We saw flora:
The beach was pretty cool, too.... lots of interesting rock formations and driftwood:
Michael went kayaking for the first time this year ... and so did most of the kids on the sail training boats:
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Thursday, May 10, 2012
Russell Island #2
Once more with feeling...
We saw flora:
And 'other life forms' (warning: graphic photos):
Ok, so ... the eagle and its nest were the prettiest!
And more Canada Geese with their babies:
The beach was pretty cool, too.... lots of interesting rock formations and driftwood:
And there was this pretty boat anchored out in the bay:
Michael went kayaking for the first time this year ... and so did most of the kids on the sail training boats:
There! I fought with blogger and I won!
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We saw flora:
The beach was pretty cool, too.... lots of interesting rock formations and driftwood:
Michael went kayaking for the first time this year ... and so did most of the kids on the sail training boats:
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Nice!
That was a lovely respite, even though we came home two days earlier than planned -- sitting through a 25-knot south-west wind in a two-foot chop makes you want to find a nice solid dock to tie up to!
We had a few neighbors...
We never left the boat on day one, and Michael cooked us a gi-normous brekkie on day two:
The scenery was amazing, as always!
Aarrggghhh .... blogger is not cooperating with my photo uploads this morning, I'll try again later!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
BAD BLOGGER
I want you to know that every evening I make plans for my blog post the next morning. I think about what I want to talk about and how I'll approach it, I take photos or look through photos I've already taken, and prepare them for uploading.
And then I get up in the morning ... early, usually ... and I wrap a shawl around my shoulders and sit and knit as the sun comes up. As the morning light arrives, I spend some time at the bow window checking out my little corner of the world. Are the clouds hanging in the valley across the bay from me? Are the trees a little greener than they were yesterday? Is anyone anchored out that wasn't there when I went to bed? Is there a wind blowing in to the harbour?
Yesterday I saw new babies for the first time this spring... too cute!
I listen for the sounds too... otters playing on the docks, kingfishers announcing their breakfast plans, songbirds in the blackberry bushes on that little cliff behind us, the ferry starting up and leaving on its first run of the morning.
Then I usually start a little fire and put the coffee on because Michael will wake up soon. Then I have 20 minutes or so while the coffee is brewing ... which is the time I *used* to use to blog.
But these days? Waiting for the coffee gives me 20 minutes more to work on the Pi shawl -- which doesn't even get me a full round, now that I have 900 stitches on the needles! There is progress, though, and I can see a light at the end of the tunnel -- it's about 52" across, now, and it will need to be 70" before I bind off. I've already used about 1200 yards of three different yarns.
And I won't have a blog entry again now until at least Friday, because today -- finally!! -- Michael and I are going off the dock for the first time this year. We're just heading out to Russell Island or maybe over to Prevost for a few days, but I'm really looking forward to it. The weather is supposed to be amazing, and we can use a little 'breather' right now. (I keep reminding myself that I have a pretty amazing life compared to lots of people, but it *has* been a stressful year for us!)
So this is where I'll be if you need me.... :)
... looking back toward our little corner of the world...
... and maybe I'll have a finished shawl when we get home on Thursday morning!
And then I get up in the morning ... early, usually ... and I wrap a shawl around my shoulders and sit and knit as the sun comes up. As the morning light arrives, I spend some time at the bow window checking out my little corner of the world. Are the clouds hanging in the valley across the bay from me? Are the trees a little greener than they were yesterday? Is anyone anchored out that wasn't there when I went to bed? Is there a wind blowing in to the harbour?
I listen for the sounds too... otters playing on the docks, kingfishers announcing their breakfast plans, songbirds in the blackberry bushes on that little cliff behind us, the ferry starting up and leaving on its first run of the morning.
Then I usually start a little fire and put the coffee on because Michael will wake up soon. Then I have 20 minutes or so while the coffee is brewing ... which is the time I *used* to use to blog.
But these days? Waiting for the coffee gives me 20 minutes more to work on the Pi shawl -- which doesn't even get me a full round, now that I have 900 stitches on the needles! There is progress, though, and I can see a light at the end of the tunnel -- it's about 52" across, now, and it will need to be 70" before I bind off. I've already used about 1200 yards of three different yarns.
And I won't have a blog entry again now until at least Friday, because today -- finally!! -- Michael and I are going off the dock for the first time this year. We're just heading out to Russell Island or maybe over to Prevost for a few days, but I'm really looking forward to it. The weather is supposed to be amazing, and we can use a little 'breather' right now. (I keep reminding myself that I have a pretty amazing life compared to lots of people, but it *has* been a stressful year for us!)
So this is where I'll be if you need me.... :)
Monday, April 30, 2012
SO MUCH FOR MY PLANS....
... to participate in Knit and Crochet Blog Week! What a flake ... :)
It's been a busy time .... I'm 'settling in' to this Welcome Wagon thing, and it's definitely keeping me out of trouble! It could be pretty much full time if I wanted it to be ... which I don't, but I'm enjoying building it up from what it was even when I started.
