OOOPS! Time has run away!

Yikes, the time has kind of run away with itself!  I need to update the bloggerooo!  This will just be a photo essay sort of a post.

Technology:

Food for thought. . . how we use technology why we use and how much we should use this tool.  I struggle with this as well but I firmly believe we all spend too much time engaged with some device instead of talking to the people around us!

I love this rather big oops from the Nome Nugget!  What a hoot and to think the movie is only rated PG!

Knitting: 

After Thanksgiving the lights went up, cookies have been baked and more on this below. Knitting continues on this Lopi!

This sweater that has been named Lopi-Lou is really close to being done.  I started it as a Fall Knit Along (KAL) through The Woolly Thistle group.  I had to rework the pattern a bit as I don't need a close-fitting sweater.

Then the neck was a pain in the butt!  The pattern has a different neckline which is not one I like.  I needed a real stand up collar.  After frogging it out about 15 times, yes 15

times--I got it!  I now need to graft the underarms.  The last step before blocking with be the cuffs on the sleeves which I am sure will be a knitted and hemmed cuff.

A great treat I received from The Woolly Thistle with my December yarn order was chocolate!  How can you not support an online store that includes chocolate in your order!  I am falling in love with this Norwegian yarn as well and need to cast on a hat with it pronto!  The yarn is RAUMA and I have now purchased some different colored skeins to mess around with twice in Finullgarn weight.


The other great purchase which I just finished reading is Kate Davies Handywomen.  If you have not read this book I highly recommend it as an interesting read.  Kate is an excellent writer and has shared her story in an engaging unique style.  A few times her story took my breath away made me pause.  I am grateful for the life I have and I will forever be more aware of the needs of others.

Cleo:

Some of you will remember Cleo she is now gone.  I enjoyed her and her quirky personality.  Her milk was excellent.  I didn't own her but helped take care of her a bit.  She is now in a freezer and will become some middle eastern dishes at their home.  I really enjoyed visiting her and bring her veggie scraps.  It was nice in this northern realm to be back in a barn of sorts with a goat!

Wheat:

I have gone on the grand experiment with wheat.  I stopped eating wheat I think about 3 years ago.  I have recently reintroduced wheat back into my diet. I started this process with Einkorn Wheat.  This is the oldest form of wheat.  You can read more about it through the link above.  I have now had plain old processed white wheat too with no issues.  Why have I done this--well good question.  Part of the reason is I will be going to Europe in Sept 2019 to trek around Mont Blanc.  I didn't want to be the pain in the ass person with food issues.  Plus, I want to eat croissants and other lovely European bread!  What have I learned on this "No Wheat" journey?

1. Try your best to eat foods without a label.

2. Eat organic as much as possible.

3. Stay away from items with lots of ingredients/processed foods.

4. I got this off of Outside magazine online: 

There’s a reason Michael Pollan wrote a whole book on nutrition that can be condensed into seven words: 

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

5. Not eating wheat taught me to look at food and its production.  

6. That much of today's health issue can be controlled by each of us and what we think we must have or need to eat.

7. keep moving no matter what

8.  The Blue Zone lifestyle and eating are more to my liking and one I am exploring a bit more.  It is simple, it works, and is not so cumbersome.

Returning to eating eat has not been a huge physical issue as many reported.  I am not eating crap food and I feel fine.

Jan Brett:

Oh my gosh, my dear friend, Lynn was able to go and meet Jan Brett at her local bookstore.  She had a wonderful visit with her and husband.  I now have a signed copy of her current book thanks to Lynn's visit.  I adore Jan's books and artwork.  When I taught I used her website for drawing lessons.  Her books were my December staple for Christmas stories.  The Snowy Nap is a cute tale of Hedgie's wish to see winter.

Skiing, Dogs, Skiing with The team, & Grooming Ski Trails:

Our dogs hate dog booties.  When you live someplace that is often below 0ºF our dogs need booties.  Once they have them on their paws and are out the door they have a blast and certainly run more.  Once they walk inside the house they lay down until the booties are removed.  We use them over and over until they are worn out. We buy our booties from a mushers supply store here in Alaska.

