Station Break

3 weeks in and I'm already having to take a break from the Friday posts! Hopefully I'll be back next week.

I've been in MT on an elk capture...beautiful country but what a physically challenging capture. More on that later. As soon as we got home, we had to scramble to get J ready to head to British Columbia for a caribou capture...we found out it was a go 2 days before he had to fly up there (while we were still an 8 hour drive from home). I couldn't go because I'm already committed to another capture in Washington starting in a couple days. So J is having to do the work I normally do and I had to get him packed and up to speed on data collection.

So in the meantime until I can get back to this space...thanks for all the comments on the past couple of posts. I'll reply as soon as I can but it may not be until late next week. Same for catching up in your spaces! Take care and I'll be back soon...

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FO: Wurm

Alternative title: The Generosity of Friends: Part 1

I've been blogging for just over 5 years now amazingly enough. What started as a way for family and friends to keep track of me has turned into so much more. Easily the best part of this journey are the friends that I have made far and wide through having this little online space. Some I've met in person. Others I've talked to via phone. Others have just been a friendship developed via email and chat...so far. ;)

While the friendships themselves are the most meaningful to me, I can't say that I don't enjoy the random swaps and exchanges that also take place with some of these folks! And the generosity thrown my way the past year has been overwhelming. That's why the alternative title says 'Part 1'...expect to see more of these.

Last year, when I was about to defend my dissertation, I received a bit of mail from Jacey. It was unexpected because we hadn't 'known' each other for a long time...but I so appreciated the thought, the message, and the intent. She sent a lovely card, a bit of fabric, and a beautiful skein of Sundara sport weight yarn whose colorway was 'Cherish the Moment'. She recognized the appropriateness of that colorway name as did I.

I never blogged about it because I knew what I wanted that yarn to be and I wanted to wait until it was knit up. Time passed.

In the meantime, shortly before Christmas, we had an informal swap of sorts...I had something I wanted to send her and she offered up one of her 'tea cup wraps' which I had commented on earlier. Of course she had to 'fill the box' as she put it and I got an amazing package. Two hand-sewn pouches in addition to the wrap. Look at the deer...how perfect is that? And that green skein of yarn? My 'Cherish the Moment'.

Currently the deer pouch is being used to hold my knitting notions and it is perfect for that task. I'm still trying to find the best use for the smaller pouch although Jacey suggested I use it to carry tea bags with me while in the field. It may just work for that! And that yarn?

Focus on the hat and not the unruly 'in need of a haircut' mop sticking out! I've wanted to knit Wurm since I first saw the pattern. I think the style looks good on so many folks and it's just a neat hat. I wanted to use up as much of this special yarn as possible and so played a weighing game and ended up with 9 purl/knit rounds which gave it plenty of slouch.

This hat is the perfect pattern and is extremely comfortable. It's knit with a folded rim that means it is snug and comfortable and I love the slouch (more and more I'm leaning toward hats with slouch!).

My only problem, as you can probably see, are ladders. I used DPNs because I didn't have 2 circulars that size and I don't yet know how to do magic loop. And I can't figure out how to purl on DPNs without ladders forming. With socks or other things, I've shifted stitches so I almost always have a knit stitch as the first stitch but that's not an option for this hat. I pulled the first two stitches tight...ladders. Tried to bring the needle over...then under....ladders. I tried to not pull the first 2 stitches as tight...ladders. So, my question to you wise knitters: Any suggestions or tricks you have for this problem when purling on DPNs?


Regardless, I love this hat. I love the color, I love the fit, and I love the story of where and why it came to me.

And yes Jacey, whenever I wear this hat, I'm remembering to 'Cherish the Moment' (and you!). Thank you for that.

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Now playing: Dirt by Sayde Price

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Friday: A Week in Review

Well, this week was a little harder to do. Not only did I do very little besides work, it also was a week with frustration and pain (an injury). Finding the positives and the desire to bring out the camera was a bit harder.

Making me happy this week:

even though I haven't had time to enjoy it, the sun has been brilliant this week...spending time with good friends...a return to yoga after a year hiatus...taking the next step on a friendship

Crafting: Nada. I managed to get in some rows on Lara...and I spent a few hours last Saturday at a yarn dyeing party with a few friends (I didn't dye any yarn or take pictures...I was busy taking notes and just soaking in all of Sue's knowledge...will start playing with those notes sometime in the future). Otherwise, work took over life this week.

