Storm Watching

This is the best reason to go to Tofino in the late fall or winter. Storm Watching!

Tofino is a little town on the extreme west coast of Vancouver Island. It is about as far west as you can go and still be in Canada. Vancouver Island protects the mainland from the impact of the open Pacific Ocean, but Tofino has no such protection. Tofino, affectionately known as "Tough City," braves the wild temper of the Pacific on its own terms. Doug and I arrived Monday evening after six hours of travel. You take a two-hour ferry to Nanaimo and then drive four nearly four hours across a winding island highway. A huge storm was brewing as we arrived, and the next day we got to watch.

If you want to learn about Tofino or check out vacation possibilities, this is a good site. Be sure to click on the links for awesome photos.

http://www.vancouverisland.com/regions/towns/?townID=28





We stayed on Chesterman Beach at a lovely bed and breakfast house. We had a large, totally contained suite all to ourselves. It's like having half a house to live in.

I've been to Tofino several times in the last four years -- twice with Doug and some friends of ours, once on my own for a week, once with a friend, and this time just with Doug. We plan to take the kids in January. This time around, we hatched dreams to live there one day.

Check out Todd and Lynda's place at Chesterman Beach. That's where I always stay. Beautiful house, wonderful hosts, amazing beach.

http://www.chestermanbeach.net/



This is Chesterman in a calmer mood. Later that day, the tide went out, and the waves settled down a bit. Chesterman is a massive beach. That's Frank Island framing up the sunset. I mentioned yesterday that you can walk out there when the tide is out. There are houses built on that tiny island. Imagine watching the storms from there!



Yes...I did some knitting. I knit on the ferry and on the long drive. In Tofino, we don't have a TV, and we listen to the roar of the ocean for our music. I knit in the mornings and in the evenings. On the first evening and morning I made the mate for my fingerless glove of a few weeks ago. Turned out I needed those gloves all trip, so I'm glad I did that early.



Then the gloves and I did a little photo shoot, cuz why waste such gorgeous scenery??



I also worked on a second bag using my contest pattern, but of course I'm not showing that here. I mostly worked on this very long sock. I'm calling it a "Wellington Sock." I want long socks that I can wear in my Wellingtons (rubber gum boots), so that the lip of the boot does not rub on my leg. This one is made with some Lion Brand Magic Stripes yarn I bought sometime last year. It's a bit blotchy quality wise, but the colour changes were a lot of fun, and I'm mostly a beginner sock knitter, so not a bad practice yarn. It's a nice wooly blend, just not up there with some of my stashed sock yarns.



Still getting questions on my SWS slippers. This one's for you SK: I used 8mm (US 11) DPN's, and cast on 36 st. for the smaller pair and 42 st. for the larger pair. My feet are size 8 (9 1/2" long). If your feet are longer, you'll want to work a few more rows in the foot length. And don't fall asleep while felting! :)

Goodbye Tofino

Just one pic to whet your appetite...



Sunset over Frank Island viewed from Chesterman Beach. You can actually walk out to Frank Island when the tide is all the way out. A great place to watch the wild Pacific crash onto the rocks. I'll be posting lots of Tofino pix over the next few days.

Off to Tofino!

Doug and I are off for four days in Tofino (my mostest favoritest spot on earth). Will be back to knit and blog and blather on...later!

TTFN!

Slipper Madness Part Deux

Thanks for all the encouraging comments about my wee slippers. Yes, I am sure they will find a good home on somebody's feet. I'm going to send them to the Sheltering Stitch project, along with some other items.

I hear several of you asking for specific details, so here goes. I used a pattern called "Striped Slipper Socks" from this book. It's an easy pattern that knits up quickly. It took me two to three hours to knit one slipper in the regular size and three to four to knit the super-size. You knit them just like socks, casting on and working a few rows of cuff, working a heel flap, turning the heel, picking up the instep and wandering on down the foot. You know the drill.

I knitted on jumbo 8mm DPN's.



