A Drive To A Lake

 All summer my husband and his brother have been going on hikes once or twice a week. I've learned we have a lot of small lakes around here up high in the mountains because they've been hiking to them and telling me all about them when they return. Last Tuesday my husband suggested going for a drive to visit one of the lakes he's been to. You can drive to it, or hike. 

I can't do much hiking right now because my leg is still healing. The swelling and bruising in my knee is healing, but it's still got a ways to go. Well, anyway, we took a drive up north to visit Roman Nose Lake. I don't know why it's called that. It didn't look like a nose of any type to me. 

The drive was very nice, even if it was mostly on rough gravel logging roads up in the mountains. The weather was perfect. I really enjoyed it. I took a few pictures. Thought I'd share them.

Here are two Mule deer does and a fawn standing in the road chewing on a couple bushes. They were not afraid of us. We had to stop and wait for awhile until they decided they'd stroll off into the woods so we could get by.

This is lower Roman Nose lake. There is also Mid Roman Nose and High Roman Nose Lake. You can't drive to them. You have to hike. I think it's about 4 miles over a nearby ridge, or something like that. The lower lake is quite pretty. 

It's way up at the altitude that Alpine firs grow. Alpine firs are the slim-line Christmas kind of tree. They only grow about an inch a year, if that, because they're up too high to have a reasonable length of growing time. I learned some time ago that Conifer trees don't grow below the temperature of 56F degrees. It's a much colder climate up in the mountains.

There's a trail that goes half way around the left side of the lake. I noticed something while strolling along. The really big Alpine Fir's bark starts to split into squares and rectangles. I don't know why, but I find it interesting. This particular tree is probably about 12 inches thick. The tree is well over 300 years old.

Besides Alpine Fir, there are Tamaracks. The Tamarack is a conifer tree (has needles and cones) that actually turns yellow in the fall and the needles all fall off. It's the only conifer I know that does that. They are incredibly beautiful in the fall. These ones are growing up the side of an old boulder avalanche. The rocks are pretty big and made of granite.

It's where the trail ended. I got Zoey to pose on a rock for me. She was pretty happy. So many new things and smells to experience!

When I was taking the above pic, there was a bush with tiny little cones on it behind me. They were so cute!

The bush was some type of Alder. My thumb is in this photo so you can see the size of the cones.

A picture of the lake from another side. You can see the avalanche straight across.

I wish I had taken a chair and my knitting with us. It was kind of sad to drive all that way only to stay for about 30 minutes. I could have sat in the sun breathing in that clear sweet smelling air and knitting. I would have liked that.

Speaking of knitting, I have started a pair of socks. These will be this years Christmas present for the daughter-in-law. I was going to create some socks with trains on them, but I ran across this pattern and fell madly in love with it. She would definitely like them.

I'm using white and a heather blue yarn . So far, I'm liking it. The main pattern is 12 stitches wide and 10 rows high. A nice easy pattern. It'll get a little bit more difficult after I turn the heal. The bottom of the foot has it's own stitch pattern.

Live long and prosper. \\//

A Bunch of Little Squares

 After finishing the duck socks, I got a strong craving to knit another pair of mittens. I quickly picked 3 colors from the stash, a stitch pattern from one of my books, and made these.

Pattern: None. Just something I've put together, Estonian style.

Size: Womans Medium

Yarn: Valley Yarns Huntington
Content: 75% Merino, 25% Nylon, Fingering weight.
Color: White

Yarn: Red Heart Heart and Sole
Content: 70% Superwash Wool/30% Nylon, Fingering weight
Color: Navy

Yarn: Opal Uni Solid 4ply
Content: 75% Superwash Wool/25% Nylon, Fingering weight
Color: 1413 Fuschia

Needles: Circular size 2

Started: September 15, 2024
Finished: October 1, 2024

Comments: I love these! I custom fit them to my own hands. They feel wonderful. The stitch pattern came from my newly acquired book The Big Book of Latvian Mittens, though I altered it a bit so it's not exactly the same.

Back

I was reading one of my mittens books and learned the thumbs are knit in a stranded pattern for the warmth. It makes the fabric at least double thick. I have seen patterns where the thumb and fingers are knit in plain stockinette and they are not as warm.

