Museum of Glass

The highlight of my Portland-Seattle trip, aside from spending time with Ryan and Luke, was visiting the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington.

I can’t say enough for the exhibits especially Preston Singletary’s Native American art, fascinating and inspiring. The museum run a Kids Design Glass program where artists create sculptures based on children’s drawings. A wonderful example of how creative and original children are and how society restricts originality as people age. The museum also features an atrium where artists demonstrate the glass blowing process. I would highly recommend the experience.

However, if the museum happens to be closed during you visit to Tacoma, stop by anyway. The building itself is a fascinating oblique cone structure and many glass sculptures are featured near the museum. A fountain surrounding the museum and adjacent gallery would probably be even more spectacular at night.

A walkway over the freeway encases many sculptures and, most impressively, a collage of smaller sculptures on the ceiling. The collage allows sun to pass through the colored glass in a stunning manner even on a dreary Pacific Northwest afternoon.

If you are having trouble finding the cone shaped building, keep an eye out for the candy-shaped pillars along the walkway.

Finished Project: Vivian (Pocketed)

(Luke, thanks for the photo. I made it black and white because my face turned green when I tried to brighten the photo)

Finished Project: Vivian (Pocketed)

Pattern: Vivian by Ysolda Teague Twist Collective Winter 2008

Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss Heavy Worsted in Admiral

Needles: US7

Duration: October 10 through January 5

Modifications: I followed Felinity’s directions for the hood and added pockets.

Pattern Reflections: This pattern is wonderfully written and the design is neat. Ysolda has a gift for writing patterns, she should think about technical manual writing on the side. Her style is specific without being too basic. The only thing I would have found useful would have been a chart for the set up rows. The paragraph was very difficult to follow, I had to start over three times.

Size and Fit Reflections: I knit the smallest size (32 inch). My gauge was dead on. It came out closer to 30 inch circumference which means it fits me even better! I know there have been complaints about the sleeve length but I have long arms. However, I strongly dislike cuffs near my wrists when I am eating or knitting. The flaired cuffs allow for easier, less destructive rolling during these instances. I also chose not to modify the forearm diameter, my wrists and lower arms have the girth of a thin five-year-old’s. The sweater was also designed long, so no need for me to add my typical 3 inches of length. I feel Ysolda has been reading my modification notes and designed a sweater to meet all my criteria.

(Note: the white spot on my breast is snow not a strange intarsia.)

Yarn Reflections: This new yarn sure has a bad wrap according to the comments on Ravelry. I would consider it soft and not itchy, I am moderately sensitive to itch. The silk give the yarn a slight shine, though not as much as silk in more expensive yarns. But it is a Knit Picks product which means you are getting what you pay for (for the record, I have never been impressed with Knit Picks yarn but have chosen it occasionally when the budget is stretched). The sweater is pilling a little on the sleeves, but not unacceptably so. I wear my sweaters hard; think firewood carrying and cross country ski grocery hauling.

Modifications: I added pockets!! I cast on as the pattern called for and knit 1.5 inches. I, then, separated the work into three sections (left front, right front, and back) and knit back and for five inches and, finally, re-joined and continued the pattern. This created two holes at pocket level. I picked up stitches on the pocket edge and knit seed stitch for 1.5 inches and tacked the flap on the inside edge to soften the transition into the pockets. I broke out the sewing machine for the zipper and also created two flannel, fabric envelopes. I then machine sewed them into place. It was pretty fiddly and the pockets ended up a little on the small side but I will definitely add pockets to a sweater in the future.

(Yes, that is celery on my shirt.)

Seattle

A few weekends ago my travels took me to the Pacific Northwest; Portland and Seattle specifically. After installing some sensors to monitor an active landslide east of Portland, I headed up to Seattle to visit for the weekend.

Monitoring Site

Though I spent a considerable amount of time in Washington during graduate school evaluating tectonic anomalies, I was always in small towns or remote areas. I had a wonderful and relaxing time with both Luke in Seattle and Ryan in Portland.

The weekend was supposed to be terribly rainy but it ended up being clear, almost sunny. Mount Hood and the Cascades were clearly visible and spectacular.

Some Rhododendrons were starting to bud; a reminder of how short winter is outside my 11,400 elevation bubble.

One of the many things I miss about my time in Taiwan is the variety and quality of tea. Luke and I spent several hours in a tea shop sampling and smelling. I came home with some old favorite teas and some interesting varieties I have never tried. I cannot wait to visit again.

