SailingKnitter

I made fresh, delicious and healthy meals every day and knit. The produce is so incredibly inexpensive here and farm fresh so why not use more of it? I have finally learned to slow down and  take my time to make meals. After years of rushing home to throw together a meal for a starving family, I'm just starting to (yes, after 6 years afloat) approach meal prep as a culinary chef and not as a short-order cook. Nothing fancy...just good clean food (thanks Savo for inspiring me)!

Today, and for the next few days, we are having our stairs from the cockpit down to our boat interior sanded and varnished. It's about a 5-ft drop down into our salon. How do we in and out? By using our trusty fold-up aluminum ladder which we have had lashed on-deck since before leaving San Diego! Be careful!

I'm totally willing to put up with this little inconvenience. Why? Because I will finally be able to recover the treads of our wood steps in the beautiful Zapotec woven wool runner that I purchased years ago in Zihuatanejo Mexico. No more raggedy yucky indoor/outdoor carpeting! 

Knitting Content
Here are my latest pair of handknit Monster Socks using yarns donated by Leanne at knitting camp. One sock is complete and I'm still darning in the yarn tails on it's pair, but the knitting is done. These use a simple 1x1 stranded knitting technique for 2 rounds at each color change which give those little blips of color.

Although there has been nightly knitting while Jonesy and I watch our "Grey's Anatomy" DVD series, there isn't much to show for it. 1) Because one is a new sock pattern to be released next year, and 2) one is a surprise gift, and 3) I'm too hot to get out from behind the fans and climb up the ladder to take a photo of the big socks on the needles for the kids in Kazakhstan.

Tickled to my core

Gansey Style Sideways Mitts and Mittens

One of my patterns, Gansey Style Mitts and Mittens  was featured in the November 2012 Patternfish Newsletter! I'm so honored that they chose this as a recommended gift knit. These are knit flat with 2 needles in worsted weight yarn and feature a short-row shaped thumb gusset. Don't worry if you've never done short-rows because the pattern includes a series of photos and instructions to walk you through the process. Then, after seaming the sides, you can decide if you are content with mitts, or want to add the tops of the hands and thumbs (knit in the round) for warmer mittens.

Fair Isle Knit Holiday Ornaments

Then, last weekend Craftsy featured my Fair Isle Holiday Ornaments pattern set in their newsletter! These little 3 1/2" double-sided decorations are knit in fingering or sock weight yarn from the outside towards the center just like the last few rounds of a tam hat! Gee, I wonder where I got the idea for these.

More celebrations are in the works - including a bonzai trip to Tikal to welcome in the new Mayan era! Life is good.