Front

I absolutely love the color combination. The pattern was surprisingly easy to knit too. I had it memorized very quickly and it knit up very fast.

Stitch pattern detail

I had a few different choices for decreasing the thumbs. I chose the easiest one, which was having a center stitch on each side that always was knit with the background color of the row, and decreasing either side of those center stitches. My tension is still rather sloppy when I get to the small circumference part of any knitting. Hopefully it will improve in time.

Thumb

About the cuff. I got the idea from gloves and mittens being sold in the NordicMittens Etsy store. Külli Jacobs, who knits for and owns it, is kind of my knitting hero. She does such beautiful work and I've been inspired by her to pursue excellence in my knitting and got me started making Estonian mittens.

 

Cuff

 I actually bought a pair of her gloves during the summer just so I could look at them close up. They're going to be so warm this winter. Anyway, the cuff is basically a 12 stitch feather and fan pattern. I knit 5 rows MC, 1 row CC, 4 rows MC, 2 rows CC, 3 rows MC, 3 rows CC, 2 rows MC, 4 rows CC, 1 row MC, and 5 rows CC. Then I started repeating it all again just to add the small amount of length I needed to finish the cuff.

This next picture is for the knitters out there. We like to see the inside of stranded knitted items just to check out how even the floats are.

Inside

This is next pic shows the only mistake I made. I started and ended both mittens on the same row of the pattern, there's exactly the same number of rows, but for whatever reason, they didn't end the same. I decreased to 10 stitches left, then I finished with a 3 needle bind off. I have no idea why the pink squares are off or how it happened-yet. I need to sit and study them a bit. Oddly, this does not bother me. I would enter them in the fair..

Top tips

I'm looking forward to wearing them this very-soon-coming winter.

It's a beautiful sunny day today. The sky is so clear and it smells like fall already. It's pretty chilly out though. Tomorrow should be back in the 70's. I'm planning on being out on the deck for awhile.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Ducks say "Quack Quack"

 Finally got some decent pictures of my finished Duck socks.

Pattern: 
White goose socks by Renarde Endormie

Size: Ladies Medium

Yarn: Valley Yarns Huntington

Content: 75% Merino, 25% Nylon, Fingering weight
Color: 25 Bluestone

Yarn: Valley Yarns Huntington

Content: 75% Merino, 25% Nylon, Fingering weight
Color: White

Yarn: Unknown name, from the stash. 

Content: Probably 80% Superwash wool, 20% Nylon, Fingering weight
Color: Yellow

Needles: ChiaoGoo circular size 2

Started: July 26, 2024
Finished: September 13, 2024

Comments: I know the pattern is named goose, but they look more like ducks to me. I'd add another row or two in the neck for geese. 

I duplicate stitched the bills rather than knit them in. Much easier, to be honest.

I left out about 8 rows of the pattern. Sigh... I didn't notice until I got to that spot in the second sock. Decided to make it a design feature rather than reknit. So they are a bit shorter than the originals.

Look at those top ruffles. They look like duck feet! So cute, and clever.

I didn't do fancy on the heels. Just the usual standard gusset I've done so often it's permanently in my brain. I will remember it forever, even if I get Alzheimers.

 

The usual standard toe too. I decreased until 10 stitches were left, then finished with a three-needle bind off.

It's nice to have them done and ready for Christmas. First present done!

My knee is getting better and better. The main swelling is finally going down and my legs are getting stronger. I'm sore today because I walked all over Costco yesterday. Probably overdid it just a smidge.

Speaking of Costco, yesterday was the usual run I do every few weeks or so. We're low on toilet paper and paper towels so a trip was needed. Got to the store and the place was absolutely PACKED for a Thursday. I asked one of the employees if it was busier than usual and she said yes. Then I went to the back for the toilet paper and the whole back area was completely empty! No toilet paper! No paper towels! Not even any kleenex! Of any brand whatsoever! My first thought was "I wonder where they moved it to." because stuff gets moved around all the time. Then I overheard a lady talking to an older couple telling them the store is out! There was a big rush yesterday and it all sold. Toilet paper hoarders are at it again! She was telling the couple that there wasn't any because of President Biden and the election coming up. (A huge pile of bird doo doo.)