It is now the time of the year were we just ski a lot!  I love to ski, I love being outside, and I love sharing skiing with others.  This ski season is off to a wonderful start.  We are getting snow and little winds!  It is really a joy skiing this year on the shores of Norton Sound.

The Whale Back mountains west of Unalakleet in stunning afternoon light!

This is the ski teams new snowmachine which is used to groom our ski trails.  We were awarded a grant through the Rasmuson Foundation. This snowmachine will be a great addition to our YTS groomer.  Grooming trails here is a HUGE undertaking and Christian does an excellent job.  It is all about working with the wind and not fighting the winds.

Beautiful fresh corduroy to cruise on makes for good skiers and a healthier community.

We have found pallets cut in half and tied together in this fashion builds good size drifts.  Below you can see the pallets spread out across the tundra.  This area would be windswept and bare!  The pallets cause the right size drifts to build and then Christian grooms these drifts.  The pallets are moved through the winter to keep the tundra ski route covered in skiable snow.

Skiers on the slough using hoops for a technique drill.

Snow pallets in action and Christian grooming the Dragon's Back where we ski.

A good groomer knows when it is time to shovel and move snow.  I am sure we look like the strangest people ever out on the tundra shoveling snow!

Elementary skiers joined by some of their parents!  

This has been a goal of ours is to get the parents out on skis too!

Race Team skiers with the moon rising above them before Christmas as we head to our darkest day.

I love that our skiers show up to practice on snowmachines.  The old coach walks over to practice and then skis across the slough!

Tally is not about the stick she is about the log.  She hauls these huge logs all over the place!

Styling Miss Sadie could be on Monica Zappa's race dog team she has the teams bright colors down!

Tally taking a breather on our ski home last week.

Nulato Hills shine in late afternoon light.  On the other side of those hills, lies the mighty Yukon River.

Mid-December ski practice on top of Picnic Hill.

Snow on trees which is happening a lot this year.  One of my favorite things is to see Mother Nature's frosting on evergreens.

Oh, the Girls being dog royalty.

Tally and I on a late afternoon ski---the light on the tundra is always breathtaking.

Winter Solstice Ski:

The bonfire is raging, the moon was almost full, skiers headlamps can be seen skiing around the Dragon's Back.  Skiers welcome the winter season once again!

An internet grab of Solstice artwork.

 Miss Sadie & I thank you for making it through this long post!

Knitting: Lopi and odds-n-ends in Wool

First thing Alaska Fans!  I know many of you visitors to my blog are Alaska fans and if you have not checked out some of the blogs I follow you should certainly follow this one: livingthedream-kathy.blogspot.com  Kathy is a very talented writer and her writing is a joy to read.  If you are taken by Alaska and just want to know what people do, how they make a living off the grid for the most part work---get a nice cup of coffee or tea and sit down for an enjoyable read!

Knitting & the Fall Knit Along (KAL)

I start a fall KAL with The Woolly Thistle on Ravelry  I am working with Léttlopi yarn which is an Icelandic wool and yarn.  I have always been taken by the Lopi sweaters colorful yoke designs.  There is a wonderful designer whose work has caught my eye, Jenn Steingass.  It was a great opportunity to order yarn from a new store, The Wooly Thistle (which has a podcast as well) and join the KAL.  I am knitting Jenn's Telja.  I am making a few small modifications tot he pattern which is pretty normal to me.  I love the yoke in this sweater design!

The blue is the main color for the sweater and the other 4 colors will be the yoke and the details on the lower body and sleeves.  

One of the great things about technology is being able to work off my iPad and write notes on the pattern.  It is just so slick!  At this point, I am thinking I will knit a hem for the sweater cuff and body as I did a professional cast on.   This is still up in the air and I have plenty of time to think this out a bit.

Selling Knitted Items

Now that I am retired from full-time teaching I am knitting and selling some of my work.  I have a lot of yarn that needs to be used up, none of the yarn is enough for a sweater, and why not knit up some smaller items and sell them? Well, why not!?  Over the summer I knitted a few pieces and thought I will just give this "Saturday Market" thing a try.  This is the equivalent of a "Farmers Market."  I sold everything but one pair of fingerless mitts!  I was thrilled as the yarn is only sitting around taking up space, and most of the yarn was bought on sale but is very high-quality yarn.  This way I can charge a reasonable price for my work.

