The Times We Are Living In

Ah.... Weekend

2009-06-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

So I think by this point, if you've been reading for awhile, you'll know that J and I don't take many days off. Before work started to get so insane and we were in the field 8-10 months a year, we were really active and used to actually take mini-trips on weekends quite frequently. Shooting up into the mountains for a quick hike/camping trip, up to a lake for some fishing, or into the woods for some mountain biking. Two years ago we came out of the field and we've never really gotten back into that. We work most weekends and any time we take off normally is spent on a huge landscaping project we have going on at the house.

This spring as we were regaining some sanity at the coast, we were discussing why we won't make time to do that sort of stuff anymore...realizing how much we needed it for sanity purposes. And we both decided that we would make it happen. Now...this summer isn't the greatest to do it considering how much I have been and am going to be gone. But happily it looks like we aren't letting that stop us.

Saturday we did end up working all day at the house on gardening and the landscaping...getting a huge amount of work done (one day I plan to post some pictures of the process...and transformation). But then on Sunday we took off for the mountains to accomplish 3 things:
1. Get into the woods and breathe fresh mountain air.

2. Get some serious exercise in.

3. See something beautiful (I put this last because where I live--this is pretty easy no matter where you go!).

The river we crossed to get to the trailhead--taken from the truck sitting in the water.

All things accomplished. We had only intended on going about 6 total miles because we wanted to get back in time to visit and check on 'the girls'. But due to road closures, roads where maps had them as trails, and other issues, we ended up on a longer trail than we intended (and one not maintained hardly at all...the first mile or so there was a lot of bush-whacking and climbing over crap). But about 4 miles up, the trail switched to north facing and all of a sudden 75% of the trail was under snow.

Stopped by the snow. By the way? Snowmelt...best water ever.

We kept going for about a quarter of a mile before it got to the point we had no idea where the trail was under the snow. So we didn't make the climb we wanted but it was okay! We knew it was early in the season to get much elevation.

The peak that wasn't to be -- China Cap in the Eagle Cap Wilderness

On the way back down, we hit a sign and a fork that we hadn't noticed going up. The trail number was one that didn't exist on the map and so we took a left following the number that we were supposed to be on...hiking another mile before we finally realized we went the wrong way. Hiked that mile back up, figured out where to go and ended our hike. A pre-planned 6 turned into just over 10 miles. Tiring but felt really good.

We still managed to get up to see 'the girls'...and also saw these ladies in a field on the way up. And then we went out to eat at the local place that we love but rarely go...the food is incredible. Came home, had some wine, and relaxed to some episodes of MI-5.

It was a good weekend. Okay, okay...EXCEPT...my camera broke. I obviously can still access the pictures I took before it broke, but no more taking pictures. Luckily I have a very generous brother who is fed-exing his camera to me today to take back to Alaska so I didn't have to make a rush purchase. Thank you brother dearest!
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Now playing: Again Today by Brandi Carlile

State of Recovery

2009-06-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I'm back. Actually got back earlier in the week but have been wandering around in a sleep-deprived fog for days. I went to knit night on Thursday thinking I could at least do some stockinette stitches on Heroine because I missed knitting so much. I couldn't even manage that. My friend found that amusing as she had to fix a mistake in straight stockinette pattern that I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was wrong. I quit knitting shortly after that.

A few bullets about the month:

No I didn't end up getting more than 4 hours a sleep a night. Some nights less. 32 days straight of that insanity.
I am a person who really enjoys darkness so that whole 24 hour light business doesn't fit well with me. However, the 24 hour light is the only reason I was able to maintain the 4 hour a night sleep schedule. When it's very light at 1am when you are at 20 straight hours of work, despite what your body feels like, the light tricks it into thinking it shouldn't be tired. The first night home, even though I was bone tired and wanting to go to bed immediately, I simply had to stay up until it got dark. Just so I knew it still happened.
I got to see some amazing country...I was close to Denali, and we crossed the Arctic Circle into the Yukon for a few days as well. We won't discuss why I don't have much in the way of photographic evidence.
I've never really had that 'Alaskan bug' a lot of folks have...maybe because I'd never really experienced the Alaskan Wilderness so didn't know firsthand what I was missing. I do now, and I sort of have the bug now.
Though rewarding this has to be one of the most stressful, emotionally draining, and physically challenging things I've done. Which is saying a lot considering some of the projects I've been involved with over the last decade.
Absolutely no knitting for the duration. No time and even if there was, no ability to do it on that sleep schedule.
Absolutely no reading for the duration. No time and even if there was, no ability to do it on that sleep schedule.

I did have access to the internet on and off but there was no time for doing anything beyond responding to the most urgent work emails. So I'm slowly catching up on blogs...it's taking me awhile. Hopefully sometime in the near future I'll have a finished object to share in this space...but don't hold your breath. I'm heading back to Alaska in a few weeks (a trip that wasn't actually planned), then my folks are coming for a bit, and then I am in the field most of August and early September. Add work and gardening in there and I'm left with very little time to knit or craft. But we'll see--I'm sure I'll sneak some time in there!

It's good to be back with everyone.
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Now Playing: Suitcase by Joe Purdy

Off

2009-05-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

Ran out of time to do more than a very quick post to say I'm off to Alaska! If I haven't responded to an email or comment lately, I apologize. It's been crazy hectic and I've gotten behind on more things than not! It sounds like there will be internet connection available on and off so as much as I have time for I'll try and keep up with everyone while I'm gone. And there is a possibility I'll post from there with some pictures...considering sleep time has been scheduled for 1am to 5am each night, it will be interesting to see how coherent such a post will be though! Happy spring everyone!

More Than You Wanted to Know

2009-05-06T23:54:00.000-07:00

Nothing new to report. I've been working a lot lately trying to get quite a bit done before I leave for Alaska (work, not play unfortunately) for a month very soon. So no new FO's, haven't gotten pictures developed, and pretty much have led a very boring existence the past few weeks. Great time for a meme I figured. This is one of two that I've been meaning to do...this one came from Kate (and don't worry Carrie, I'm still doing your 'D' assignment sometime). So here is more than you ever wanted to know about me. I'll post again before I go.

Eight Things About Me
1. I am very anti-social and getting worse the older I get (which is why I'm constantly surprised I continue to have a blog).
2. I worked on Thoroughbred farms through undergraduate school.
3. At one of these, for free board, I worked nights feeding/watering and foaling out mares. My free board was a tiny trailer I shared with 3 guys from Czech Republic. Interesting winter that one was.
4. I was once offered a job training 2-year-old horses in Puerto Rico. Since I like my bones intact, I turned it down.
5. Towns more than about 15,000 people make me feel very claustrophobic and I can't leave fast enough.
6. I love to read and can be obsessive about it...but have been in a rut the past 12 months or so with it.
7. I find my peace and sanity outdoors. Not enough of it makes me a little bit crazy and hard to live with.
8. I have no interest in clothes (except what I knit) or shoes and will wear the same thing over and over again until it falls apart and even duck tape won't hold it together anymore. I think I'm missing that gene. Lucky for me, I have a job that allows me to do this!

