We are finally back from our camping trip, which was scheduled to last 6 days but ended up lasting 10 because--brace yourselves--we were having such a good time. I know. It's weird. But there it is.
Before the trip, which started way back on the 29th, we had a visit from Helen (of Knitting in the Shadows) and her daughters. She took many more pictures than I did, so you can see a bit of our time together better at her blog than you can at mine, here and here. While we didn't provide very luxurious accommodations, we tried to distract our guests with goats and peacocks. We also took them swimming at a real Vermont swimming hole:
Sophie enjoyed having an extra lap:
Helen is a very accomplished knitter and I was very impressed with her ability to change patterns and modify things at will. I can't do that. She also had numerous projects going and worked on them here and there without seeming to get lost. I can't do that either.
Anyway, shortly after Helen and the kids hopped in the car and moved on to the next leg of their trip, we loaded up the camper and headed 15 minutes south, to a family campground in a neighboring town. My husband's family camps there every year over the Fourth and this year our crew took up five campsites. There was a baby boom in the family last year and our little compound was crawling with infants and toddlers. My brother-in-law alone now has 8 or 9 grandkids, the oldest being 6 (only 1 girl!). My SIL has 5, and there are a few more than that. Here's a sample (that's my BIL in the middle):
I learned something: Infants and toddlers are great fun to take camping, as long as they are not yours. While other moms and dads scrambled to keep the kids from falling in the fire or getting run over by a Winnebago, my husband and I sat by the fire and drank coffee and just plain hung out while our daughter played with her cousins and rode her bike.
We never just plain hang out.
It didn't suck.
Best of all, I got a TON of knitting done, probably more than I've done in the rest of 2007. Unfortunately, two of the things I started (and finished!) are gifts and cannot be shared on the blog. I also finally put this handspun Real Vermonter wool/alpaca (before and after) to use, and knit one boot sock for my husband (here modeled on my smaller foot):
It's my own pattern, and I finished it over a couple of days, but then worried that I wouldn't have enough yarn for a second sock. I put DH on the mission to determine if there would be a second sock in its entirety. He found a hook in my SIL's campsite:
She bagged up the sock and the remaining yarn in separate baggies:
He found a marshmallow-roasting stick (store bought, apparently) and balanced it unloaded to find the center. Then he added one baggie to each end:
Alas, my second sock will be short by a lot:
The two bags were so uneven that we had to move the stick several inches just to get them to balance. Sigh.
No fuss, I'm working on the second sock and I am going to take out the toe of the first one and finish them both in a contrasting yarn so at least they match.
And before I forget, can I tell you that I now love the Kitchener stitch, thanks to Nona? She simplified the four steps into essentially two (intuitive ones at that), and it's so easy that I was able to finish up that first sock in a crowd, without losing my place. If you have a hard time remembering the steps to grafting, PLEASE check out her Grafting Epiphany!
Getting back home is wonderful in some ways, but the pile of bills and phone messages waiting for us shows me just how busy a single week is in our household. Ack! The animals survived quite nicely with our very dedicated animal-loving housesitter and wait till you see how the chicks have grown. Next time.
I've got a pile of bills to pay, so I'll leave you with this reminder of the past week. Aaaah:
I'm glad you had such a nice, relaxing camping trip.
Posted by: Carole | July 09, 2007 at 07:46 AM
I'm glad this year's camping trip was a success for you. Now that my kids are grown and I've put in my duty, I know what you mean about enjoying little kids as long as they are someone else's. (I feel the same about dogs.) Love those little redheads!
Posted by: Kristen | July 09, 2007 at 08:17 AM
I'm glad you had such a good time, especially since you weren't expecting to enjoy it that much. But ... storebought marshmallow roasting sticks? What is this world coming to?
Posted by: Cynthia | July 09, 2007 at 08:59 AM
It's always nice when you anticipate a sucky vacation and it turns out great; so much better than the other way around!
Posted by: Katy | July 09, 2007 at 10:10 AM
I'm so glad it was a success!
I'm assuming the Malabrigo yumminess was completed successfully?
And I'm lovin' that boot sock! Did you write up the pattern? Or at least a chart or something for the leg? Can't you just see that lovely dark yarn we both liked of mine knit up in that leg for a "regular" sock?
...
and thanks... I don't __feel__ that much like an accomplished knitter, but it's fun to think I can play one on TV if I have to .. :-)
Say hello to M and L for me..
Posted by: Helen | July 09, 2007 at 10:13 AM
I'm glad you had a great time! I can't believe you can wear long sleeves and have a fire in July! I think we need to move to Vermont :) And who knew that you and the hubby could just hang out and you would have all that knitting time! The socks look awesome, did you make up the pattern?
