Tolt Mitts ~

When I started these Tolt Mitts on two circular needles, I was a bit worried that they wouldn't work out the way my socks have worked.  The cast on and the ribbing were a bit awkward with such few stitches. Once past that, the color work went really well.

I can't wait to get to the thumb!

Plying time ~

I had such a great spinning day yesterday that I am able to ply this lovely fiber today.

What started out as lovely cream fiber of merino, alpaca, kid mohair and silk...

turned into super yummy frothy yarn that is oh-so-soft!  My best spinning yet!!! Hurrah!!

Spinning time ~

I had not been spinning since the paradise weekend in Fort Worden. I have missed the wonderful and peaceful feeling that spinning gives me, so I decided that I was going to pamper myself with lots of spinning on the day after Christmas.
I started spinning the Taylored Fibers greens from Fort Worden....

Then I moved to spinning the Taylored Fibers blend with the kid mohair that I started spinning last year....

 

I was spinning the Taylored Fibers merino/alpaca/angora blend.....

I even spun some of the Taylored Fibers corriedale blend that I started spinning last year....a super way to celebrate spinning again!!

Christmas Knitting ~

I did a lot of knitting for Christmas gifts this year, and love all the finished objects.  Here are some highlights:
Chirality cowl for college daughter..

Boston Strong hat for high school cross country and track runner...

Walking Rib cowl for college daughter

Plus each of my daughters received hand knit socks, but I don't have any finished pictures here...but I will post them here soon!

Holiday Boot Camp ~

Yes, we are still working out at 6:00 am, outside in December.  The city hall/library plaza where we work out was all decorated from the previous night's gala event, so we turned on all the lights that we could for our 6:00 am workout.

We couldn't find the light switches on the tractor, but still found it to be a great back drop to our holiday picture!

New Local Yarn Shop ~

While in Michigan, I missed the grand opening of our newest local yarn shop...but my friends were there and said it was an amazing place. I couldn't wait to visit, and checked it out my first weekend back here ~ what a GREAT shop!   Tolt Yarn and Wool is delightful in every way.

Lots of yarn, lots of samples, lots of light to check out the yarn and samples, and close to a great restaurant to celebrate a great birthday!

Plus a great pattern and great yarn to celebrate the grand opening!

 

Hurrah!  

Christmas baking ~

We didn't do much Christmas baking this season, so we had such fun when friend Hena came over to help with our first cookie baking session of the season!

I think we ate most of them by the next day ~ Super yummy!

Michigan Yarn ~

There was a bright spot in our Michigan trip, and that was finding out that our first grand-baby is due in May. To me, this meant that I needed to start some baby knitting, and I had an idea that I should start baby knitting with Michigan yarn.

Although I did find this yarn at their local yarn shop, it was not super wash so I didn't think it would work well for anything to do with babies...but I loved the crazy colors and it made me smile so I thought it would help brighten up the Michigan trip.

So I went to another local yarn shop and found this yarn and this yarn from Italy and a favorite pattern from my past, and had to start knitting....and the hat is so cute!!!!

Veterans' Day ~

I left for Michigan right after the Fort Worden weekend, as my Dad had just gone into Hospice care. I was glad for the fiber and friends paradise of Fort Worden, as it helped me get through my Dad's last days with our family.

Our last great day with Dad was on Veterans' Day, as Mom, my brother and I stood around Dad's bed and had a delightful exchange about camping and our Alaska adventures, and had some laughs as we shared stories. Dad had rallied for these few hours and it was such a special time for all of us. Dad died November 23, just before he would have turned 90. I was glad to have been with him in his last weeks with us.

Fort Worden Knitting ~

This amazing weekend was filled with lots of knitting, and here is a sample of what I was working on:
The Boston Strong hat for my cross country running and track star...

 Debi knit this cowl for her daughter...

Started the drop stitch scarf.....

 Also, started spinning on the newest fiber from Taylored Fibers,

 

 the 33/33/33 Merino/Alpaca/BFL in greens!

Taylored Fibers ~

This year at Fort Worden, we were lucky have a field trip to visit Taylored Fibers in a near by town. We met them at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in 2012, where I purchased two lovely bumps of fiber from them. At the 2012 Fort Worden trip, we visited Bazaar Girls knitting shop and found more of their fiber, and I purchased another lovely bump. We also found out that Taylored Fibers were located within 1/2 hour of Fort Worden, so we decided to try to visit them in 2013.

Their farm and operation are amazing, and Barry and Linda are wonderful tour guides and fiber enthusiasts.

They welcomed us like family and we spent an entertaining afternoon learning about fiber and their little flock, plus purchased more great fiber! Since it was so hard to pick fiber, I asked Marion, Debi and Lisa to each pick a bump for me to spin....

 Marion picked a lovely brown and cream blend...

 

Debi picked a blend of greens and...

 

 Lisa picked some wild orange creamsicle and fushia!

Paradise is Fort Worden ~

Last year was my first Fort Worden weekend, and it is the closest experience to fiber paradise I have ever known. Friends and knitting, friends and spinning, friends with great advice, friends selling great stash, scary acrylic that makes us all laugh....no classes or schedule, just friends and fiber, 24/7.

  Here we are, just knitting and laughing....

 

Laughing and knitting.....

Halloween Boot Camp ~

Yes, this is how much fun we have at 6:00 am boot camp in October.... complete in mini-mouse costume, she ran and jumped and lifted and had a great work out!

Here she is with the two hump backs.... what a great group!!!!

KingCo Champs ~

A perfect ending to a fabulous season!  Daughter did very well, and had a personal record at this race.

