Are you yarning, Mrs. P?

I was sitting at my desk this morning before the "official class start." Kids come into the room to grab their bags to put their outdoor gear in as a protection against the joys of bedbugs. One of my little charges came up to me as I was knitting and watching Salomon TV (nordic skiing videos on my smartboard).  "Are you yarning Mrs. P?"  I stopped and laughed to myself and replied, "Well, yes I am yarning."

Last night while I was yarning, I realized I am no longer in love with a project (Carraig-Fhada Vest, AKA Ol'Blue).  I stopped knitting and sent a text to my dear yarning friend and told her I hate this @#$@$##%$%^ project and I think it is time to frog it.  She did suggest setting it aside.  Which I had already done.  Then she said well couldn't you just EZ (Elizabeth Zimmermann) it and make it work . . . thinking a bit about this other than I would have to purl to do colorwork.  H m m m m . . . .

I basically have bailed on the present "yarning" project and decided to return to the roots of my "yarning" that would be the traditional Norwegian sweater or an Icelandic Lopi.  I just mailed off a Lopi that I just finished to one of "My Knit Girls."  I haven't had a Norwegian on my needles for some time!

This is the repaired and Wool Washed sweater from the previous post Proud Auntie. The sweater came out great and is back on a very Knit Worthy younfggal.

Felted slipper/sock, unspun Icelandic Wool: this was an experiment which came out pretty good.  I would make the cuff a bit taller next time and knit the next pair with a single strand of unspun.

Lopi on its new owner!  She is thrilled with it and I am thrilled as it fits!  I kept thinking it would be too small.  I knitted this as an EZ percentage system and of course, it fits perfectly.  I will have another photo of her outside with her new Lopi.

I have been ordering some yarn to experiment with for a few sweaters for ME!  This yarn is from Schoolhouse Press and is Briggs and Little.  I have knitted this yarn several times and as people say today it is rustic.  For me, it is real yarn that stands the test of time and only becomes better as it is used!

The morning I was asked if I am "YARNING!" Tea is always a must during the work day and a bit of yarn for the creative juices.

I called in the Norwegians to help me plan for my next sweater for me! I often design as I knit.  I love looking at different motifs as I create with yarn on my needles.

This is a long time favorite of mine and one of the most knitted Norwegian sweaters.  Designed by Stein Eriksen's mother.

Stein Eriksen in his famous sweater the Marius design. 

Stein Eriksen ski legend!

Yarn from Bartlett Yarns which is produced in Maine in a very old mill.  I love their simple yarns and their rich wooliness!

I struggle with colors and what I think will look great often doesn't work. I had picked some colors that just wash each other out.  In this swatch, there are several color combos that just didn't work.

In the end, I knitted a speed swatch which I learned from Knitting With Two Colors. This is a Norwegian motif I was just testing the color combo I will be knitting for my sweater.  A great source for color work is Mary Jane Mucklestone's books.

A speed swatch is done on circular needles and is just that a fast swatch.  I do know the next time I will make it larger but the goal for this one was to see the see the color combo I have picked together one more time before casting on!

Waving good-bye a frozen starfish on our beach.  In the fall we often have hundreds of starfish on the beach frozen in time.

Yes, I have been "YARNING" a lot lately! 

201st Post!

July 4th Whitefish, Montana

Celebration! Blog Post 201! WOW!  I never ever really thought about writing over 200 posts when I started Wool-n-Ski. I have arrived at this number of posts today.  For a person who is not a strong writer and struggled severely with writing growing up, I have managed to write a lot of posts.

What is next for the blog and the blogger? 

I certainly want to keep blogging.  I often think of moving this blog over to Word Press and I think of this about every 6 mos and then I don't follow through with the migration.  I like blogger it is free, simple, and it let me start Wool-n-Ski.  This is the home I will stay with and I will not place ads on my blog as I find blogs with ads annoying, to say the least.  I understand why people have ads and they are trying to make some $$$.  I give those bloggers credit for figuring out how to make a bit of a living blogging.  No migration to Word Press and no ads for Wool-n-Ski.

What to write about?

