Summer Socks and More

Since we've been back from our trip to Matagorda, a few people have asked me what I did to keep busy while John was fishing. Obviously these people don't know me very well or they would know that I knit, of course, but I also did a bit more than that.



I tried kayaking for the first time (and maybe the last). I was really expecting to enjoy it more than I did, but I think the kayak I was using was not the one for me. I had to fight it most of the time. Some of that was due to inexperience on my part and the fact that we started out against the wind and the current. I learned some things though. It's no fun to sit in water for two hours, so make sure your boat has plugs. Also, it's not that easy to take photos from a kayak. And, don't even think about knitting in one.



So, I saved my knitting time for when I was on dry land. I was able to finish my summer socks.



Stitch Pattern: Summer Dream Socks, 64 stitches, Short row heels and toes
Yarn: 2 balls of Panda Wool 46% Bamboo, 43% Wool, 11% Nylon
Color: 2301 Rosewater
Needles: US 1 DPNs



The rest of the time, I kept busy walking the beach, collecting shells and taking pictures. It was the perfect vacation. I know, because I came home feeling rested instead of tired.

A few of my favorite photos:

The brown pelicans were very entertaining. We could watch them fish from our trailer. Here they are sunning themselves on a sandbar.



Driftwood is plentiful and it's not uncommon to see whole trees washed up on shore.



I had the beach to myself most of the time. There were thousands of shells (I'm not exaggerating) to comb through. I collected a shoe box full. My favorites were the sundial shells and the whelks. You can see a sampling in my previous post. I walked this first mile section of beach every day we were there and never got tired of it.



I was the official fishing photographer. Here's John on the very long jetty pier. No bites this time.



Sunset on our last evening.



That's enough of Matagorda for now...at least until our next trip.

May

007 Snap a Dozen Days



Celebrating 23 Years
Matagorda Beach

May is special for a couple of reasons. First, it's the month John and I were married twenty-three years ago. We celebrated this year's anniversary with a travel trailer trip to Matagorda Bay Nature Park. No fancy presents, just the gift of getting away from everything and spending some time together.

Matagorda is a fisherman's dream...



...and a beachcomber's delight.



The happy couple.



We enjoyed our time together very much and I have a feeling we'll be going back to Matagorda every chance we can. We drove home today to celebrate the second reason this month is special--Matt's birthday. He's nineteen today. Happy birthday, son!

Checking In

John and I arrived in Matagorda yesterday afternoon with the travel trailer. I didn't expect to be able to use the Internet while we are here, but the RV park just added a wi-fi service and it seems to be working well, so I thought I'd check in.

After breakfast this morning, John headed out in the kayak for a little fishing and I walked down to the beach for shell seeking. I brought the camera and found some wildflowers along the way.







Took lots of other pictures too, but I'll save some of those until later. Waiting for John to return for lunch, then we plan to explore the area together. Think I'll check out a few knitting blogs while I'm waiting.

Inspiration

Inspired by a stash Lion Brand Cotton-Ease (discontinued colors) and Susan B. Anderson's wonderful book, Itty-Bitty Hats, I knitted up some preemie hats for TPP/Michigan. If you like color, you're going to love these.

All hats were knitted in the round on size US 7 DPNs on 48 stitches. Decreases started with K6, K2tog. I worked two rounds of decreases, then worked the stitches even for two rounds and continued reducing stitches in this manner until there were three stitches left. Then, knitted an I-cord for a little topper and tied it in a knot.

These two stripy hats are preemie-sized knockoffs of Susan's Cotton Stria Stripes (pg. 96), but with different shaping.



The inspiration for these next hats is Rainbow Marley (pg. 102): a combination of stripes and texture created by garter stitch and seed stitch.



These little square hats need no shaping. I used a three-needle bind off to close the top, but you could also use kitchener stitch. Susan has two versions of a square hat in her book (page 116 and 118). She adds cute embellishments, which I left off, but I did incorporate a little color on the edge (in my own way) and used a seed stitch band instead of a ribbed cuff that I've used before with this pattern.



The hats I came up with are similar to those in Itty-Bitty Hats, but not an exact copy. If you enjoy knitting hats for babies and children, be sure to check out the book. It's loaded with adorable patterns and inspiration.

P.S. I'll be without Internet access for most of next week, so don't worry when you don't hear from me. I'll check back in as soon as I can. See you then.

Feeding the Stash

Mad About Ewes Fiber Arts Studio in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania sells yarn for knitting and fiber for spinning plus accessories for both, including spinning wheels. It was the perfect place for me to pick up a souvenir on our trip last week. I limited myself to fiber, though there was some beautiful yarn that also tempted me. Stop by if you're in the area and see for yourself.

I'm posting pictures of the fiber I purchased mostly for my benefit, but you might enjoy seeing them too. I don't have specific plans for any of this yet. Just feeding the stash and dreaming of the possibilities.




Corriedale Top, 8 0z, Mocha (natural color)





Colonial Multi Top, 6 0z, Sea Green
Colonial is a Rambouillet X.





Rambouillet X Roving, 7.4 oz, Lilac
Processed by Red Barn Fiber, Colorado

Rebuilding Greensburg -- Block by Block

Laura's seed square is bearing fruit at my house. Check out what's in the garden.



