Snaps

Everything worked out right for a quick trip to the beach Monday afternoon. It was overcast when we left the house, but the sun burned through the clouds briefly while we were there. It feels like forever since I've seen the sun, but I have photographic evidence it still exists.

Labyrinth Scarf

I finished the Labyrinth Scarf...twice.

Take One



The contrast color I chose was some leftover Manos del Uruguay in persimmon. I thought I would like the bold color against the drab brown and at first I did, but after a couple of days, I knew it wasn't really me. The brown and orange combo kept bringing me back to the early 1970s and the thick and thin nature of the yarn wasn't helping to create a clean finish to the bound off edges. The only thing to do was to rip out the orange yarn and replace it with something else.

Take Two



This time I went with a yarn that was uniformly spun and less dramatic in contrast to the brown. It's a more modern color combo too. I like this version a lot.



Labyrinth Scarf
Design by Lynne Barr
Knitting New Scarves

Yarn: Hand Spun Shetland Wool and Brown Sheep Nature Spun

Color: Brown and Ecucalyptus

Needles: US 10 DPNs

Construction:
This scarf is knitted in the round. Every few rounds a yarn slit is constructed (like you might do to add a pocket to a sweater) and the stitches are held on waste yarn. To finish, the waste yarn is removed one slit at a time placing the live stitches on two double pointed needles. Beginning with the lower needle the stitches are bound off with a contrasting color yarn. A few stitches are picked up on the side to bring the cast-off edging up to the upper needle. This process is repeated until all stitches are bound off in one continuous edge that snakes up the entire length of the scarf. Clear instructions and step-by-step pictures are included in the book.

I really enjoyed knitting this creative scarf, even if it did take me two tries to get it right.

Snippets and Snaps

The Preemie Project is sponsoring a Craft-a-thon next month. Here are my entries for the Crafting for Preemies Contest.



Preemie Eyelet Cap and Preemie Spiral Hat

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Cotton Chenille Washcloth

Putting some of that new yarn to use already. Easy pattern, simple stitch, great yarn: a good combination for enjoyable, mindless knitting.

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A few photos of the mule deer at Homestead Resort in Utah.


The Big Boys



Real Close
About 5 feet away. He stepped around the corner of the building where I was hidden from view. Startled him and me!



Daily Visitors



Sweet Little One

Souvenirs

Yarn always makes the best souvenir, in my opinion. On our trip to Utah I seemed to acquire more than usual. However, each skein of yarn was purchased with a specific project in mind.

My only purchase at Three Wishes was cotton chenille for washcloths. This was on my list of yarns to look for and I was happy to find some in the sale bin.



At The Wool Cabin I was tempted by Alpaca Sox which will become a pair of luxurious socks for me.



And, a hank of Spunky Eclectic Super Nova: a superwash Merino sport weight. It can be used for socks, but I think I'll make up the store's shawl pattern that was free with the yarn. This pretty color is called Utah Sunrise.



I walked out of the Needlepoint Joint with several hanks of Inca Alpaca for a hat and scarf that were in the shop. Those store samples really do help to sell the yarn.



At each shop I asked about Peace Fleece. No one had any. Evidently it's too new or not widely distributed. Most shop owners had never heard of it, though it seems to be very popular in the knit-blogging community. I'll order some online when the time is right, but for now I have plenty of new yarn to keep me busy.

Antelope Island

We made it home to Texas safe and sound. It's not as warm as I had hoped for, though I'm sure this cold snap won't last long.

We made the most our last day in Utah. Took the long way down from the Heber Valley through Ogden (there's a nice yarn shop there) and spent the afternoon on Antelope Island.



The Great Salt Lake is frozen in most places, but where it is not, the ducks congregate--many varieties. The hawks hang out there too--looking for a good meal--as do bald eagles, we were told, though we did not see one.

We saw bison,



coyote,



rabbit, chuckar partridge and porcupine.

The scenery was beautiful and since it was cold and overcast, there were very few people out. It felt like we had the whole island to ourselves.



This is my favorite picture of John from that day.



He's wearing an Irish Hiking Scarf.



And, I'm holding a new scarf I'm knitting from what was left of the brown Shetland handspun. The pattern is Labyrinth (picture #17) from Knitting New Scarves by Lynne Barr. This interesting scarf is knit as a tube in the round. The white stripes you see are waste yarn, holding stitches that will be bound off later in a contrasting color.



The sun broke through the clouds briefly at the end of the day sending a shaft of light upward toward the heavens. With so much beauty all around, I could not help but think of the one who created it all.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

A Stash is a Good Thing

Today is our last day in Utah. We fly home tomorrow.

I wasn't sure I'd be able to visit the yarn shops in Salt Lake City this trip, but as it's working out, I've had a chance to go to several.

Stopped in at Black Sheep Wool Co. on our first day here while John met with his boss at the office. And even though I didn't really "need" any yarn, I bought some anyway.



Found this new-to-me sock yarn by Pagewood Farm. I think it will work well for Monkey Socks.



A helpful employee made sure I didn't overlook this Soft Sea Wool. I've heard so many good things about it, I had to get some to try.



And I picked up several colors of worsted weight wool to have on hand for practicing stranded knitting. Perhaps they will become a hat or a pair of mittens.

