Fisherman's Neck Gaiter

For my favorite fisherman.



Fisherman's Rib Stitch in the Round
Free Pattern with Photo Tutorial
Project Details

New for 2009

The back and two fronts of my vest are finished and have been joined by three-needle bind off at the shoulders. Today I will sew the side seams and begin knitting the band along the armhole edges. The job of seaming will be all the more fun using my new Gingher scissors adorned with cross-stitch fob. My neighbor gave these to me for Christmas and I love them!

The photo above is being featured today on my photo journal, One Snap. It's a blog based on Project 365. The idea is to take and post one photo, every day, for a year. One Snap will be my primary place to blog in 2009.

Posting here at Wool Windings will be sporadic and will most likely be about knitting only, perhaps only photos of finished objects with details posted on Ravelry. I'm still debating what I want to do.

I've considered using Ravelry exclusively as my knitting journal, but there is a part of me that's not ready to give up this blog entirely and that's because of all the friendships I've made here. So, I'll experiment with a couple of ideas until I find out which works best for using my time wisely--one of my goals for 2009.

Our Week in Matagorda

This was the first year that neither of the kids were home for Christmas, so John and I decided to spend the week at the travel trailer in Matagorda. We did not put up a tree. The only decorations were two poinsettia place mats and a Christmas candle.

Inside the Trailer

The weather was not the best. From Sunday to Christmas Day it went from really cold, to warm, to cold, to warm again. Each front that came through brought rain. Low clouds obscured the sun most of the time. And one day the fog was so thick that John and I walked right past each other on the beach and didn't know it.

Foggy Day at the Beach

John's big Christmas gift this year was a fishing light.

Shining a strong beam of light on the water at night attracts the bait, which in turn, attracts the fish. On the nights it wasn't too cold, I joined John for nighttime fishing on the river. Everything I caught was too small to keep, but John caught one keeper trout.

My big Christmas gift was a deck we built for the trailer. I love the way it turned out! It provided us with a nice clean, dry place to sit and watch the comings and goings on the river.


I passed on the kayak fishing this time since the weather wasn't that good, but John didn't let the cold and wind stop him. He caught two nice redfish, which gave me an opportunity to photograph the pelicans at the fish cleaning table.

Patiently Waiting

Fighting for Fish Scraps

Mine! Mine! All Mine!

We left Matagorda sooner than we planned when we got word that my grandmother passed away in Oklahoma. She was 93 years old and a faithful Christian. Though her passing was sad for us, it was a victory for her. I am confident she is in a better place and I am comforted.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 1Cor. 15:57

Z is for Zinnia

Dad always planted zinnias near the vegetable garden to attract the bees and butterflies.


I remember being allowed to pick zinnia bouquets whenever I wanted, which is probably why I love this flower today.


The full, double blossoms are my favorite.


The bright colors make me smile.


I'm dreaming of a zinnia garden for next year, like the one from my childhood, with butterflies and bees and cut zinnia bouquets for the table all summer long.

At This Rate...

...I don't expect to finish my vest until the end of the year, if even then.


I've only managed to knit a few inches on it since the last time I showed you. Knitting has not been a priority on my list of things to do in December, though I do wish I had this vest finished so I could wear it. I could have used it several times already this season.

John gave me this funny little sheep the other day. I think he can sense that I need some cheering up. It's been gray and dreary here all week and some last week, too. I don't do well with gray and dreary, but the weatherman promises a bit of sunshine today, so things are looking up.

Next week we'll be hanging out at the travel trailer in Matagorda. Christmas dinner might very well be grilled trout or redfish or if we're really lucky, flounder.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Y is for Yardstick

Do three yardsticks count as a collection? If so, then I have one.


According to The Book of Alternative Records, Ing. Arnulf Bietsch from Bolsterlang, Germany holds the current world record for a yardstick collection. He has collected more than 30,000 different yardsticks which he stores in a special room with air conditioning.

I keep a yardstick near my knitting spot. I like to use it or a 12-inch ruler to measure knitted fabric. I find it easier and more accurate than a retractable tape measure for measuring small items; measuring floppy fabric with a floppy tape measure can be cumbersome for me. And I always have a yardstick handy for blocking.

For anything over 36 inches a tape measure is best, of course. But, I've even found a way around that for measuring scarves: A good length for a scarf is 60 inches which happens to be the exact length of my dining room table. When the scarf reaches end-to-end, I know it's long enough.

Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people--your family, friends, and coworkers, and even strangers you meet along the way. ~Barbara Bush

Stay Warm; Wear Wool

Days like this call for wool.

It was damp and windy with feels-like temperatures in the low 20s...and it snowed! Can you see the perfectly formed snowflakes on my coat?

When I pulled out My So Called Scarf (details here) to wear yesterday morning, I decided I didn't like the looks of the cast-on and the bind-off edges, so I added fringe. Much better.

My wool/silk scarf, wool hat & mittens, wool socks and wool coat came in handy. I really felt sorry for all those people wearing acrylic.