Swankyhanks

Yesterday, when I awoke, it was to full sunshine.  It took me a full minute to recognize what it was.

Not being one to normally complain about the weather (it is what it is), I just want to whine mention that it has been approximately 34 F and raining since, um, well somewhere around Christmas.  Although we in the NW are immune to gray, wet weather, there is something soul-sucking about the coldest possible rain day after endless day.  I didn’t realize how soul-sucking it was until I contemplated my two latest FO’s–the Anniversary Socks, and a pair from the live, in-person SOTM at Yorkshire Yarns (a really great shop, if you’re in the area and need a fix).

The colors (which I happen to love, BTW) are as muted as the weather.  Waking up to a sunny day made me feel like I need color .  Yesterday, I worked out in the backyard, glorying in all the daffodil and tulip shoots preparing to burst into bloom in March and April.  The Lenten Roses have little clusters of blooms at their bases.  It gave me hope, I tell you!  I also started knitting these in the hank color shown:

And, while they may not win any summery color awards, it is just enough color to revive me.  They remind me of the soft early spring sunshine.  Phew!  Spring may come after all.

Sock notes:

Anniversary socks:  Regia Silk, Brown, pattern by Nancy Bush in Vintage Socks

(knit as in pattern, except make sure ya get the Errata on the Interweave site)

McGuinness Branch Socks: Pace yarn in Olive, pattern by Figheadh Yarnworks (the heel is not really saggy–I didn’t pull it up on the blocker all the way, and darned if a lazy gal like me is gonna re-shoot…)

(did my own heel and toe–can’t help myself….)

I also downloaded the Chalice Cable Handwarmers since Lea found them on Ravelry and had expressed a desire to knit them w/ some Rowan Felted Tweed she’s had aging in the stash since our trip to So Cal last year.  Sarah is heading down to visit Lea at college soon, so she can take it, and said yarn, down to her…I may need some of these, too.  I’m a fingerless glove-o-phile. 

Now I’m back at school in my home country. I still love it here, but I’m getting back into the swing of things. Love the girls I live with, and I think I’ll like my classes. I’m already really enjoying anatomy and I’m starting (maybe not starting, but continuing) to embrace the geek in me. I’ve found that going into the anatomy lab to study bones and joints is a great way to see and catch up with people. :-)

On to chocolate! One of my sweet housemates invited me to go study with her at a bookshop, but since they did not have the books she wanted, we decided to go somewhere else. That somewhere else ended up being Cacao, at which no actual studying ensued. But, it was all worth it. Their specialty is drinking chocolate and while I was enjoyed the sample offered to me, I opted for the mocha. The richest mocha ever, but oh-so-good. My housemate had a shot of the spiced drinking chocolate, which had quite the kick to it. We sat inside away from the bitter cold and had a good chat. Mmmm, chocolate will do that to ya. Highly recommend it for a different treat. The owner used to work at Fran’s chocolates in Seattle. The website is a wip, but it has an address, which is all you need.

Once upon a time, there were three knitters, all of whom knit continuously, who never managed to get any actual knitting content posted to their blog. 

This was changed when, one day, the Mom knitter exclaimed, “if I just took pictures, I could show two fo’s and an almost fo this very day.  So, that’s just what she did.

First she would like to remind you of the Dinah hat, so lovingly knit for Mister, but which remained unwearable for nearly six months due to a lack of finishing details.  Knitter #2 goaded knitter #1 into using the nifty little twister-doodle to make ties for said hat, and together they fashioned a nice tassle.  Hence:

And Mister actually wore it on our recent x-country ski outing:

Also lovingly knit for Mister–a pair of socks.  These are the thrice-knit socks–I had first chosen the lozenge pattern from Vintage Knitted Socks.  It is definitely a Goldilocks wannabe story because at first they were Too Big.  Then they were Not the Right Yarn for the Pattern, and finally, I created my own pattern and they are Just Right.  Yarn is Meilenweit Cotton in a speckled black and grey.  I think I had less than a yard left when I was finished.  Phew.  Pattern is a garter rib, and I shaped the calf, so it is very nice indeed.  But, they took me soooo long to finish, what with all the frogging, that I am so very glad to have them off the needles at last.