Good god there's a lot of stupid people in this country. Elections and presidents have NOTHING to do with it! Actually, the run on the paper items is because of the dockworkers strike in a port on the east coast. Here's the thing---our Costco's toilet paper is manufactured less than a two hour drive from here in Lewiston, Idaho. In fact almost all toilet paper, paper towels, and kleenex is made in the USA. The strike has no effect on our toilet paper source! Ahh, futz!

Then I got home and read that the strike has been postponed until at least next January and negotiations are taking place. All those hoarders hoarded for no reason! Meantime, I need to score some toilet paper somewhere.

It's raining today. A good air-cleaning soaking rain. We've been needing it so bad. 

There are apples on my apple tree! It's a Honey Crisp tree. I went out last weekend to pick and they all have been chewed up by Yellow Jackets! Big holes in almost every apple. So no crop for me. Drat! My brother-in-law's Honey Crisp has apples too and his are fine. So I picked a bag and I've baked an apple pie today with some of them. Yum!

I didn't mention it in my blog, but in August we took a quick weekend trip over to Westport, Washington for a memorial event for my husbands sister. This is a picture taken on that trip. I was sitting out on the deck enjoying the sea air and a view of the ocean. We had Zoey with us and it was just a little chilly for her. I still had the blister then, so I didn't do a lot. I was very careful, used my cane, and the trip turned out to be very nice.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Leg Healing Progress

 My knee is heeling nicely. The big blister developed a leak and drained out. Then it turned into a huge scab. Over the past couple weeks pieces of the scab started falling off until it was about the size of a quarter. I was looking at it Sunday night and decided to see what would happen if I tried to peel it off. It popped off and now it's just fresh new skin.

The knee is still very swollen, and a slight infection moved in, but it's a bit better every day. I'm taking an antibiotic every day which is helpful.

I've had a physical therapist coming twice a week. It's helping a lot in getting the strength back in my legs. I've pretty much stopped using the cane, though I've been taking it in the car just in case. I walked to the mailbox and back today! My last therapist appointment is coming next Thursday.

I've had a nurse coming twice a week too. She's very concerned about the infection. She said she probably only has two or three visits left. Then I'm on my own. It's felt good having her coming. She's given me confidence in the healing process.

I finally finished the duck socks. I'm waiting for decent weather to take good photos. Immediately after finishing I found myself wanting to start another pair of mittens, so I did.

The cuff idea came from a pair in the NordicMittens Etsy store. The main stitch pattern is a small modification on one in my new book

Big Book of Latvian Mittens . I picked the yarns out of the stash. I'm loving how it's looking so far.

Our weather has cooled off a lot. It's been in the 60's most of the time in the last 

week or so. I've resisted turning on the furnace so far. I've been wearing warmer clothes and wrapping up in a blanket when needed. Zoey's been wearing sweaters.

Have you ever watched the movie Crazy Rich Asians?

I love it. I recently found out it's based on a book by Kevin Kwan with the same name. In fact, there's a trilogy. I bought them and started reading the first one. It's a love story about an American girl of Chinese descent and a guy who comes from an extremely rich family in Singapore.It's kind of an unusual sort of book for me to read but I've been having a hard time putting it down. I am really enjoying it.

That's the news for now.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Yes!

 Happy Star Trek Day!

Live long and prosper. \\//

Zoey's Sweater

Sharing WIPs today. This is the sweater I started for Zoey.

It's going to be a bright one. As I mentioned before, I'm recycling yarn from a previous sweater I made for Zoey. It was so loose on her. I frogged it. The green I'm using for the neck band has been in my stash for years. It's Cascade Pacific yarn. I'm throwing in some leftover purple from the last sweater I made me too, and the teal used for the bands on the frogged sweater. 

I've had a major setback on the socks. I ran out of the blue yarn. I thought I had a second skein, but I'm wrong. I was going to order another from Webs, which is where the first skein came from, but they are out. In fact, I could only find one place on the Internet that has it, but it's in England and they want $25 for shipping. Not happening.

I've decided to frog back to the beginning of the heel and use the white for heels and toes. That will give me enough blue yarn to finish the pair.

I find it looks better.  I'm also so glad I started my Christmas knitting early!

The wild fires are getting worse. There's been some lightning and it's starting them. We've had a couple within just a few miles of us. Fortunately the fire department has been timely in getting them beat down right away. In the meantime, the smoke has descended on us. It's thick enough to smell it, but not blocking out the mountains yet.

