in the forest, part 4: knitting in the wild

of course there was knitting. i brought a project with me wherever i went. but since there was always some work to be done, the knitting was pretty much either confined to long car rides or stolen moments. i have become rather a fast knitter in my own little clumsy way, so i managed to finish 2 hats, a pair of gloves, a single glove, and a sock. and to be fair, one of the hats was half done, and i began the little sock en route to kelowna from vancouver and worked on it throughout our time away.

the half-done hat was for the wife. i don't remember the last time i made her a hat that's just for her.

she likes it.

fortnight by jared flood
cast on with manos del uruguay maxima
knit with mystery tweed (lost the yarn band)
but i was wishing i was knitting with shelter all the while.

very much.

which makes me very happy.  see? 

i started a hat for ms. t immediately after i finished the wife's hat. i finished this second hat the morning of our departure from the forest. i charged my phone the day before with the express intention of setting my alarm for 6am so that i could have a quiet knit in the woods behind our campsite.

the mornings were cool in the forest and that morning was no different. 

i watched the sun make its slow journey up the east side of manning park and listened for the early morning sounds of the forest. i winked at it, as it shone on me and bowed my head. i took a breath to accept the blessing and whisper my gratitudes, then returned to my stitches.

as i knit, i listed as the birds went about their morning chatter. i even heard a loon make its hauntingly intriguing call. i watched a squirrel skitter towards me with curiousity. i thought i even saw a two-headed slug (it was a mushroom).

the time i took to finish making this hat for a not-so-little girl i adore and admire was a moment i stole. i freely admit my greed because i can tell you that even now, in ever-cluttered bedroom/home office, i can wholly remember satisfying it so completely.

quynn hat by woolly wormhead
knit with malabrigo worsted
(i think i've made 6 of these. such a great pattern!)

ms. t loves her hat, too (in fact, she asked for this very hat when she saw the babes' hats. i had to knit an extra inch on the largest pattern size so it would fit her decidedly non-toddler head).

a hat for each of my favourite scorpios = happy making.  now neither of them can wear those hats without thinking about our forest adventures. 

i don't have a photo of the gloves i made (in a hurry, 'twas cold up there!) or the pair of teensy socks that are finally done. so i will end this final instalment of  the "in the forest" series with a snapshot of a very long breath i took just behind our campsite that last morning, a moment full of gratitude and remembrance: a rare occasion in which my centre actually found me.

i hope your week began with the kind of peace and focus you need to carry out the busy-ness of the next few days. my vacation being most decidedly over, i am actively working hard to return to centre out of the forest. 

have a fantastic week!