The pattern gives directions for a medium sized woman's foot and a large. I worked the medium size in the Charisma. I made the foot 9" from the back of the heel before shaping the toes, and then ran it through my washing machine for one full agitation cycle.

My felting technique: I have an older (15years) top loading washer. I set it up for smallest load with two or three pairs of jeans and some Cheer detergent, throw in the slippers and run it on HOT. For the Charisma slippers, it ran until the first spin cycle (15-20 min). I had forgotten about it until I heard the machine spinning and thought, Uh-Oh...But the slipper came out the perfect size. Naturally, I did the exact same thing with my other three slippers, and the Charisma one behaved nicely, but the Patons SWS slippers had other ideas. I tried not to take it personally. On the other hand, the SWS felts up so thick and strong, it is like felting with two or even three strands held together. Hmmm...

Back to round two of SWS slippers for selfish old ME. I made them huge!! This time I followed the instructions for the larger size in the book, knitted an extra three rows of cuff, and knitted the foot from the back of the heel 12" long before shaping the toe.



Just so you know how mammoth these were...



Ok...I felted them exactly the same way as before, only this time I checked on them every three minutes. After twelve minutes I took them out and rinsed them in cold water and then threw them back in for two more minutes. Rinsed in cold water again, and they were perfect!



All is well with the world once again.



These are the leftovers. I used two balls of Patons SWS for each pair. The smaller pair (leftovers on the right) probably took slightly less than a ball and a half. The larger pair took nearly two balls, but still a bit of leftovers. I matched the stripes by matching the balls and starting each slipper at the same point in the yarn pattern. It's very easy to spit-splice this yarn if you have to fudge it in a few places.

Slipper Madness

It started with Slippers-That Suck (see last post)

Then I made a pair of these from Knit One Felt Too. I made a test slipper and it turned out great, so I made a second one to finish the pair. Yes, they're the same size. The camera has an attitude.



Then I made a second identical pair with Patons SWS. And they turned out super cute and cozy. SWS felts up thick and dense.



Both pairs were supposed to be for me...see any problem with that??



The little ones are too small even for Hayley (major pout). Know anyone with 6" feet who needs a cozy pair of slippers??

I've already cast on a second pair of SWS slippers for me. This time, I'm making a larger size and will pay better attention during the washing machine stage.

This is a swatch of elann.com's new Super Tweed yarn coming out on Tuesday Nov. 7. It's a cottton, wool, acrylic blend that is soft and springy. Feels soft like a rag wool, but the touch of elastic will help it hold its shape better than most rag wools. Very nice to knit. I got guage with my sample (16 st = 4" on 5 1/2mm needles). The colour is Dappled Sand.

Button Button

As in...Cute as a...



How cute are those? I found them at Michaels yesterday. Big beautiful buttons. I put a quarter there to give a sense of scale. Darling daughter has already earmarked her favorites for future projects I am to knit for her. (This one here, would be perfect for a pink shrug, mom).

If that isn't enough cute for you, how about my tiny toolbox? It's a Player's Light cigarette tin (oh scandalous!) I found at the thrift shop. Just the right size for the essentials (I am a minimalist) with room for a few more.



What I wish the weather was like today...



It's not. We are in full November monsoon today. It's cold and windy, and rain pours off the gutters as though a hose was left on. When I look out the window from my desk (mmmm), I can see a river of rain running down the street. I can also see the mailbox. Handy. But no yarn today. No yarn for the last two weeks. No yarn until I've worked my way through some of the wonderful yarns I already have here, begging for attention.

Well...maybe just a little yarn.

Take Your Kid to Work Day

Yesterday was Take-Your-Kid-to-Work-Day at Colin's high school. Colin was happy because both of his parents work from home! He spent the morning with me and the afternoon with Doug. Colin interviewed me, and I gave out my work title as homemaker and freelance writer. He helped me clean up the upstairs of the house so that my working area was tidy and comfortable for me.

