Carry that weight...

Ever since I heard that people "backpacked across Europe," I have been wanting to go.

I started my training today.

First-aid kit, flashlight, yoga mat, yoga book, journal, gallon water, jar of peanut butter, raisins, two fish knives, cell phone, sweaters, tape

"Loop D" Tyler State Park. Pine tree forest. 2.14 miles. Start time of 4:30pm.

Mantra: Do not get lost or take too many rests. Learn to read map better.

Other thoughts... What would I do if I came across a pack of hogs? A cougar?

The pack is a challenge on the hills.

Those trees I could climb and the hogs wouldn't get me. Is it better to appear confident to a mountain lion, or would he take that as a challenge? Would pretending not to see him matter?

If I die today, at least I die living.

The pine forest, one of my many homes.

I see the lake. Close to safety. Close to the noise.

End of trail. 5:30pm. My pack did not slow me down- next time make it heavier.

After the trail, I found this fallen tree and did some yoga on it. Namaste!

Tyler State Park Review...Now how do I tie this into knitting?

Well, so this blog may not be directly concerned with knitting, but isn't that metaphorical? You know, since knitting itself is a wonderous linkage of yarn, winding around itself to create something more than simple fibers, but something useful and beautiful? Not that this blog will be of any use or have beauty... but it will be something more than itself... if that's possible.

Anyone who reads this purely as a State Park review can dismiss the first paragraph as it is just nonsense. I promise I did not eat any of the fabulously colored mushrooms that I found today on my journey! I went to Tyler State Park this morning and hiked two trails. The first, Black Jack Nature Trail, is a mere 0.5 miles and can be used as a warm up or cool down. It has some nice flowers such as the Wild Violets and some others which I will identify and list later. Hues of green, pink, purple, yellow, and one orange blooming plant are displayed. You can do this trail leisurely in 15 minutes.

The second trail named "Loop A" was great! It was longer, at 2.53 miles and took me approximately 2 hours. I stopped a lot to gaze around and study the different mushrooms. I also like to deviate from the trail a bit to go look at stuff. So a fast hiker may be able to do this trail much faster. You first go thru what I affectionaly deemed "The Baby Pines". When you begin and end the trail at the top of the forest you will go through some tall grasses and lots of tiny baby pine trees. I quickly found a walking stick because I was walking through continuous spider webs (I feel guilty in retrospect!) which were very itchy. The walking stick would go before me and knock them down.

I crossed a ravine, down the hill, winding deeper into the forest. My favorite tree is the pine tree so being surrounded by a pine forest was heaven! I only saw one tiny frog, one juvinile skink (lizard), one dead luna moth, and one cave cricket eating a mushroom. There were only a couple of wasps that I noticed and I think those were dirt dobbers. No hornets, no mosquitos. The biggest surprise were the mushrooms! Everywhere I looked there were mushrooms! Of all shapes, sizes, and colors! I am going to provide a list of them below. Pink topped (no spots), up-turned, 70's goldenrod yellow, black necrotic looking, white nipple looking, orange, tiny brown, large toadstool.... they were everywhere!

The gift shop had nothing really native to the park itself except some carved wooden keychains in the shapes of trout may or may not have been made from a local wood. Apparently you can fish at this park though, and take your catch home. The bathrooms were very nice, new, flushable toilets (not port-a-potty style), though I found it strange that the only sign in here was this:

Boletus oliveisporus

Kuo, M. (2007, December). Boletus oliveisporus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/boletus_oliveisporus.html

pennywhistle music and irish festival

So, I'm expanding this blog a bit... Another important thing in my life is music. It's been there longer than knitting has. I play the flute and now the pennywhistle. Since some of my roots extend from Ireland (McCallum) and Scotland (Clan Anderson) I'm sure that's why I'm playing the music I am now.
Below are some resources for pennywhistle sheet music. It always helps a bit when starting out especially for me since I was trained to read music.

Irish Songs Lyrics With Guitar Chords By Martin Dardis
Traditional Irish Music Tunes & Instruction
TinWhistle Music
The Session

I'll add more as I find them!

The North Texas Irish Festival was AWESOME! I saw some really neat groups. We all sang to the Wild Rover. I was so excited that I remembered most of the words. Drank several a Guiness, petted many Irish Wolfhounds and Great Pyrenees. I found one lady who was spinning wool into yarn but didn't run into any knitters to talk about jumpers (sweaters). The lady spinning was busy when we went by, so I didn't chat with her. She probably knew some knots. Next year I will take a started project and ask around for someone to show me some knots if I find any. I was pretty overwhelmed with everything that was going on! There were several booths representing Clans, though Clan Anderson did not have one that I saw. Perhaps next year. There is however a National Tartan Day celebration March 28, 2010 in Dallas, where I hope to find some kilt-wearing Andersons!

Eastern lands...