Jasmine Flower

Once Steeped Tea

Finished Projects: Dunce Ugh

Finished Projects: Dunce Ugh

Pattern: Reykjavik Hat by Kirsten Kapur

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca

Needles: US7 for brim and color work; US5 for stripes

Duration: December 20 to December 23

Modification: Decreased more aggressively in the stripe section

Pattern Reflections: The slipped moss stitch is a pain and took forever. It didn’t turn out as “vertical stripy” as I was hoping. However, it is probably stretchier than a corrugated rib. I also decreased every 6th row in the stripe section instead of every 8th row. I should have decreased even more aggressively. The hat looks kind of lumpy in the middle.

General Reflections: This knit inspired me because it was silly and I loved the pink and brown colors. The final hat, however, looks a little too weird. The brim, the house section, and the stripe pattern don’t seem to flow. It is too busy and as I mentioned before, kind of lumpy. I am going to frog it. However, I will probably use the three design elements to create hats in the future. The yarn is too soft and vivid to stay in this awkward hat.

On a more positive knitting note: I have started a new sweater (Rusty Nail), again, with Berroco Ultra Alpaca. I am loosely following the Icelandic Star pattern from Interweave Knits, Winter 2009. I plan on installing a zipper and I am aiming for a 30 inch body circumference. I love the colors together.

Belated Happy New Year!

2010 held the best New Year’s celebration I can remember. Though the celebration was more New Year’s Eve as no one present was awake past ten pm. Dave and I hosted a moonlight ski/snowshoe/sleepover at out house.
The moonlight snowshoe/ski though the forest around our property was unforgettable! Lamp light was not required because the moonlight was so bright.

Brian, Spokes, and I went for a New Year’s morning snowshoe. The day was sunny and beautiful. We hiked up to the old bristle cone grove.

Finished Project: Kermit Generation 1

I was busy knitting in the month of December, not documenting. I finished Kermit Gen 1 in time for Christmas. I think the green says “Christmas tree” more than “Kermit the Frog.” Either way, I love the finished sweater.

Project: Kermit Generation 1

Pattern: Syrup Interweave Knits Winter 2009

Yarn: Cascade 220 in Christmas Green

Needles: US7

Duration: December 6th to December 20th

Modifications: Lengthened the sleeves one inch and the body two inches. I sized the sweater down from the smallest size (36 inch chest) to a 32 inch chest.

Pattern Reflections: The smallest size published in Interweave Knits is a 36 inch chest; the fit specifies the sweater is intended to be worn with two to three inches of positive ease. Since when is even a 34 inch chest a small?!?! I know I must sound like a broken record, but, why do knitting patterns run so big? It is so frustrating to be a “small” knitter. For the record, I am not that small, I typically wear a size small in store bought clothing. I have yet to knit a “size small” sweater from a pattern that I am not swimming in. Though Vivian and O W L S have been smallish; my gauge was also tighter than recommended.

I cast on 28 stitches for the sleeves and 64 stitches for the body. I increased and decreased as the pattern specified. Please let me know if you are interested in the size-down specifics. The final sweater has about 3” of negative ease. I like the fit and am extremely happy I added length to the body. I have been wearing the sweater a lot. It is comfortable and warm.

Spokes and his new favorite toy.

Sweaters and the Solstice

The Vivian Sweater (Ravelry Link)is finished except for weaving in the ends, sewing on the zipper and the pockets liners. I am planning on using the sewing machine, as I dislike hand sewing.

Unfortunately, winter solstice season is officially here. Winter solstice season often provides challenges for solar powered households as the sun is lower in the sky and the days are shorter. We have an especially difficult time because for twenty days before and after the solstice, the sun does not even crest the mountains. The solstice is also usually accompanied by winter storms, further blocking energy packed sunshine. We have a backup generator which will charge the battery bank. Typically the generator needs to run for four hours to fully charge the batteries and we can go four to six days between charging if we are conservative with power. That means no movies, baking (our gas oven has an electric assist), limited showers, and no sewing machine.

In the meantime I started the Syrup sweater featured in this winter’s edition of Interweave Knits. I wanted a quick knit after Vivian; I also wanted to try out Cascade 220. I knit up a sleeve in the past two days and am so far happy with the yarn. I chose the color because it reminds me of Kermit the Frog. I will be referring to this sweater as Kermit Gen 1 (Ravelry Link).

I recently cut and donated thirteen inches of hair (mine, not Spokes’s) to Locks of Love. I have wanted to donate for a while.