We had a long conversation about the activities that fill out my mornings of working as a writer. When I said that writing my blog was sometimes part of my work, he retorted that blogging is not writing. By reply, I read him an excellent article on Witch Hazel in Trish's "My Merino Mantra" blog. He agreed that it certainly was writing and that he would expect to read that article in a gardening magazine (or one on herbal remedies). We did a free-writing exercise together and shared what we had written. He had many questions about how I get articles ready for contests or to send to publishers. He asked me to read him the article I am working at selling now that the contest work is done. He responded emotionally to the article and we talked about that. I showed him the website of a magazine that I think will be a good market. We found the submission guidelines, etc. He was so engaged that he got excited when he discovered that this magazine is a perfect market for my piece.

"You're going to send it there, aren't you mom?!" He urged.

It was a fun morning for both of us.

Colin spent the afternoon with Doug, and they looked pretty busy. Colin interviewed Doug and helped him get his home office set up. They were switching furniture around a lot. At one point, Colin was busy dismantling my desk. Later, I walked by Doug's office and overheard him explaining principles of basic programming to Colin.

The guys moved my desk upstairs. Now that Doug has claimed the downstairs for his office, we're going to turn our hardly used living room into a library of sorts. My desk gets to sit in the middle of our front window where I can look out and see the changing leaves.



On another subject:Slippers That Suck

Remember these? I liked them a lot, but that teal colour never felted properly, and now look what's happened after only a month of wear!!



All the other colours felted well. I'm ticked at that teal. My last pair of these slippers lasted for nearly a year. I'm trying a new pattern from that Knit 1 Felt 2 book. These ones are knit on big needles with worsted weight yarn. Perfect for that huge hank of Charisma from Webs. I liked knitting with the Charisma, it's such a sturdy wooly wool, and this colourway is packed with rich dark wintery colours.



The slipper is knitted like a short sock on large needles and then felted. The first one turned out great, so I'll go ahead and make a second one, and probably a second pair in Patons SWS. I like that striped pattern and might try it with my Highland Wool sometime.

Trick or Treat!

It's the last day of October, and I've met all three of my deadlines: HUGe, the writing contest, and the bag contest (!!!) Spent most of today writing up instructions for the bag pattern, but all is done and gone now. Tonight I'm KNITTING!

Happy Birthday, Rosie!!

Have a great one!

Wanna See What I Saw?

I did get out for that walk and it was wonderful. It's getting cold out! I needed a toque (my knitting of course) and a heavy sweatshirt. Next time a woolly sweater.

The salmon are spawning. This mostly means we see a lot of dead salmon on the shoreline. I have seen them charge up the creek, but only when I don't have a camera with me. They seem to know. I thought this guy was a goner.



But then he started thrashing around. Poor things. They look so beat-up and bedraggled by this point. Those guys are tough!



There are also lots of birds around these days (feasting on salmon suppers). More photos another day. Blogger is being pissy.

YeeeeeHaaaaaa!!!

I have finished my three entries for the writing contest!!! Done! Done! Done! I just have to submit them via the online entry form and then forget about it until February.

How do I put this massive feat into perspective? First, you need to know that I am not exactly...employable. I can't keep regular hours, and too much activity stresses me out. Sometimes my nervous system just goes down and I need to sleep for a few days. I jump easily at noises and loud voices. I used to be a high-school teacher...can you imagine me going back to that? Noooo. I used to be a hard-driven academic grad-school student (ancient biblical languages and exegesis). Don't even ask.

Now I am a writer. I have set aside mornings to work. I work from about 9:00 until noon. I've been training myself and my friends and family to this schedule. I don't have to commute. The coffee is always fresh. And I can go to work in my pajamas if I want to. I have set myself the modest goal of selling something I've written to a paying publication. I'm hoping that it happens within a year, but whatever. It would be really great to make some kind of a living off what I do more naturally than anything else, besides knitting. It would be cool if something I wrote put a roof on our house or yarn in my stash. Doug wants a Mini-Cooper very badly, but I get ahead of myself...

So...this past two weeks, I have stuck to my schedule, and I have three pieces of work ready to enter in a contest. One is a collection of poetry, and two are personal essays. All three began as pieces I have written in the last four years, but all three required major surgery and editing to conform to demands of quality, clarity, and length. I'm surprised at the different directions each one took me. Like going on a journey on a familiar path and winding up somewhere else entirely.

