Comfort in the Storm

All is well with us. We hooked up the travel trailer and escaped to Comfort, Texas on Thursday. The evacuation process went smoothly--no traffic jams like last time. It seems many people decided to stay and ride out the storm.

Sunset

Last night as the sun was setting, I thought of those that stayed behind and said a prayer for their safety. My sister stayed and so did John's brother and family. They both live on the north side of Houston.

We received good reports from both of them this morning. My sister said the wind howled for hours, but her home is in good shape. John's brother was on the "dirty" side of the storm. We've only been able to text message him. He says they are fine, but have downed trees blocking them in on all streets. Neither of them have electricity. We thank God for keeping them safe.

We've also talked to our neighbors that stayed in Needville. There is only minor damage on our street. Our basketball goal was blown over. We've been wanting to take it down anyway, so I don't consider this a loss. A few small tree limbs are down. And power is out on our street, though many in Needville still have electricity.

Moonrise

Hopefully the power will be restored before long. We plan to go home tomorrow if it is.

R is for Run from Ike

Hurricane Ike is headed for Texas and we've decided to run from him.

Exactly where Ike will hit is still uncertain at this time, but predictions keep moving him closer and closer to the Houston area. Instead of waiting around for a more accurate prediction, we're packing up the travel trailer and heading out in the morning. We feel it's better to err on the side of caution than to wait. And we'd really like to get going early enough to avoid a nightmare evacuation like the one we went through three years ago with hurricane Rita.

I don't think we'll have Internet access while we're on the run. It will probably be next week before I check in, so don't worry if things are quiet on the blog for a time. We will be fine, because we know where to find refuge.

Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

On a Roll

To say stockinette stitch has a tendency to roll is an understatement in this case.


Let me pin it out so you can see what it is.


It's the back of NBT.

To refresh your memory, I'm knitting this tee with Willow, a superwash wool/bamboo blend by Brooks Farm Yarn.

The yarn is nice to work with. The colors are aligning in a pleasing way. And it looks like this tee it's going to fit me.

Let's hope this roll of good luck continues as I begin knitting the front.

Yarn Fish

A couple of things happened this weekend that made me realize fishing has become an obsession with me.

Palacios Pier

After an evening of pier fishing on Friday, I slept soundly and dreamed of...you guessed it...fishing. I casted, reeled and caught fish all night in my sleep. When fishing invades your subconscious, that's a sure sign you're hooked.

And not that I needed any more convincing, but Saturday on our way home from an afternoon of fishing, I saw a grouping of clouds that looked exactly like a trout to me.

Trout Cloud

If you can't see the trout in the sky, don't feel bad, it just means you haven't been afflicted with the fishing sickness yet. I blame John for infecting me. He's had it for years.

I already "suffer" with a little obsession called knitting and now I have this one too. Evidently both were working on me Sunday afternoon because I had the need to knit something fishy. I searched Ravelry and came up with this cute little project.

Yarn Fish

Pattern: Fishy Twashi
Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n Cream
Colors: Robins Egg Blue & White
Needles: US 7 (smaller size than the pattern called for)
Size: Approx. 4" x 6"
Changes: Embroidered the eye instead of knitting or crocheting.

This little fish is designed as dish scrubber. It's the size of a regular kitchen sponge. Twashi, I learned, is a Japanese word meaning scrubber or brush. Though intended originally for kitchen use, it can also be used in the bath. Acrylic yarn is recommended for scrubbing dishes, but cotton is the best choice for a washcloth.

There are lots of cute tawashi patterns on Ravelry and even a group called Tawashi Town for fans of these Japanese inspired scrubbies. I had never heard of a tawashi before yesterday. It's funny where an obsession (or two) can take you.

My Go-To Gift

When I first saw these dishcloths on Renna's blog, I knew I wanted to knit a set for the next wedding shower I was invited to. I got a chance to try the pattern this week.


Pattern: Waffle Knit Dishcloth
Yarn: Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton
Colors: Khaki and Cinnamon
Needles: US 7 (one size larger than recommended)
Size: Aproximately 9" x 9"


I give the pattern and the cloth a big thumbs up! It's a quick knit, has lots of texture (good for scrubbing) and looks great on both the right and wrong side.

A gift card from the couple's choice of stores completes this shower gift. I'll wrap them up together and include a note something like this:
Tracy's Hand Knit Dishcloths
Making Dish Washing Fun For Newlyweds Since 2003

Sunny Skies

Checking in quickly to say thanks for all the nice comments on my new scarf and to let you know that all is well here with the weather.

Hurricane Gustav did not effect our area, except to churn up the Gulf and cause higher than normal tides. We tried to drive on Matagorda Beach on Monday. The tide was out (I think), but the water was still high enough that it forced us to drive near the dunes where the sand was too fluffy for our four-wheel drive Jeep. We turned around before we got stuck.

Later in the day, beach access was being denied to all but four-wheel drive vehicles and even then they were discouraging people from attempting it. The water was up higher than it was in the morning. We were told that someone was stuck 13 miles down the beach. I'm not sure if they were trapped by the water or if they were stuck in the sand. Either way, it's a long hike out!

I didn't get any pictures of the beach Monday. All the pictures in this post were taken last Thursday. You can see the water was calm and beautiful then--the prettiest I've ever seen it. Monday it was rougher, but not violent. Surfing conditions were favorable and many surfers were there to take advantage of it.

It's proving to be a very active hurricane season, so we'll continue to keep a watchful eye on the Gulf and be prepared to leave if we need to. This is the way of life when you live near the Gulf of Mexico.

Montego Bay Scarf

Photographed at Turtle Bay, Jensen Point, Texas.


We were up early on Friday morning to say goodbye to Matt and Carly. We decided to take advantage of that fact and drive to Turtle Bay for kayak fishing. We arrived right at sunrise and hurriedly took some pictures of my new scarf before putting the boats in the water.

Montego Bay Scarf
Pattern Source: Interweave Knits Summer 2007 and Ravelry
Yarn: Hand Maiden Sea Silk (70% silk, 30% Seacell)
Color: Rose Garden
Needles: US 8


Project Notes:

This scarf was a breeze to knit and the yarn is a perfect match to the pattern. The only challenge I can see with this scarf is that some knitters may find simple fishnet lace monotonous. I didn't, but I enjoy easy repetitive knitting.

One of my favorite parts of the scarf is the braided fringe. Two hundred strands of yarn, each 12" long are cut before any knitting is started. This sounds tedious, as does the process of braiding each section, but I think it's worth the effort and it's not as much work as it sounds.


After the photo shoot we launched the kayaks and fished. We didn't catch anything we could bring home, but we felt blessed anyway to be spend time together in such a beautiful place.