I Love March!

Hands down, I think March is my favorite month of the year. It doesn't have Christmas, nor Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), and sometimes not Easter (favorite candy) - but for me, March is my favorite month because it heralds the end of winter & return of the light. Cliche perhaps, but for us Alaskans a welcome respite. I know the official 'return of the light' occurs after winter solstice, but for us, the gain of 5 seconds of daylight is merely a tease.

I love it primarily for this:

Do you see that big, bright thing up in the sky? High in the sky? I've heard rumor that such a celestial body exists. I'm pretty sure it's the sun - that "Great Big Ball of Super Heated Gas" (my apologies to "They Might Be Giants"); I might need to confer with NASA.

See those mountains below the sun? They shield the sun from us here on the 'eastside' for most of the winter. When the sun does "rise" it normally does so well south of where we live - essentially to the very right of the photo & then it doesn't get very high, nor very bright.

Raja concurs with Holly Jo's cat - the sunshine is very much appreciated.

During March the sun is high enough & at the appropriate angle that the rays actually feel warm. The sun rises at a decent time that it's light when I take the kids to school. The sun stays up long enough so that I can come home before it's dark. Spring break for our school district occurs during March. The kids can go outside & play for extended periods of time - often without having to wear tons of layers in March. My oldest son was born in March. Yes - for many reasons March is a great month. The fact that summer vacation is here in 8 weeks is an added bonus.

I just had to include this photo. This is a "giant street snow blower" (for lack of the official name) that came to clear our street yesterday. The kids thought it was so cool (as they observed from a very sizable distance) as it created nice tall berms of snow for them to play on. The down side was that it also filled in their dug out snow fort with tons of snow. Oh well - we adults certainly appreciate the clear streets.

Ugg - just checked the calendar & see that "Daylight Savings Time" is this weekend. Bah - what party poopers! DST is just absurd up here!

Okay - off to play Blockus with the kids & get back to knitting on my Spring Break project.

~Ciao!

North to Nome!

And they're off! Saturday, March 6, 2010 marked the beginning of the 38th Iditarod. As many of you know, the Iditarod is the annual sled dog race to commemorate the Serum run to Nome.

A little background history: The original Iditarod trail begins in Seward, AK. However, due to several geological and financial challenges, the ceremonial race start is in Anchorage, AK and the official race start (which begins today, March 7) is in Willow, AK. When the official start was in Anchorage, mushers would race through town and out to Eagle River, AK. Upon arriving in Eagle River, the mushers would pack up their dogs & sleds & drive northwest to Wasilla, AK to continue on to Nome. I can remember going out to watch the teams leave Wasilla when I lived there during high school. Several years ago, the Iditarod Race Committee decided to make the start in Anchorage a ceremonial start. This was nice as it allows the mushers a more relaxed start & gives spectators a chance to interact with the mushers. For example, one neighborhood in town passes out muffins to the mushers as they pass on by. In fact, one of the mushers, Canadian Karen Ramstead actually stopped to sing "O, Canada" with the spectators. When Martin Buser, a perennial favorite and local mushing celebrity, passed us - he gave my oldest son a "high five". Never during an official start would mushers take the time to do that. The ceremonial start through Anchorage provides the spectators a chance to see the dog teams up close and allows the mushers to get one more good nights' rest before heading out on the trail. A win-win for everyone!

Here's Karen & her beautiful team of Siberian huskies. These are CKC registered dogs - not the typical choice of dog for the Iditarod, but boy do they make a striking team!

Another Alaskan celeb = DeeDee Jonrowe comes down the trail. What a tough lady! Like me, she was a military brat & came to Alaska when her father was stationed here. If I remember correctly, she also lived in Okinawa, Japan during Jr. High - just like I did! She is a breast cancer survivor & has come oh-so-close to winning the Iditarod with a 2nd place finish back in 1998. She is quite the inspiration to all women. Her mother is now battling cancer while DeeDee is on the trail - please send good wishes to both of these strong women!

The Anchorage Daily News prints an insert with photos and bios of all mushers. Here the boys are trying to figure out who's coming down the trail next.