Eight TV shows I watch
So I don't actually watch TV (except for #1 which I'm sort of ashamed to admit I watch)...most of this list are shows I've gotten off Netflix (some of which aren't even running any more) or caught an episode or two in hotels and liked what I saw.
1. Grey's Anatomy (I seriously don't like this show anymore yet I can't seem to not watch it)
2. Prime Suspect (Helen Mirren is wonderful in this series)
3. Friends (shut up, it makes me happy)
4. Weeds (I think it's taking a turn for the worse, but the first 2 seasons that I've seen I found hilarious).
5. MI-5 (working through season 4 now)
6. Veronica Mars
7. NCIS
8. Dexter (oh this show is so morbidly addictive)

Eight Restaurants I Love
I don't have a clue the names of restaurants since I mostly only eat in them on the road...but I'll be as specific as I can.
1. Almost any Thai restaurant (I've found amazing ones in Boise, Roseberg, Walla Walla, Yakima...)
2. The Japanese restaurant I go to in Hagerstown, MD with my parents.
3. Sangria in Moscow, ID
4. Mongolian Grills
5. A dive of an Indian place in Spokane, WA.
6. A pizza grill in Pullman, WA (best pizza in a restaurant I've ever eaten)
7. This Italian place my brother took us to in Seattle
8. Foley Station (my only local choice)

Eight Things that Happened Today
1. I entered some data.
2. I entered some more data.
3. And more data (see a pattern yet?).
4. I answered some backlogged emails.
5. It rained and hailed most of the day.
6. I received some very satisfying news about a colleague that has made my life hell the past 18 months with unethical behavior.
7. Had fresh asparagus for dinner.
8. Got in 45 minutes of strenuous exercise which I desperately needed.
(yes, I realize that knitting or crafting was not included on this list...should have been, but no time today).

Eight Things I Look Forward To
1. The smell of spring.
2. Backpacking season.
3. Downtime to read, knit, or craft.
4. Seeing family or friends.
5. Getting my PhD done.
6. Working with or just hanging out with 'the girls'.
7. The first sentence of a really good book.
8. The very first heavy snow of the year...the one where the world is completely silent.

Eight Things I Wish For
1. Good health to my friends, my family, and 'the girls'.
2. Job security for more than 12 month intervals.
3. A dog and/or cat. My job/schedule doesn't allow it and probably won't for another decade.
4. Finding balance between personal and professional goals.
5. That I get to Africa to see the mountain gorillas before they become extinct.
6. That conservation wasn't often a game of politics and power.
7. Global Tolerance
8. My reading rut to be over :)

Eight Songs I Just Listened To

1. New Slang by The Shins
2. No Time to Sleep by Tina Dico
3. The Littlest Birds by Be Good Tanyas
4. Rainmaker from Power of One soundtrack
5. Never Leave Harlan Alive by Patty Loveless
6. Alice by Cheryl Wheeler
7. Skinny Love by Bon Iver
8. The Christians and the Pagans by Dar Williams

Eight Favorite Movies

1. Leon The Professional
2. Amelie
3. The Lives of Others
4. The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Dessert
5. No Country for Old Men (I think this finally edged out Fargo and Big Lebowski as my top Coen brother film).
6. Heat
7. High Fidelity
8. The Girl in the Cafe

Feel free to join in the fun...let me know if you do and I'll check it out!

Thoughts on sanity...and an FO

2009-04-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

I've hinted a couple times recently that I've been struggling since returning from the last Canada caribou trip. I've been dealing with quite a bit in both the professional and personal arena. One result of some of these things has been a general disillusionment of my profession which turned into complete lack of motivation to want to work on anything despite many deadlines staring me in the face...and me being pretty much a mental train wreck the past few weeks. In addition, I was stress eating and I just couldn't come up with the energy to exercise so physically felt just as poorly as I did emotionally. All this culminated in a pretty severe meltdown about a week and half ago that was tipped off by an emotional confrontation with my adviser. After some alcohol was consumed to calm the nerves a bit, I talked to J about taking a couple days off away from here. We had a meeting in Portland mid-week and so decided to drive another couple hours, find a place on the coast, and just go and completely relax. Catch up on sleep, knit and read, walk the beach, drink some wine, and eat some good food...anything that just helped both of us relax, regain some focus, and organize our thoughts again.

I can't say that everything is better and that life will return to normal after a couple days off. But I can say that I feel a bit better and somewhat ready to face what's on my desk and in my inbox. I realized that I have to stop focusing on all those negative things that I simply can't control. Instead I just need to focus all my energies on my own work, my own research (which I love) and making it as good as I can. Simply sentence to write--difficult for me to accomplish because I tend to let everything get to me. But I've got to figure out how to do it because frankly, living a life with these constant high levels of stress and emotion is not a healthy way to live. Taking those days off and really understanding what the last 4 weeks has done to me physically and mentally really was needed.

Okay, how about something a little more upbeat? First, I brought my film camera out of retirement and had a blast burning a couple roles of film at the coast. Once that's developed, I'll share some more coast pictures (if any turned out!). Second, before I left, I did manage to finally make Marc a finished object.
I'll let you head to Ravelry for the specs on this if interested, but just some notes about this knit for me. I started this sweater almost 2 years ago. I started it more for the process and the learning experience than for the desire to actually knit this particular sweater. The yarn choice I made went with this line of reasoning--simply affordable. I just wanted to start a sweater...one that wasn't expensive, wasn't complicated, but would teach me the basics of sweater knitting. I actually knit everything but the sleeves fairly quickly and then stalled. Not because of the sleeves, but because 1) in the meantime I worked on some projects that gave me enough confidence to start other, more complicated patterns that I liked more and 2) I could see that there were some problems in the construction and in my size choice and gauge. Enthusiasm went out of the project.

But finally I decided that I needed to either make the decision to finish it or rip it out and move on. So I finished it up. A friend in town helped me work through the shoulder seams and I finished up the rest of the seaming last weekend. I'm pleased with it in the sense that it served it's purpose. It taught me some do's and do not's about sweater construction, and about sizing and gauge and it was part of the confidence building process to move to more complicated, stylish garments.

The only modification I made was that the sweater is supposed to be cropped. Now I did knit it as if it would be cropped, but in the end, my body image issues resulted in knitting at least one size too big if not two. Which in turn made my version too wide for that to look even remotely decent. While I could have ripped the whole thing out and knit the correct size, I knew I wouldn't ever put it back on the needles again. So instead I blocked the crap out of it lengthwise to bring the width in and add length overall. I also blocked the sleeves to be longer than wrist-length because I was turning the whole thing into what it really wanted to be...an oversized, wear around the house all day comfy sweater.