Yesterday, John had to go back to the office. So while he was there, I drove over to Three Wishes and then after I picked him up, we stopped at The Wool Cabin. There was more yarn purchased, but I'll save that for later.

Have a great weekend, everyone. Next time I'll be blogging from Texas, where it's sure to be warmer.



I'll miss our nightly treat of Carolyn's Frozen Yogurt, but not the freezing temperatures.

Drive With Me

A horse drawn sleigh ride looks romantic, until you factor in the temperature. The thermometer never reached double digits today.



In my opinion, it's more comfortable to see the sights from the warmth of a car and get out just long enough to take pictures.

I was on the road to Soldier Hollow when I saw this.



The mountain in the background is Mount Timpanogos.



The barn is historic Tate Barn.



According to this source and the link above, it was originally built in late 1890s by Francis Tate--who raised cattle and horses--as an all-purpose barn. It was completely rebuilt in time for the 2002 Winter Olympics. And now is a beautiful architectural symbol for the Heber Valley.



I was happy to have discovered it today on my drive.

Winter Wonderland

To say Utah is beautiful is an understatement at best.



We arrived on Monday and are staying at Homestead Resort in Midway. There's been lots of snow here this winter, judging from the accumulation. You know it's bad when you have to shovel the roof.



Even though it's freezing, it too beautiful to stay indoors. So bundled up in my warmest wool handknits, I ventured out this morning to take pictures and experience the magical Winter Wonderland.



If I lived here, I would knit lots of sweaters and fewer frivolous knits.



And of course, always have a pair of warm wool socks on the needles.



Started on the flight over, using Trekking XXL in a gorgeous deep blue (#77).

Make It Work

I originally planned on knitting a vest from the brown Shetland wool I spun. I even got as far as working several inches of a vest I liked, but changed my mind when I realized the yarn was not working well with the stitch pattern.



So instead, I combined it with some other handspun to knit a simple hat and a pair of mittens. I like this much better!



Mittens
Yarn: My Hand Spun Worsted Weight Wool
Needles: US 7 DPNs
Changes: Added extra length to hand and thumb



Hat
Yarn: My Hand Spun Worsted Weight Wool
Needles: US 7 Circular and DPNs
Number of Stitches: 90

There was a nip in the air at the beach on Friday, so I've already gotten some use out this set and I'm sure to use it even more this week in Utah. Leaving for the airport shortly.

Good-bye beach. Hello mountains.


Largest Piece of Driftwood Ever
(approximately 90 feet)

Jitterbug Socks

A new pair of socks for the new year.



Simple Stockinette Socks
Short-Row Heels and Toes
Worked on 56 Stitches
Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug, Easy Care 100% Merino
Color: Toscana
Needles: US 1 1/2 (2.5 mm) DPNs

This yarn was very fun to knit with. The bright bursts of rich color intermingled with sage green kept stockinette stitch fresh and entertaining.

One hank of Jitterbug is enough for a simple pair of socks, but if you prefer a stitch pattern that uses more yarn, you better buy two hanks. A 100 gram hank is approximately 267 meters.

Since this yarn is hand dyed, it is recommended to work 2-4 rows from two different hanks or from two ends of one, carrying the yarn up the side. This will help to achieve an even color effect. I didn't do this and you might be able to tell that one of the socks has fewer bursts of color than the other. It's a subtle difference though and I'm happy with them like they are.



Have a great weekend!

A is for Alligator

American Alligator
Brazos Bend State Park
Needville, Texas

One of the best places to see an alligator in the wild is just a few miles from my house at Brazos Bend State Park. According to this article, it is home to 300 American alligators . With numbers like that, it's a guarantee you'll see at least one gator and most likely several as you walk the trail around Forty-Acre Lake.

Did You Know?....

• The sex of the juveniles is determined by the temperature of the nest: above 93° F all are male, below 86° F all are female, and temperatures in between will produce both sexes.
• American alligators can live to about 50 years in the wild. After it is four feet long, an alligator is safe from predators except humans and occasionally other alligators.
• Alligators can tolerate salt water for only brief periods because they do not have salt glands.

That last fact makes me feel a little better about kayaking in the salt water marsh. Read more facts here.

Thanks to Vicki for hosting ABC-Along 2008. Sign-up details can be found here and here. Every two weeks I'll post a photo representing a letter of the alphabet.

See ya later, alligator! (I couldn't resist.)

Snaps

A few of my favorite photos from Saturday's kayak trip.


Paul (John's brother) demonstrates the stability of a sit-on-top kayak and the usefulness of a milk crate.


Pelicans and gulls at McNab Lake.


Shore to explore at McNab.


Peaceful paddle on Rawlings Cut.


Fishing East Matagorda Bay.


A beautiful way to end the day.

It was a full day of paddling. We launched at 10:00 and paddled for about a mile to get to McNab Lake. Spent most of the morning there, returning to the launch site by 1:30. Grabbed a bite to eat at Spoonbills and then decided to paddle to East Matagorda Bay by way of Rawlings Cut. It was about 3:00 by then and we paddled until dark. I fully expected to be sore the next day, but surprisingly was not. My arms felt used, but no more so than they do after a marathon knitting session. Could it be that knitting has conditioned me for kayaking?

I had hopes of finishing my second sock before this trip.



I came real close.