Fun Times! For more great photos - including one of Karen Ramstead singing with the crowd, visit AK Knitting Diva's Blog!

For those of you who are so inclined, there is a group on Ravelry hosting an "Iknitarod" - knit a project while the mushers are on the trail, before the last musher arrives in Nome. I think I'll be a casual participant - I don't know if my wrists are quite up to the challenge after the crazy knitting during the Olympics.

Happy Trails! Ciao~

Mandatory Rest

Ahhh - I can tell I've been knitting like a fiend for the past 17 days - little twinges in my wrist. Guess that's a good enough excuse to take a wee break from knitting & perhaps catch up on the mountain of clean laundry that needs sorting, folding, & put-awaying. For that reason alone, I think I'll have to bow out of the group of Ravelers undertaking "Iknitarod" (isn't that clever?!)

Here is the long awaited prize: My Gold Medal, courtesy of Mr. Franklin Habit by request of the Yarn Harlot:


Would it be too much to print it out, paste it on a wooden circle & wear it about my neck for the next week or two? Okay - perhaps just a tad overkill. I'm pleased as punch & so proud to have met the challenge.

Students, friends, and co-workers were equally impressed with my sweater. My orthopedic surgeon's (more on that later....) assistant wanted to take a photo so she could show her daughter. Instead, I suggested she join Ravelry & check out the pattern. I'm such an enabler...

Thank you to all who've left such nice comments regarding the sweater - I'm glad it's not just me who thinks it's pretty neat. I'd reply if I could, but for some reason the email reply isn't working out. Any suggestions how to fix that? Is it a settings thing?

Anyhow - back to the laundry. Another pre-olympic knitting FO to show soon.

Ciao!

Gold Medalist!!!

I've done it! I've earned the Gold Medal in the Yarn Harlot sponsored Knitting Olympics! According to the rules, I had to cast on a project that would be somewhat of a challenge during the opening ceremonies. I then had to finish the project before the Olympic flame was extinguished during the closing ceremonies.

My friends - I have done it. When I opted to join the Knitting Olympics, I knew it would be work. When I finished the sleeves ahead of my "schedule", I thought - no sweat. When I wasn't even halfway through the body as of Tuesday, I began to sweat bullets & doubt I'd make it. I was sure I'd "trip & fall" as the finish line approached.

But - I'm happy to report that as of 5:00 AST, during my finishing class (how apropos!) I wove in my last end & tried on my new sweater.

Introducing my "Olympic Eastlake"

Pattern: "Eastlake" by Norah Gaughan - **Errata available**

Yarn: Dream in Color, Classy - "Happy Forest". A great, superwash 100% Merino wool. Oh how I love this yarn! I first met this yarn when I knit the Baby Tulip sweater. So soft & sproingy.

Needles: US5 for the ribbing & neck; US7 for the body...

Mods: I took a leap & transferred the pattern to be knit in the round rather than in pieces so I could A) Avoid as much purling as possible & B) Avoid seaming as much as possible. I just knit in the round to one row past the eyelet row. The pattern includes a funky neckband extension - I'd certainly leave that out if I were to knit this again. I'd also learn how to use short rows to knit the sleeve caps for a better fit.

Happy to be done - perhaps now I can get my house back in order. At least the dilemma of what to wear to work tomorrow is solved! :0)

~Ciao

Tickled Pink!

That is how I feel about my latest FO: My February Lady Sweater.

Please forgive me if this post is especially photo laden. I'm absolutely ecstatic about my latest finished object.

Details:

Pattern: February Lady Sweater - an adult version of Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Sweater.

Yarn: Tahki Yarns New Tweed (60% Merino Wool, 14% silk, 26% Viscose) Great yarn, small balls - 50grams/92 yards per ball, so you feel like you fly through this yarn. I was cutting it close at the end.

Needles: US 8

Size: Medium - I have the newer version of the pattern. Apparently the earlier versions were a bit sketchy when it came to determining the correct size, so several knitters knit sizes XS when they normally knit a size M. No way in the world am I an XS!

Modifications: Left out the eyelet row before the start of the lace. I think the eyelet row was originally intended for weaving a piece of ribbon, but that's not my style at all. The color pink is already pushing the envelope. 15 lace repeats on the sleeves, 19 lace repeats on the body.

