Beanie Mania

I've been making quick and easy beanie caps during this vacation on Guemes. In fact, I've been quite obsessed with them--they are the perfect carry-along and instant gratification project. It's also interesting from a knitter's perspective to see how the different yarns work up using the same pattern and same needle size.

The yarns, Plymouth Encore (tan), Berroco Comfort (cream), and Caron Country (aqua), are all worsted weight blends; needles are size 8 and the pattern is from Kody May Knits and is called "KMay's Eyelet Lace Elegance Hat."

Guemes Island Vacation

We're on Guemes Island in the San Juans this week, enjoying our annual vacation with Greg's family. Here we are in Seattle where we stopped to pick up Conrad and give the dogs a break and a drink.



Our first evening:



Chris is displaying the crabs they caught for dinner!



I'm enjoying a boat ride in the Bellingham Channel:



And Conrad perfected his mojito recipe for Happy Hour:



More vacation pictures are here.

Fred the Wonder Cat

Our cat Fred had to be euthanized this past weekend, and I wanted to pay tribute to him. I think what we all liked most about him was his free spirit and his ability to get out of difficult scrapes. We had had him de-clawed as a kitten because he was supposed to be an indoor cat, but he loved to roam outside and hunt, and he was able to do everything a cat with claws would do, including climb trees and catch rabbits. Fred would come when called and was never grumpy and certainly not a complainer. He'd turn up after being gone for days, and we once even saw signs posted around the neighborhood declaring that he had been found by a concerned family who wanted to return him to his home. We knew Fred was just visiting them and always intended to come back to us, which of course he did.

For all the times I worried about him, I see now that it wasn't necessary. He would have outlasted us all. We miss you, Freddy.

Sock Yarn Scarf

I needed a quick and easy project for some instant gratification, and I found it with this crocheted scarf made out of one skein of sock yarn. The yarn is a wool and nylon sock-weight blend, and the pattern, by designer Doris Chan, is in the summer issue of Interweave Crochet. You really don't even need a pattern to make this--it is just done in single crochet with a large hook. The trick is in the blocking--you soak the scarf in cold water and then stretch it out a lot on a towel and let it dry to get the lacy look. (My friend Josie is modeling for me--she's a natural!).

Friends--Old and New

My social calendar here in Munich has been quite full lately. Two friends from the US visited in the middle of July. Judy, whom I've known since our Milwaukee days, accompanied me to the Zugspitze.



Larayne, my friend from Montana, and I had an incredible hour of power shopping followed by some quality time in a beer garden. In fact, thanks to Larayne and Judy, I have gotten to know several more of Munich's lovely beer gardens and have learned the joys of Käsespätzle.



Renate, a colleague and dear friend, and her charming brother, Hansbert, invited me along on their Kaffee and Kuchen outing and afterwards had me over to Renate's apartment for dinner.



Last, but certainly not least, here's Ulrike, pictured in the park where the Olympics were held in 1972. She and I meet once a week to exchange conversation lessons.

At Last, Some Knitting News

Today I actually have a couple of items to post about my knitting activity. The first is that I finished this shrug in just a matter of weeks. Participating in a "Knit Along" (KAL) that I found on the Lion Brand blog helped this go so quickly. I was eager to do this particular KAL because one of my favorite designers, Stefanie Japel, was leading it. The pattern for the shrug was the first post, and then each week, she posted pictures of the progress of the sweater and detailed instructions. Other people following the KAL could post their pictures as well. It really kept me motivated to finish the sweater and not get side-tracked and bored, as I often do. (Friend Josie is modeling for me--actually, she got the sweater because it looks so cute on her).

The yarn is "Cascade 220 Heather," 100% wool. Here you can see the interesting texture of the shrug:



Below I have a picture of some new stash! It's called "Linea Pura" by Lana Grosse and is a worsted-weight, subtly variagated blend of soy, bamboo, and cotton, all organic. The drape is lovely.

Zugspitze

A friend from the US is visiting, and yesterday we went to the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, located about an hour south of Munich in the German Alps. The picture above was taken from the cable car on the way up. Unfortunately, it's not as clear as I'd like because it was taken through a window and because the camera is just so-so. Still, you can get an idea of the spectacular scenery in this area.



And here's the view from the top (almost 3000 meters high). The mountains you can see from here are located in Austria, Italy and Switzerland, and on a clear day, you can see all the way to Rome, they say.



This was taken on the way back down in the cog-wheel train. There are several adorable-looking villages and lots of green meadows, all with the spectacular Alps jutting up in the background.