That was the first batch of knitting that went to the market.  I am now working on a few hats and felted baby booties.  I hope to knit up a few more pairs of fingerless mitts but that may be over ambitious for this upcoming weekend.

One more very fun hat The Coming Home in PDS yarn as well.  This is a stunning hat and fun to knit!

I don't plan on making a living from selling my knitting at all!  I do plan on using up the odds-n-ends of my yarn stash!  I never want my knitting to feel like it is something I have to do.  I jokingly call myself a Shetlander knitting away to earn some funds.  I do think of these women, men, and children who had to knit and keep their hands working at all times to earn money for their families. How hard this must have been for them all!  Knitting was work and not something to enjoy while sipping tea.  It makes me appreciate these fine artists and their skills even more.  If you follow Shetland Wool Week then you are up on this event and what it offers knitters around the world.  I know I speak for us fiber folks when I say that the Shetland Isle knitters have helped immensely to save and preserve knitting heritage and traditions for all the world--THANK YOU!

Summer Time Fun! (July 2018)

Summer!  Nothing like being outside and enjoying the fun of summer under Montana's Big Sky!  Summer flies by for us as our time in Montana is limited.  There is so much I love about our time down south!  The evening stars, family & friends, BBQing, hiking, biking, swimming, paddling, being home, the porch, yard, flowers . . . the list is endless really.  Other things I love is my favorite coffee shop, bookstore, Community Library, being able to walk around a small town, and of course the farmers market (these things I can not do in the village). 

(I deleted my facebook account more photos will be posted here instead of the dreaded "WasteBook!" for now.)

A longtime favorite easy hike west of town.

Lupine Lake

Lupine Lake

Miss Tally always ready for the stick!

Hike up Stahl Peak to the fire lookout.

No longer in use but the old fire lookout still stands.

Christian and his girl Tally or is it Tally and his boy Christian.

Miss Intense Sadie! Such a beautiful girl!

Sadie always just lays right down in any water she can find while out with us. One worn out girl who had a blast this day!

Family reunion time in the wonderful Skalkaho Pass area. At one time there was 21 people and 18 dogs who all got along!

My wonderful FIL who loves his time outdoors! He has done everything a smoke jumper in Alaska, ski instructor, ski patrol, kayaker of big water, hiker, trials bike rider, builder, there is nothing he can't do!

Cooling off and I mean cooling off brrr!

Christian was braver than me as he actually sat in the creek for a bit!

I could live there forever I am sure!

On our drive to the family reunion we hit a dry area and yes there could be rattlesnakes.

Recently Hurricane Kayaks came into our lives.  We purchased  Skimmer 140 and we LOVE our new boats!

Sadie is an 82-pound dog and she can ride in this boat easily!

A great paddling kayak even in the lake with wind and boat wakes from every direction.

Paddling Bliss!

Tally is lighter in weight and Christian is larger than me and the Skimmer performs wonderfully!

Hiking with some wonderful friends!  Interestingly enough both of these ladies are creative artist. I wish some of their talents would rub off on me!  I taught with Lynn in Alaska and we get together every year for a visit.

Theresa is a long time friend we ski, hike, bike, paddle, knit, garden, cook, read--you name it--there is a constant exchange of ideas all the time!  

Huckleberries along the trail!

The girls love their ice cream!

Some of you know Christian has a thing for berries.  On the left, we have our new blueberries and on the right our Goumi Berries.  The Goumi Berries are an unusual fruit but they do taste great!

We think this may be the largest cedar on the Whitefish Trail system.

Ok, I will say it here, "I am working on a kids fiction picture book!"

I have discovered a new yarn shop which I just love!  The Woolly Thistle specializes in yarns from the UK and Europe.  This Léttlopi yarn will be used for a Lopi sweater for me in a KAL sponsored by The Woolly Thistle starting in late August. 

Recently, I needed to get a grip on a guest and opted for some inspiration from the Dalai Lama.  It was successful and certainly helped me.

Grilling away veggies and pork.

Is that one of the most beautiful cauliflowers ever!

A new nightly tradition is a cup golden milk on the porch by candlelight. A great way to end the day and to feel great the next day.