This and that and more Iceland pics

First - a bit of business.

Our knitting group A Year In Socks has just posted the August challenge, so check it out. There is no obligation, just for fun. And if you're on Ravelry, (and by the way, if you're not, then you should be) you could use the Ravelympics as a good excuse to finish a pair of socks (I'll be making a sweater from that pile of yarn over there.

Also, thanks to those of you who have already sent me socks for our charitable knits!! They are so unbelievably beautiful and warm and wonderful! There is still time. Check here for more info (you can make small socks for kids). I will not be sending the sock package over seas until late September. And I just had a thought ... if you still want to donate, but don't want to knit socks, you could always donate store bought socks, like Smart Wool or anything with REAL wool in it.

This pile of green Peruvia is going to be a fabby sweater for my oldest boy. Probably a Drive-Thru of some sort or an EZ sweater. Bought it at 40% off at Knit Wits going out of business sale.


OK, on to fun stuff - more pictures of Iceland and a quick correction. I think that waterfall in the last post was Skogafoss, not Sellfoss. Oops.

Let me just admit that I did NOT get any knitting done. My face was either pressed to the window looking at the scenery or else closing my eyes and grabbing my chest in fear as we drove through one lane tunnels and bridges and skirted shale cliffs in our teeny tiny (loved that thing) car. Or helping to cook for 20 in our tiny farm kitchen. Or exploring the town and fjord. I had such good intentions...

Here are the captions:
1. Fishing from the dock.
2. A beautiful spot in Vik.
3. Fog rolling into fjord.
4. Oh, the scenery.
5. Our farm up the fjord.

We're back!

We're back, new and improved - smelling of fish and dusting volcanic grit from our clothes. Iceland was magnificent. It is a place of magical beauty - waterfalls that defy the imagination, glaciers, mists, flowers, sheep. But also a darkly beautiful side - volcanoes, steep roads, vulnerable towns perched between avalanche zones and moody fjords. While we were there, a tour boat witnessed a minke whale being attacked and killed by a pod of killer whales. Two polar bears washed up on the shores this summer.

But the Nordic gods were glad we were there and blessed almost every day with sunshine and warm weather. (The mist was beautiful, too - truly Icelandic). An Icelandic friend came very close to winning the big national golf tournament and she's only 16!

First on the agenda: Did I find any yarn stores?

Answer: No. But don't be disappointed. Here was my mistake. I was looking for shops that specialize in yarn and didn't realize that yarn is still a part of normal, every day shopping. Guess where I found yarn - grocery stores, gas stations and my favorite yarn supplier - the local flower shop in town (Neskaupstadir). Here is a picture.

Do you see how they wind their yarn? Isn't that cool? I've never seen that before. It's true Icelandic Lopi and when you knit with it, you have to double strand this, so the disk is designed so that the yarn can be easily pulled from the center and from the edge. I have two ideas for my first Icelandic lopi sweater, but I left my other 3000 photos in a pocket of a jacket that was left behind at another farm called Krokur. (don't fret, my in-laws are still there and are bringing it back). We had a darling visitor to our farm named Arna and she had a sweater on that . . . well, I'll tell that story when I get the pictures.

So feast your eyes on some Icelandic scenes:goofing off at Sellfoss

brotherly love


If you're Icelandic, this picture needs no explanation. However, since most of you are NOT, this is the Icelandic Pylsa or hot dog. If you love lamb and you're a hot dog connoisseur, then Iceland is the place to be.


Hiking Sellfoss.


One big goofball in Reykjavik.

I promise to post more pictures, as soon as I get them back!

Into the wild blue yonder...

Oh, my sides hurt. You bloggy friends are so funny! Thanks for your supportive comments regarding my 14 hours of knit-banned flight time. Sigh. I may have to . . . gulp . . . read. (I am actually looking forward to this. I have a backlog of books that need to be read.)

Well folks, we're off to some remote spot in Iceland. I'll take plenty of pictures and try to find all the yarn shops along the way.

But before I go, let me show you what Lumpy caught this weekend.This old man was released back into his watery home for the next lucky angler.

I am also happy to announce that I finished my Clapotis. It's fabulous and it's coming with me on our trip. It will come in very handy - the weather there should be between 50-60 degrees F. Perfect for a warm wrap.

I'll also be bringing my Rivendell socks. It has been ages since I worked on them. What better place than a country that still believes in elves and hidden people to knit a pair of elvish socks. My goal is to snap off some pictures of the finished socks on some lichen covered rock in a misty glen somewhere. Wish me luck.

Finally, Guinifer sent TWO (yes TWO) fabulous pairs of socks for our charity knit. There is still time if you'd like to contribute. Check out the details here. THANKS, GUINIFER!!!

... ___ ...

SOS

My two, 7 hour flights to and from Iceland have banned knitting needles. I am confused and disoriented. Please help.

The Storm Rolled In

Good thing - I remembered to bring this back inside . . .
as the storm rolled in
and the storm rolled out.
We had a mess to clean up.

The neighbors did not fare so well.
But we'll all pitch in and and have it
cleaned and fixed up
in no time.

There is always a rainbow
after a storm.

Our 4th of July

Happy belated 4th of July, my bloggy friends. We spent a gorgeous long weekend on the lakes with family and friends. Good times, good times.

