SailingKnitter

One bit of advice that I picked up years ago was to "celebrate your accomplishments". Sometimes we get so focused on all the little things that are going wrong, or that simply need to be done, and we forget to pat ourselves on the back for jobs well done. This past week, the crew of the sailing vessel  Niki Wiki have some major project completions that needed to be celebrated.

We have ignition!
Ahhhh - it was the sweet SOUND of success when the big Perkins diesel engine finally got fuel up to the injectors and into the engine! Here's a short video taken during that first minute of the engine running after the big rebuild. It's been many months since we've heard it's mighty rumbling. Jonesy (head down in a red shirt) was still down in the bilge adjusting the injectors when I took this video from the helm.

Whooo hoooo! We can now go cruising! Sure, there are still some other projects to take care of before we hit the Intracoastal Waterway headed north, but now that we know that the engine is
purring again, we need to spend some time planning. As Jonesy said today..."It's hard to be in a hurry if you don't know where you're going!" We've pored over the charts and cruising guides and have decided to go for it next Saturday, May 9th. That is our planned "Get out of the Marina" date.

Jonesy next tackled the clean-up of our trusty dinghy named Scooty Puff which has been hanging off the stern of Niki Wiki on davits since last July. Then he mounted the Yamaha 15hp motor on Scooty's transom and got it to fire up on the 2nd pull. We now have a big movable home and small inflatable waterway transportation.

While Jonesy worked on the boat stuff, I've been spending time putting things (mostly my crafty stuff) away into secure cubbies and lockers for the trip. We tend to spread our stuff out in the boat while in a marina, but that's not going to work when we are traveling. Even wakes from passing motorboats can make the Niki Wiki rock and bounce and anything loose will bounce too. I've also been provisoning with the shelf stable items such as coffee, paper towels, cereal, beans and rice, drinks and condiments. We will not be able to shop for food very often and may need to walk a long ways too, Plus it is a lot of work to lug and transport heavy or large items in the dinghy so I like to stock up on the important items.

The Darien Seaport Sweater

Crafty Accomplishments

Ta-da! Here is the completed sweater that I knit for a teenager who will age out of the orphanage in Kazakhstan. The shaping and pattern stitchwork of this sweater is based on the traditional fishermen's gansey sweaters. It is 100% wool, but is a heavier weight (thicker) yarn than the original sweaters were knit from so that it is warmer for the extreme low temperatures where it will be worn.

I have written up the initial pattern notes and charts, but still have to do the size "grading" for multiple sizes so that more knitters can recreate it. That's a big part of the fun for me in the whole knitting process!

The final knitting and blocking of the sweater was done while I was house-dog-dog-dog-cat sitting for a friend. The house sits right on the tidal marsh near to the Darien Seaport. Check out this sweet view of the wetlands from the screened veranda where the sweater dried. For 4 days I played with the dogs and cat, soaked up the view, knit and sewed.

The sewing projects were repairs on our big Shade Tree awnings for the boat and a little awning we had custom made for the stern deck. The tropical sun of the past few years had weakened the fabrics and all it took to produce rips and holes was a fierce windy storm last fall while we were off on our car trip. So I spread them out on the concrete driveway under the giant oak trees with spanish moss swaying and evaluated what needed to be repaired. It was almost too much fun be outside working on a sunny, dry day with temps int he high 70's and loving dogs watching me.

 And there has been more knitting going on (like you didn't know already). Here's a pair of smaller sized socks knit from some yarn generously donated by a fellow knitter. These are knit with Patons Kroy sock yarn which did all the color work for me. I just knit plain socks.

But another pattern caught my eye while browsing Ravelry the other day. Now that I've finished the gray sweater above, I find that I have some extra wool. I've always wanted to make some felted mittens so I did!

The pattern is called "Norwegian Fisherman Mittens" (free on Ravelry) and is very simple to knit. After knitting them I tossed them in a top-loading washing machine with hot water and a couple of winter blankets to have them shrink and felt into a tight, thick fabric.

The Knit Picks Wool of the Andes yarn felted beautifully!

Before and After Felting

 See how BIG the loosely knit mittens were before they were felted? And then you can also see that the finished mittens fit my hand with a nice long cuff and some extra room for a thin pair of liner mittens on the inside. Perfect!

Of course, there is already another pair on the needles. Why argue with success? I have quite a large stash of this type of yarn in many colors so I think this will become some of my cockpit knitting as we travel the ICW.
Remember the ceramic trivets that I shared before? Well I offered one to a friend on Ravelry and here's a picture she took of it in its new home! I also tucked in one of my handmade buttons. My friend offered to send me some of her handmade soap. So now I am using some wonderful, natural soap that smells of Lemongrass. I used to grow lemongrass on the grounds of Mario's Marina in Guatemala so the smell reminds me of those days so far away and not so long ago.

Speaking of Mario's Marina - it is no more. The lease was terminated so the business of the marina was abandoned and all boats had to vacate. It was sure nice while it lasted and many cruisers have fond memories of time spent there and the wonderful people who worked there and became our friends. We spent 4 hurricane seasons (of about 5 months each) at Mario's. Here's a very recent photo of what is left - just the docks and facilities and no boats. Change is inevitable so enjoy the present.

NO BOATS at the old Mario's Marina - May 2015

Life is good.

Photo from Bob and Trish Meredith, s/v Barnacle.