In the end, I do like the sweater. It's not perfect but I really like the colors and it's comfortable and warm. And honestly, it is sort of my style. :)

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Now playing: No Time to Sleep by Tina Dico

FO: Elijah

2009-04-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as the cutest freakin' thing ever in my opinion. But also one of the fiddliest things ever as well. I tell you, knitting this was a bloodbath. Poor little guy was getting stabbed right and left with double pointed needles.

Pattern: Elijah by Ysolda
Recipient: My cousin's baby girl born last December.
Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly DK; about 3/4 of one skein; color green
Needles: US 3 dpns
Duration: October something, 2008 through April 7, 2009
This really only took about a half day of knitting all told. The cast on was troublesome for me and that took time to figure out but the head/trunk/body only took a couple hours of knitting. From there, the appendages got a bit 'harder' and I'd say each one was 45-60 minutes each to complete. I struggled with the first couple rows after picking up the stitches...needles going everywhere, heads and trunks and legs in the way...just took a bit of time to get far enough away from the body that it was smooth knitting. The six month duration was mostly due to gift knitting for Xmas and then just procrastination picking it back up again.
Modifications: None needed.
Size: I got stitch gauge with this yarn, but my row gauge was pretty off. So my Elijah ended up slightly smaller than the original. But in the end, everything is proportional so I'm fine with the slight size difference.
Ravelry link: Here
Verdict: I seriously don't want to give it away I'm so smitten with this little elephant (don't worry, I will!). The original plan was to make three of these...but that simply isn't going to happen anytime soon no matter how much I like it. The pattern is genius in my opinion and the result is incredible. But this type of knitting is so fiddly that I think I can only do it once in awhile.

So why choose fiddly little toy in the first place? While I see beautiful little baby clothes items pop up all the time and want to make them, I have two problems with baby clothes. First is that I have a hard time putting that much effort into something that will be useful for a couple months. Second is deadline knitting. Normally an okay, if not stressful, part of gift giving. But if you miss Xmas by a few weeks for an adult, really it doesn't matter. Missing a date with baby knitting may mean the child can never wear the clothing in it's lifetime...and with my work schedule, I really have no idea when I start something whether it will be weeks or months before I find time to finish it. Toys (and I'd add blankets, bibs, etc on this list) on the other hand are totally cute and are more flexible in terms of timing. So Elijah it was.

Here Elijah is playing Vanna and showing off the beautiful flowers that are just starting to cautiously peek through--testing to see if spring really is here and it's safe to come out and play.
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Now Playing: Bonny Swans by Loreena McKennitt

FO's: Winter Accessories in April?

2009-04-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the comments on the last post (I will be replying to them soon I promise). I'm pleased to report that though we did get another 6 days straight of snow or rain or hail or a combination of all three, this weekend has been gorgeous...the sun is shining, the temperatures are above freezing, and there are some signs of spring peeking through! I've been having a really hard couple of weeks for a lot of reasons...and the sunshine and warm weather have gone a long way this weekend to calming me which allows me better perspective...and just really helps my mood.

Also pleased to report that I did, in fact, finally finish the scarf that my brother requested. It was actually completed a couple weeks ago but I've been too busy to takes some pictures to document it. Since he lives in Seattle, he obviously won't be using it this year, but at least it will be ready for him as soon as winter hits next year. And this marks my first tangible contribution to Project Spectrum!
Pattern: Kinetic by Norah Gaughan from Knitty Fall 2008
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca; 2 full skeins in green;
Needles: US 7
Project Duration: Feb 12 - Mar 27 (I actually knit this in only a few sittings but my travel spread these apart)
Modifications: The original pattern was a rather wide 'stole'. I only knit one width of the chart to get a scarf that was about 8 inches wide and 6.25 feet long after blocking.
Ravelry link: Here Verdict: When I wrote a WIP post on this scarf, I made a point that the crazy 48 row repeat chart that really was not intuitive would keep me interested and thus this scarf wouldn't be as painful as others. I'm sure you all snickered. You should have. For the first half of the project this was actually true. But by the end, I was going a little bit crazy and am very glad to see it off the needles! But crazy or not, I think that pattern and that yarn made a gorgeous scarf...he chose a beautiful color and a super soft yarn and it all just came together so nicely. I'm really pleased and I hope that he is too!

Next up is a winter accessory that will still be used this winter...and possibly for several months. A while ago, a good friend of mine that works at Alta ski resorts requested fingerless gloves...something that would keep her warm but be stylish. When I showed her my laced-up fingerless gloves, the decision was made.

Pattern: Lace-up Fingerless Gloves from Alterknits
Yarn: Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed; 1.25 skeins; colorway licorice
Needles: US 8
Project Duration: Mar 26 - Mar 28
Modifications: None
Ravelry link: Here Verdict: I love these gloves...this is my fourth pair and most likely not my last. Most of my friends who see me wear them end up requesting a pair for themselves. And since Alta is farther from spring than we are...she'll get some wear out of them this winter!
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Now playing: Bouncing Around The Room by Phish

Is It Spring Yet?

2009-03-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

I'm finally back from the bitter cold of Ontario...planning to post some more pictures from the second trip as well as some pictures of the elk captures I've long been promising over the next couple of weeks. I also actually have some finished knitting objects that will need a post soon as well.

In the meantime...all you folks who are lucky enough to be experiencing warm weather, flower blooms, and all that color that accompanies spring...please keep posting pictures so I can live vicariously! Of course, one good thing about being in Northern Ontario for several weeks? Even temperatures in the 20's and 30's with snow falling seems 'warm' to me! :)

This was yesterday...

We took a quick trip up to see 'the girls' and went before the snow plows. Driving in anywhere from 8-12 inches of snow. And 'the girls'? They didn't much care for this kind of weather either (those are 'this is not amusing' faces you see there)!_ _ _ _ _
Now playing: A Place Called Home by Kim Richey

The Road Less Traveled

2009-03-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

Warning--long picture-heavy post ahead with no knitting or crafts...just work-related stuff. So if this doesn't interest you, stop now. :)

Gone a little longer than expected and about to leave again. The elk captures went very well...outside of some down days for weather in Wyoming due to crazy winds (at one point we had a fairly typical one-skid landing on a steep slope and we literally had to run and jump into the helicopter because the wind was blowing it around so much--we quit for the day shortly after that!), everything went better than expected. I haven't gotten a chance to get anything done with the pictures outside of just a quick download...I'll do another post with some of those later in the month.