In the Kitchen:

• another bread...this one Oat Soda Bread from Heidi...my first soda bread
  
• sort of on a bread pudding kick with the baguette bread. this time I made the chocolate cherry bread pudding from this cookbook. it was good, but I preferred last week's recipe to this one...while J preferred this one. next up on the list, a more traditional bourbon, raisin, spice recipe from my brother!
• made this in the crockpot...much better than I was expecting. My pot wasn't big enough to fit all the broth (probably only used 2.5 cups) but I didn't think it needed more.
  

Reading/Listening/Watching:

• interesting article in this weeks Time magazine...The Quiet Joys of Being an Introvert. I didn't need the quiz to know which one I am.
  
• on Jacey's linkity post, she pointed to this music...wow, need to explore more
• watched this and this..would recommend both although the latter may not be for everyone since the plot is slow and the comedy and 'transformation' subtle
• i've been entering data for at least 12 hours a day all week. i do this activity with a movie or series on in the background...re-watched most of this series during the course of the week!
  

Ungulate of the Week:

digging into the photo archives: I decided on a picture I took this fall that I never got around to posting. It was taken at the same time as my header. That morning, we were heading up the hill to visit the girls and topped out on a flat where there tends to be elk. Everything was covered in fog...that, mixed with the amazing morning light of autumn was beautiful in itself. But add a herd of ~50 elk and you get an even more magical moment.

Around the web:

• from blue to blush...lovely story
• this post spoke to me and I found myself nodding along...she calls it acceptance...i think it goes right along with my 2012 word (SELF)
• a new to me photography site (not a blog...similar to flickr)...i'd urge you to take a few minutes and explore
• appropriate for this week...slow down
• I made one last year and it was truly inspirational...perhaps a 2012 one is in order?
• i'm finding i love this idea...the ones I've seen of 'knitting the sky' are very cool
• amazing crafter...her sewing projects are incredible. thanks for the link Jacey!
• i'd like to make one of these...you know, whenever i finally start sewing for real!
• grinding your own flour...I did that with the oat bread (ground oats into oat flour) but would like to experiment some more.
• interesting post regarding the differences in yarns of the same weight...and how to tell
  

Flickr Faves (highlighting outstanding photography from others):

1. Five in a row, times 2! (Explore), 2. Lemon... {EXPLORED}, 3. Sweet Karolyn, 4. hearts of the ocean?, 5. Saturday Afternoon in January, 6. 5/52, 7. bed socks 1, 8. Scrappy Bibs

So....what was your week like?

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Now playing: American Pie by Don McLean

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FO: Windchief

When my mom and I were knitting up cute hats for Julian and ruminating on even more hats to knit for him, my brother said 'STOP...Julian has enough hats to fit him now'. And asked so innocently 'Why not knit a hat for dad?'. Which then prompted a discussion of what he wanted...which was 'a running hat like Marc's'. I finally figured out that while he liked the pattern that I had knit for Marc's hat, what he really liked was the fabric. Acrylic. Meaning not too warm for running through Seattle in the winter (Marc can't wear wool on his head so that's why acrylic was chosen for his hat originally).

Now Marc's hat was a koolhaas...I've knit 2 of those already and while it is one of my favorite hats, I have no plans to knit another one anytime soon. Quite tedious even without using a cable needle. So I went searching for a cool 'boy hat' that I could knit up last minute. Stephen West came to mind first and he met my expectations with Windschief. A quick and simple design, but interesting enough to be more than just a plain hat. I followed Melissa's suggestion and picked up a skein of Lion Brand Vanna's Choice acrylic. I knew I was knitting with acrylic but I agree with Melissa...it's pretty nice for acrylic.

I don't have a modeled picture (well, I do, but we sort of have an unstated rule that he doesn't post pictures of me on his facebook page and I won't post pictures of him here) but it looks great. Fits better with the rim rolled up as it is a little long (cuz he wears his hat like a normal person...not pulled down over the ears and eyes so one can't see...like I do) but should work perfectly for its intended purpose. Ravelry project page here if interested.

And in return? My first ever hand-made gift from my brother.

He loves woodworking and in my opinion is pretty talented with it! And now that he is a stay at home dad, he has more opportunity to practice it. His specialty is inlay technique...which he added to my box. His intended purpose was maybe a button box, and he bought a few buttons to show me how that would work. ;)

I'm not sure yet what I'll use this for...perhaps a button box is the best idea. Not the ordinary, 'buy for a project' buttons, but the special ones (like ones I've gotten from my grandmother's collection).

Seems appropriate that I finally finish rounding up my Christmas craftiness at the end of January. Next up, the first finished knit of the new year!

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Now playing: Little Plastic Castles by Ani Difranco

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Friday: A Week in Review

I consider two weeks in a row to be 'on a roll'! Now that the template is set up, I'm having fun with this and it really doesn't take a lot of time.