When we first moved here we didn't get nearly as many fires as we do now. It's making me very nervous.

Still using the phone to blog. I can't handle the weight of the laptop on me yet. My leg is healing pretty good. Some of the swelling has gone down and it doesn't look so purple. Pain level has gone down quite a bit too.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Damn It!

 First of all, I'm doing this post on my phone. I have managed to injure myself very badly.

Two Tuesdays ago I was cheerfully puttering in my yard picking off the dead flowers on the marigolds. I went up the steps to the deck, caught my left foot on the top step and fell, hard, on my left knee. It hurt! I got up and got an ice pack from the freezer. After a bit the swelling clearly told me to get myself to the Immediate Care Clinic. Took a few steps and got hit with the most agonizing pain I've had since I broke my back decades ago. I could not walk. I started screaming it hurt so bad. Doug called 911. 

45 minutes later I'm being wheeled into the emergency dept at Kootenai Hospital.

After X-rays and cat scans I learned I've damaged and bruised the tissue all around my knee. Because I'm on blood thinners (another story), blood was gushing out the veins into my leg which caused severe swelling from just above my knee to my toes and turned my leg an angry shade of purple. Thankfully nothing is broken or fractured. 

I spent 2 days in the hospital. While there a huge blister formed right above my knee cap. It's easily 3 inches across. I've never had something so gross on me! It drained mostly last Tuesday evening. It's very ugly. It'll take at least 2 months to heal, assuming I don't manage to get infection in it. I'm being extra careful to make sure that doesn't happen.

I came home the following Thursday evening using a walker and having a hard time doing so.  I have a physical therapist coming a couple times a week, and also a nurse. I'm now using a cane. I'm going to get past this as quickly as I can.

I took a picture of the blister. I thought about posting it here on my blog, but I wouldn't want to be reading along and suddenly come upon it, so what I've done is put it in one of my online albums with a link. If you care to see it, click below.

Big Blister

I've been knitting some since I'm on my butt most of the time. I've started a new sweater for Zoey (more details another time). I've also been working on the second duck socks. Got the heel turned yesterday.

I need to start working on the graphing of the next pair I'll be knitting. There's no actual pattern for them yet. Just an idea in my head.  Lots of math will be involved .

That's it for now. I'm hoping I'll be able to stand having my laptop in my lap with the next post. 

Live long and prosper! \\//

There Be Ducks

 It took two times, but I finally knit a respectable set of ducks on the socks.

Having trouble with even tension on the background color. I'm hoping blocking will help. I plan to duplicate stitch the beaks. That's what the directions say to do.

Last April 1, April Fools Day, my husband went to his office before heading to the class he was going to teach and found a potato on his desk covered in postage stamps. Someone mailed him a potato as an April Fools joke. We don't know who, and probably will never know who. He loves that potato. He actually bought a pot and some potting soil and planted it. It resides out on the deck and has been growing quite nicely.

It has started blooming and I thought I'd post a pic for those who have never seen potato flowers.

These ones are white, but I've seen them in blues and purples too. It depends on the variety. This is a Russet potato plant. The flowers are about the size of a nickel. 

Last weekend we were expecting 3 digit heat and the air was thick. Well, guess what? It didn't happen. Clouds moved in and we got rain! It was warm and muggy all day Saturday then rained a bit during the night. Sunday the temperature had dropped considerably (70's) and we got quite a bit more rain. It was so welcome! It helped a bit with local fires, which have all been fairly small and knocked out fairly quickly. 

This weekend it's been in the upper 80's and the smoke is oppressive. It's moved in from other states. I decided to stay indoors. So no deck knitting this weekend. I'm watching movies and the Olympics and being a lazy good for nothing, though I did knit the heel on the sock late last night. Planning on getting back to that as soon as I'm done with this, which I am now.

Live long and prosper. \\//

WIPs August 2, 2024

 I have been working on just two wips this past week. Mostly cross stitching the flamingos.

I like to stitch one color at a time. I start with lighter colors and work my way toward the darker colors. I've done this one a little different, but still working with the lighter colors. 

I've finished two pinks, and now I'm working on coral pink. I've been working on it while watching the Olympics. 