And other than the standard pair of socks on the needles, I *have* been monogamous, working only on the Lighthouse Shawl. I've modified the pattern a bit because I have tons of yarn and I want it to be quite large ... it's at least a 40" diameter now, so what you can see in this photo will probably translate to about two feet, blocked:
I've done 3 repeats of the 'waves' pattern with my gorgeous sparkly variegated merino, and now gone back to the pale blue baby alpaca lace for a bit -- not sure what I'll add to it next, I'm just winging it for a bit, and then I'll go back to 3 more repeats of the waves before I decide what to do for edging. I'm at 600 stitches now so it's a LOT of knitting!
Off to Ganges to run several errands, and then knitting at Barb's Buns this afternoon!
It's been a busy time .... I'm 'settling in' to this Welcome Wagon thing, and it's definitely keeping me out of trouble! It could be pretty much full time if I wanted it to be ... which I don't, but I'm enjoying building it up from what it was even when I started.
And other than the standard pair of socks on the needles, I *have* been monogamous, working only on the Lighthouse Shawl. I've modified the pattern a bit because I have tons of yarn and I want it to be quite large ... it's at least a 40" diameter now, so what you can see in this photo will probably translate to about two feet, blocked:
Off to Ganges to run several errands, and then knitting at Barb's Buns this afternoon!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
KNIT AND CROCHET BLOG WEEK - DAY TWO
Photography Challenge Day!
Today challenges you to be creative with your photography, and get yourself in with the chance to win the photography prize. Taking interesting photographs in this instance isn't about flashy cameras or a great deal of technical know-how, it's about setting up a story or scene in a photograph and capturing something imaginative. Your photograph(s) should feature something related to your craft, so that might be either a knitted or crocheted item, yarn, or one of your craft tools.
HA! It's a miserable dreary day outside and I forgot to get this done in advance, so there won't be any photos from me today. Besides, I did three WW visits this morning, and I'm still exhausted from the last several days! I can't even take a photo of the Lighthouse shawl WIP because it's all bunched up on the circular needle now, so you can't see anything.
I guess I'll just leave you with a 'Photo of the Day', which is the sunset from here a few nights ago!
Oh, and I've met and I'm getting to know Salt Spring Island feltmaker Judith Dios, whose work is AMAZING, and today she sent me this link about working with color: ColorLovers.com -- I think I'll be spending quite a bit of time there this evening!
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Today challenges you to be creative with your photography, and get yourself in with the chance to win the photography prize. Taking interesting photographs in this instance isn't about flashy cameras or a great deal of technical know-how, it's about setting up a story or scene in a photograph and capturing something imaginative. Your photograph(s) should feature something related to your craft, so that might be either a knitted or crocheted item, yarn, or one of your craft tools.
HA! It's a miserable dreary day outside and I forgot to get this done in advance, so there won't be any photos from me today. Besides, I did three WW visits this morning, and I'm still exhausted from the last several days! I can't even take a photo of the Lighthouse shawl WIP because it's all bunched up on the circular needle now, so you can't see anything.
I guess I'll just leave you with a 'Photo of the Day', which is the sunset from here a few nights ago!
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Monday, April 23, 2012
KNIT AND CROCHET BLOG WEEK
Today is Day One and I almost forgot! Here's the topic for today:
Colour Lovers
Colour is one of our greatest expressions of ourselves when we choose to knit or crochet, so how do you choose what colours you buy and crochet or knit with. Have a look through your stash and see if there is a predominance of one colour. Do the same with your finished projects - do they match? Do you love a rainbow of bright hues, or more subdued tones. How much attention do you pay to the original colour that a garment is knit in when you see a pattern? Tell readers about your love or confusion over colour.
Well, anyone who knows me or has been reading my blog for any length of time knows that I love lots of colors -- as long as they're BLUE. :) Actually, I love all the 'jewel-tone' colors (blues, purples, teals, fuschias and greens) but I do end up knitting with a lot of blues! The only time I knit with any other colors (pastels, autumn tones, etc.) is if I know the item I'm knitting is for someone else specifically.
I've had a busy several days, and I'm exhausted! I went to a Welcome Wagon conference in Nanaimo ... here was the view from my hotel room (which I WON in a WW contest!) ...
The conference was great -- meeting other WW folks, and picking up lots of 'tips and tricks.'
Then yesterday I turned up at the Ganges Earth Day festivities because I heard there was a Knit-In included. I had called the woman who was organizing it and offered to bring my 'pedestal.'
So I sat there alone, knitting, for almost two hours. Then I walked around to see all the other displays and ran into my friend Carol, who came and sat and knitted for an hour or so. No one else showed up! But given that I'd only heard about it myself a few days before, it clearly wasn't publicized very well -- d'ya think I should offer my PR services next year?
