BLISS!

Since, I am home in Montana the of this hat added to the perfect knit. The other design feature that caught my eye is lower head band as the design reminds me of trees. After 10 months on the tundra trees are a wonderful treasure that I cherish when I am back amongst them in Montana.

Coming Home Hat in Action

This is turning into our traditional Father's Day hike. A nice short hike up into a lake in the northern Whitefish Range. It was wet, damp and a bit cool.

Stellar model pose haha! In my hand I have a pair of Kate Davies Pawkies fingerless mitts knitted in Kate's yarn.

My Sadie and I heading up the trail.

Christian

Link Lake, Tally and I knitting away on a pair of plain old socks with PDS sock yarn.

"The Girls

My Father In Law who we all try to keep up with. He still skis, hikes, works and is nothing but a legend at 80. He loves to be out and about and never sits around doing nothing.

Happy Father's Day!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Tossing out a Knitting Project

It doesn't happen often but once in awhile one needs to say:

I don't like this yarn! I certainly don't like the project, I picked for this yarn and the whole 9 yards needs to go AWAY!

That happened all within 48 hours. I really tried to make it all work, but in the end I said, "Yarn I am selling you on Ravelry and pattern you are getting set aside for another day!"

The best part is I posted this yarn for sale and within minutes a person contacted me wanting to buy the whole lot if the price was good. Good price oh you bet this stuff needs to depart from my house pronto! The yarn sold!

The sense of freedom is amazing!

The yarn was Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift. I actually like the yarn. The issue is I have been knitting worsted and unspun Icelandic and this yarn is anorexic by comparison. I was not in the mood to get gauge and I really did try! I even went to a friends house and found DPN the right size for a gauge! She was at work and I snoped around for needles. The best part is she had company coming in so her house was all nice and tidy. I had to be a bit of detective to track down DPN. I was getting 8-9 sts per inch and thought I would run out of yarn. The gauge should have been 7.5 to 6.5 but I hated the whimpy knitted fabric I was getting . . . nothing was working at all. I don't even want to get into the pattern which I actually really like, but to make it work I would have to do a lot of reconstruction---NOPE it was not going to happen!

Good buy yarn, tuck away the pattern and cast-on a new project!

Monday, June 13, 2016

Alpine Biome

One of my favorite Biomes on our planet is the Alpine Biome. That transitional region from treeline scrub to no trees. This is the region I am drawn to when hiking in the summer. The plant life, flowers, lichen are all there and I just love being able to enjoy their world.

Yesterday, we had a great day up north in the Whitefish Range, close to the Canadian border. Our hike went mostly UPHILL along a ridge line. If we were to continue on this hike we would have made a loop around a basin. We hiked UP about 4 miles and had our picnic and then came back down on the same trail.

Looking into Glacier National Park from the northern part of the Whitefish Range.

Heading UP!

Having a serious girl talk about lunch when, where, and how about NOW!

Breaking out of the treeline.

Heading up snow . . . I just love being back on snow!

Tally tearing up the SNOW! She is in heaven!

I love this photo all 4 paws are in the air!

The transition from treeline to alpine world I love . . .

Sadie oh so serious.

Sadie just soaking up the sun before the descent.

Always time for a snow bath and some R&R when hiking.

Traversing an avalanche shoot.

Indian Paint Brush

Trail side colors

Miss Sadie calling it an end to the adventure. A nice cooling soak and drink.

Below is just a bit of info I googled about the Alpine Biome. Krummholz is the term for this region I remember from a science class. I always love how the word sounded.

Friday, June 10, 2016

DOGS: The crazy things we do!

June 7, 2016

Hi,

That is me and "My Boy" he is awesome!
I love spending time with him! June 6th.

My name is Tally and I am writing this post to explain a very bad thing I did yesterday! I am part Weimaraner and they often say this breed has anxiety issues with separation. Let me tell you it is true and sometimes Nancy one of my owners calls me a "Nervous Nellie" when "My Boy" leaves! My Boy is a grown man named Christian, we really are a pair and I think he is the best! He drove off yesterday and didn't take me along. Nancy held me by my collar a bit and then let me go! I ran to the fence gate and then to the neighbor's gate as our yards are open. Our neighbor is putting in a fence between our yards. I being the smart dog saw the opening and took off like lightening after "My Boy" in his truck down an extremely busy road!