In the meantime...while we were gone, we got the message that a capture that we weren't sure was going to happen finally fell into place...catching caribou in Northern Ontario. So we left pretty much immediately once Wyoming was done to catch 20 caribou in western Northern Ontario. Home for a bit right now and then leaving again soon to go back for another 40 caribou in the eastern portion of the province. While this work will benefit the 10-year research project we are starting this spring with woodland caribou, for this particular capture we were collaborating with the 0ntario Ministry of Natural Res0urces. They are collaring 140 animals with GPS collars to get an idea of home range, movements, habitat uses, effects of a climatic gradient on these animals etc. We were asked to collect body condition and pregnancy information for them that we'll also have access to for our own research.
This capture was so different than anything I've ever done, mostly due to the location and the logistics. We flew up to Winnepeg and then caught a small flight to Red Lake which is literally the end of the road in that country. From there we had to get a little 4-seater cargo charter flight (what I call a drug-runner plane) to a small First Nations community called Keewaywin.Pretty much in the middle of nowhere--power and water supplies are from generators. During the summer, this community gets all their supplies flown in via plane, during the winter, there is access by the ice roads which they build over the lakes. If you aren't familiar with this process, it's pretty fascinating and I'd urge you to check out the link. Also, apparently there is a History channel series on the truckers that use these roads that is fascinating itself. I actually saw one of the shows while we were up there (everything is run on generators, but they have satellite TV...crazy). Below is a picture of the ice road that goes into Keewaywin. So we had to fly all our supplies up there...food of course, but also all the fuel for the helicopters. In this instance, the fuel was just delivered to a central location that we worked from since the caribou weren't that far from the 'town'. But where we are going next, they had to fly fuel out to lakes and deposit it in various locations or cache's so that the flights back in for fuel weren't restrictive. Outside of all that, just the expanse of the country is incredible. Very flat and the forests are on a natural fire regime so there are some areas of less dense trees from previous fires, and some areas of swamps. But this is what you see from the helicopter...lakes and trees as far as the eyes can see!

And when they did surveys a couple weeks before, an area of the size you see in that picture (about), the guys only found anywhere from 6 to 18 caribou. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. The first day of flying, we didn't see a single caribou (though lots of moose). Then it snowed a bit to cover up some of the older tracks and using tracks and evidence of cratering (caribou dig for ground lichen in the winter and this is called cratering), we finally were able to find and catch some animals the second day. In this country, you push the animals out to the lakes or wider rivers for capture. Then we land on the frozen lakes and process the animals.

caribou cratering

Add in some extreme temperatures (we got lucky...one day was actually above freezing and the other days were 'only' -12 (F) without wind chill added in. Considering just a few days prior to us going up there, it was -20 to -25 (F), we got 'warmth' (although -12 really doesn't feel too much different than -20--freakin' cold either way you look at it!). Add in crotch level snow that have layers upon layers where the snow melted a bit and refroze so you are getting hit in the knees and thighs (above the boot level) with these little slivers of what feels like glass. And add in a blown generator leaving us with no power, heat or water for 24 hours (amazingly that was all it was--there was talk of evacuating the town because they didn't know when they would get the power back online) and you can see how very different life is up there.

This is only the third time I've been around caribou at all...the other two times were in different captive facilities in Alaska. They are very unique animals and it was really cool and interesting to be able to work with them.
One thing so neat to watch is how they move over that snow. When we were in shallower snow on the lakes (probably 1.5 feet), they trot and sort of do a paddle using their wide hooves to move across. This picture shows that movement of the hind legs some (I really should get a video of it the next trip).When we were off the lakes and catching on some swampy areas where the snow was literally 3 feet deep--almost up to our waists and well over the 'belly' level of the caribou, they have an incredible ability to leap through the snow. So funny watching our slow, painful progress trudging through it (not really feasible to have snowshoes getting in and out of the helicopter constantly) and then releasing a caribou and seeing their effortless progress.Otherwise...I'll say that I was concerned about this capture in 2 aspects that in the end turned out okay. First was the pilot doing the capturing had been very difficult to work with in terms of organizing and us being allowed to participate. There was huge tension between the pilot and the biologist prior to us going up there--several shouting matches on the phone. Not ideal for this kind of setting where not only do we work together all day but we are all jammed together in a very small building eating/sleeping/cooking etc together. And arrogant, pissy pilots really don't make me feel safe. But he ended up being very polite to us and we all got along pretty well during the duration. And his two muggers were great, interesting guys. Both retired from a career in wildlife research, doing this in retirement. Nice, nice guys and very easy to talk to. The crew was from Quebec City but the pilot and one mugger spoke English very well...the other mugger just barely (and while I'm about to start learning it, none of the rest of us spoke French), but we managed.

Second is that normally when we fly, if something should happen, we are working in areas that roads/populations are 'close'. Rescue etc would be fairly quick. For that reason, we don't normally do any sort of flight following like government operations are required to do. But when you consider this huge expanse of country with basically no access except from the air, and extreme temperatures and conditions, I was worried about if something should happen...and we were stranded. But flight following is to the extreme...not only do pilots have to call in to a regional post either via a satellite phone or radio if available every half hour, we are required to have a GPS system on board that literally tracks every move and sends it to dispatch. If we miss a call, they immediately send help to our last location.

Interesting experience to say the least.

I unfortunately didn't get near as much knitting done as I wanted on this traveling. Exhaustion (imagine sleeping in a small area with 6 men, almost all of whom snore!) and traveling at night mostly prevented it. I only took books to Canada and will do the same on this next trip...so not much to report on that front. But while I was traveling I thought about Project Spectrum and decided to make a concerted effort to participate this year. The flexibility of using color or direction or the elements for this year will make it easier for me to participate I think. And as I was sitting here typing away, I realized that this post is actually my first contribution...This trip and experience is literally a 'northern', winter experience for me!

Back in a bit!
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Now playing: So Says I by The Shins

WIP for the Road

2009-02-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned a few times on this blog that my brother is supportive of my knitting. Part of this support comes from being very appreciative concerning knitted gifts (apparently the Hemlock Ring Blanket has been put to good use this winter!) and part of this support is that he likes to buy me yarn as a Xmas gift...Bellatrix grew from one of these skeins. This Xmas was no exception and I got two more gorgeous skeins of sock yarn from him.

But I think that the fiber bug is starting to bite him a little bit. It would appear that he is not just going into a yarn store with the intent of purchasing some yarn for me...it would appear that he is actually browsing now. This has some drawbacks. Shortly after Xmas, a package appeared on my doorstop containing two skeins of really pretty green yarn...with a note requesting for me to make him a scarf with the enclosed yarn. A 'simple' pattern. 10 inches wide, 5-6 feet long. Yeah.

Not a big deal except it's a scarf. Knitters, you know what I mean by that statement. And of course, after the holidays, I'm sort of in a want to knit only for me me me sort of phase. But I went on a pattern hunt once I got it...looking for simple designs but something that would give it some structure and not roll. Last week was his birthday so he was presented with 8 of the patterns I came up with to choose for his scarf. He, of course, chose the pattern that was a 48 row chart that is not intuitive in the least so attention must be paid to every single row.

Good news is that this, for me, is one way to actually enjoy knitting a scarf--having to keep track of every single row keeps my attention and interest (and honestly, this was the one I secretly liked the best). I'm really loving how it is turning out.