I write about my life and sometimes it may be boring but sometimes life is rather slow and not super eventful.  Sometimes there is a lot going on in my world.  Just like all of you sometimes life is rather simple and I do cherish those moments.  I really just write about my life, knitting, reading, cooking, being outside, my dogs, and sometimes my wonderful husband shows up in photos.

What is new in my life?

Not a lot . . . I work and am thinking more and more about when I might leave the classroom and move on to a less stressful position.  I have a bit of an idea and a plan but will keep that to myself.  

I also want to start drawing and sketching using pencil and ink and some watercolor tossed into the mix.  I will be using a cartoon book. I heard about this book from a famous fiber artist to start this sketching journey on a more serious note.  

Unspun Icelandic Wool: Lopi for one of "My Knit Girls."

Knitting, of course, is something I will always keep developing.  I just finished a cute Lopi sweater for one of "My Knit Girls."  This sweater was knitted up in unspun Icelandic which I describe as knitting with cotton candy.  I find this fiber rather addictive!

The sock/slipper test knit from Unspun Icelandic Wool.

I am also working on a felted slipper sock out of unspun as well.  I have a lot of this fiber and need to find some more uses for it!  Once my Carraig-Fhada Vest is done, which means I need to pick it up and start knitting it again, I will move on to my Norwegian!  

My Norwegian sweater is based on these buttons which I bought some years back.  I found these buttons online and then had to find a place to purchase these vintage ski buttons.  I tracked them down and purchased enough for myself and a dear ski friend of mine.  The theme for My Norwegian will be my love of Nordic skiing and snow.

The top button is an Alpine skier. The lady I purchased these buttons from just sent me a few of these in my order along with a few snowflake buttons.  The bottom button is my Nordic cross-country skier.  This button is the button I am designing my  Norwegian sweater around.

Ski Season!

Enough Said!

I am looking forward to skiing and was able to get 4 days skiing in October.  

Current crap-o-la!

Then the weather warmed up, we had rain, ice, mud returned, the

ice melted in the slough, and generally rather gross typical late October early November weather.  Today it is supposed to be +37ºF and yesterday it was +12ºF at one point.  I am hoping once we make it through today the temps will drop, the slough freezes up, and we can have winter!  I am extremely happy with my knee's progress since I had surgery in July.

Gratitude Journal 

My dear friend Lynn, asked me to join in with her and her daughter to keep a Gratitude Journal.  I am keeping this as a combine sketch & writing journal.  The goal is to come up with 1,000 things to be grateful for in your life.  I started stating the obvious things one should be grateful for but not to be taken lightly.  For example, the obvious things are life, great health, family, and friends . . . I wanted to move on to the little things that are unique and surprise you.  These little sparks in your day that give you that sensation of gratitude that make the moment or day.

Ol'Blue--AKA Carraig-Fhada Vest & Knitting Trolls

I do this all the time . . . I get knitting on some rather large or complicated project and then PROCRASTINATION hits.  This procrastination usually strikes when I am getting close to a rather complicated part of the project. Say steeking, or some complicated decrease section. The Fair Isle vest I am presently knitting just had a procrastination lull.  I knitted 3 pairs of mittens and joined a test knit on a very interesting hat pattern soon to be released.  Ol'Blue was set aside and let me tell you Ol'Blue was not happy about this lull in his becoming a vest!  Ol'Blue called out the damn Knitting Trolls.  Some of you may have Knitting Gnomes, of Nast Knitting Fairies  . . . I have Knitting Trolls.  These little buggers love to get into your knitting and reek havoc at all cost!  Basically, it is payback time for ignoring Ol'Blue!  He called the Trolls in and I will admit I most likely deserved it! 

I am all set, Ol'Blue, color chart, good light and off I go knitting around and around.  Thinking to myself, "Wow I am making killer progress!"  Here is the first mistake I wasn't humble!  I think I sent a text and posted a tweet saying how great I am doing and I am kicking butt!

In the back of my mind, I kept thinking I am sure I held the blue in my right hand and the gray in my left.  I am sure I was carrying my yarn this way. I knitted on, stopped, got some dark chocolate and picked up my knitting . . . WHAT!?

