Fiber Really, Really High

We left last Sunday to camp in the Uinta Mountains of Utah, where lovely scenery abounds.

We like to say at Cobblerest, because of its scenic location near a stream and low-density campsites (not to mention a lower price than the more popular campgrounds in the area).

Evenings were spent by the stream. DH read his Nook and I listened to Audible while knitting. the pups either played in the stream or just hung out.

One of the first things we did was hang out our hummingbird feeder. Soon we had customers.

During the day, we went for hikes. The area is full of little lakes (what we called "ponds" in New England when I was growing up). Rocky loves to swim, but he really likes to have a purpose, so we throw a stick out for him.

Sunny did some swimming, too, but she really prefers to go after live fish, rather than chase a stick. She has been on a diet and knows she's looking good.

On Tuesday, on the trail back from beyond Bench Lake, which is at 10,000'+ elevation and 5.6 miles round trip, I tripped and fell. I guess I was tired. I determined nothing was broken, got up and dusted myself off. The following dialog took place--

Me: My arm is bleeding.

DH: I have the first aid kit.

Me: I think I need a tourniquet. I don't want to attract sharks.

DH: The first aid kit also has an amputation saw....

(They say laughter is the best medicine!)

My biggest concern was the sore spot at the base my right thumb, which later turned purple. Would I be able to knit? Is the Pope Catholic? It turned out that knitting and the movement required by later hikes took care of the injuries, other than the small cut on my right forearm, treated with a little antibiotic creme (from the aforementioned first aid kit) and a band-aid. 

DH took this photo of me with the pups.

 While I took the yummy Pink Monkey Socks with me, I mostly just worked on the Uintas Shawl. The pattern is the Washington Park Shawl from the Rose City Yarn Crawl this year. I'm using Palette in Whirlpool and Sky. 

 

The final border is knitted vertically along the bottom edge, knitting the final stitch together with the live stitch on the bottom edge every other row. This is a very fun pattern. I found I liked knitting the border with an extra dpn, rather than the other tip of the circular needle.

When we returned home from camping, we learned that DGD had suffered an injury at work, a torn ligament in her knee. She is recovering well, and her employer is taking care of the medical expenses, but she had been trying to reach us. How ironic that we had better communication with her during our trip to Europe than we did in the mountains an hour or so from home.

What's on my needles: Pink Monkey Socks, Washington Park (Uintas) Shawl, Fair Isle Flower Socks. Progress only on Uintas Shawl.

What's on my Featherweight: First Ladies Quilt. Still. 

What's on my wheel: Languishing. 

What's on my loom: Multi-scrap scarf, no progress since before the trip.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Headmistress of Rosemere by Sarah E. Ladd from Audible. It was good, but the author made grammatical mistakes common today but unknown at the time the story was set, and the narrator occasionally lost the character she was portraying. Great story, though. Now listening to Penhallow by Georgette Heyer, also from Audible, one of her mysteries. Reading James Patterson and Maxine Paetro's Private in iBooks. Surprisingly good.

What's in my wine glass: Fisheye Shiraz 2013. Nice vintage. Aged.

What's my tip of the week: Quick way to peel an onion if you're in a hurry. Cut it in half longitudinally. Cut the stem and the root ends off both halves. Pull off the entire outer layer and throw it away (preferably in the compost). Sometimes the skin will come off easily, but if not, just ditch the entire outer layer. Isn't your time (for quilting or knitting) worth more than a tiny bit of onion? 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.