And what every good American does ...

knit wool hats!!!


Well, seriously, I was actually knitting wool hats out on the boat. We'll be heading to Iceland this summer and it will be a bit chillier than we're used to.

I experimented as I went and they happily turned out ok,


Now for some mittens . . .

ps. Guinifer, I take Leo up to Puppy Camp tomorrow! Thanks for your help.

Patience

I am not a patient person. I peek at my presents, skip to the end of books to see how they end (with the exception of Harry Potter). I managed to talk my hubby into finding out the sex of our 2nd child. I hate to wait. So inevitably, springtime is difficult for me. It is a long process of waiting for many things. But good things come to those who wait.I'll have to wait a bit longer for corn but as you can see - it will be "knee high by the 4th of July". I'll let you know how it tastes - pray for no hail.
And yes, my patience with boring brown has paid off. Here is my Christmas present to my father-in-law:
Pattern: Primavera by natalja
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit 100 Bosco
Needle: US 1 (2.5)

I loved the pattern. It was easy to memorize after one row. It looks great!

In My Mind...

Over there on We Do Not Have A Knitting Problem, she created this really cool mosaic of Flickr photos based on a set of questions. You type in your answer into Flickr search engine and choose a photo you like. Here is what I created.




1. rani, 2. Seafood , 3. Minnetonka, 4. green, 5. Gerard Butler, 6. pale ale, 7. Astro Orbiter (Walt Disney World), 8. Molten Chocolate Cake, 9. "Timemachines", 10. family, 11. Knitter, 12. Vasil Ruci (Flamurtari-Barcelona 1:1)

Here's what you do:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The questions:

1. What is your first name? Rani
2. What is your favorite food? Seafood
3. What high school did you go to? Minnetonka
4. What is your favorite color? Green
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Gerard Butler
6. Favorite drink? cold pale ale
7. Dream vacation? Disney World with my family
8. Favorite dessert? Molten Chocolate Cake
9. What you want to be when you grow up? a writer
10. What do you love most in life? family
11. One Word to describe you. knitter
12. Your flickr name. krela

FUN!

My Happy Day Socks.

I was inspired by this sweater (Schmeebot)to travel back in time - the the days of Mork and Mindy; roller skates with pom poms; Brady Bunch reruns; Love Boat and Gilligan's Island after school; smelly stickers and grape Bubbalicious gum. I'm sitting under a tree wearing these socks, reading a Judy Blume book. . . a time when rainbows ruled the fashion world of an 11 year old girl.





Knit Picks Sock Blank dyed with Kool-aid for my Happy Day Socks that I want to start soon ... very soon.

Father's Day Weekend

We spent a relaxing weekend on the porch, watching the humming birds, listening to the kids bouncing (and bickering) on the tramp and running after the Prince of Poopness who crashed an outdoor wedding at the neighbors. Yup. We have THAT sort of dog.

On Friday, I went inside for a glass of water and got a phone call from the construction site over yonder.

"Do you own a chocolate lab named Leo?"

OMG. I swear, the dog can smell a lunch box from a mile away. He's going to turn me gray.


Oh, all right. I forgive you.


In the mail:
Knit Picks sock blanks for some summer Kool-aid dying fun.

AND

WOOLGIRL SOCK CLUB SPOILER ALERT:









Dashing Dach Sox - Colorway "FROGGIN"



Baseball season is coming into home plate (bad pun). And we're ready for some lazy, hazy days.

And those warm summer nights.

My Summer Knitting Goals

Summer Goals Contest (thanks Guinifer!):

Row 1 (left to right) Art Scarf, Drop Stitch scarf, Green Socks
Row 2 (left to right) Rivendell Sock, June Socks, Garden Path Socks

and if I finish all of the above . . .

Row 3 (left to right) Funky Sock Monkey, Apres Surf Hoodie, Elizabeth Zimmermann Modular "Tomten" Jacket.

Glory Be!

Our first hot day of summer is here without the humidity. The family enjoyed a joyous weekend of frivolous play and, yes - swimming.

"Was the water warm enough?"

Heck no! These are hardy northern kids who will jump in any lake as soon as the ice is out.

Leo continually flopped himself down in the stinking swamp in the back, there. So we hauled out the old Kmart pool, filled it up and he adopted it as his own backyard oasis.
Good boy. Now, STAY!

I splurged (again) and bought myself my FIRST CHERRY TREE HILL YARN!! This lovely little ditty will be knit to the tune of "Garden Path" by Wendy Knits, thanks to the never-ending inspiration of Neuroknitter.

And for some instant knitting FO gratification, I am whipping out a bunch of these dish cloths for a cousin who is gettin' hitched. I'll throw them in a lasagna pan that I bought them. (it's ok, he doesn't read my blog)

Yarn (Sugar'n Cream)
needles: US 7 but anything will work
Pattern (I think my grandma taught me this): co 4
k2, yo, knit to end of row
k2, yo, knit to end of row
do this until your dish cloth is as wide as you'd like
DECREASE:
k1, k2tog, yo, k2tog, knit to end of row
k1, k2tog, yo, k2tog, knit to end of row
do this until 4 stitches remain, cast off.

So fast and easy.