Finally, much progress on my Tangled Yoke–another sad story here.  I had the top finished and was ready to begin the button bands, when I noticed an error in the cable.  Aaaargh!  This particular cable was followed by a 5 stitch decrease, and impossible to fix by laddering down, so it leapt into the frog pond, too.  But, I persevered and am now about to begin the short row shaping for the back neck again.  Sigh  Pics aren’t the best–it is so hard to photograph in the lousy winter lighting here in the NW, but at least you can see that progress is being made.

Finally, I have to share the great Christmas present Mister and Leah engineered for me.  Remember the photo of Grace Cossington-Smith’s painting “The Sock Knitter” that appeared in a recent issue of Interweave Knits?  I fell in love with it and searched high and low for a poster-copy of it to no avail.  I even emailed the museum in Australia where it is on display to see if they carried it in their museum shop, but they didn’t, so I figured it wasn’t meant to be.  Leah, however, was undeterred and made further inquiries, and she and Mister arranged for a photographic copy to made, which apparently, the museum does do.  They had it matted and framed locally and voila!  My very own copy which now hangs in my stairway…

Well, I’m back safely in the US. Have been for a few weeks, and it’s like I never left. I’ve had a good time with my family, and I’m now preparing to go back to school. Still soaking up the last bit of relaxing, though.

Here are a few journal entries from when I was in Broome. I’ve promised that I will put them up for ages, but better late than never, right??

October 4, 2007

Thought I might write last night, but didn’t get around to it. Oh, the 4th of October. October! It doesn’t even seam real.

The flight yesterday went well. I’ve flown so much this year! First for Spring Break in California-so that’s 2. From Seattle to LA, LA to Auckland, Auckland to Perth, so that’s up to 5. Then from Perth to Murrin Murrin and back, and now Perth to Broome. After we get back to Perth, I’ll have taken 9 planes. This was the first on Qantas, though. I think Qantas and Air New Zealand are rated the best in my book. The plane to Murrin Murrin (National Jet) gave us Minties on descent. Love those-I need to find some.

It’s not too humid here in Broome, but it’s definitely not dry. The town itself isn’t anything special, but the beach is beautiful! Our camel ride was good- not I can say I’ve done it. “Ships of the Desert”-They treated their camels pretty well. Ours was named Rasheed and the one in front of us was Olly-he was in a movie with Nicole Kidman called Australia. When I see it I need to remember he’s the shaggy-looking on. As much as we were taking photos, I think we drew more photographers taking pictures of us.

It was still quite warm once the sun went down although it was cooler. A small group of us went to a restaurant called Zanders. Mish and I had probably the best spicy Thai beef salad-our mouths were on fire, but it was worth it. Took a taxi back-actually, that’s how we got everywhere.

We had to laugh-the carpet in our room is exactly the same as it is in Freo. The UNDA hostel is like a tropical bungalow. Very pretty and the rooms are all separate with a walkway outside-like a motel.

October 5, 2007

Last night we sat around the fire for quite awhile. Had dinner and chatted some more. Malori and I are sharing a tent – it’s pretty mush just our beds that fit in there, but that’s okay because you wouldn’t want to sit in it long. Absolutely stifling. We woke up because the sun started to cook us. I don’t know what time all this happens because none of us have watches on. I imagine we get up somewhat early, but go to bed early as well. Follow the sun.

After breakfast, we gathered under a shelter that has fans and Colin told us about Aboriginal beliefs (in the Kimberley). They believe that there is a greater spirit (what we call God) and that each person has a spirit that gets reincarnated. From what I understand it sounds like the cycle goes animal-person-animal… For example Colin’s totem is a kangaroo. His father shot a roo before he was born and Colin has a birthmark where the kangaroo was shot.

There is a breeze, which is nice, but I still think that this is the longest time I’ve been in continual heat. Still warm when the sun goes down.

Yesterday we got to go to King ‘something’ Sound to swim. Some of the leaders stayed on the beach to watch for sharks and crocs. The water was so warm! Bathwater – even for me who usually freezes.

There are several dogs that run around camp. I love them! Reminds me of my dogs back at home. One looks like she/he is part Jack Russel – so cute! Another has us trained – she is a tiny black dog that whines and cries until someone pets her.

