Fingerless Gloves

A friend of mine had a well loved, worn out pair of fingerless gloves. The llama motif makes me think they were made in South America but I don't really know. I made a new pair for Rick but left out the best part, the little beast of burden. It isn't possible to do intarsia in the round and I thought the trial embroidered llama looked lame. As is often the case, the originals cannot be properly replaced but the new ones should keep his hands warm.

Yarn: Sheldridge Farm Soft Touch Heather
Colour: Charcoal
Needles: US 2

Reflections

We were at the cabin this weekend and I had a lazy hour or two on Friday to drift around in the rowboat. The water was calm and I was surrounded by high mountains and big sky. We had just seen a black bear on the beach across the way and I was hoping for a closer look. There were mountain goats up on the ridges and a dozen trumpeter swans floating nearby, honking in swan language.

My little camera was with me and and I took a lot of lousy pictures - flat light, crooked horizons and out of focus shots from straining the zoom. Wanna see a picture of the oar? It's the best I could do photographically.


I wish I could say that all that calm water calmed me down. There have been more than a few things to worry about around here and somehow my worst case scenario kind of mind has been running amok. The fall colors and the fresh snow on the peaks do convey a natural sort of peace but it has been a great deal more reassuring to get the results of some medical tests (on 3 different people) and find out that the best case scenarios are the ones that are playing out. Several phone conversations sorted out some other kinks and my mental boat seems to be more stable today.

Photo Contest

My picture won a photo contest! Dave submitted "Chilkat Lake Vista" to AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) magazine and won the June contest. AOPA has over 400,000 members so more than a few pilots will see it. The picture was printed in the September 2007 magazine and appears online here. We actually think another Alaska photograph, the February winner, is the best shot for the annual grand prize but it was cool to be published.

The Unheard

My friend, Josh, wrote a book. We worked together in Zambia some dozen years ago for the Peace Corps and he has written a great story of his experience as a volunteer in Mununga, a remote village in the northwestern part of the country. The task of writing a whole book seems so huge to me and I really have no idea what is involved in finding an agent and a publisher. It can't be easy. Yet he did it; he did all of it, and a box landed on my porch from Amazon and there was the book. How cool is that?

This morning Josh was interviewed on NPR's Weekend Edition by Scott Simon. The link to the broadcast is here where there is also an excerpt from the book and other links to more audio and video clips.

Tourist Town

I met Dave downtown for lunch the other day. Since I was early, I stood for awhile on the wharf, warmed by the sun, breathing in the dock scents of creosote and tide that are usually carried away by the wind or dampened by cold and rain. Morning fog had kept the float planes tied up but now they were coming and going, filling the air with noise and the kerosene smell of aviation fuel. Four big ships bring in a lot of business.

Merino Baby Sweater

This quick project is now a model garment for the local yarn store. I had asked the owner if she needed anything knitted up and she reached for a colorful skein that wasn't selling well. "Maybe if people see how it looks as a pair of socks," she said. Washable? Yes. Baby sweater? Sure. A pattern you would like to sell as well? This would work.

I like it. Lovely, soft, buttery yarn. Big needles. It was a pleasure to make. It can hang in the shop for awhile, sell some products and then make its way to a baby.

Yarn: Merino Kind Superfine by Ornaghi
100% superwash merino wool
Needles: US 6
Pattern: King Cole DK
Leaflet #2887

Rib and Cable Mitts

I may turn this back into a knitting blog. There has been a bit of a lull around here this summer but a big new bag of yarn from the local knit shop is providing some inspiration - and there are more supplies on the way. Love the online world!

I warmed up with a couple of baby hats with yarn from my stash (Cotton Twist) and a generic flat cable stitch pattern.


My sister-in-law kindly looked over some glove patterns and chose a pair for me to make for her. She lives in Montana and wanted warm fingers which were not difficult to add.

Pattern: Rib and Cable Mitts
Interweave Knits Spring 2006
Needles: US 4
Yarn: Frog Tree 100% Alpaca, Sport Weight

Seaside

I loved these beaded blue gloves, called Seaside, when I first saw the pattern. It can be found online here at Magknits. However, I do not love my red version. I used some yarn from my stash - an alpaca/tencel blend - which proved to be not quite soft enough for gloves. I didn't like the chart from the moment it rolled off the printer and the stitch proved to be difficult to memorize. It all adds up to an abandoned project.

Wetlands Trail

I better get some sunny summer pictures posted before the season changes. I walked on the popular trail near the airport last week when the trail closest to home started to seem spooky because of the bears. I also had a lovely bike ride through the woods up to the Herbert Glacier a few days ago but didn't take any pictures.