Here she is at the start of the race. Below she is airborne, looking strong and fast.

  Another great cross country season, and another opportunity to be thankful that we can run.

Run to Live... Live to Run......Love that she wears the hat I knit for her!

Fifth month anniversary ~

Now that the days are getting much shorter, we are doing our boot camp with just the plaza lights to show us our paths for running and stair climbing.  Sometimes the moon and stars also keep us company on these early mornings at 6:00 am.

Here we are doing wall climbs, and I am the closest to the stairway - to the farthest right, by the plaza light. Amazing that we do our workout and are done well before the sun begins to rise.....

Birthday Spinning Surprise ~

Marion helped me pick out this fiber at the 2012 Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. Eight ounces of lovely greens and purples, so much like a garden that Marion would have.

So I spun it and then plyed it, and took a very long time... and it turned out fabulous!  I was pleased with the outcome, and I know Marion was surprised and thrilled to get some hand spun named "Marion's Garden" because how great to have yarn named after one's garden!  Love to be able to give hand spun to knitters that appreciate the care, love and effort that goes into this yarn!

KingCo Preview ~

Another great race today, and she ran strong and fast and did very well. We are so proud of her, and I was so happy to be able to be there to see her race.

Here she is in her pack, strong and determined.

Here she is with her friends, teammates and sister, happy to have another race behind them and time together to celebrate! Loved being there to watch her race, plus a bonus of a long car ride for some sock knitting!

Four month anniversary ~

Yes, I am still counting my months of boot camp!  I am still having fun and working hard, plus a bonus that my 18 year old has also been attending as she waits for college to begin.  Very nice to have someone else wake up at 5:30 AM for a 6:00 AM class.... we must be nuts!

Here we are with one of our "fans" from the surrounding neighborhood that comes through the park to work out when we are almost done. He asked to get his picture taken with us so he could send to his family in New Deli.

We are international now!

Tracy Walters Invite ~

The race today was great - our daughter ran fast and strong, plus her first in "varsity whites" and the weather made the day enjoyable for runners and spectators. Super deluxe day!

Here is my kiddo with teammates - their faces show how amazingly great this race was for all of them. Below, they all are in their Varsity Whites!

Here they are after the race, celebrating with Hawaiian shirts, most of these shirts are from our family. The smiles tell how fun this race was, and how great it is to be celebrating now!!!

Odd to think all families might not have a collection of Hawaiian shirts??? They are such fun to wear, and fun to share!!!

 I was pleased we could supply half the team with shirts!!  Hurrah!

Road Trip Birthday ~

For the past five years, our family has taken a road trip on my birthday. This year our trip was to Spokane to watch our 15 year old run in the Tracy Walters Cross Country Invitational with her team. Fabulous drive over there, and cast on two (yes, two) projects that will count toward my "Birthday cast-on tradition" this year.

This first cast on are socks for my 15 year old cross country runner, in the colorway we bought together in Bellingham during college orientation for my 18 year old.  Also using a new brand of needles that I scored years ago on Ebay but had never used.  So far, they are working well.  Plus, I love the twist of this yarn - a great choice!

The second cast on are socks for my mum for Christmas. She cannot wear wool, so these are soft and cozy Alpaca with a Twist.
She says that she wears the other alpaca socks I have knitted for her all the time, and she needs new ones...so I had better get knitting!

Newest neighbor ~

Meet our sweet Scooter, our neighbor's newly adopted 9 year old cross of a red healer and boarder collie. I apologize if I am misspelling the breeds, as I do not know much about dogs.

He is very sweet, and he already loves us and the neighborhood!

I'm not sure how he feels about knitting, but we will be checking that out too...

Fabulous Fuchsia ~

I scored this malabrigo lace at my favorite yarn shop for 50% off during their anniversary sale. I will make the Jewel Cowl (free pattern on Ravelry). There is a beautiful sample in my favorite yarn shop, and each time I see it, I vow to knit this cowl.... I need to get beads and a crochet hook soon, so I can cast on!

As I was looking at it, while knitting on these socks, I noticed how similar the colors are....fuchsia is so lovely!

Skein left behind ~

Jitteryknitter takes her daughter up to the same college where we just attended orientation. (Does this sound like the opening line of a joke, "A knitter walks into a bar...." ?)   Really... they go to the same college a week after we are there, just so her daughter can check out the school and think about transferring. I am hoping they love the school so we have a better chance of getting to Knit Night on Tuesdays.... Around mid day, I get a picture and text from Jitteryknitter, "Did you leave this here?"

OMG Yes!  That was my daughter's second choice (and my first choice) and we were very sad to leave it there.  Then more sadness as Jitteryknitter did not bring it home for us.... she said, "..it seared my eyes right out of my head.."  Um, that is the point with neon...right?

River Knitting, too ~

A finished project at the river, yes!  This is a big part of why I love camping at the river!  I finished knitting this great hat, and it looks fabulous!

If I knit is again, I will decrease every other row on the top, instead of every row.  In other words, I will follow the directions on the pattern.  The reason I did not for this hat, is because I was worried the hat would be too long and floppy while my daughter is running. However, if I decreased every other row, the tops of the runners would be easier to see....We still love this hat! Hurrah for a finished project!

River Knitting ~

Finally, we went camping to our river spot. First time this summer, so I have missed out on tons of river knitting. Lucky for me, we were able to camp for a long weekend, so I was able to make progress on a few projects.

Here are the amazing Miss Babs socks. This yarn is even more beautiful by the river

(I know, you are asking how Miss Babs could be more beautiful...the river is magical, really).