Later today we went to the health clinic- one of the 2 nurses is from S. Africa. She mainly does preventative healthcare. Malori fainted and gave us all a scare. She bit straight through her lip. They gave her an IV drip and she was fine.

October 6, 2007

It gets dark so early that I never finish. Lost my pen, so I’m using the pencil today.

Yesterday we learned how to make spears. Uncle Bundi (‘uncle’ is a term of respect – like mr. or dr.) taught us. Helena, Whitney, Cara and I were in a group and we made the straightest spear! He wants to use it as his own. The wood he used was about 7-8 feet long – not sure what it was but he said you could use several types. First, you burn the bark and bend it to get it straight. Then you peel the bark off and sooth it out. Now they use metal tips on the ends, but we sharpened the end with a hatchet, the semi-traditional way. I’m not a natural spear thrower, but then again, I’m not great at throwing anything. Some of the kids running around were really good. They got some spin going on it.

Our camp at Mundunn here is great in the evening – the morning is pretty hot.

As soon as we woke up this morning we went out to go crabbing. The tide wasn’t cooperating so after waiting a bit we went back to camp and put on our bathers (using Aussie slang =)). It felt so good to go swimming. The tide was further out than it was last time. I’m counting swimming as my shower – I guess I’m looking at my days as progressions of layers. Wake up. Sweat. Put on sunscreen. Sweat. Rub a little dirt in. Sweat. Layer of salt after swimming. Sweat. Bugspray. Rub some off around the campfire and do it all over again. Washing has to set you back every time. I think the multilayered sweat, sunscreen and bug spray protects you longer. Braid the hair and slap on the hat. I’m kind of liking it. No shaving either. Surprisingly, I don’t smell so bad. Maybe I can’t tell ‘cause we all smell.

Anyhoo crabbing was fun. My group only saw little ones and failed to catch a fish. Some of the other groups speared a few crabs and shucked oysters. One gal fell in the mangroves and sliced her knee open on the roots sticking out. She ended up needing 9 stitches.

Last night after dinner we played ‘mafia’. The townspeople won, but we were reduced down to 3. A few spiders ran around and some of the girls nearly flipped. Oh. My. Gosh.

Oh! We also went to a beach where they had cleaned turtles and we watched all of the sharks swim around from the rocks above. This was yesterday, btw. So neat to watch them circle.

October 7, 2007

Keep in mind that the dates I’m using are the dates I actually wrote – I forget and my views can be skewed by the heat. It’s been the best weather they’ve ever had apparently – guess I could take a little more heat.

Brian taught us how to make boomerangs yesterday. He’s been making them since ’93 and says he’s probably made 1,000’s. WE made a couple using hatchets and electric sanders. Takes a lot of work – hard when you have weak wrists like me. =) We’re finishing them up today. While we were making them, the kids played with all of the tools. Machetes, spears, and the 3 y/o was carrying around a knife whacking at branches – a little different mentality.

Went to the Catholic church in Lombadina this morning. For some reason there wasn’t mass, so we had last week’s readings on our own. It is always so neat to see different Catholic churches and missions. This one was built up off the ground with several openings to let air flow through.

Thanks to Mum, I have now gotten sucked into Ravelry as well! Actually, I think it is a good way of organizing FO’s and WIP’s-I always spend so much time scouring the internet to see what other people have done with the same pattern. So, if you’ve been sucked in, too, you can find me by the screen name ‘Knitterlea’.

Wow! Kudos to the Australians (or to the Kiwis…they both claim it) for thinking up and embracing such a delicious dessert! I have to admit that I was skeptical at first. Meringue with whipped cream and fruit sounded blah. I’m not agaisnt simplicity, but why not just have whipped cream and fruit?? However, after talking to an Aussie who was craving his mum’s pavlova, I got an itch to try it. Why not have something that was so distinctly Australian? Besides kangaroo, there isn’t much I can name that is strictly their own (besides Lamingtons, but I’m not a fan). So, the search began. Even weeks ago, it was on the list of things I have to do before leaving Oz. After looking and asking around, I wasn’t coming up with any easy options. For something so Australian, I was sure having a tough time finding it. I didn’t want to buy Coles’ premade pavlova meringue (yuck!), and didn’t feel like going to a restaurant nearby to ask for a dessert menu and order $10 pavlova. So, I asked my RS again, and she suggested just making it. Had thought of that one, but I wanted to be sure to taste the real stuff - you know, the way Australians enjoy it. The thought of leaving Australia without having tried it made me start to cry inside, so I saw that making it might be my only chance of tasting the ‘airy’ dessert. Thank goodness it was late night shopping that evening, or else I might have lost steam. Went to the store after the conversation and bought eggs, castor sugar, and passionfruit pulp (*key ingredient).