It feels amazing to be done! I'm going off for a much-needed walk on what has turned into a glorious fall day. When I return I'm posting pix of what I saw.

Pretty Darn Brilliant

I came up with an idea this week that is so wonderful, I have to share it. Maybe you remember I was working on a "science experiment" a while back (and maybe you don't), but life got so crazy in October that I put it away. I had three deadlines in October, and the other two have gone so well that a few days ago I hauled out the abandoned experiment. Ok, it's a bag that I'm designing. That sounds too lofty. Ok, it's a bag that I'm making up as I go along. That's more accurate.

I got to thinking about handles. I can knit a handle, but I like strappy handles on my bags. I was in the thrift store looking for other items, and I wandered into the purse aisle. Lots of purses. Lots of handles. I started looking at them closely. A lightbulb went on over my head. It is cheaper to buy a used purse and raid the hardware than it is to buy something at a store that might not look as nice. I bought some used purses.



I harvested the handles. Went for ones that were supple, and that had a good shape and comfortable feel. I went for ones that had cool hardware and clips and such that could be knitted and felted right onto the bag. Or that could clip onto D-rings after felting



I went for belts and belt-like purse straps that could be buckled through two D-rings or sewn in place. Very excited about the whole idea, cuz I've got plans. Bag-lady plans.

I finished knitting and felting the bag today. Can't show a pic until...later, but I have to say I LOVE how the bag turned out. I don't even care if I win the contest. I made a bag that I really like, and it's my own design. I'm already planning to make a second one. And I have handles...

Apart from that, it has been an exhausting week. I am nearly ready to send my three pieces of writing off to the contest. I went to see my therapist today, and that was a soggy affair. Doug and I desperately need a few days away on our own. I'm feeling like I just can't keep up with all that is going on in our family life these days. But hey, I made a bag that I like.

Groovy

The rest of yesterday went a lot better. I met my mom for lunch, and we had a nice time. We went to a Japanese restaurant, and she gave me a butternut squash from her garden and some birthday goodies. Chocolates and a knitting book...who could complain? I saw my dad for a few minutes at the end of the visit. He has become a lot quieter in the last two years. I can't say I get excited about seeing my parents. I'm not looking for anything particular from them. But I've discovered that each time I do one of these get-togethers, I feel less scared of them -- of both the visits and of my parents. I come away with a stronger feeling of who I am in relation to them.



On the way home I stopped in to the VV Boutique. Valu-Village is a thrift store. I used to be snobby about such things until I discovered how much fun it is to shop the deals. H needed some duds to complete her hippy look for Hallowe'en.

Find of finds...eleven pairs of knitting needles in excellent condition for 99 cents a pair. I bought up a big handful for the Wednesday yarn girls. Many of them are just beginning to knit, with few supplies to call their own. I found a lot of useful sizes in the worsted/aran range and a set of DPN's



Spent most of my free time yesterday working over two of my contest pieces. They are starting to look good again. And then I knocked off to finish this fingerless mitt. I like this pattern. It's simple, comfy, and close-fitting. You can find the free pattern here:

http://wendyknits.net/knit/mitts.htm

I mostly followed her instructions, but worked a few extra increases at the thumb gusset (15 st. instead of 11), and cast on a few extra stitches over the thumb hole. She says two; I did five. I also worked my rib in K1 P1 instead of K2P2 as she does.



I can do the Spock salute with both hands. Ain't I geeky?

Never Done

Here's a 2Truths and a Lie question that is so easy. [How easy is it?] It is so easy, that I'm giving everyone a point. Even people who don't read my blog are getting a point. Ready?

My favorite ways to wake up in the morning:

1. I don't like to wake up
2. If I have to wake up, let it be gently, by the sound of rolling surf
3. By my daughter flipping the light on in my eyes in the middle of a dead sleep and shrieking hysterically that her father is an idiot!