Three squares for Rebuilding Greensburg -- Block by Block.



As I was knitting these this weekend, I wondered what it would be like to lose everything? What would I miss the most? How attached to material things am I? I'd like to think that I'm not that attached, but I don't think you can truly know what it would be like until it happens to you. The people of Greensburg, Kansas know. Many are starting over from scratch. Laura's project is a way to encourage them and to say we care. If you want to help out with the effort, click here for all the details. There have been a few changes since I linked to it the last time: it's now even easier to use the yarn you have in your stash.

Knit and Fly

It's a good thing I enjoy flying, because yesterday we were on two separate flights. I never get tired of the view.



All this air travel has been good for the socks. They are progressing nicely.

On the flight to Houston:


Almost to the toe.

On the flight to Tulsa:


One finished and one started.

Travel advice for knitters: Do not attempt the kitchener stitch in a busy airport terminal, no matter how tempting. I made a mess of my sock and had to spend the next flight fixing it.

I think I forgot to mention that this trip is a tag-along business trip. John is in a meeting today and I have the car. Our flight for home leaves later this afternoon, so I don't have much time to explore. I could probably find a yarn shop or two, but I doubt by suitcase could hold anymore wool.

There will be lots to do when I get home. There always is after a trip. One of the first things I want to do is start a square for an afghan Laura is organizing. It will be for a family (or families) in Greensburg, Kansas. If you would like to help, you can find the specifics here.



Some of you may be interested to know that the person that started the fire that destroyed our town's high school, turned himself in this week. He is a sophomore at the school. I do not know him or his family. Right now it isn't clear why he did it.

See you next week.

Pennyslvania

Spring is just beginning in Pennsylvania. The trees are budding out with leaves and blooms.



We drove many miles through beautiful farm country today staying off the Interstate as much as possible. I made sure our route took us by at least one fiber store. Mad About Ewes was a wonderful shop and I bought some fiber to add to my stash. Did you know there is no sales tax on yarn and fiber in Pennsylvania? Maybe I need to think about relocating.



Later we stopped in Bird-in-Hand when we saw these sheep on an Amish farm. The owner said we could take pictures.



These woollies could use a haircut.

Tomorrow it's back on the plane. I'll be knitting the sock again, eating a snack and enjoying the view.

Next destination is Tulsa, but first we have to fly back to Houston and wait several hours. Scheduling air travel can be crazy sometimes.

On High

My favorite place to knit is on a plane. I find it to a good place to concentrate. I like that someone brings you a snack. And, the view is always spectacular.



I'm working on a pair of socks that is based on this pattern. The yarn is Panda Wool: a blend of bamboo, wool and nylon. It's my first time to use this blend. So far I like it. I'll be able to give a more detailed opinion when the socks are finished and I wear them a few times.



This flight is the first of four this week. First stop, Pennsylvania.

A Good Yarn

It hasn't taken as long to learn to spin as I thought it would. Of course, the learning is never over, but even John has noticed that the yarn coming off my wheel is good. For someone who only just started spinning this year, I'd say it's "good enough".



This yarn, along with some more I have yet to spin, will be knit into a throw pillow. I wanted this homespun to be a worsted weight yarn. It was good practice to shoot for a particular size, though I missed it a bit. Since gauge is not critical for my project, I'm more than happy with the bulky weight I ended up with...the knitting will go faster.



Fiber: Mystery Wool from Amy
Amount: 4 oz ?
Color: Black Brown
Yarn: 2 ply, 7 WPI, Approx. 160 yards

More Matagorda

Behind the dunes of Matagorda Beach is Three Mile Lake. We spent a lot of time there on Saturday. John found it to be a good spot for fishing. In fact, that's where he caught the flounder. While he fished, I took pictures. Normally, I would have brought a sock to knit or a book to read, but I came empty handed on this day. So once I thought I had exhausted all photo opportunities at this spot, I just sat in the chair near the truck and took in the sights.



I sat there for a half hour or so. I have to admit, I was getting a little bored. Why did I not bring a book to read or something to knit? Restless, I decided to walk some more. I had gone about six feet from my chair when something in the tall grass made a loud noise that scared me to death. My immediate thought was that it was a snake (that's always my first thought), but I had only flushed out a bird. I went looking for the nest I knew had to be there. I walked carefully and searched every inch, but didn't see anything until another bird flew out of the grass right in front of me. You know the saying, "If it were a snake it would have bitten me." Yikes!

This bird was on the nest which was right in the open, but very well concealed at the same time. Hidden in a tuft of grass were four eggs. They were larger than I expected, about the size of chicken eggs.



The birds protecting this nest, which I believe to be Willet Sandpipers, are very plain at rest and blend in well with the grass.



In flight, the Willet looks like a completely different bird, with a distinct black and white wing pattern.



If I had been knitting, I would have totally missed this discovery, which was the best of the day. I guess it pays to put the needles down once in a while.

And the real reason I didn't have a sock with me to knit? I had just finished a pair the night before.



This brings my total number of socks knit to 13--a baker's dozen.

Pattern: Basic Stockinette Sock worked on 64 stitches
Yarn: Opal Rodeo
Needles: US 1 dpns