This week, same as before with one addition at the request of Melissa and Kate: Ungulate of the week. Either a picture I've managed to capture of wild ungulates or an introduction to one of 'my girls'. This week, it's a little bit of both...

Making me happy this week:

(clockwise from top left) taking advantage of a rare warm day with no rain and going for a short, but 'senses-clearing' bike ride...stash enhancement of a different kind (totally Jacey's fault)...2 of my girls that have been sick seem to finally be on the mend (Melissa the person, meet Melissa the elk!)....good friends near and far

Crafting:

picked Lara back up which is challenging to my brain (the main body works off 3 charts at one time!)...testing my limits

In the Kitchen:

• baking more bread (it may not be pretty but it is darn good!)...
• made a super healthy Saturday night dinner in order to indulge guilt-free in this...I used leftover home-made baguette bread and raspberries frozen from this past season...so so delicious. Only modification was to make 2 single servings (quartered recipe and then split into 2 ramekins).
• I was never a fan of meatloaf until mom pointed me to a recipe from this cookbook. I make it once every couple months from local, organic/grass-fed beef, local organic eggs, and when I've got it on hand (I did this week), home-made bread. If you are interested in the recipe, shoot me a message...
  

Reading/Listening/Watching:

• Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee...so far quite interesting although I doubt it'll be as comprehensive regarding Lee's life as it claims to be.
  
• Mel sent me to this song...immediately realized I needed to explore the group more
• probably the last to watch this...mixed feelings about it actually
  

Ungulate of the Week:

My backyard buddy...she was there with one other doe and their 3 fawns. Posing for a beautiful portrait...

Around the web:

• this looks like a good use for some of my frozen rhubarb...dessert next weekend?
• a reminder that one day i really need to knit ishbel...and oh, the color of this one!
• this post spoke to me about finding your individual voice in photography...'Every image is sketched out in my mind before I shoot it and they may not all work or have meaning for others, but to me, they tell my story and share my voice.'...on many days, this is how I feel about my photography...and that makes me proud of what I shoot.
• if only I had the skills...this is an amazing knit
• two simple things...to improve your mood and care for yourself
• hmmm...maybe an interesting read?
• I so want to see this movie and this movie
• what a cool and original idea for a special birthday...could be tailored easily
• one reason to convert digital into prints
• a new-to-me food blog...I actually haven't explored enough to know about the food...I've just been taken in by her writing...scattered, yet comfortable
• morbid, yet an interesting, thought-provoking read
  

Flickr Faves (highlighting outstanding photography from others):

So....what was your week like?

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Now playing: If There Was No You by Brandi Carlile

FO: Silver Squares Necklace

Another Christmas gift for mom. But a shorter story...

She asked, I knitted.

Silver Squares Necklace from AlterKnits. Ravelry project page here.

While I had every intention, after the last silver squares I knit, to explore this medium a bit more, I haven't yet. Knitting this necklace again has renewed my interest. I've got some ideas brewing that use a mix of wire, yarn, and/or beads. We'll see if I make it happen!


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Now playing: One Good Reason by Lucy Kaplansky


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Friday: A Week in Review

The new year always brings with it new ideas for the blog. Often these ideas evolve as a way to get me posting more regularly and a way to encourage me to pick up the camera to just document every day life more often. I start strong but rarely follow through more than a month or two. One day an idea will stick. Or maybe not. Either way, it's okay! With that said, what new idea did 2012 bring?

Every time Phoe posts her 'what I've been doing' along with a link soup, I am reminded how much I love that idea. A review of the week mostly in photos...what she's reading, knitting, listening to, cooking etc. As well as linking to some cool things she has seen around the web.

So here's my first attempt at doing something similar...

Making me happy this week:

(clockwise from top left) playing with my new lens...a decent snow finally...delicate blooms in winter...fresh from the oven baked baguette with home-made pear butter

Crafting:

(clockwise from top left) working on something warm (Melissa, does this look familiar?)...10 minutes a day (more to come on this startling development soon!)...a couple more inches of border to go...finishing up a knit made from very special gift yarn

In the Kitchen:

• as per Jacey's recommendation...made this...go, make it yourself
  
• outside of the above, not many new recipes this week...instead, with a busy work week, relying on staples like this and this and this
• baking easy, quick, delicious bread
  

Reading/Listening/Watching:

• almost finished When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson...the 3rd and final (?) in her Jackson Brodie series. Even before finishing it, we watched Case Histories, a PBS/BBC mini-series portraying all 3 books.
• listening to The Civil Wars...a music recommendation from Jacey
• obsessed with this video/song
  
• watched and enjoyed this series and this movie
• gave in to the hype and started this series...like it so far.
  