Let's admire the buttons, shall we? What a great find! Sometimes details just fall into place.

The lace pattern is the famous "Gull Lace" pattern - very simple to memorize, so this project was perfect Sunday English Premier League knitting. What I didn't like was having to purl back a gazillion stitches (perhaps just a slight exaggeration). The yoke is straight garter stitch w/increases at the shoulders. I did a kfb for the increases - very simple, blends in well with the garter stitch & leaves no holes.

The back fits just perfectly. I was worried the neckline would sag, or maybe even ride up. But nope - all sits as it should. I think perhaps the hard blocking I gave the sweater last week helped out a bit. Last year when I was at Madrona Fiber Arts retreat I met a woman wearing a FLS & it sagged all over the place. The ravelry forum for the FLS warns against how the lace grows. I haven't noticed this happening yet & the sweater has been hanging for several days while it waited the adornment of buttons. I'm going to fold it neatly rather than hanging it in the closet, just to be safe.

This week is "Spirit Week" at our school & today's theme was "Girls in Pearls & Guys in Ties". A perfect day for my sweater's Maiden Voyage. My friends, colleagues, and students all admired with lots of 'oohs and ahhs'. You know you've done a good job when students say they want one (wear something that a teacher wears? Highest praise from teenagers!) & that it looks like something they might find at Nordstroms. Several conversations today went something like this:

Colleague: "You Made That?!?"
Me: "Yup, Why yes I did..."
Colleague: "Nu-uh!" (how do you spell that?!?)
Me: "Uh-huh!!"

Anyhow - I was very pleased with the responses & complements my sweater & I received today. If I'd known earlier how well this would turn out, I would have finished it much, much sooner!I leave you with my "Bio" photo I'll use in the engineering notebooks of my FTC robotics teams (we all have to add photos + biography). I'd like to think that my role on the FTC teams is that of kind, yet effective, Project Manager. After having to ask a couple of students not to return since they were hindering progress & my constant (yet gentle) reminders for the teams to focus & stay on task (I can even say it in ASL as one of my students is hearing impaired), the students on the teams have dubbed me, "The Hammer".

The smile and the pink kind of softens it, don't you think? :0)

Ciao!!

Still Knitting....

Okay - another month has passed & no blogging. I don't know why I can't seem to develop a habit or schedule to sit down & blog a bit. Perhaps it's because I feel that the daily happenings such as "Today I graded homework & taught teenagers that electron configuration really is exciting, really!" are too mundane to write about. I guess the science teacher in me isn't well versed in word-smithing the mundane to sound exciting. And then there's the fact that I don't have any finished objects to share. Until now....

To quote a famous elephant (or perhaps paraphrase), "A finished object is a finished object, no matter how small". May I present the latest FO at chez Arcticknitter: More 10 cabled baby hats!


Pattern: Cabled Baby Hats
Yarn: Classic Elite Jil eaton minnow-merino; 100% super fine merino.
Needles: US 8, 16" circular
Time to knit: 1 afternoon each; very, very quick knit!

The recipient is a much awaited baby (gender TBA) of a former colleague. The parents also happen to be Green Bay Packers fans, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with yellow & green. I just adore the yellow, although I don't know if I'd ever wear it. Perhaps the gray days of winter have left me longing for bright colors. The hats are so cute - I added the pom-pom as a little embellishment. Of course I was frantically casting off on the yellow hat while getting ready to go to the baby shower, so no pom-pom.
While not a knitting FO, I also made a no-sew fleece blanket using some fleece originally destined for Iain's pre-school blanket. I didn't use overhand knots, but think it should work just fine. Of course, after cutting & tying, I noticed that every other row of letters were backwards/upside down. What kind of fabric is that? Perhaps it was designed so that you'd always see some letter in the correct orientation, no matter which side of the blanket you're on. Oh well - if their child has dyslexia, I guess we know who they can blame.

I was an utter failure at NaKniMitMo - failing to finish even one pair of mittens during the month of January. How sad considering that I knit 3 pairs over Christmas vacation. Oh well - I'm finishing a pair right now, but in all fairness they are lined, so finishing one pair is like knitting 2 pairs. Yeah - that's my story & I'm sticking with it! At least when I finish it'll be more fodder for the blog.