And I finished the purple sweater in plenty of time to wear, both days! Here's Janet and I modelling our FO's at last Thursday's Rock Salt knitting circle:
(Janet's vest is an Amy Swensen design that she had wanted to finish to take to an Amy Swensen retreat in Tofino)!
Now I'm working pretty much exclusively on the lighthouse shawl until it's done. (I know, famous last words and all that....)
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Colour Lovers
Colour is one of our greatest expressions of ourselves when we choose to knit or crochet, so how do you choose what colours you buy and crochet or knit with. Have a look through your stash and see if there is a predominance of one colour. Do the same with your finished projects - do they match? Do you love a rainbow of bright hues, or more subdued tones. How much attention do you pay to the original colour that a garment is knit in when you see a pattern? Tell readers about your love or confusion over colour.
Well, anyone who knows me or has been reading my blog for any length of time knows that I love lots of colors -- as long as they're BLUE. :) Actually, I love all the 'jewel-tone' colors (blues, purples, teals, fuschias and greens) but I do end up knitting with a lot of blues! The only time I knit with any other colors (pastels, autumn tones, etc.) is if I know the item I'm knitting is for someone else specifically.
I've had a busy several days, and I'm exhausted! I went to a Welcome Wagon conference in Nanaimo ... here was the view from my hotel room (which I WON in a WW contest!) ...
And I finished the purple sweater in plenty of time to wear, both days! Here's Janet and I modelling our FO's at last Thursday's Rock Salt knitting circle:
Now I'm working pretty much exclusively on the lighthouse shawl until it's done. (I know, famous last words and all that....)
*
Monday, April 16, 2012
A NEW WEEK :)
But first, let's review the old one...
The ferry is such a huge part of Island life -- and because we live 500 yards away from the main ferry to Victoria/Vancouver Island, it's a huge part of our lives for more than one reason. Every two hours, it comes in to its berth in front of us, stays long enough to unload and reload (about 15 minutes, usually) and leaves again. At the end of the day, the one that arrives in at 9:35 pm stays all night until its 6:15 am departure.
So last week was a 'first' for us: the Skeena Queen, which is the regular ferry, had to go for a 5-day 'refit.' In its place was the Bowen Queen, a much smaller and differently shaped ferry. Islanders hate it because its vehicle capacity is so much smaller, and it's slower. I liked it simply because it was a change (and I didn't have to wait in line for it, I could just watch it)! Here's the Skeena Queen ...
And here's the Bowen Queen as it was leaving last week when 'our' ferry came back!
We had a great group at the Rock Salt for knitting on Thursday:
... and the marina got its first 'transient' boat of the season in the other day ... a commercial diving boat here to do some underwater survey work (looking for geoducs and abalones) for the local First Nations. (The link is to a fun column I wrote over 10 years ago about geoducs).
We're still officially managing until the end of the month, so we got to meet and chat with these folks, from Comox -- one of my favorite parts of the job!
Today I have one Welcome Wagon visit this morning, and then knitting in Ganges this afternoon. In the interim, it's a dreary rainy day so I think I might start a stew simmering before I go.
The purple sweater top-down remake is coming along, but I'm not sure if it's coming along fast enough -- I'm hoping to wear it when I attend my first Welcome Wagon conference this coming Saturday in Nanaimo, but I still have 4" of stockinette and then the 3" lace-and-cable border to do around the bottom. Think I can do it? :)
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The ferry is such a huge part of Island life -- and because we live 500 yards away from the main ferry to Victoria/Vancouver Island, it's a huge part of our lives for more than one reason. Every two hours, it comes in to its berth in front of us, stays long enough to unload and reload (about 15 minutes, usually) and leaves again. At the end of the day, the one that arrives in at 9:35 pm stays all night until its 6:15 am departure.
So last week was a 'first' for us: the Skeena Queen, which is the regular ferry, had to go for a 5-day 'refit.' In its place was the Bowen Queen, a much smaller and differently shaped ferry. Islanders hate it because its vehicle capacity is so much smaller, and it's slower. I liked it simply because it was a change (and I didn't have to wait in line for it, I could just watch it)! Here's the Skeena Queen ...
And here's the Bowen Queen as it was leaving last week when 'our' ferry came back!
We had a great group at the Rock Salt for knitting on Thursday:
... and the marina got its first 'transient' boat of the season in the other day ... a commercial diving boat here to do some underwater survey work (looking for geoducs and abalones) for the local First Nations. (The link is to a fun column I wrote over 10 years ago about geoducs).
We're still officially managing until the end of the month, so we got to meet and chat with these folks, from Comox -- one of my favorite parts of the job!Today I have one Welcome Wagon visit this morning, and then knitting in Ganges this afternoon. In the interim, it's a dreary rainy day so I think I might start a stew simmering before I go.
The purple sweater top-down remake is coming along, but I'm not sure if it's coming along fast enough -- I'm hoping to wear it when I attend my first Welcome Wagon conference this coming Saturday in Nanaimo, but I still have 4" of stockinette and then the 3" lace-and-cable border to do around the bottom. Think I can do it? :)
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