Later it was reported to Nancy that I was running right down the middle of this very busy road chasing after a scent or something. I stopped traffic and it was reported by 2 kids that I almost caused a few accidents.

Meanwhile, Nancy was running after me and saw a bike rider who when asked said I was in fact running down the road and he did see me. The nice bike rider stopped and I think if Nancy would have asked he would have gone back for me. Nancy ran to the house for a leash Sadie the now perfect dog who doesn't do things like this as Nancy is "Her Girl" and she was at home! Plus her phone to hopefully call the police as she ran for me.

As Nancy got to the back gate there I was panting. It was over 90ºF and at 1:00 p.m. I was at the gate! I gave up on the chase turned around on this busy road and ran home right down the busy road. A nice lady in a black van with 2 kids followed me to Nancy.

I had a bloody foot from running on the pavement, but I was home. I got lots of hugs and pets and WATER! Then the dreaded dog bootie came out and was placed on my foot. Damn! I hate those booties and never thought I would have to wear one in SUMMER geash WINTER is bad enough. I did hurt my foot a bit but mostly I was really hot from running around like a crazy dog after "My Boy!"

I really scared Nancy. Christian was so relieved nothing happened to me. Sadie said, "You are such a fool Tally! Really when are you going to mellow out girl!"

Nancy quickly got my bloody foot covered and it stopped bleeding right away.

She gave me cold water to drink, cooled me off with the hose and let me rest on my towel.

Man did I rest until "My Boy" came home to me like always!

My paw is doing well now on Friday, June 10th. Nancy and Christian have learned that if you put moleskin over an injured paw pad and place the paw in a mushing bootie dog paws will heal fast. We all live in a very remote place in Alaska with no vet.

The two people who love us have learned several tricks like this to keep us healthy when we get hurt. Last night I went for a short slow mountain bike ride and did great.

Sadie reminded me several times to quit being such a spaz about things. She often thinks she is so much wiser than me just because she is a year older. Sadie was a rescue dog. She came from a great humane society in Roundup, Montana called RimRock Humane Society and at times she will tell me stories that make my hair stand up on end. The point being we have it made so relax you Nervous Nellie!

This little letter was inspired by Bruce, Kate Davies' dog.

Happy Paws to all get outside and play,

Tally

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Migration

We had an absolutely fantastic drive south this spring. It was pretty drizzly at some point most days but overall it was a great drive south. One of the things, I look forward to is seeing the night sky dark and full of stars on our drive south. Just before we leave the village you can no longer see the night stars as it just isn't dark enough. We go to bed in full daylight and awake to full daylight. I really miss the night sky and STARS! I find it rather uncomfortable but at least I still sleep like a rock. We took 9 days to drive the approximately 2,400 miles to our front door. I now call this drive "The World's Longest Driveway!" I love the drive through the Yukon and British Columbia--nothing but stellar country to explore! I am just going to post photos below with captions of some of my favorite parts of the "Reverse Migration."

We fly out of Unalakleet to Anchorage first. This flight is just under 400 miles. We then pick up our rig and stay with a long time dear friend for a few days. Our dogs need to get their travel papers to enter Canada.

Here is Tally trying her best at 68 pounds to fit into a dog bed made for about a 12 pound dog. Just proving that our dogs do in fact love their dog beds.

If Tally wasn't bad enough here is 78 pound Sadie trying her best to fit into this little bed!

In the Yukon at one of the provincial campgrounds. We love their huge picnic tables and roomy campsites. I love knitting at a camp fire!

Muncho Lake which has several great campgrounds. Working on a pair of socks out of PDS Yarn.

Tally who can never say NO to a stick and water!

Another great campground in the Yukon.

Sock progress.

Traveling . . . dog style they get the back seat.

Lunch on the road.

Sometimes in unlikely places like Fort Nelson you meet up with a long time friend. I coached her two boys in cross-country skiing in the 80s.

Buddies they love each other and just snuggle up for the daily drive.

Snow on the way up Pink Mountain!

Dinner prep.

Miss Sadie my buddy!

These photos are from a place we have got to ski at some winter. I wrote about this spot last year as well and I just might have to retire here! We just love the look and feel!