I beat those eggs for what seemed like an unreasonable chunk of time (I mean, is a meringue worth it??), and followed the combined directions of a few different sources. Popped it into the oven, and waited. By my calculations, it would be ready to get out of the oven at 10pm, but once 10pm rolled around, I realized it needed to cool in the oven. That didn’t take too long, though, and I had already pre-whipped the cream, and cut the strawberries and kiwis. So, I took the beautiful looking meringue out of the oven (so far so good), and cut it, so that I wouldn’t ruin the whole meringue. There were only 7 people in the house at the time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have worried about it going to waste. Plopped the heavy whipped cream on top, and arranged the fruit. Opened the can of passionfruit pulp (the Aussies use passionfruit to flavor everything; yogurt, popsicles, drinks, etc.), and drizzled it over the top of the pavlova. Can’t say I had passionfruit before, but this was delicious! I’m pretty sure it is what made the dessert. Pavlova wouldn’t be the same without it, as was confirmed by the pavlova-craving-Aussie. Dug in right then and there. Went to bed with a stomach full of pavlova.

Get ready guys…I’m planning on bringing pavlova to the Winter house!

November 9, 2007

We stayed in a house or ‘forest stay cabin’ in Pemberton that night. Beautiful country town. The next morning we got up and went into town. I went to mass with a group of people, while the rest went out for breakfast. Once mass ended we drove to the Gloucester Tree, a tall Karri tree in the middle of the forest that has pegs on it so you can climb up it. All 200 ft up. It was originally used to spot forest fires, but then was opened up to the public later. More than a million people have climbed it! While we were waiting our turn (only 6 people at the top at one time), we fed the wild parrots with the bird seed Mish brought along. They were not afraid of eating out of your hands! The bigger ones would often push the little, prettier ones out of the way. Not a good activity if you are afraid of birds swooping.



Once we had all climbed the tree, we went to Jarrah Jack’s, a brewery/winery in Pemberton. The view was gorgeous, and the food was delicious, as was the beer! Mish and I split a beer sampler-the chili beer was my favorite! We saw kangaroos hopping across the neighboring hill while we ate.

Our next driving stretch was a bit longer. We had to get all the way to Augusta, a smaller, but just as charming version of Albany. The first stop we made was at Cape Leeuwin, the southern most point in Western Australia. It is also the point where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. Another interesting fact; if you were to dig a tunnel straight through the earth from a rock about a km offshore here, you would land in Washington D.C. How’s that to make you feel far away? Before we went to the hostel, which was, by the way, the nicest and cleanest hostel I’ve seen, we went to Jewel Caves. These caves were a bit different than Mammoth Caves- a lot more open.

Since it was such a nice day, we took dinner to the beach at Hamelin Bay. Some people went snorkeling in the freezing water, but I walked along the beach and enjoyed seeing the sting rays that swam only a couple of feet from the shore.

The next day was mainly focused on getting back to Freo, but we did manage to squeeze in a few stops. At about 10:30 in the morning we went to Leeuwin Estates and tasted wine. I loved their whites, but wasn’t as fond of their reds. I think I liked the reds at the last place we went to better. It’s a small vineyard, but they are big on the map. They’ve won several awards for their wines, and they host a lot of famous people for their concerts every year. A couple of years ago Sting performed there. Realized that they also have an office right across the street from us in Freo. I noticed that instead of having ‘designated driver’ reminders, they have signs asking “Who is the skipper?” all throughout the wine valley.

The last major stop before getting home was at Canal Rocks. There are so many interesting rock formations around Western Australia. Locals who aren’t so impressed with Western Australia (mainly the younger crowd) haven’t looked around!

