Six-Week Socks

I've just returned from a 6-week trip to the States, visiting family in California, then taking a trip with my husband up to Alaska, ending up in Vancouver, flying back to Orange County California, then finally a week-long side trip to Arizona to visit more family.

What a whirlwind! I took enough yarn for two projects, but with all that was going on, I quickly realized I'd be lucky to complete the pair of socks that I began just before leaving New Zealand for the trip.

The socks went everywhere I did and I found bits of time here and there to work on them.

Here is the first sock near Denali Park, Alaska.

Anthony took the time to take some time-lapse photos along the way. Here he is waiting for Anchorage's famous 'bore tide' to come along the inlet called 'Turnagain Arm.'

We drove all the way to the end of the Kenai Peninsula to a town called Homer. I hadn't yet had a yarn fix and was jonesin' for sure. A local man told me about the 'Yarn Yurt' and we hurriedly made our way to the location.

To my horror, the Yarn Yurt was closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays and we were in Homer for one day...you guessed it...a Thursday. It was painful.

After a week of driving around seeing the sights, we hopped aboard a cruise ship to take us from Seward, Alaska down to Vancouver, BC.

In between eating, which is a 24/7 endeavor on cruise ships, I found some time to knit.

Starting the second sock...

Lovely view of (first) sock and Alaska's gorgeous coastline.

I was finally rewarded with a yarn fix in Ketchikan at Mission Street Arts & Fibers. I was looking for some unique yarn, preferably something made locally and I found this...

This hand-dyed colorway from Raven Frog Fiber Arts in Sitka, Alaska is called 'Tapestry.' The colors are inspired by the climate of southeast Alaska and the Russian influence there. Apparently to keep houses warm in the winter, the Russian immigrants would hang heavy tapestries on the walls to insulate them.

There is an additional skein laying on top of it that is in the same colorway but is a fancy yarn. I have no idea what I will make with it, but the colors are intoxicating. I have 550 yards of the main skein...maybe enough for a vest, or perhaps a hat/scarf combo?

On a side note, Anthony and I were dumbfounded at the number of penguin souvenirs in Alaska. It is shocking how many people think penguins live in Alaska (when in fact, they don't...they live in Antarctica and a few other places, but definitely NOT Alaska). This kind of marketing, especially to kids, just perpetuates the myth and frankly, annoys me.

I continued working on the socks when we were in Vancouver for five days, and then when we returned to California. We then rented another car and drove to Arizona to visit my Grammie. The socks were getting so close to completion.  Working on socks in 110-degree temps is an act of sheer dedication.

Here they are hanging out on a fence off the Apache Trail near the Superstition Mountains in Arizona.

While in Arizona we happened to find ourselves in downtown Mesa. The place looked so familiar for some reason. Then I realized with my 7th knitterly sense that I had been down this way before...TO A YARN STORE! And sure enough, moments later I spotted the giant pink chair which heralds the spot of a great little yarn store, 'Fiber Factory,' that I had visited on my last trip.

My husband Anthony has the patience of a saint, as I parked and left him in the car with the engine and air-conditioning running and told him, '15 minutes.' Of course I could have spent longer, but one has to be reasonable, especially when people are waiting. So I perused the yarn store for something special and found these lovelies...

Ah, I just want to lick them, they look so good. This is Mirasol Yarns 'K'Acha' from from Peru. It is a kettle-dyed single ply of 60% fine merino, 25% Suri alpaca and 15% silk. A portion of each purchase is dedicated to the funding of a school in a remote area of Peru. So I can feel even better about buying this yarn.

The brown ball is so unusual in that it looks almost purple in some lights.

Well that's me all caught up to present. We are back in our house in Christchurch, New Zealand and I have already started a new project, a vest sweater with cap sleeves in a bulky 'clay' colored yarn. I'll post about that next time.

Oh, and by the way, I finished the socks the night before flying back to New Zealand. I wore them on the plane. Yay!

Christmas Presence

I completed a collage artwork today that is a gift for my Mom for Christmas. She arrived today from California after 22 hours of traveling. It is good to have her here. When you live in another country, there is nothing quite like having your Mom visit your home for the first time. There is a sense of complete-ness about it.

Anyway, I have been thinking about trying collage for some time now. I am particularly inspired by the woman who created Art Chix Studio, an online store for collage art. The images are so rich, compelling and creative. With her blog, My Artistic Life, she encourages others to create by giving instruction and art challenges. People send her photos of their creations and her cats pick the winners.

So, I must admit I was a little intimidated by the process. My art is usually based on precision, so to just let loose and slap some stuff down on the paper is a bit scary to be honest. I decided to mimic one of her projects that she did recently, just as a place to start...the circle background. But the rest is all ME. I used a photo of my mother as a wee baby, all dressed up to go out in the snow (she was born in Maine). I started my project at 1030 at night...not the best time to start, but when the creative urge strikes, it's best not to get in the way.

In a word, I had FUN. I tried not to let my brain get in the way, but just let it flow and played with the colors and the paper and the paint. I am really happy with the result and I'm sure my Mom will love it too. It's framed, wrapped and under the tree.

I also finished knitting a pair of socks, also for my Mom. They are made from Noro Silk Garden Chunky and I had to look hard to find a pattern that works for chunky yarn, but I found one and adapted it slightly. I'm not wild about this colorway, but they do contain a lot of colors. And they are BIG socks (affectionately knicknamed "Godzilla Socks"). Big and cozy. She could even wear them over another pair of socks. But since her feet get cold easily, I figure she will find good use for them.

Here they are blocking in the sun...
Now my Christmas preparations are all DONE. I can just sit back and enjoy the season.