I'm about to spend upwards of 40 hours in a car the next two weeks as we drive to Mt. St. Helens for an elk capture and then turn around and head for Cody, WY for another elk capture. And of course time in the evening in hotel rooms on my hands. This actually seemed like a perfect project to do on the road. Of course I hope that I'll finish it during the drive to and from the Washington capture...and then it's selfish knitting all the way to and from Wyoming!

See you in a couple weeks.
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Now playing: Can't Get it Right Today by Joe Purdy

Winter

2009-02-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

I've been swamped with work lately and doing nothing but...so have nothing new to report on the knitting/art front. Instead, I thought I would share some photos I've taken this winter. It's been sunny and warm (~40's) the last two days and these pictures remind me that it is all just a tease...spring is still far away in this part of the world!

Nonchalant bull elk...taking his time moving away from us.

Look closely...mule deer hidden by the fog. A buck is in the foreground watching me...his does are already starting to move away. I like this image...I like how closely you have to look to see the deer.

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Now playing: Song for a Winter's Night by Sarah McLachlan

FO: Silver Squares Necklace

2009-02-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

I've become intrigued by the idea of knitting with wire...even more so after seeing some things that Romi has created. This was my first (but definitely not my last) attempt at it.

Ever since I got the Alter Knits book back when I first started knitting, this necklace jumped out at me as the perfect gift for a dear friend of mine. But I kept putting it off--perhaps because I was scared to try something new and perhaps in part because I didn't have the time or resources to get the beads and wire and necklace materials (La Grande is a very small town indeed!).

Pattern: Silver Squares Necklace from Alter Knits
Materials: 28 gauge artistic wire, 4 beads, leather cord and fasteners
Needles: US 6 (dpns)
Project Duration: Knitting of the squares took about 45 minutes. Longer to put it all together due to some difficulties.
Modifications: The original pattern has 4 small squares and 1 large square. I knit it as such and was about to put it together when I started wondering if it was just 'too much'. In the end I decided that I liked the 3 square version much better than the original 5 square version. I think it's still classy, but also maybe a little more understated so it would work very well with just a wide-neck T-shirt. But seriously, what do I know when it comes to fashion? :) I just went with my gut reaction.
Raveled: Here

Verdict: I really like this necklace and am pretty sure I'll be making at least one more. I think that even using wire, the squares really displayed the beauty of the knit stitch and I think it makes for an attractive, unique piece. My only major problem was just my inexperience in doing this sort of thing. I've never bought beads before and paid no attention to the hole size. The ones I chose weren't going to work. So I decided to drill them myself to make the hole larger. It did work, but I broke about 4 of the beads in half trying along with 2 drill bits. Oops. Next time, I know to pay attention to that sort of thing.

My next wire related project? I'll admit that I've been eying Romi's book Elements of Style for several months now resisting the urge to buy it. I'm very intrigued with her projects and many look gorgeous. As they say, resistance is futile...I'll probably be breaking down and getting this book soon.
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Now playing: The Stride Set by Solas (this is my favorite song of the album 'Solas'...Seamus Egan on mandolin does battle with Bela Fleck on banjo -- pretty impressive dueling!)

Knittin' and Sewin'

2009-01-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

A couple more FO's to report and then I think I'm caught up.

Although it was a Xmas gift, this is actually the first knit of 2009. A friend of mine who also knits emailed me the link to this pattern a couple months ago asking me how hard it was to knit cables because she LOVED this pattern. Yup, all caps 'loved' -- I can take a hint!. Like my mom, this friend does so much for others that she never gets around to making things for herself. It was an easy decision to knit this up for her as one of her gifts.

Pattern: Ardelle from Moebius Sock
Yarn: 3/4 skein of Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Bulky; color grey heather
Needles: US 13 (9mm)
Project Duration: 1/2/09 - 1/8/2009 This was a quick knit and really only took a few hours. A slight modification that involved ripping a portion of it (and the time required while in denial, not wanting to rip), made it take a little longer.
Modifications: Knitting to a total length of 6.5 inches before starting the decrease was too long. I ripped back and started decreasing at 5.5 inches instead. After seeing it on her head, could have gone back another half inch almost. Comments in Ravelry suggest this is a common modification. I also removed the knit rows between the last 4 decrease rows to make the top a bit more flat.

Final note is that the pattern suggests blocking the cabled band before joining and picking up stitches for the body of the hat. I didn't do this. Instead I just was careful to block the cables apart when blocking the whole hat. The cables do actually separate when the hat is worn and I like that look.
Ravelry link: Here
Verdict: I really like this hat and it seems so does the recipient. After blocking, the yarn really softens up and it is extremely warm. I wore it around the house for a couple hours one day and it definitely is warmer than anything I own. Which means another one may be on the horizon for myself! I still have another skein of yarn left!

Those readers who pay attention to the timing of sewn items presented on this blog will notice that they coincide with visiting my Mom. I rarely take the initiative to sew on my own although I have a machine given to me by a friend when she bought a new one. I instead wait with patterns and fabric in hand so Mom can hand walk me through the steps. One day I hope to change this and start sewing more. But in the meantime, this system works!

This was a gift for the same friend...who is 'jealous' of all the cool sewn things I get from my Mom! So again, thought I'd remedy that with baby steps...starting with a table runner. A more 'modern' table runner pattern in colors that I knew she'd love. The quilting was done by a lady with a long-arm quilter and my Mom generously offered to do the least pleasant (in my opinion) part of the runner...sewing on the binding. I'm very pleased with how this turned out.
And finally, on request I did a few more Ballbands for stocking stuffers for Xmas. They are on my Ravelry projects page if interested in the details...but here are some pictures.

Final note: I sort of lost motivation to keep my projects in process section of the sidebar as well as the currently reading section up to date. I'm hoping to be more diligent about that this year and so they have now been updated. (said projects are also now updated in Ravelry which I've also been bad about keeping up with!).
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Now playing: Two Step by Dave Matthews Band

More Paper-Cutting

2009-01-19T14:05:00.000-08:00

First things first...new year, new blog header picture. It was about time you think?

I wanted to share a few more images of some of the paper-cut projects I finished up over the past 6 weeks. A couple of these were Christmas gifts (one just handed off to the recipient yesterday!), and one was a card I did fairly quickly this weekend. I continue to enjoy this medium...although I find that I'm more drawn to using black paper and cutting from it for stark, black and white images, than I am to ones involving color. I have a few ideas of far more complicated designs for this year that I can't wait to start on.