November 7, 2007

Last weekend was a blast. It was also our last organized group trip here in Oz. I am satisfied, however. On Friday evening, we hopped onto the 22- seater bus that we rented for the weekend. Tom, a guy who graduated from UP and now works for Notre Dame AU, was our designated driver. He also went to Broome with us. We drove the 5 hours to Albany and checked into our hostel and crashed for the night.

The next morning, we got up and saw a bit of Albany as we left to head to Pemberton. It reminded me of Anacortes, WA mixed with a little Alaskan port town. Loved it!! The weather was beautiful as well. A little breezy, but very sunny. On the way out of town, we stopped at Whale World, a museum about –you guessed it- Whales! Albany was a very big whaling town up until the ‘70’s I believe, but don’t quote me on that. We got to see one of the whaling boats, and the whole plant where they processed the whales. Our next stop was at a beach called Salmon Holes, and we also stopped at a spot on the coast called the ‘blowholes’. When the water is rough, it gets forced up in between some rocks and looks like the blowholes of whales. That is what I’m told, anyway. We didn’t see a thing because the weather was so calm.

Our next bit of driving took us to the Valley of Giants for the Tree Top Walk. Had some excitement in store for us along the way…I was so enthused to see a kangaroo close to us, like we would see a deer in the States. It hopped off into the bushes right as we drove by. Two minutes later, my attention was caught by the slowing of the bus and Mish’s hands as they covered her face. Two seconds later, my suspicions were confirmed as I heard a thud at the front of the bus, a bang underneath the bus, and then a few bumps underneath the trailer. Mr. Roo had decided to hop out into the middle of the road and then lost confidence and decided to turn back, but only made it halfway when we hit him dead center. The sad part is that he would have made it if he kept hopping…As the driver of the bus said, he got a full body Toyota massage. Took the grill off with him as he hit the front, and finished up with the trailer. The car behind us stopped and moved him to the side so that he wouldn’t get squished anymore. I think the first question on Mish and Tom’s minds was whether or not insurance covered running into roos.

The Tree Top Walk was very fun. It was a short loop, but you could walk around as many times as you wanted to. The trees were huge, and it was neat to see the forest from a different perspective. Whoever thought to build a path around the tops of trees may have sounded a bit crazy at the time, but isn’t looking so silly anymore. It draws plenty of people.

After that, we went to a secluded beach (Mandalay Beach)-by far the prettiest beach I have been to in Australia! Some of the crazies in the group decided to go swimming, but I just walked around. It was very windy, and I didn’t want to freeze. Before we checked into our house in Pemberton, we took a detour and stopped at Fernhook Falls out of curiosity. Nothing like falls we have in the PNW, but they were pretty nonetheless, and they gave us a break from the car.

All together now, “ooooohhhhh, ahhhhhhh.”  Isn’t this a purty sweater?  I’m absolutely in love with it.  And to sweeten matters further, I saw a tiny little ad in the latest IK for Nestucca Bay Yarns with a 20% off coupon, so I got the yarn and the book, Simply Shetland 4, at a nice discount.  I ordered on a Friday and received the yarn book on Monday.  Talk about great service!  Won’t this look fabulous on Mister???

I am simply at a loss to explain how our darling little Moo, who seems to have just been two, is now a Big Girl of 15 ready to trot herself to the DOL to procure a driving permit.  After surviving this event twice now, I have medication at the ready (for me, duh!!)

 Maura is our enigma–impossibily smart, stunningly beautiful, delightfully witty, artistic, creative, with a keen ear for good music, and high expectations for herself and those around her.  I don’t think she is intimidated by anyone, with the possible exception of her piano teacher–but only because they are kindred souls, truly.  She is a kid who will try her hand at anything and usually does.  She is an observer of beauty, appreciates good writing, and can giggle with the best of them.  She also pushes messy into near-slob category. 

Trying to parent a kid like Maura has never been easy because she is always pushing the envelope.  It’s a good thing.  She has never been in-the-box, and she has forced us to get out of ours and see the world in a fresh new way.  What parent doesn’t need that?

Happy Happy 15th Birthday, Maura, our little Maura-Moo.  You are a huge blessing in our lives.  Every day I thank God that he had the foresight to send me someone like you–someone to open my eyes to the beauty of the world and the possibilities of life.