New Gloves

Wool gloves are a real treat!  They keep my fingers warm when I'm biking, or just make them feel better when they feel old and arthritic.

I knit my first pair of fingerless gloves around 10 years ago as a challenge.  It was the next step up, a natural progression from knitting socks.  The fingers, after all, are just a smaller version of knitting a sock leg, and there is no pesky heel to turn.

I have made many pairs of gloves, either with full fingers, cut-offs, or fingerless mittens.  I have given them all away or (sadly) lost them.  So with time on my hands, last weekend was the perfect time for a new project.

I bought a skein of wool from the internet in the fall to make a hat for my Mom.  However, when I received it, it didn't really scream "hat" to me so I stashed it away.  I decided to use it now because I thought the pattern might be interesting in gloves.  The stripe pattern would show thin stripes in the body and larger stripes in the fingers.  It's fun to knit with hand-dyed wool because of the variations in colours.  Subtle changes in colour reveal patterns, one stitch at a time.  It's like reading a mystery book, where clues are revealed one at a time.  This one is called a multi.

This project also marks the first time I have written out a pattern.  I have posted the instructions in Ravelry .  I have written it out in an effort to save myself time in the long run.  No more trying it out and re-measuring.

Since spring is taking its sweet time in returning this year, I'm sure I'll be able to wear these many times before putting them away for the summer.

Back to Nature #2

Thanks to my lovely J., I had a chance to get away again this weekend, this time to Point No Point on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.  Point No Point is a small resort with log (ish) cabins overlooking the Salish Sea.  They make no apologies for not having any tvs, cell coverage, or internet.  This lack of connectivity is part of the charm.  From our 300 square foot cabin we can see the Northern Tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, then it’s the vastness of the Pacific Ocean!  Aah the fresh ocean breeze!

J. & I were treated to the sound of crashing waves and the crackling of a wood fire for the whole weekend.  We hiked to the “Point” and met a woman who claimed these were the biggest waves she had seen here in 20 years.  On the hike we stopped at a small pebbled beach, watched the waves crash, and listened to the beach pebbles trickle back down to the water with each receding wave.

It’s interesting to compare the West Coast to the East Coast of Vancouver Island.  The West Coast is much more rugged with little development.  It's best to have a full gas tank and enough groceries for a trip out here.  I like feeling like I’m on the edge of the world.  It feels odd but liberating.

Another difference between the two coasts is that we have not seen as much wildlife here as in Deep Bay on the East Coast.  J. points out that it’s not as sheltered on the West Coast, so it’s harder for the animals to get food.  Perhaps it's too early in the year and the birds have not yet returned.  In Deep Bay we always see eagles, cormorants, geese, seals, and occasionally sea lions.  Last summer we even saw a pod of killer whales in the Bay.  Here on the west coast we saw a Blue Jay yesterday and that’s about it.   I know there are bears not far so I'm not complaining too much.

One of my yoga teachers says we shouldn’t have to get away to feel a sense of calmness.  She says we should be able to feel that calmness in our every day life.  Personally, I find the ocean’s sounds, fresh air, and vastness quite helpful in de-stressing.  I find it hard to reproduce that feeling without the sights, scents, & sounds.