First is one that is a bit more detailed than some of the others. My good friend loves all things 'birch' and so I knew I was going to do something in that vein. Originally, I was just going to do a birch tree forest with nothing else added. And while I still think that would have been fine, I added the birds in sort of last minute to add interest. I was happy with this addition and continued to look at it each day for a week trying to decide what a splash of color would do to it. Would it add interest or detract from the picture? Finally I used fabric and went with a splash of color. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. An interesting side note...I was cleaning up all my cut-outs of paper to throw away and I saw this perfectly cut-out bird. Normally I cut in so many pieces that I was surprised I did the bird in whole. And that I picked it out among all those other black shavings. So it seemed like the perfect little addition to the signature at the bottom. This second set are some bookmarks that I designed and cut for 'stocking gifts' for my family. The mountain and the branch with flowers went to my brother and his partner, and the squirrel went to my Dad. Such a simple concept that didn't take much time at all, but were neat little stocking stuffer gifts that they all seemed to enjoy.
Finally, I needed a sympathy card...and for this particular person, I knew I needed to go handmade. I'm not good with words in times like this, so I hope the card itself can convey my feelings. This was not my design...I used a stencil design I found online that just seemed appropriate...struggling with the desire to take the time needed to do my own design versus the need to put this in the mail quick.
Other than that, I've been knitting some...and actually did some sewing as well...should have another FO update within a few days.
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Now playing: Chicken in a Biscuit by Black Happy

Final Knitted FO's from '08

2009-01-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

How's 2009 treating everybody so far? :)

The elk capture that I went to before the holidays went well. It was bitter bitter cold and often we were in fairly deep snow (about knee high), but everything went smoothly which is always a concern with a helicopter capture. I didn't take any pictures...when I'm working on an elk, because of the things that I do (pregnancy detection, body condition assessment), I can't work with gloves on. So while I have good enough gear to stay reasonably comfortable on the rest of my body, my hands really suffer in those kinds of temperatures. They only come out of the gloves between animals when absolutely necessary and getting the camera out does not qualify! But one of the biologists took this picture and he said it was fine to share...she was a really pretty cow!

Otherwise, I just wanted to share the final knitted items that I finished up before Xmas. I'll do another post later on the other non-knitting FO's I did.

First up...

Pattern: LillyField Mittens by Jennifer Coleman
Yarn: Dale of Norway/Dalegarn Baby Ull; 1 skein each (black and white)
Project Duration: 11/29/2008 -- 12/22/2008
Needles: US 1 dpns (2.25mm)
Size: small
Modifications: None
Ravelry link: Here
Verdict: Love them!!

Next FO has a short story...when my Mom got back into knitting a couple years ago, she started the Felted clogs from Fiber Trends for herself. But she is someone that is always making things for other people and so things for herself tend to get shoved aside and forgotten. I had forgotten that Mom had never finished her clogs until I was watching a lady at my knitting group work on a pair for herself. I knew that this would be a perfect gift for her and luckily a very quick knit. So I grabbed some yarn and in the hotel at night on the captures, knit these up.

Pattern: Felted Clogs by Fiber Trends
Yarn: 2 skeins Plymouth Yarn's Galway; color 13 (purple); 1 skein Galway Paint; color 808
Project Duration: 12/15/2008 -- 12/20/2008
Needles: US 13
Size: medium
Modifications: None
Ravelry link: Here
Verdict: Really do love these clogs...very quick knit and Mom loved them.

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Now playing: Listening to a Splendid Table podcast...this one is about homemade bread. Love this show!

Into the World of Stranded Knitting...

2008-12-14T15:12:00.000-08:00

So. I like challenges it would appear. One of my knitting goals this year was to learn stranded knitting and I wanted to do the 2-handed method. When I was trying to decide on some Christmas gifts, it didn't seem to matter that I hadn't learned this technique yet, onto the list went 2 stranded gifts. The week before Thanksgiving came and with it the realization that I better learn if I were to get these done...and do so quickly. From some videos online I picked up knitting continental fairly easily although tension is still not as consistent as my tension while throwing. And I tried to watch video's on catching the loop in the back but I just wasn't able to pick it up. Complete brain block. Earlier in the year, through Ravelry, I had found a group of knitters here who are not only a joy to knit with, also are very accomplished knitters. (let's first say that I live in a very small town--the fact that I found knitters through Ravelry is just a wee bit pathetic...but I'm glad I did!). Anne came to my rescue and within an evening knit had me feeling confident I could actually do this!

So this post is for you, Anne! Thanks so much for helping me out!

One of my best friends has a very cool husband who has been waiting patiently for a knitted hat from me for a couple years now. Most of the delay came because he is a 'simple hat' person and honestly I didn't want to knit a simple hat. I wanted a challenge (like cables and things). So I waited and looked until finally a pattern came along that I think fit both of us. I could learn stranded knitting and he got a 'manly', simple but interesting hat. This was designed by irenem (on Ravelry) and when I saw it, I knew it was the hat. But she didn't have a pattern for it and wasn't planning on producing one. Undeterred I started pestering her with questions on how she did it. I'm sure I bugged her but she willingly answered everything thoroughly enough even I could understand it! For the design portion, I just recreated the pattern chart by looking at her pictures (she told me where to find the chart but I didn't want to buy the book). So there are some differences between her original and mine because the charts varied slightly.

Because I'm lazy today, I'm simply going to send you to Ravelry for the details. I'm really pleased with it and hope that Rob is too!

The hat was my 'practice' for the more complicated gift. I knew I was going to knit my mom some mittens for Xmas. And for the longest time I focused on the Anemoi mittens which I do still love. But right about the time I was ready to cast on, the LillyField pattern was released and it only took about a second to switch to that pattern. I love it and knew it would suit my mom better. Black and white may seem an odd choice for mittens, but considering the coat colors that my mom wears the most, this is really the only thing that would go with both of them. One mitten is done (about 10 days of knitting here and there when I got time), and I've gotten a good start on the second. I'm pleased with this. I'm still working through some tension issues, especially with my left hand...which shows up some in the design. The only thing that I'm not pleased with is the yarn. Both colors are the same brand but the black seems thicker (noticeable even on the wrist band) and this thickness varies dramatically throughout the skein which really affects the design as well. All in all though, I'm really happy with my first attempts at colorwork, but I'm hoping that I get 'cleaner' with it as I continue to do more. Raveled here.

And with that, I'm off to capture elk. We've had a very mild winter thus far but it never fails that as soon as capture time rolls around, weather gets miserable...a big storm hit this weekend (we got about 6 inches so far...I think the first pass I have to go over to get to the capture location got about 20 inches so far) and now we have an arctic freeze cold front moving in. Temperatures are expected in the negative teens as lows with wind chill and somewhere in the 9-11 range as highs. Freakin' cold 'flying without doors on the helicopter' conditions--need to dig out my woolies (wool pants) and find my stash of foot warmers!

I may get a chance to post again before the holidays but if not I hope everybody has an amazing holiday season and gets to enjoy it with family and/or friends.
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Now playing: The Cobbler's Daughter by Kate Rusby

FO's: Non-Knitting Ones

2008-12-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, I'm trying to make most of my Christmas gifts this year. For a variety of reasons that I won't go into. But I'm lucky enough that I have family and friends who really appreciate handmade items...and often request them from me. Work is so tough right now so taking time to make all my gifts should be stressful. But in all honesty, I'm really enjoying myself (outside of the fact that accomplishing all this stuff means giving up some sleep!). While I was in school last year, I pretty much didn't have the flexibility to do anything other than knit. And while I love that medium, I missed the gourds and the drawing. After I got back and could pick it back up, I found that I just didn't have that creative urge and so continued to keep knitting as my sole crafty activity. Deciding to make my gifts forced me to take some time away from working 16 hour days 6-7 days a week and tap into that creative part of my brain again. And I'm having a blast. It feels so good and satisfying. I really hope I find the way to keep it up after the holidays.

