All Kinds of Random Stuff

I return...and as the title suggests, have a bunch of random things to report. First off, thanks to everybody who commented on my shawl! It's so great to get responses like that!

Speaking of...more pictures to accompany the specs which hopefully show color better (last ones, I promise!).
The specs:
Pattern: Forest Canopy Shawl
Yarn: Mountain Colors Weaver's Wool Quarters Yarn (Worsted Weight) in the colorway Granite Peak. 350 yards/100 gram skein. Used about 3/4 of skein.
Modifications: None
Opinion: Great pattern for me being new to lace; it was easy to remember. For a first shawl, I liked that it was small. But to actually wear, I would have liked it a little bigger (this was 52 inches X 23 inches after blocking). I liked working with the yarn, and especially the colors...but my only complaint with it was halfway through a row, the yarn split and broke. I found out that in a lace pattern, weaving in yarn ends in the middle of the pattern really doesn't look that good! Overall though I really like this pattern and will probably do it again but add more repeats to make the shawl bigger.

That's all the knitting news I have to report. I packed two different projects for knitting in the airport and screwed up on both. One has cables and I forgot the DPN I was using (I did try to do one set of cables without needles cuz I know it can be done. I did it but it was so awkward because I really didn't have a clue what I was doing that I decided I just didn't have the patience for it.) The other item, I packed the wrong size needle. I'm not normally that scattered. REALLY! We were just running late and I was throwing crap in the bag without thinking! Silver lining...I did get an entire book read though so all is well!

The trip to Alaska was okay...I spent most of the time indoors working out a plan for an 8 year research project. If funding comes through with all this, there is a very good chance I'll be spending part of next summer in the Yukon for a few weeks and then in Fairbanks for the rest of the time getting this caribou project off the ground (PhD? what PhD? I keep repeating to myself...must concentrate on PhD, must concentrate on PhD...but seriously, this is a summer in Alaska and the Yukon--how do you say no?). My big involvement won't come for a few years as I finish my degree but it's exciting nonetheless. While not locked in a room with a white board, I did get to visit a pretty cool facility they have in Fairbanks. A few photos for your enjoyment...caribou and muskox (the first time I've seen them--they are smaller than I thought).

Also for you knitters...an interesting fact. This facility combs wool from the muskox a couple times a year...they sell it for $150-250/pound (yes, that is right!) and it goes to the northern natives to use for garments. The money is used to help with the research costs of the facility. This wool is apparently the warmest wool you can find (which makes sense considering the lower critical temperature for a muskox (meaning the point where they have to start working to maintain heat) is -70 degrees F!)...and the natives knit it up very loosely because a tight weave would be too hot. Also apparently they never make hats out of it because it is too hot. This is a picture (poor I know) of a bagful they had just combed out...it's amazingly soft!

I will say that one of the things I really appreciated about being home was darkness! I know that the 20-22 hour darkness thing in the winter would get to me and take a lot of getting used to, but for me, the 24 hour lightness thing apparently does too! I like my nights!

I think that to close posts every now and then, I'm going to start putting in some details about what I am reading or watching. So for today, books I've finished recently...
The Glass Castle -- by Jeannette Walls. Click here for my review.
The Giants House -- by Elizabeth McCracken. Click here for review.

Also, a couple movies we've watched recently that are worth the time...
10 Items or Less (It's slow and not at all exciting but it's a beautiful story of friendship)
Venus (another perhaps 'disturbing' plot but Peter O'Toole is amazing in this movie)
Shall We Dance? (the Japanese version with Koji Yakusho)

And that be it for today.