Other than knitting, robotics is in full swing. The Alaska FTC championship is in 2 weeks up at UAF. My team won last year & are very excited to defend their title. I've added an additional team & they're doing quite well. I hope both teams are proud of all they've accomplished. For more info on the FTC robotics program, go here. I'll be sure to post about their results when we return from competition.

Okay - that's all for now. I hope everyone enjoys the big game tomorrow, and by big game I know you all are tuning in to watch Chelsea take on Arsenal in the English Premiere League. I've heard rumor there's some other game going on here in the states, but I don't have much to say about that.... Go Blues!

~Ciao!

FO Flashback!

So much for starting out the new year by blogging! Oh well - time to jump back on the wagon. So much to share since my last post (over one month ago, gasp!!) - Here we go - hang on!!

FO #1 - Wonderful Wallaby Hooded Pullover
Size: 4 (yeah, right)
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash
Needles: Ummm.... 8? I started this in January '09 & finished in October sometime. My gauge was way off, so the size 4 would really better fit a 2 year old, I think. So - this FO ended up as a donation to the kid's school fall auction. Overall a fun knit; I'll knit it again, but pay closer attention to the marriage of yarn & gauge.

FO #2 - My Kuspuk
This is the kuspuk I made for me. I *love* it!! It is so roomy & comfy; no wonder native Alaskan women wear them. Traditionally they are worn over other clothes as an outer, protective garment. Traditional kuspuks have a ruffled skirt at the bottom, but I learned that more modern AK native women opt to leave the skirt off. While you might not be able to tell from the photo, this kuspuk has a zipper - the first I've ever installed - I was proud to say the least! This was a fun & relatively fast project. I have another kuspuk just about finished (just need to hem up the hood lining - we know how much I love hand sewing!) & fabric to make another for me & one for my 7 year old.

FO #2.5 - Orion's Kuspuk
Okay - you're right, this isn't a knitted FO. I haven't abandoned my passion. I learned to sew a gazillion years ago, and pick it up now and again. Orion's class was doing a long term unit on Alaska studies and the teachers wanted all of the students to have a kuspuk to wear during their final presentations. It just so happens that I'd recently taken a Kuspuk class at the my local quilt/yarn shop, so I was good to go.


FO #3 - My Lanai Lusekofte Cap
Pattern: Lusekofte Cap from Hat's On by Charlene Schurch.
Yarn: Eco Alpaca
Needles: US 6
I call this my Lanai Lusekofte cap since I knit it while I was lounging on the Lanai during our Hawaiian vacation. I meant to write a post dedicated to this project alone entitled "Fish Out of Water" - I mean, who needs an alpaca hat in Kauai? But.... we misplaced our camera cable somewhere in our condo - there's the explanation as to why the vacations posts stopped to abruptly. I always feel the need to include photos in my posts.

FO #4 - Mini Sweater Ornaments
Pattern: Mini Sweater Ornaments
Yarn: RSC sock club yarn. Purple: Incredible Shrinking Violet, Red: Dragon Dance
Needles: US 2
What a great way to use left over yarn! My original intent was to knit these for my fellow teachers. However - the end of the semester got in the way, so I was only able to finish 2 before vacation started. So... made a wee "coat hanger" out of white pipe cleaners & used them as decoration for our 12 ft Christmas Tree. (Yup - that isn't a typo, our tree is 12 ft tall... One day the tree deserves a blog post of it's own) Perhaps if I stick with it I can crank out enough of these to use during the 2010 holidays.

FO #5: "Kitten Mittens"
Pattern: Cat Mittens by Jorid Linvik
Yarn: BMFA "Shadow" and "Branwen" - lightweight
Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm)
I was "smitten by these mittens" when I first ran across them on Ravelry. I purchased solid colored yarn with the thought I'd knit these for me as an end of 1st semester celebration. However - gauge bit me in the arse yet again. The lightweight yarn + needle combo created a mitten more appropriately sized for my 7 year old - hence the new name "Kitten Mittens". They were too fun to knit to rip out, and I'd purchased the yarn with these exact mittens in mind. I only went through a fraction of the balls too - now to decide what to do with the left overs. I think mini black sweaters is just a bit too goth for my taste. This project gets two photos so you can appreciate just how cute both sides of these mittens are. Perhaps I'll seek out a better yarn/needle combo & finally knit a pair for me. Little Iain loved the fact I knit his name into the cuff (although I think I can do a better job).