First up is a gourd I made for my Aunt. Technically not a Xmas gift, but a belated birthday gift that will go into the mail this week. She had a substantial stroke last spring and recovery has been very slow. During the summer, she asked mom if I'd make her a gourd and they decided on a hummingbird one. Months later, I don't know if she'll remember the request, but I knew I wanted to do it for her. This is pre-protective coat spray...always makes it look nicer but is a bear to photograph with (if I'd just make a light box, I wouldn't have the glare problem!). And note that the flowers seem to be a neon, glowing pink...they aren't! The are more of a bright red that just isn't photographing well.

A couple months ago I ran into a blog about paper-cutting (I think I found it through WhipUp). It intrigued me so I've been sort of searching out stuff on the topic ever since. I've found so many different variations to the theme of 'simple' paper cutting that I was pretty interested in trying it out. The first piece below is for my brother and is fairly simple in construct-yet in my eye, very sharp...I started with an idea that I wasn't quite sure would work and it just evolved into something I'm actually pretty pleased with.

I also wanted to try to do something that added color (because while my brother and I both love all things black and white, other folks appreciate more color!). Both my mom and a good friend of mine quilt and they have the addiction to fabric that I have to yarn (although I admit that though I rarely sew, fabric tends to follow me home sometimes too). So I found an idea that merged paper cutting and fabric. The leaves/bird one is for my mom...it is long and narrow for a reason. I was working on filling a specific 'hole' in her kitchen. The horse is for my friend. I'm pretty pleased with how these turned out as well and I definitely see more in my future.

I will say that the paper-cutting technique is addicting but not quite as easy as I first thought--even for the simple designs I've done so far. Especially switching between the black and white one to the fabric ones. In the former, the picture develops from what you leave in the paper while in the latter, the picture develops from what you cut out. It took my brain a bit to make the switch!

I've got a couple more things that are close to being done. I'm leaving for an elk capture next week and will hopefully be able to post again before I leave.

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Now playing: Winter Birds by Ray LaMontagne

FO: Hemlock Ring Blanket

2008-11-30T13:54:00.001-08:00

Joining the masses...

I fell in love with this lap blanket the first time I saw it on brooklyntweed's site and knew I'd be making one for myself. But I also had a rather long list of family/friends that I thought would love it as well. Topping this list was my brother and his partner...so even though I haven't had the time to make one for myself, it became a fairly easy decision to knit this as a Christmas gift for them.

Pattern: Hemlock Ring Blanket

Yarn: ~600 yards of Cascade Ecological Wool; color 8049
Project duration: 10/15/08 - 11/25/08
Needles: US 10
Size: approximately 4 feet in diameter
Modifications: None.
Ravelry link: Here

Verdict: I love this blanket. And to me, it was a really enjoyable, fast knit. I was afraid when I started this that I'd grow bored with it and then not want to knit one for myself (sort of the scarf syndrome). I don't think that will be a problem...thinking about knitting more of these causes me no grief--I'm actually looking forward to it.

I will say that I joined the KAL on yahoo at the start of knitting this project. While I didn't actually have any questions that I couldn't figure out with a bit of thought, getting the charts that others have put on file was really helpful to me.

I continue to be swamped with work and so posting will remain erratic at best. Every free minute I have not spent working or exercising is spent making gifts (not just knitting) and so I'll be posting as I finish them--how much time I can squeeze in away from work will decide how many posts! I hope everyone had a relaxing Thanksgiving with family and friends!

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Now playing: Wasn't Born to Follow by Tracy Grammer

Wait...these aren't elk!

2008-11-10T13:58:00.000-08:00

Long time no blog. I've been extremely swamped with work lately and haven't had time to do much else. I actually haven't even knitted a single stitch in about 10 days. Most of this work stuff is fairly boring...trying to get a manuscript ready, working on some data analysis etc, back in the lab for a few days, meetings and conference calls etc. But one of the things that kept me busy I figured I'd share cuz they are just too cute.
A fellow graduate student (and good friend) is attempting to do some work using mule deer like we've done with elk. Her project goal is to look at the effects of spring cattle grazing on mule deer foraging dynamics in blue-bunch wheatgrass habitats. There are different components to the study including a lot of vegetation work, but one component is taking bottle-raised deer out 'into the wilds' and collecting foraging ecology data on them. The study is on a much smaller scale than what we did...she is only taking the deer out for a couple days this fall and then next spring. But when you take hand-raised animals out like this, it doesn't matter if it's for 3 days or 8 months...logistically it's a nightmare and a rather stressful affair. Especially when you've never done it before (no one involved in the project has). So long ago, I offered my help in any way possible. I've been working with them for the past few months trying to work through some of the details...mule deer are different creatures than elk and therefore certain aspects of the pen construction, data collection etc have to be tailored to deer. This past week we finally took them out to the study site to see how it was all going to work....data collection secondary to just figuring out the kinks before the main data collection period next spring. I'm very happy to say that when I had to leave to return home, things were going fairly smoothly.

Back soon with some gift knitting in progress.
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Now playing: Every Line of a Long Moment by Roddy Woomble

FO: Fingerless Mitts

2008-10-18T15:35:00.001-07:00

One last quick, satisfying knit before gift knitting commenced. I've always liked these mitts and finally got around to casting them on.

Pattern: Fingerless Gloves by Petra
Yarn: ~3/4 skein of Knitpicks Pallette; Calypso Heather
Price of Project: Just over $2. Yarn from stash I bought early in my knitting career.
Project duration: 9/28/08 - 10/12/08
Needles: US 3
Size: The ribbing makes this project fit a pretty large range of sizes.
Modifications: None. I had thought about moving the celtic knot motif up to be more on the hand as lots of folks in Ravelry had done, but in the end, decided I liked it better on the wrist. I'm seeing more of these in my future so may play with placement later.
Ravelry link: Here

Verdict: Love them. They are comfortable, a quick knit, and I like the style and pattern very much. I'm not sure how the yarn will hold up but it felt good to do a bit of stash busting. And Jingles...she says quit modeling and taking pictures and just pet me will ya?

Now Playing: The Hymn of Ordinary Motion by Jerry Douglas, Russ Barenberg, and Edgar Myer on their instrumental album Skip, Hop, Wobble.

Windy, Stormy, Rainy...

2008-10-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

...and absolutely Beautiful! And honestly, stormy weather at the coast is my favorite. Rested, relaxed with family, walked on the beach, visited a yarn store, knitted...the vacation I needed.

More photos here. As you'll notice, most are black and white. Being rainy and dreary, it just fit.
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Now playing: Coast by Eliza Gilkyson

Two FO's...

