New adventures in camping this fall! a new camper

Fall camping is the best!!! Plus, we feel like we are in luxury not to have to deal with hauling items back and forth.

We don't regret any of our adventures in our popup, we are just going to be sleeping in a little more comfort, with less time setting up.

Sunsets and walking the beach were wonderful pastimes last week! Grayland Beach will be on our list of top Washington State Parks.

It's been a while. We had a good summer

First campout, in June, we stayed in Eastern WA, at Potholes State Park. The park is a lovely park with great access to the Potholes Resevoir

This hill or sorta Butte picture was taken while we were driving through the Columbia Wildlife Refuge

This photo was taken at the Soda Creek primitive campground in the Columbia Wildlife Refuge. The ditches or potholes filled with water, are a interesting geographic feature of this area of otherwise desert.

The mosquitoes were horrible at Potholes. We have never had problems with mosquitoes camping in Washington, whether Eastern or Western until we camped at Potholes!

Camping is on my mind.

My husband brought this gem home to me the other day.

It is a 1974 Camper's Digest.

Popup's or Folding Tent Trailers are dear to my heart.

While browsing through this digest, I had flashbacks when seeing pictures of truck campers! I could have actually been one of the kids pictured camping with their families in truck campers that year!

Every summer, my dad's work closed for 2 weeks of vacation.

We had sisters in Pensacola, FL, Uncles in South Dakota, Cousins in Nebraska, Aunts in Montana, Sisters in Tennessee, Sisters in Louisiana, Aunts in California, Uncles in Texas, Sisters in Washington D.C., Sisters in Ohio. This of course was not all at one time.

Starting out, too young to remember, some of these relatives were visited in the '55 Chevy, camping accomodations a Sears Roebuck tent. This was with 5 kids. Later, there was a VW bus. By the mid 1960's my parents bought a Chevy truck and Security Camper package. By then, there were just 3 of us kids left at home.

My mom has kept some of the messages we used to post on the window between the cab of the truck and the camper. "Can we stay where there is a pool tonight?" "Can we get a hamburger?" "How much longer until we get there?"

UFO's and Felted Laptop Bag

Last month I finished this prayer shawl for my sister a.k.a "Sis". This project has been a U.F.O (Unfinished Object) since last February. I used Lion Brand Homespun in this project.

I was very pleased with the result.

Before felting, and being sewn, this laptop bag was approximately 18" x 57".

This U.F.O. had been dogging me for a year and a half. I now don't have to be panicky about my other sister's birthday in April.

Last Day of Winter here in the Pacific NW

The weather is supposed to be wild tonight and into tomorrow, the first day of spring. This morning it is lovely.

Felted Laptop Bag in progress.

I have it sewn together. The dimensions match pretty well to what they are supposed to be. Pictured folded and sewn together. I just need to get in the queue line for the washing machine to actually felt it!

This will be for my sister Gail's birthday in April. I actually started this project about 1 & a half years ago. I am hoping the end result will be good.

There is so much yarn to make this bag! 3 different colors and 2 skeins of each. I used Lamb's Pride Bulky 100% wool on #10 needles. The pattern is from the book AlterKnits: imaginative Projects and Creative Exercises by Leigh Radford. I found this particular pattern in Interweave Knits Magazine, Fall 2005.

It is done! The Birthday Cable Scarf and Hat set for my Mom

It is my Mom's 85Th Birthday tomorrow.
I just finished the birthday present.

This cable hat and scarf pattern is from the book "Cables Untangled", mentioned in a previous post.

Yarn used is Plymouth Encore worsted. I used the suggested #7 needles, but didn't use the circular needle recommended for the first part of the hat. I used #7 double points for the entire hat.

I am used to double points from knitting tube socks, and other simple hats.

I tried..to use the circular at the start of the hat and the suggested 88 cast-on, but keeping the stitches from twisting on the circulars was not happening.
Following the instructions, (except for the circular needle) I cast on 88 stitches = 22 on each double point (I used 5 dpt).

Trouble started when I started to work the increases as the pattern was written. For one thing, doing 1 round as the pattern seems to suggest, does NOT increase to 132 when you are starting with 88 stitches. (in the book photo of this project, the hat looks lovely) I wondered about the fit and finish resulting from my needles. There was a nice 2x2 rib for the band, then, as I worked the increases, poofed out globs and knots..no where resembling the knot cables that I was able to knit in the companion scarf.

My BB math brain decided (after considering scraping the hat entirely), that if I cast on 96 stitches, 24 cast-on each needle.(a cable pattern of 12) might work.

I will let the reader and my Mom decide if it was successful.

I didn't have to go far, for snowshoeing today..

Waiting for camping season.

Grapevines in Winter

Tread softly

Photos from my yard and neighborhood.

A few pictures from August 06 exploration of Olympic National Park

Picture 1. Fireweed or maybe not?

Picture 2. a lovely view from our hike on Hurriane Hill trail

Picture 3. Roosevelt Elk relaxing in the sun

Picture 4. Carrie Glacier, view from the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center. Olympic National Park, WA

These pictures were taken in the last week of August, 06. Like I said in my previous post this evening, I was reminded of summer...

I took a break from Knitting and did my first snowshoe hike at Hurricane Ridge on Sunday

The picture to the left is my friend Nancy, who now shares an enthusiasm for snowshoeing.
Nancy participates in the Leukemia Foundation Marathons. She is in training for an upcoming event.

This was a pause, with a beautiful view, (that doesn't show up completely in this photo) of Vancouver Island, BC and the Coastal Mountain Range. View from Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, WA.

I love to knit, but this blog is also about camping & outdoor adventures.
Taking a break from knitting, on Sunday, January 14, a friend and myself had our first experience snowshoeing.

At the end of the day, I was tired, but feeling very pleased with myself! The hike was only 1.5 miles..but in snowshoes, that translates to 3 miles. I hiked up hills and down hills, that I never would have attempted in just hiking boots. I was glad for the crampons my snowshoes had.

I was glad that I didn't fall when I stepped on my own snowshoe. Glad to hear the Ranger's lecture. Not only did it inform, but it allowed me to catch my breath after climbing the hills!

Since November, I have been too much indoors, occupied enjoyably with knitting.

This hike was what I needed to remind me of summer. I know that seems strange. But, really, it did remind me of summer...camping, enjoying a hike..
Actually..the last week of August, I was at Hurricane Ridge, enjoying views from the visitor center, continuing on the Park road to a hike....in August we could park to the right in the additional parking at the Visitor's center. This day in January, that parking spot is under 10 feet of snow.