Labor Day and Some News

This cell-phone picture was taken of Karen and me over the Labor Day Weekend. Karen came for a visit from Butte, and we did some touristy things in Spokane, including attending the annual "Pig Out in the Park" held in our beautiful park downtown.

It occured to me that I don't actually post very much real "family news" here, so I am going to remedy that today. I wanted to let everyone know that Greg has quit his job at the VA, and he is planning to work in New Zealand from this coming December until next September. He will be employed by a hospital in Auckland.

Greg got the idea of working temporarily in New Zealand years ago from a colleague who had done this kind of work and who had a wonderful time. And I'm sure he's intrigued by the idea of getting to know New Zealand...who has ever heard anything bad about it? Probably the fact that it is an island and there are unlimited sailing opportunities adds to the appeal.

I will return in early October to teach again at the University of Munich. We plan to get a house sitter to take care of the pets and house while we're gone. Anyone interested?

No More Hats!

Well, this crazy beanie and hat knitting project is finally coming to an end. I'm ready to move on to something else for a while--like finishing several WIPs started long ago. Below are a few pictures of my latest frenzy.

Here are all the beanies and an ear-flap hat knitted for Greg. There's one beanie in the bunch that I haven't yet described--it's the one in the middle made of a purplish varigated all wool yarn called "Rhythm." The caps are being blocked on balloons, a technique I read about on another knitter's blog. They look like little balloon people, sitting there so nicely.



This is Greg's ear-flap hat knitted from a worsted weight blend that self stripes. It's called "Classic Worsted Tapestry" and was purchased at the yarn store (Ana-Cross Stich) in Anacortes on our recent vacation to Guemes Island. The pattern was written by one of the women who works in the shop, Fran Jepperson.



I know, I look kinda scary, but the picture shows the hat well!

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.