Obviously many things must have happened between now and September! I have moved back to the Piney Woods and am loving how every day when I drive to school at sunrise there is a different picture almost every time. Lately the weather has been diverse. Sometimes there is so much fog you cannot see but 30 feet in front of you. Sometimes there is less and you can see the outline of the skelaton like branches of the trees. There has been snow and ice, heavy on the branches and truly a wonderland emerged. Other times the sunrise is so beautiful to see on a clear day. The sun can be yellow, orange, pink. The pine trees are magical and I wish I could stop every time to go explore. I'm pretty sure that is illegal, being private property. I hate fences sometimes.
I have visited the people at First Monday that have the yarn for sale and sheep farm. I think it's called Golden Fleece farms. The guy there showed me how to weave. I think that I would like to try that sometime, weaving.
I finished a couple projects and gave them as gifts for Christmas. I still have a bunch of yarn to work with though and have been stagnant due to time. My new job certainly does not allow for knitting like my old one did. Hopefully over spring break I'll pick it back up!
I'm going to the Irish festival this weekend in Dallas. I'm going to ask around for people who know about Irish fisherman sweaters. :)

Ruts-n-clover

Okay, My friend Ally sent me a link and is always talking about oneprettything.com, so I went. OH MY GOSH! AMAZING! There are so many great knitting patterns and sites and blogs and everything!!! One particular blog I would like to "follow" is sheepinthecity.com, I can't figure out how to officially follow but the link is below! Check It Out! :)

I am in a rut. I am still working on my rose camo scarf which is fine. But I have been working on different designs and the more I try, the less I am seeing it come out! I have tried an Embossed Leaf design and that is just not working! Is it my yarn? Am I not doing the pattern correctly? I am sad. That is all I know!

I have offically made the decision to move back to East Texas. There is a great yarn store in Tyler and the ladies there teach spinning and knitting classes at the community college! They are always at First Monday Trades Days and have good sized vendors area. I am SO excited about it! I plan on taking the classes, as many as I can! Maybe someday I will have my own yarn shop!

I took a picture of some clover on the small hill by my apartment. I would like to either find or create a stitch someday that resembles it. Is it possible to recreate such a symbol? I think so. I am aware of the Trinity Stitch, as it was mentioned many times in the book Casting Off by Nicole Dickson. Maybe this will work... we'll see!

Happy knitting!

http://www.sheepinthecity.prettyposies.com/

http://www.oneprettything.com/

presents!

This is the second of what will be Christmas presents. I am starting with family presents, and then if time permits- presents for close friends, work associates, far away friends and whoever else requests one!
I think doing something like what Tom's shoe company does would be cool. Like for every scarf I make for someone I know, maybe I should make one for someone I don't know who needs one. I could send them to a homeless shelter or something. I think that would be pretty cool and rewarding. It's like volunteering but from my own living room! haha
So to the left, I am using "Rose Camo" colored yarn. It's mostly bamboo but I forget what the company is that produces it. I think they are Turkish? I tried using the Embossed Leaf stitch design but it didn't show up very well. I am thinking I must have messed up, plus the yarn is kind of furry which I think effects the design showing up? I also used Irish Moss and Seed Stitch.
This brings up my next topic- Irish Moss and Seed Stitch. I found these designs everywhere in books and online and it seems there is a little contradiction. The Seed Stitch should be K1P1 repeat then P1K1 on row two. Then alternate those two rows. The Irish Moss should be like K1P1 for two rows and then P1K1 for two rows... then repeat, right? I have found that some people consider Seed to be Moss, some consider Moss, Double Seed. Some just call it Moss not Irish Moss and goodness I have no idea! It's so confusing. I like both! I love to call it Irish Moss though because... I wish, Oh how I wish I was really Irish! If I practiced hard enough on my accent I could pass off but alas, a true Irishman would smell the Scottish in me and kick me out of the pub!
I also used some random stitching that I made up myself. Sometimes I knit knit knit then just feel the urge to purl... so I do! It's kind of like stream of conscience writing... Stream of conscience knitting. Free style knitting. Flowing. Sometimes following a pattern is nice and gives you a sense of accomplishment when you finally complete it and see the surprise of pictures in your stitching. Especially if it looks like it is supposed to! But sometimes it is nice not to think of it and go how you like. I guess that is how life is too. Sometimes you stick to a schedule, but it's always nice to be spontaneous for a time!
Here is an Irish Friendship Wish I got in an email passed through family's inboxes originating from my Gramps in the Gibraltar:

May there always be work for your hands to do;

May your purse always hold a coin or two;

May the sun always shine on your windowpane;

May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;

May the hand of a friend always be near you;

May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Care for a pint?

This is my cat, Fernando along with some of my knitting materials.

I am back from work and though I am slightly hypoglycemic and exhausted I have every intention of staying up until 0700, taking Shep for a walk, and heading to Joann's Fabric & Crafts where supposedly they sell yarn! I have hit up Hobby Lobby so many times (well... probably not as many as SOME knitters!) and would like a change in options. Just for curiosity's sake!

I am progressing on my hat! Will post a pic later. After all the practicing on the various stitches I've mentioned with a smaller yarn (bamboo), the hat is actually pretty easy! Even with circular needles! I don't think I've dropped a stitch yet.

I'm craving a Guinness right now. Aye, a pint of that would be nice!

Any requests? Any readers?