Deep Winter

Family: Conrad is home for the Christmas weekend, and Chris has been living at home since he got back from his South Pacific adventure in the fall, so we are all together for Christmas. It's the first time we've all been together during the holidays for three years. Our friend Karen is here with us too!

Book News: Here's the link to a book notice I wrote that was just published by the electronic journal of the Linguistic Society of America called eLanguage:

http://www.elanguage.net/blogs/booknotices/?p=1915 I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!

A Little Advice from Walla Walla

You may have heard that Walla Walla, Washington has become quite the fancy wine area, with lots of vinyards, wineries and tasting rooms. Greg and I visited Walla Walla last weekend, but since we both are not huge wine drinkers (we'd like to be, just can't handle it!), that part was somewhat lost on us. However, we did have an amazing dinner with wine at an authentic French restaurant there, and we enjoyed the ambience of the town a lot. Here are a couple of views of the downtown. Cheers!

 

Now I'm on to Neckwarmers

I found a pattern for a cabled neckwarmer ("Chic Cabled Cowl" by Elizabeth Eisenstein on ravelry) that knits up quickly and is fun and easy to make. The finished cowl is very comfortable, warm, and even rather cute. I've gotten lots of compliments on this one! The first version is made of Lion Brand Martha Stewart Crafts Extra Soft Wool Blend. 

And this one is made of Vickie Howell Sheep(ish) by Caron, also a wool blend.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Fall Hike in Idaho with Unexpected Story of Heroism

Winter is rapidly approaching here, so this past weekend Greg and I took a final opportunity to go for a fall hike. We went to Wallace, Idaho, a small historic silver mining town not two hours away from Spokane. All of the buildings in downtown Wallace are on the national historic register, but after strolling around for an hour, one has seen what there is to see. However, the surrounding area is a beautiful valley full of evergreens and aspen, trickling streams and wide rivers. A hike was in order.

Just outside of Wallace is the Pulaski Trail, a well-maintained hiking path that leads to the Pulaski Mine, where in 1910, during the Great Fires, a forest ranger named Edward Pulaski led 45 of his men to safety. These were apparently the worst forest fires the United States has ever had, raging all across the West. Pulaski and his men were sent to try to get the fires under control, but it was impossible because they were so huge and gale force winds were turning the whole area into an inferno.

On horseback Pulaski rounded up his men and commanded them to follow him to safety into the mine, some two miles from where they were. The men were panicked, and it took him a long time and a lot of shouting to get them to follow him. When Pulaski finally got them into the mine, one wanted to leave, but he said he would shoot whoever tried to go. He ordered them to lie on their stomachs on the ground while he staved off the flames with wet blankets at the opening to the mine. Miraculously, this worked, and all but one of the men survived.

We hiked the trail that Pulaski and his men took and saw the opening of the mine. All along the way signs tell the story. It was a glorious fall day, cool but mostly sunny; following story of Pulaski's heroism made it seem like we were experiencing history.

Click to enlarge if you'd like to read the text.

One More Pair, But Maybe Not the Last

This is the best pair of mitts I've knitted to date. They are very soft and warm and fit snugly but are not too tight. The yarn is a worsted weight wool and possum (!) blend called "Supreme Possum Merino" that I bought in New Zealand. The pattern "Malabrigo Hand Thingies" is from Ravelry and was written by Anne Sahakian.



Mitts



Click on the photo to enlarge

I've been on a mitt craze lately. The cooler weather has inspired me, and these are fun and quick to knit. I wear them on evening walks with the dogs or in the house when my hands are cold but I still need to use my fingers and can't wear gloves. They also keep your wrists warm and flexible. I have to make a few more pairs to get the fit right--the ones on the right are a little loose. The ones on the left are for a friend with little hands, so they were made intentionally small. I've discovered that they need to be knit on the snug side as they stretch quite a bit.

Here are the yarn and pattten specifics: The eggplant-colored mitts on the left are made of "zealana" a worsted weight New Zealand wool, and the pattern, available on ravelry, is "Symmetrical Braided Gauntlets" by Rachel Calado. The middle ones, "Maine Morning Mitts," designed by Clara Parkes and also on ravelry, are made of Noro "Taiyo," a cotton, silk, wool and nylon blend (a heavy worsted weight). These are my favorites. The mitts on the right are made of Cascade Yarns "128 Superwash" (a bulky weight), and the pattern, "Cabled Fingerless Mittens," is by Fran Jepperson. I got it for free when I bought the yarn at the yarn store in Anacortes when we were there on the Labor Day weekend.

Catching Up with Projects

It's been a while since I've posted any finished projects, so tonight I thought I would try to remedy that just a bit. In addition to the things shown here, I've finished three pairs of socks, a dishcloth or two, and maybe even yet another scarf or shawlette. The picture of me is a little scary, I know.

This is the "Featherlishous Neck Warmer," designed by Victoria Myers and knitted with Araucania "Aysen," an absolutely gorgeous worsted weight yarn made of merino wool, alpaca and silk. I remember I just had to have this yarn, and then it took some time until I found a good way to use it (typical for yarn addicts!). I enjoy wearing this a lot because it is very warm and fits nicely around my neck without having to worry about wrapping and securing the ends (it is one circular piece).

Scarves, shawls, and shawlettes are very popular to knit and to wear right now--I make them often and really do enjoy wearing them. Here is Stephen West's "Little Colonnade" knitted in "Lola," a hand-painted, super soft worsted weight yarn. Because the yarn is so soft and drapes so nicely, I can scrunch this up and put it in my purse or bag and then put it over my shoulders in over-air-conditioned restaurants or stores. In the winter I will wear it with the bottom of the triangle in front and the ends wrapped around my neck.

Some time ago Akiko mentioned that she liked a crocheted tank top I had made, so I made one for her too. The pattern is "Sweet Tea" by Doris Chan, and the yarn is a silk and wool sport-weight blend by Mirasol Yarn Nuna.

And here's "Edwin's Sweater II" for the son of friends in Munich. The pattern is called "Children's Neck Down Cardigan,"  by Diane Soucy and the yarn is Paton's "Decor," a wool and acrylic blend that is self-striping. I used my favorite method of sweater knitting for this--it is made all in one piece with no seams.