Offline for Awhile

   

     Last weekend before Hip Surgery on Monday.  Planting 2 raised beds with perennials (actually I picked out the plants, my hubby will plant them).  After we moved last year I really miss my plants.  I got some of my old friends and I'll add some through the summer while they bloom, like a Daisy in July and a Purple Coneflower in August, paired with a black- eyed Susan.  Favorites of mine.

  I'll be off the grid for a bit, focusing on healing.  Knitting and Reading, of course.  Six weeks to the dot from Surgery (recovery time with restrictions) I got a two night reservation in a Vermont State Park to camp.  We're on the way to stay with my 90 yr old father in the Adirondacks,  in a family vacation cottage.  The Dr OKd a trip in 2 parts from Maine; but he won't allow me to boat in with the rest of my family into camp in guide boats on the Upper Ausable Lake.  Sigh.  But good time to spend with my Dad who doesn't go in "glamping" with the rest of the family. Glamping is a very posh way to camp in old style rambling camps with fully functioning totally awesome kitchen, bathrooms but no electricty.  I always opt for the leanto on the lake with mosquito netting and a large fire pit.  S'mores anyone?

     The trip home is my birthday and we'll spend again 2 days camping in Vermont.  I like a tent but now we have nice cushy cots.

Wednesday's Yarns: Tidelines

 

     Tidelines designed by Janina Kallio is a very stress relieving knit and beautiful.   Simplicity is embraced in this knit alternating garter sections with fishnet lace and eyelets.  I love the result.

     Knit in a Malabrigo, my favorite single ply finger weight Malabrigo Mechita Yarn in Ninfas.  Colors that echo the many lakes and forests from Maine, through Vermont to the High Peaks in Upstate New York.  I grabbed it out of stash for my camping trip in the Adirondacks last week.  Perfect for a road trip.

     I just finished Cold Lake by Jeff Carson and it was definitely a roller coaster ride keeping me up to midnight last night.  The ending leaves you a bit sad and with some mysteries unsolved; but the series continues with book 6 Smoked Out and hopefully I'll get some answers and more sleep.  Yup it's all the books fault, not my sometimes lack of time management no matter how hard I try.  The David Wolf series makes it doubly harder with cliffhangers seemingly just when my bedtime arrives.   What's a girl to do?

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Wednesday's Yarns: Autopilot Cowl

 

      I finished my hat out of Chroma Worsted Yarn, a super soft single ply wool from Knitpicks.  It's %70 Superwash Wool in a gorgeous pallette of color combos.  The hat was very appreciated for the first night of camping at 32° and my LLBean sleeping bag (rated 40°) did well zipped up over my head with the hat and piles of fleece blankets.  The next days got warmer.  

     And the trees were popped out from inland Maine to Vermont.  The Adirondacks were so pretty.  The new leaves glistening in sunlight.  So, so appreciated after a long cold winter.  It was a nice break.  

       

                        Simple Slouch Hat

     After finishing up my hat I had a lot of Chroma Worsted left in colors Lake Front and Fathoms.  I did a search of projects on Ravelry done in Chroma and found Autopilot.   A really easy, rythmic knit that produces a gorgeous cowl.

                         anmar's Autopilot

                        Domknit's Autopilot

     I'm still reading the David Wolf books by Jeff Carson on Kindle Unlimited.  I intended to only read one as I waited for my next CJ Box, Joe Pickett book.  They're great high paced adventure, murder mystery books about a Colorado Sheriff named David Wolf.  It's takes place in a small town deep in the Rocky Mountains.  I'm on my 4th book Deadly Conditions where Wolf just skied after the murder suspect but ended up over the cliffs.  The recent snow fall saved him.  Bad guy gets away unidentified.  I'm enjoying them.  But I need to get back to Joe Picket! My husband is reading them too and he is gaining on me, and I miss Joe.

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Wednesday's Yarns: My Camping Slouchy Hat

 

     We're off to camp in the Adirondacks this weekend.   I got a nice tent site in the only May 1st campground open near the High Peaks.  Two new cots and extra mattress should be a step up from our usual sleeping on the ground.  That should feel like deluxe camping.  My favorite part is when my husband gets the fire going and we curl up by the fire.  Hot tea for me, coffee for him.  Grilled Veggie burgers and S'mores at night. Going to get cold at night, I'm bringing lots of fleece blankets and my hubby got me a very soft LL Bean flannel sleeping bag.  

     The last week I picked up an old hat I started back for the Science Day March and I ran out of yarn.  It was an older color of yarn Preciosa that I loved but was discontinued.  So when looking at a different yarn at Knitpicks called Chroma Worsted I noticed the same color Lake Front.  It is almost a perfect match. The new colors just have more pop and are very soft and so nice to work with.  I did cut out a wide swatch of bright Pea yellow green, saving it for another time, and then matched up the stripes almost seamlessly.  Perfect, really looks like the same yarn.  Only difference is the Preciosa was %100 Wool and Chroma is %70 Superwash Wool, which is a total plus for donated hats.  Maybe these will be my go-to donated hats this year.  With a slightly bulky worsted yarn and size #9 needles even I, a slow knitter, got it done in less than a week. 

     The pattern is an old favorite of mine that is super comfortable and goes up quick.  They also make great hats to donate since they fit a lot of different people and Slouch is so in.   Simple Slouch Hat

     I started reading a very gripping series on my Kindle (Kindle Unlimited) while I waited for my Joe Pickett books to arrive.  They did, and in perfect new condition for $4 each from Book Outlet.  But in the meantime I got hooked on this other book series by an author that grew up reading CJ Box, Baldacci  and Lee Child (my husband's favorite) and patterned his books on them.  So these are a bit more ramped up but most of them are in Colorado with awesome descriptions of scenery.  Good fun reads by Jeff Carson; The David Wolf series.