2008-10-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

well, sort of.

The first is legitimate. I finished this almost a month ago but just now had the time to take some photographs (and I finally figured out how to use a timer on my digital camera).

Pattern: Back-to-School Vest by Stephanie Japel
Yarn: Almost 3 skeins Cascade 220 Heathers; Cordovan
Price of Project: $21
Project Duration: 2/29/2008 -- 9/7/2008
Needles: US size 8 for body, US size 6 for arm/neck bands
Size: 37.5 chest
Modifications: None except to lengthen the ribbing by about an inch
Ravelry link: Here

Verdict: I like this knit and I do think it's a flattering piece. Very easy pattern but some problems (my own fault) along the way made finishing this up a chore and so the excitement sort of drained out of the project. I started this while I was still taking classes and all was progressing nicely at the beginning since the ribbing requires no thought. But then I hit the increases and it was apparently too much for my stressed little brain. I royally screwed up counting the increases. Which meant I had to rip back pretty much to the ribbing. I did this back in May but couldn't bring myself to go back to the project until August (ripping has that effect on me). But now that it's finished, I see getting quite a bit of wear out of it.

My second FO is the summer purse I started ages ago. Why, I'm not sure...I don't even use a purse. But start it, I did and finish it, I could not. I included it in my WIP parade a few months ago and the general consensus was to rip. So....it be ripped!I told myself I needed to finish up 3 WIPs before casting on a new project and I've done 4 (why yes, I am including ripping as finishing!). In fact, the 5th (Marc) is just a matter of seaming away and the 6th (Swallowtail Shawl) has been picked back up and progress is being made. I'm quite proud of myself so last week I did cast on two projects...one for me and one gift knit. More on those later.

Life has been crazy hectic lately for more than one reason. Tomorrow I leave for a few days of much needed vacation to the Oregon Coast with my family. When I get back, I'll post an update of some of the things non-work related that have been keeping me so busy. Have a great weekend everybody.
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Now playing: Elvis Presley Blues by Gillian Welch

Capture in the Park

2008-09-17T21:24:00.001-07:00

I spent the last week catching elk in and around Yell0wst0ne. It is just incredible to be able to work in the Park...it's the 4th time we've worked there. The other 3 times we were there in February and it was pretty different. Then, we were working with the Northern herd who winter right down in the main meadows of the park by Mammoth and Tower Falls, so almost always visible to whatever public was there. And of course, it was COLD! We woke up one morning to -40 temperatures which equaled -50+ in the helicopter with no doors. We were pretty much at the point that we couldn't function--the electronics were almost too cold to work--we were sticking hand warmers and hot water bottles around equipment. The poor guy doing the gunning from the helicopter literally had icicles coming off his eyebrows and eyelashes!

This time, it was cold for September (20s for a good portion of the time with hail and snow and never really getting above about 45), but much more manageable! This time we also were working with a group of elk in the NE corner of the park that migrate out during the winter and go to Sunlight Basin (the top picture). We were right in the middle of the burn area from '88 and I'm pretty sure not a soul comes out that way. It's a 3-4 day trip on foot to get to those areas, quicker by horseback, but still, pretty much devoid of people.

So outside of snow and hail (you can see in the picture I'm bundled up in my winter clothes!), it was a good capture. I'll admit that I was worried about grizzlies. This is the only place we've worked where that is a concern and normally we are there during hibernation. Twice, we know we were working within a few hundred yards of grizzlies...the second time, the elk went down close enough that the helicopter stayed to make sure all was okay and he took us to a different location once we were done and the elk was up and gone.

Here's a mosaic of some of the pictures I took. These plus a few others are in a flickr set HERE if you want to see them bigger. There are also brief descriptions associated with most of the pictures in flickr.

Dig Deep and Give...

2008-09-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

...to a fundraising contest to support Mel of Pipe Dreams and Purling Plans in her 3 day effort to raise money to fund the fight against breast cancer.

4 years ago, Mel suffered an unimaginable loss when she lost her mom to this disease. Since then, her and her husband walk 60 miles in 3 days each year to honor the memory of her mom and other women who have battled this disease, to raise much needed funds for breast cancer research, and to aid in the healing process. And with a personal fundraising goal of $3000 this year, she's asking for our support in this effort. She explains the reasons and the logistics far better than I could in this post. As an incentive, she has put together a contest with fibery prizes from her own stash as well as donations from many other generous folks. You can see all the prizes and learn more about donating HERE. For every $10, you get one chance to win some of those amazing prizes.

Consider that one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes and one woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes in the United States. With these kind of statistics, there is a very good chance that someone within your circle has been affected or will be affected. There has been in mine.

And now, consider offering support to Mel and Tad as they battle painful memories, blisters, and aching joints. It's a remarkable thing that they do each year.

There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.

-- Rachel Carson
The Sense of Wonder

FO: Bellatrix

2008-09-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as 'seriously crazy colorful socks'! So for seriously colorful socks, I decided I needed colorful, crazy shoes to model. Since boots and Birkenstocks are the only things normally found on my feet, it may be a bit shocking to all that know me that I have green shoes. $3 impulse buy a couple years ago. I think maybe some wine was involved? We won't discuss the ones taken back the next day once the wine wore off. Yeah.

Pattern: Bellatrix by Monkey Toes
Yarn: Socks that Rock Lightweight; color crazy lace agate; not quite a skein
Price of Project: Free to me. Skein was a gift from my brother.
Project Duration: 6/29/08 -- 8/31/08
Needles: A mix of 1's and 2's (DPNs). 2's for the cast on/ribbing/and slipped stitch heel. 1's for the rest of the sock
Size: I have size 7.5 feet
Modifications: Everything I had read on Ravelry suggested that the drop stitch pattern made for really loose, ill-fitting socks. Also, while pooling doesn't particularly bother me, I wanted to see if I could minimize it as much as possible. So I did two modifications to try and prevent these problems. First, I used 1's for the body of the sock. Second, I dropped 6 stitches after the ribbing and altered the pattern to reflect this. I found these modifications on Ravelry which can be found here. As you can see from the pictures, it worked on both counts (the fit is great and the pooling is minimum). I probably could have gone down even another needle size instead of altering the pattern but I really didn't want to knit these on 0's.
Ravelry link: here

And as you can tell, I sort of had a blast photographing these colorful socks with some matching flowers. Yes, the color really is that bright!
I also really liked how the sole of these socks turned out colorwise. This one in particular...very pretty in my opinion.
If you've stuck with me this far, I have one more photo for you. This is such a colorful yarn that I almost felt like I was creating art with these socks...which led me to think about some creative way to show this with just the yarn and needles. Below is my favorite attempt._ _ _ _ _
Now Playing: Bathtime in Clerkenwell by The Real Tuesday Weld (I have San to thank for this addictive, crazy song! Yes, San, I downloaded it already. Quit laughing, you knew I couldn't resist.)