A Winter Hat ~ at the Sea Shore

It feels like forever since I've finished any knitting and all I've got is a hat.  But it is a very nice hat and I'm very happy with it!  For a change of pace we shot these photos at the beach while we were in San Clemente for the holidays.

I always find our time at the beach relaxing and that is largely because we don't have the internet, cell phones or even a TV to watch and that forces you to slow down.  If you can possibly manage it I think everyone benefits from  time spent away from constant exposure to electronic devices.  Just step away from your computer and turn off your cell phone.

When you do that it gives you time to just be quiet and enjoy the simple pleasure of breathing and relaxing and enjoying nature.  I like to sit on the sand and smell the salt air; feel the warmth of the sun on my skin; listen to the waves crashing; watch the seagulls soaring in the sky and bury my toes in the sand.  I only wander home after the sun sets.

And of course in the Winter you will want a nice warm hat if you are outside enjoying nature.  And I highly recommend this pattern!

Particulars: 16 Sixteen Cable hat; designed by Circe Belles Boucles; US 8 & 9 needles (brim and body, respectively); 2 skeins terra by The Fiber Company; size 1 but I used larger needles to increase the size.  If I had knit size 2 it would have been too large for me unless I eliminated some of the stitches in the repeats which I didn't want to do that because the fabulous oversized cables are intrinsic to the beauty of this design.  Therefore I made the smaller size but increased the dimensions by using a substantial yarn and larger needles.  Because I only had 200 yards of yarn I also eliminated 1 to 2 rows of knitting in between each of the cable repeats and just barely finished with enough yarn. 


The MisAdventures of Simcha ~

As you know I always enjoy chatting about my baby.  It's hard to believe that he's already three (3) years old.  Time has flown by.  Now he spends much of his time hanging about the house and, like any young male in his prime, he enjoys flexing his muscles and preening.  Sometimes I look at those muscles and wonder if all those hikes to burn off his energy haven't also been developing his muscles.... which is sort of counter productive.  Le sigh.

Thinking about Simcha's birthday has me reminiscing about the antics he got into as a puppy and I thought you might enjoy hearing a story that I'll call "the walnut incident."  Simcha was probably about a year old when this happened.  I recall I was at my wits end at the end of a long evening.  To cap off the evening he had knocked over a bowl of nuts and was tearing around the house with a walnut in his mouth and I could not catch him. Defeated and exhausted I sat on the bottom step.  Lo and behold he came over and dropped the walnut in my hand and climbed into his crate. I whispered “thank you” and went up to bed.  Under that tough guy exterior he has a soft heart.

Until next time, be well and love well and where ever you are make time to enjoy nature.  If you are in the snow make snow angles; if you are in the woods sit and enjoy the flora; and if you are in the mountains go on hikes and watch the clouds drift overhead. And leave your cell phone at home.