I know I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again, I love graphing the fabric before stitching. It has made it so much easier for counting stitches and figuring out where they go.

I've started the first of my Christmas knitting projects. I'm making a pair of socks with ducks on them.

They're from the top down, so the ruffle is at the top of the cuff. I love how the ruffles look like duck feet. I'm going to be doing the ducks in fairisle, but I'll be duplicate stitching the beaks. That way I'm not doing 3 colors in a row.

The pattern changes the size of the needles up 1 size for the stranded part, then back down to the smaller size for the stockinette. I think that is a good idea.

Last week was so nice. It didn't get very hot. We even had a day of rain which knocked all the smoke out of the air. The heat returned today. It's about 97F now. Tomorrow will be three digit heat. I'm so glad we have air conditioning.

I had a bit of an experience yesterday. After the Yarnies meeting, I was pulling out of the coffee shop's parking lot onto the street and ended up being pulled over by a cop. I've been driving for almost 50 years and never have been pulled over before. I was at a complete loss what I did wrong because I had hardly driven at all. I certainly didn't cut anyone off, speed, or anything else. I just pulled out into the closest lane and started to tootle toward the freeway on-ramp. Well, apparently, I didn't turn on my blinker light before turning out onto the street. I don't know how he could have known because from where he saw me, he couldn't have seen my blinker. To be honest, I don't know if I turned it on or not. I usually do because it's a habit. I even turn them on coming in and out of a parking spot. He didn't give me a ticket, fortunately. It kind of scared me though.

We have 3 turkey hens hanging around the house. At least one has babies. They're so cute! Too shy for pics though. There's also a doe with brand new twin fawns. They are fun to watch.

That's all for now.

Live long and prosper. \\//

My First Estonian Style Mitten

 I am so excited to post this. I finished my Estonian mittens! I am very proud of them.

Pattern: My First Estonian Mittens by Linda Jo Park

Size: Womans Small

Yarn: Valley Yarns Huntington
Content: 75% Merino, 25% Nylon, Fingering weight.
Color: White

Yarn:Schachenmayr Regi a 4-fädig 4-ply

Content: 75% Superwash Wool/25% Nylon, Fingering weight
Color: 33019 (Aqua)

Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot

Content: 60% Wool/25% Mohair/15% Nylon, Fingering weight
Color: Ruby

Needles: Circular size 1

Started: February 12, 2024
Finished: July 22, 2024

Comments: I am so pleased with these. I took a basic mitten pattern and applied the Estonian techniques and stitch patterns to it. I got the Chevron and the larger floral pattern from the book 
Eesti labakindad ilma laande laiali - Estonian mittens all around the world by Aino Praakli

Back

Close up of the stitch pattern. I should mention that I duplicate stitched the red stitches because I didn't think of it until knitting a whole mitten. I was not going to start over. 

I have no idea if Estonians did that or not. Probably not. I don't care at this point.

Palm

Close up of the thumb stitch pattern. It is common for the thumbs to be a smaller stitch pattern from the hand. I picked one that kind of matched. I found it somewhere on the internet.

Here is the pattern I used. It is 8 stitches wide and 12 rows tall.

This is the cuff. Estonian style mittens and gloves have quite an assortment of stitch patterns they used for cuffs besides the standard, and ordinary, one by one rib.

I learned quite a bit from knitting these mittens. I admit there were days when I almost threw them across the room in frustration because I just couldn't get it right. It was worth the trouble though.  Besides, I love learning new things. I've also improved my tension using small needles when changing from one needle to the next, so no more ladders from too loose or vertical ridges from knitting too tight.

I have been thinking about knitting mittens to sell in my local area. I would have to find a store to sell them, and figure out sizing issues. The mittens above are size woman's small because I did them with size 1 needles which got me a stitch gauge of 10 stitches per inch. Yes, you read that right. I think it's the most stitches per inch I've ever knit, except maybe the thread beaded knit amulet bags I made in the mid 2000's. (I still want to finish that book.) Mittens are knit tighter than usual so they are warmer. Anyway, the idea is rolling around in my head. I've even stocked up on a bit of yarn to get started with the knitting. I need to find a boutique in town that caters to wealthy travelers looking for Idaho made souvenirs. I wonder if there is one? I'll have to look into it.

Live long and prosper. \\//