Can you see what the Knitting Trolls did to me!  They led me off into the land of total Trolldom!  What the heck had I done . . . those Knitting Trolls tricked me into believing I had the yarn in the correct hands.  See the top rounds?  This is what happens when you switch how you are holding your color work!  Believe me, you will have a totally different looking project!

Just in case you didn't see it the first time look at the top.

I frogged out several rounds (like 10 at least) of 252 sts.  Put the blue in my left hand and the gray in my right hand and started knitting again. The damn Knitting Trolls scampered away into some far dark corner of our house to lay waiting for the next golden moment to toss my knitting around and reek total havoc.

Knitting Travels

I am so grateful for this wonderful friendship I have with Lynn.  We meet in AK years ago when we taught in the same rural school.  This was summer knitting visit #6.   

Traditions are a wonderful thing!  Lynn and I agreed years ago we would get together every summer once she left Alaska.  This year, I traveled to Seattle.  Lynn and I traveled on to Birch Bay.  We were able to knit and chat endlessly over tea, coffee or Golden Milk.  

Who doesn't love joining up with a great friend and it feels like you were never ever apart?  What a major score in Lynn!   

On the ferry to Bainbridge Island.  I just love ferry travel on peaceful waters.  I must say I felt like the country mouse as I negotiated light rail, walking city streets to the ferry, and getting to the island. 

Looking back to Seattle.

Jenny and I enjoying a Birch Bay beach walk.

Mount Baker

The wood pile . . . I loved that both Lynn and I know how to stack wood properly with corners and all.  Jenny was the quality control supervisor.

One of Lynn's masterpieces. Her Norwegians as we call them are stellar! The traditional design elements Lynn adds to her knits are spot on stunning!

We had a wonderful day with drizzly rain.  We holed up in front of the fireplace and knitted the day away.

Carraig-Fhada vest a #KateDavies design made some great progress while in Birch Bay.

Not our best photo . . . just great knitting!

Jenny making sure we are getting from point A to point B as only a McNab dog can do!

Knitting Inspiration---Carraig-Fhada Vest

The inspiration for my current knitting project comes obviously from Kate Davies design.  I would never have come up with a Fair Isle pattern.  One day I may aspire to this level of design but for now, it is a treat to pick up a spot-on, clearly written vest pattern.  I can say everything I knit has some connection to place or time in my life.

The Carraig-Fhada vest is about spring on the tundra.  The emerging colors that come out of the long cold white winter.  The colors that are popping up out of the dirty dusty brown lifeless flora that will become a green rich carpet of life. With over 17 hours of intense sunlight now changes happen fast on the tundra.  We no longer have a dark night sky but rather dusk and the sun is right back up. I miss stars! It wasn't until last spring I realized my discontent with spring/summer up north . . . I want to see the dark night sky with stars! 

While out on one of our tundra walks the colors for this vest all came together for me.  I choose not to use the dark blue and white which I do love the look of but found the Ptarmigan to white for me and I just felt I would get it dirty and be heart broken. I love the Between Weathers blue which I see as the transformation of the gray and old winter going away into the greens and colors of spring.

A great example of the gray, the old snow/ice, and spring coming back.  

The brown tundra and sea ice and a huge sea lead opening up.

Sea ice breaking up, snow and ice melting away all on the gray sandy rocky beach. This gray would be the Haar.

I love this photo of the yellow, golden moss and lichen.  This is the Furze color for me.

The Islay and Yaffle are the fresh greens coming out on the trees and the tundra.

Between Weathers the rich depths of the blue northern sky.

More blues & grays

The gray lichen covered rocks, and a tad bit of Furze moss. 

The classic big sky, the expanse of the tundra, rain clouds, all add up to spring in the north.

I love this photo of the sky, the clouds, the weather, the flora on the tundra before the spring colors arrive.

All these colors come together in my Carraig-Fhada Vest.

This flower is known as the "Wooly Lousewort" or "bumblebee flower" a favorite spring Alaska tundra flower.