FO #6: 10 Cable Baby Hat
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran
Needle: US 8
Pattern: Cabled Baby Hats by Julie Hentz
Finished Size: Newborn
Our neighbors welcomed a brand-new baby boy on Winter solctice. So - what a better way to welcome him to the neighborhood than to knit him a cute little hat to keep him warm. Cute - how I love me some cables! I think this would be a perfect baby shower gift for a baby expected during the dead of winter. Baby won't get to wear it long (especially if they're born with a largish noggin - yes, Orion - I'm talkin' to you!) so act quickly & plan accordingly. :0)

Egads - I had more FOs to show you than I realized.... onwards...

FO #7 & #8 - Wood Hollow Mittens #1 & #2
Pattern: Wood Hollow Mittens by Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops
Yarn: Red: BMFA Heavyweight "Mustang Sally" Green: Cascade 220 Heathers "Irelande"
Needle: US 5
We know how much I love cables - so these mittens just screamed "YOU MUST BUY THIS PATTERN & KNIT ME.... NOW!!" Who could ignore such a siren song? So.... I knit the red pair during the first few days of winter break (when I should have been finishing up a sweater that's on the needles) and I knit the green pair while we were out at my parents remote cabin. The pattern is well written & produces a wonderful mitten that fits, well "like a glove". These are destined for the "2010 gift basket" to make up for my lack of gift knitting in 2009. January is "NaKniMitMo" (National Knit Mittens Month) on Ravelry, so you'd think I'd save these to use as official entries. Of course not. So.... I guess I'll just have to knit another pair. I have yarn in the stash (2010 is all about using the stash!) that will work quite lovely, I think. And have I mentioned there's a matching hat? Yup - that might be on my list of projects to do. But not in January - no, January is for mittens! :0)





FO #9 & #10 - French Press Slippers #1 & #2

Pattern: French Press Slippers by Melynda Bernardi
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Purple Pair: "Wisteria"; Blue Pair "Worn Denim"
Needle: US 15

Virtually overnight, thanks to a post regarding this pattern on The Yarn Harlot's blog, these slippers became the must knit project of the 2009 holiday season. I fell hook, line, and sinker & smaller that I need (I wear a 8.5) So - I highly recommend giving this pattern a go, and if you don't mind seaming (some don't) - then just sally forth. Otherwise, join the French Press Knits group on purchased the pattern + yarn as soon as I could. However - I felt like I wasn't told the entire story, such as how much bloody seaming there is to do for these things. Yes - they are knit IN PIECES - that's 4 pieces PER SLIPPER - which requires seaming (BLAH!) before felting. Well - the finished project was so cute that I felt like I could overcome my aversion to seaming (sound familiar?) & give this project a go. It seems (hah!) like I was a glutton for punishment that I ended up making 2 pairs! The kicker is that this project was advertised (I must consider the source) as a "quick project" - one that could be finished between 1.5 & 2 hours. Yeah - right. Not so much for me. I probably spent 1.5 hours in seaming alone. Granted, I do things a bit overkill, so the length of time this took me shouldn't be that surprising. Thankfully there are others out there who aren't as fond as seeming & have figured out a no-sew modification to the pattern. Clever knitters! So - my next attempt at this pattern (these are destined for the gift basket once they are totally dry) is to do a no-sew pair for me. I knit the medium size (7/8) & they felted down to be just a smidgeRavelry, & check out the no-sew mods. I'll report back (I promise!!) when completed a pair of my own.

Whew!! 10 FOs that could have each had their own post had I kept on top of things. Okay - I'll attempt to do better. But with a new semester, robotics in full swing followed by high school soccer, I can't make any promises!

Hope 2010 is a good one for all!

~Ciao!