Flickr Faves:

1. me, 2. Day 280/365 ~, 3. Happy New Year! - EXPLORE, 4. Home, 5. Snowmen!, 6. "Trees", 7. at dusk, 8. Crows II

Around the web:

• i don't bake many cookies but these may be in my future...i'm drawn to citrus in the winter
  
• denise convinced me with one sentence to read this
• and Kate convinced me to read this
  
• decadent
• helpful stretches for knitters
• absolutely beautiful knit collections...cable-ishous. my favorites? this and this
• these words about the origin of a blog spoke to me...'follow through on all things intriguing'
• beautiful sentiments
• made some of this and some of this for christmas gifts...now it is my turn
• i really want to make this using the same modifications (and i have that yarn in stash!

So....what was your week like?

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Now playing: I Know, You Know by Babes With Axes


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FO: Denature (Modified)

This knit was a long time coming...which means settle in and listen to the story of a knit.

About 2 years ago, I saw a pattern that I thought would be perfect to knit up for my mom's birthday. They were DNA socks (or 'Biological Clock Socks') from The Eclectic Sole (my mom used to be an AP biology teacher so I thought the DNA pattern would be perfect). I drug my feet because I wasn't completely taken with the pattern. So her birthday came and went with no socks. During this same year, Elinor Brown and some others held a sock pattern contest and this pattern (Denature) was one of the contestants. I loved it at first sight and thought it would be perfect. Christmas was coming up and I was bound and determined to knit Mom socks. But I didn't think I could get Denature done (pattern called for a huge amount of yarn [over 500 yards] and I didn't have any in my stash that would work...searching for, buying, and waiting for shipments takes awhile when you live in a town with no yarn shop). And by this time, I decided I needed to know if she would even like these socks...I am loathe to knit something that complicated without knowing for sure she would like them. Her and Dad came for a visit that October and I showed her the pattern. And oh, by the way, the pair of oh-so-much-easier Kai-Mei's that I had just finished up. I asked her which she wanted.

Bad plan. She wanted both.

Of course.

So I set out to do the Kai Mei's for Christmas since I already had yarn that would work and already had the pattern basically memorized. With the plan to do the DNA socks for her birthday last year.

Not only did I not even attempt the socks by her birthday, I even forgot her birthday. I called her that night because I hadn't talked to her in awhile and she told me that they just got back from a dinner...I asked 'what was the occasion?'. Yeah. I had just done my defense, give me a break!


Anyway...next holiday up...Christmas 2011. Now, I don't normally procrastinate on a knit quite this much. But I had a mental block with these socks and I simply didn't want to start them. I appreciated the idea of the DNA denaturing when it hit the heel, but in reality, I wasn't completely sold on that design. Nor was I sold on the number of charts and how often you had to knit off 2 different places on the same chart at the same time.

So I decided that to get the darn things knit I needed a new plan. I went to knit night with a couple ideas in hand and asked for advice. In the end, I went with the favorite idea which was running the DNA strands down the front of the leg over the top of the foot but nowhere else. Sue and Meg suggested adding in a rib on the back of 5 or 6 stitches in case removing an entire cable panel caused a fit issue (which in the end, I loved as a design feature). With this plan, I was mentally prepared to cast on the knit.

I took it to Alaska and since I had a day with nothing to do and it was 40 below outside, I happily sat in a warm hotel room, knitting and watching old movies. Happy story right? No.

I don't swatch. I know. I know. However, because I was changing designs and because I was concerned that the pattern was going to be too big anyway given the number of cast on stitches, I swatched for these socks. Did you hear that? I swatched for these socks. And knit half a sock. All the while thinking that with the stretch of the fabric, they would be too big. Finally I took them off the needles to try them on and yes, swatches lie.

Normally this would cause me to throw a tantrum and not pick up that skein of yarn for a year or more. But I so wanted this gift off my plate that I immediately regrouped, recalculated taking into account that stretch and cast on right away. Maybe I'm maturing. Anyway, no further problems and I had a beautiful (in my opinion) pair of socks for mom to open Christmas morning.


The true color of the yarn is actually sort of in between the dark purple shown just above and the color shown in the pictures I took of mom's feet.

Details on the specific changes I made are on my Ravelry project page.