Our dear MS. H went off to bed last night with a sore belbow, so her darling father gave her an ice-pack to help soothe her way into slumber. She woke up early this morning and discovered to her great horror that her quilt, her sheets, her pajamas -- and her favorite cuddly item given to her when she had the chicken pox at four years old -- were soaked with sticky red juice. The man had given her a bag of frozen mixed berries for her ice pack, and no, he did not move the original (perforated) store packaging into a zip-lock bag. I'm not even going to unpack that one. I'll just leave it to your imagination.



Bunny enjoyed her trip through the washing machine, despite H's great fears that something terrible would happen. Her white parts have not looked this white in a long time, and she is still soft and fluffy. She's going to nap and dry in front of the fire today. Everything else was permanently stained, but fortunately not Bunny

Here's another 2Truths question that everyone gets a point for not having to answer:

Things I enjoy listening to:

1. The sound of the rain on the roof
2. The sound of a wood-burning fire
3. The sound of my son's voice dictating hockey statistics at me.

He is a hockey fan. I am not. No...that is putting it too mildly. He is hockey-OCD. I will watch the final game of the Stanley Cup IF we are playing in it.



This is the score board he installed on the outside of his room door. He made this himself. He changes the logos to show who is playing in the game that day. Every time a team scores, he opens his door and changes the score. Nobody in our family pays attention to the games except for him, so we're not sure for whose benefit he's posting the scores.



And people wonder why I buy yarn...



My Little Knits package finally arrived -- over a month after I ordered it. It was not Little Knits' fault -- they sent the package the day after I ordered it, and it arrived in Canada a day after that. And then it disappeared for a month. Little Knits kindly set about tracking it for me after I contacted them a few days ago, but it arrived today by itself. Didn't seem the least bit apologetic for partying on, staying out for weeks at a time and making me worry.

Look at all that splendiferous DB merino. It really is lovely lovely lovely. DK in three great colours (green, a light blue, and dark dark brown). Ten balls of merino chunky in a dark eggplant purple. This stuff sold for a song. Whole bags for 25 dollars. I guess I can forgive it for being a little late.



Two more joys await me now: I get to put one of my essays throught the editing process (and turn it into shit), and I get to have lunch with my mom. That one could go either way. I'll let you know.

Blockhead

I finished that shrug and made half a mitt, but the mitt is too small. So I knitted a hat. It's a free pattern from Berroco called "Kap." I knitted it in Artful Yarns Jazz, a heavy worsted 50/50 alpaca and wool yarn. It's yummy soft and tweedy rust/sage green. And it fits my pin-head. It is not felted, and I wanted it to have that newsboy slouch, so after I washed it, I blocked it...on my head. Yes, I wore this damp little hat on my head for the better part of five hours while I slaved away on my computer. It was surprisingly warm and I was not aware of the dampness. The wonder of wool.



I worked today, worked hard too. I'm editing three different pieces of writing for that CBC contest. It's a huge job. Today I worked over a poetry collection. They were all poems that I wrote in moments of great freedom, when I had no thought but to get them down onto paper. That is how all my work begins, in moments of complete abandon. I allow anything and everything to spill out without restraint. I love that stage. It is full of feeling and release. My unconscious mind travels all around to places I would never visit otherwise. Sometimes it's terrifying and painful, but it is also a bit of a thrill.

Then the raw material sits around, for weeks or months (or even years) before I lay my hands on it again and wrangle it into some kind of shape. That wrangling process involves several stages of distilling, changing, moving things around, throwing my hands up in despair, slamming my computer shut, and stomping around outside.

This collection of poems has been through the grinder several times already, and I have reached the point in editing where it all feels like shit. Nothing is good. It's dead. No one will ever want to read it. At this point, I have to leave it alone for a few days, let it set. Knit. Watch brainless movies, like "Lake Placid."

I've been reading a lot of those meme lists of four things. I think my favorite question is the one about movies you can watch over and over. Some of mine are:

Armageddon
The Hunt for Red October
Erin Brokovitch
An Affair to Remember
The Shawshank Redemption
Dead Poet's Society
You've got Mail
The Abyss