The lure of Vashon
Vashon Island Adventure
On Saturday, Trent and I headed to Vashon for a social event for his work. The hostess has a cabin at the end of one of those impossibly twisty roads that fades into gravel, and folks were gathering there for potluck and general chilling out. Because I am a Bad Blogger, I failed to take the camera, so you'll just have to imagine a big deck, a sunny fall day, and staggering views across the Sound. A bald eagle cruised by while we were sitting out there.
I've always loved Vashon, and Trent is also starting to feel the pull. We stopped at the wee little farmer's market on our way to the social event, and we bought a ridiculous quantity of soap (we're suckers for yummy smelling soap). Some of it may find its way into Christmas gifts, if we don't keep it for ourselves. When we returned to the ferry, we stopped at Reliable Wines, where we enjoyed a leisurely tasting of Rhone varietals that are grown here in our neck of the woods. We ended up buying a Syrah (I'm too lazy to go downstairs, look at the bottle, and figure out what vineyard it is) and a couple of non-tasting wines, and we had a lovely chat with the nice guy staffing the wine store (a PhD student in forestry management at the UW) and the equally nice lady working in the adjoining Macrina Bakery.
We wandered across the intersection to the Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie and were disapointed that they were closed. The guy working (the owner?) saw us, though, and came out to ask if there was anything he could do for us. The espresso was off for the day, but he made us tea to go. They have a fabulous tea selection. We're definitely going back sometime when they're really open.
Trent and I had another in our ongoing discussions of what we're doing with our lives. We like our house here in Lake City. We like our jobs. But sometimes, like Saturday, living somewhere slower and more rural seems very appealing. Given our current schedules, living on Vashon would mean that we'd spend huge chunks of our lives waiting for ferries. It's still tempting. I could have alpaca and a garden (which would immediately be eaten by deer, I suspect, since I saw at least 5 of them in yards on Vashon chowing down).
Knitting
I finished the sideways garter stitch jacket for Dulaan. This one took about 8 balls of yarn. I haven't bought buttons yet. The pattern is invented.
Stella, asking, "Why do I have to put up with this?"
I'm trying to diligently finish up WIPs and Christmas presents. I really want to make more Dulaan sweaters, though - they go so fast!
Speaking of Dulaan, Ryan has launched "Dulaan 10,000 or Bust!" (Scroll down in her post for the info.) Basically, she wants 2007 people to commit to knitting or making at least 5 items for Dulaan and sending them by the June 15, 2007. As of Friday, she still needs 1,828 people to sign up. So, if you think maybe you could provide 5 things to cold Mongolian kids by next June, get thee over to Ryan's blog and sign up. (Note to the non-knitters who read my blog [yes, you]: they want and need fleece blankets, and there's a no-sew, no-knit pattern here. All you need is fleece, scissors, and a little time.)
Oh, Rachel in San Jose (blogless) wrote to tell me that two strands of worsted weight yarn will also work, gauge-wise, for Avalanche sweaters. Thanks, Rachel!
For Mom, and anyone else who was wondering: Feral Knitters is a pun on Fair Isle knitters. It's a subgroup of the Seattle Knitting Guild, and they meet two times a month at Third Place Books up in Lake Forest Park. The group was started to create a forum for people interested in traditional knitting like Fair Isle and Norwegian patterns.
On Saturday, Trent and I headed to Vashon for a social event for his work. The hostess has a cabin at the end of one of those impossibly twisty roads that fades into gravel, and folks were gathering there for potluck and general chilling out. Because I am a Bad Blogger, I failed to take the camera, so you'll just have to imagine a big deck, a sunny fall day, and staggering views across the Sound. A bald eagle cruised by while we were sitting out there.
I've always loved Vashon, and Trent is also starting to feel the pull. We stopped at the wee little farmer's market on our way to the social event, and we bought a ridiculous quantity of soap (we're suckers for yummy smelling soap). Some of it may find its way into Christmas gifts, if we don't keep it for ourselves. When we returned to the ferry, we stopped at Reliable Wines, where we enjoyed a leisurely tasting of Rhone varietals that are grown here in our neck of the woods. We ended up buying a Syrah (I'm too lazy to go downstairs, look at the bottle, and figure out what vineyard it is) and a couple of non-tasting wines, and we had a lovely chat with the nice guy staffing the wine store (a PhD student in forestry management at the UW) and the equally nice lady working in the adjoining Macrina Bakery.
We wandered across the intersection to the Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie and were disapointed that they were closed. The guy working (the owner?) saw us, though, and came out to ask if there was anything he could do for us. The espresso was off for the day, but he made us tea to go. They have a fabulous tea selection. We're definitely going back sometime when they're really open.
Trent and I had another in our ongoing discussions of what we're doing with our lives. We like our house here in Lake City. We like our jobs. But sometimes, like Saturday, living somewhere slower and more rural seems very appealing. Given our current schedules, living on Vashon would mean that we'd spend huge chunks of our lives waiting for ferries. It's still tempting. I could have alpaca and a garden (which would immediately be eaten by deer, I suspect, since I saw at least 5 of them in yards on Vashon chowing down).
Knitting
I finished the sideways garter stitch jacket for Dulaan. This one took about 8 balls of yarn. I haven't bought buttons yet. The pattern is invented.
Stella, asking, "Why do I have to put up with this?"
I'm trying to diligently finish up WIPs and Christmas presents. I really want to make more Dulaan sweaters, though - they go so fast!
Speaking of Dulaan, Ryan has launched "Dulaan 10,000 or Bust!" (Scroll down in her post for the info.) Basically, she wants 2007 people to commit to knitting or making at least 5 items for Dulaan and sending them by the June 15, 2007. As of Friday, she still needs 1,828 people to sign up. So, if you think maybe you could provide 5 things to cold Mongolian kids by next June, get thee over to Ryan's blog and sign up. (Note to the non-knitters who read my blog [yes, you]: they want and need fleece blankets, and there's a no-sew, no-knit pattern here. All you need is fleece, scissors, and a little time.)
Oh, Rachel in San Jose (blogless) wrote to tell me that two strands of worsted weight yarn will also work, gauge-wise, for Avalanche sweaters. Thanks, Rachel!
For Mom, and anyone else who was wondering: Feral Knitters is a pun on Fair Isle knitters. It's a subgroup of the Seattle Knitting Guild, and they meet two times a month at Third Place Books up in Lake Forest Park. The group was started to create a forum for people interested in traditional knitting like Fair Isle and Norwegian patterns.
posted by Melinda at 10:39 PM
4 Comments:
I'm totally in on the Dulaan knitting. Thanks for the push to get me to knit for good reasons, as well as self-indulgent ones.
XO
Sarah S
you want slower and more rural? come spend a week in my house and i'll convince you that the city livin' you've got is the best civilization. ; ) don't even get me started on the food you have access to... too late.
Not that you need any temptation, Melinda... but I met a very interesting real estate agent while exploring Vashon options. I petted her goats (!). She is kind of wacky and very likeable. Should you be curious, you need only give the word.
If you're a knitter, you should check out my mom's knitting store on Vashon: Friend's Knitting
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