A final note...I'm not completely sold on this yarn...Cascade Heritage Sock. The price and yardage are great...the colors are great. And it feels super soft in the skein. But knitting with it felt a bit like knitting with cotton (several reviews on Ravelry had the same comments). In addition, as I've mentioned, it is super stretchy. I was knitting to both the gauge of the pattern and the yarn label (8 stitches per inch) but with the stretch, I think a smaller needle with much tighter gauge would have worked better for this yarn. I just don't have the experience yet to really know if this change would work. They did soften a bit after soaking but I need to remember to ask Mom how they feel when she wears them for a long duration.

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Now playing: These Old Wheels by Mandolin Orange


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FO: Elijah the third (for Julian)

Even though I had already made an Otto for Julian, I couldn't resist whipping up an Elijah as well. I love these little elephants more than is probably normal. However, as I was cussing knitting through the last few appendages, I wondered if maybe I could have done one this Christmas and the other for next Christmas. You know, spread out the love before I started losing ideas of what to make a baby that doesn't involve clothes they will grow out of. Once knit though, I couldn't not give it to him (cuz you know, if I kept it even with good intentions, it is likely Julian would never see it...I never want to give these little guys up). Besides, I've got some more ideas up my sleeves for future gifts...

There is really nothing more to be said about this pattern that I already haven't said here and here. After I knit Otto, Rue asked me to convince her that toys were actually fun to knit (as opposed to annoyingly fiddly) as she was deciding on a baby vest or a toy for a future project. They are fiddly...there is no denying that. But I think they get less fiddly the more I knit them. Either I know what to expect so am more prepared for it or my continued fascination with the pattern overrides any (or most) irritation I feel at double pointed needles going everywhere! Or maybe a little bit of both. I also think that because so many people shy away from knitting toys, they are a unique gift that will last for years. (by the way, it sounds like I convinced her to knit a toy!).

One final comment on Otto versus Elijah (it's embarrassing how much I love this photo of my two knitted toys together!). Julian is only a hair over 4 months old right now. I know nothing about babies, but he seems to be just starting that phase where he is showing awareness of things put in front of him. And he is grabbing onto items that he can get his fingers around. For that reason, I think Elijah works better for him because the size I knit has appendages small enough that he can grasp them. Otto is too big and will likely stay on the sidelines until Julian gets a bit older (and his hands grow).

Deets on my Ravelry projects page as usual.

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Now playing: Unsophisticated Heart by Joe Pug

(another amazing one from Mel)

FO: Papercut of Morgan

Okay, let's start the new year right by documenting some finished objects...

I figured I'd start with the one that Kate and Jacey seem most anxious to see!

Throughout my summers in the field, I often make up lots of lists. Things I want to do when I get out of the field (cooking, art, knitting etc). On occasion, these lists help me push through abnormally tough days (I'm all for being in the moment...but sometimes it is the promise of greener pastures in the future that we have to focus on). This summer, one of these ended up being a list of hand-made Christmas gifts. I had no idea if I could get them all done, but it was fun to think up what I wanted to do for each person.

For my dad, it was a no brainer. I had started a colored pencil drawing for him years ago (I think it may be 3 years now, but maybe only 2). Anyway...I am about 75% done and I wanted to finish it (you'll likely hear more about this soon). But shortly after Thanksgiving, my dad's beloved dog started declining rapidly and had to be put to sleep.

My dad is a great supporter of my art but he has never really wanted anything 'pet-related' even though he has been close to every pet they have had. This particular dog, though, was special and we decided that he would greatly appreciate anything I wanted to do in remembrance of Morgan. I didn't really have the time to start and finish a drawing....so I thought that a black lab with a lot of grey was perfect material for a papercut. I put the colored pencil on the back burner and started working through how to turn Morgan into a papercut.

The few papercuts I have done in the past, I've really enjoyed doing but there were elements of my technique I thought could be greatly improved upon. Basically I didn't know how to go to the next level so to speak with the tools I had. So I started communicating with a guy who does some amazing pieces to get tips on tools, paper, etc. I bought a new knife (which was discontinued a couple years ago and it is likely I bought the last available!), new paper, new adhesive, and started working on a different surface. Once I got the feel for the knife, these changes, actually simple and cheap, made a ton of difference when I started this piece for my dad.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out and I think my Dad is too. It's definitely the most complicated one I've done but I SO enjoyed working on it...trying to figure what to cut and what to leave so that the end result most resembled Morgan. Of course I couldn't just cut out the grey or his other features (being all black) wouldn't shine through...so it was a challenge, but one I enjoyed. For those not sure what a papercut is, I'll leave you with this process picture so you can maybe see a bit better how the paper is cut...

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Now playing: That Moon Song by Gregory Alan Isakov

(Mel sent me some music that has been on play non-stop recently...I love every single song she sent but the music by this artist stopped me in my tracks...)


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