Posted by: Bea | July 09, 2007 at 10:19 AM
Awesome pics! I'm glad you had a great time camping. Personally, I've always felt that camping was staying at a Ramada Inn without room service...
The boot sock is AWESOME! Lucky guy!
Posted by: Paul | July 09, 2007 at 10:32 AM
It's good to have you back! What a wonderful week...I'm very envious!! Nice sock;-)
Posted by: margene | July 09, 2007 at 10:33 AM
Jessie - those babies are SO SO cute. Makes me ALMOST want to have another....
And I am very glad you had fun on your camping trip :)
Posted by: Libby | July 09, 2007 at 10:47 AM
Looks like you had a wonderful vacation! The last time I went on vacation with all of my husband's family, I had the same joy of watching his brother and sister running after their kids, while we sat in our beach chairs and just relaxed. Ahhhh! The sock is great.
Posted by: Jane | July 09, 2007 at 10:52 AM
So glad the camping trip turned out to be so much fun. It looks like a beautiful spot and those babies are the sweetest although they do make for a lot more work while camping.
I really love the boot socks too. It's really too bad you won't have enough yarn for the second sock.
You've been busy while I've been outside! The goats are awesome. They look like fun too. I hope you gave Larry heck. Naughty bird bring the cops down on you.
Posted by: Dorothy B | July 09, 2007 at 11:13 AM
Fun! The reason you state is the reason I don't like camping at this time. The Bug fell in the pool this weekend too (I was right there and he wasn't even in long enough to get the top of his head wet) but now I don't like swimming either. Bleh.
Posted by: Carrie | July 09, 2007 at 11:19 AM
Lovely sock! I'm glad you had a great time! :)
Posted by: Andrea (noricum) | July 09, 2007 at 12:06 PM
I can't wait until Sam is older so we can finally go camping for real! I want to be able to really enjoy myself and not have to watch the kids continuously. Emily is 4 now, so we don't have to watch her like a hawk, but Sam is only 1, so she'd be in the mud, in the fire, eating rocks, etc. It would not be fun! For now, we just go visit my mom & dad when they're camping nearby. A few hours is about all we can take. :)
Posted by: Natalie | July 09, 2007 at 12:10 PM
Welcome home! Nice to hear all had a great time. Your sock is really nice! I left one little thing for you to do at my blog ;)
Posted by: Carol | July 09, 2007 at 12:15 PM
Love the boot sock pattern -- hope you'll write it down and publish it at some point.
And thanks for the Nona grafting link -- very cool. Bookmarked for the next time I need to do it....
Posted by: Mary | July 09, 2007 at 04:39 PM
I do love the boot sock pattern -- please tell us you took notes and will offer the pattern! I was wondering why we hadn't heard from you in so long -- so glad you had a good time. Camping is a favorite activity in my house (we have an RV) and it is so true -- how often do we just hang out w/ anyone, let alone our spouses? Mine still gives me heck for knitting tho!
Posted by: Heather | July 09, 2007 at 06:47 PM
The trip sounds like lots of fun. I can't wait until you can reveal the gift knitting. Everybody should take a week or so and just sit. The world would be a better place.
Posted by: Heide | July 09, 2007 at 09:33 PM
Welcome back! I'm so glad the trip turned out well! Nothing like thwarted poor expectations. :) I love the look of the boot sock. I think they'll look great with a contrasting toe.
Can't wait to see the chickies!
Posted by: Marie | July 09, 2007 at 11:39 PM
Tag: http://noricum.blogspot.com/2007/07/rocking-thank-you-to-marvie.html
Posted by: Andrea (noricum) | July 10, 2007 at 04:27 PM
Yay you had fun!! I'm guessing your camper was nowhere near 'Big Wheel Hill'? ;o)
Posted by: JessaLu | July 10, 2007 at 07:39 PM
Okay, your husband is a freakin' genius! But I guess you already knew that . . . :)
Posted by: Amanda | July 11, 2007 at 02:18 AM
Welcome back, Jessie! Were you guys at 10 Acres? Looks like it a bit. Did all that knitting include a Gothic Leaf shawl? I am still cranking on mine, but the end is finally in sight.
Love to the goats! ;-p
Posted by: Joan | July 11, 2007 at 06:55 PM
Hey there Jessie! I'm happy y'all had a great time, and I love the scientific method used to measure your yarn amount! LOL
Posted by: sahara | July 12, 2007 at 04:40 PM
ummm your husband is gorgeous - and I'm very jealous of your home and family and animals. beautiful!
Posted by: OMG! It's Carrie | September 05, 2007 at 10:25 AM