Technology and Transportation - A Good Thing

 In my last post I talked about technology and why it might not always be the answer. Transportation is definitely an area where technology is helping the traveller. Firstly just being able to check different routes and different modes on your internet enabled device. (That sounds old-fashioned but so many options now.) makes it easier to pick the right one for you, rather than the ticket office giving you one option because there is a long line behind you. With the added benefit that most transportation websites have an English option.

Tickets can be purchased and sent to your phone. Nothing to print which is difficult when you are not at home. Although I have been surprised by how many people have printed tickets. But it is a good back up. What if your phone loses power or you can't access the app? I take screen shots in case of an internet problem but that doesn't help with the power problem; so you have to keep an eye on battery level if you've been using your phone throughout the day.

Now at railway stations not only do they have the information on the next trains arriving at the platform, when the train is about to arrive the screen will indicate the number of carriages, which are for bicycles and first class and where they will be at the platform and in the UK the screen shows how full each carriage is. 

But even with all this information at your point of departure, you can follow the journey of your bus or train to see where it is and follow along once you are on. This is very useful when buses do not have information inside to indicate the next stop.

Although all this technology can cause angst, like when we were waiting for a bus in Finland at a stop with no screen just the timetable and the bus stop sign. The website had been very helpful in getting us from our hotel to the bus stop but watching the passage of the bus arrive and leave "our" bus stop was very worrying and while trying to decide what we should do, the bus turned up. We were at the stop after the one we thought we were at. We never did find the original stop and wondered if it was one of those places where the locals knew the buses stopped.

Technology and Museums - Not Always a Good Thing

We have visited many museums of many different types and it has been noticeable how they are changing -  the displays are becoming tidier and cleaner and more information is being provided. Quite often you can scan a QR code that takes you to a link where you can hear and/or read about the item. Information is provided in at least two languages - the home country's and English so many more people can learn about the displays.

So why is this not a good thing? Many museums have now added touch screens so that you can read about the objects. The problem with this is that it limits the number of people who can read about the items. You may be able to read over someone's shoulder depending on how the touch screen is placed but that doesn't help if they are reading in a different language than the one you want. Also, so much information is provided on these screens that a person could be standing at one for quite a while.

Therefore you can have two different reviews of the same museum that are both true:- great displays with much information stayed longer than expected; boring museum, not much information, not worth the money we paid.

Like anything, you are not going to please all the people and museum curators are passionate about their subject and want to spread the information and this is an easy end result. Although I am sure that it is much more work than a numbered display.

Personally, this is a dilemma, I appreciate the information but found that sometimes I was spending more time reading than looking. Technology is a good way to provide information but not the only way.

 

Blogging About Our Trip

Remember in the early days of social media when you were warned not to post that you were on vacation, at a concert etc? And now everybody's lives are spread all over the internet. 

Way back when, but only two posts ago, I wrote about choosing yarn to take on a trip, and have been silent since the end of March in a way indicating that that trip was taking place. Initially it was so that I was not giving away the exact dates of our trip and then posts were delayed because I was wondering what to write about. If it was just about knitting, there wouldn't be much to say. How many variations of, long train journey spent knitting, out all day hiking/touristing too tired to knit, could I make sound interesting?

I was unsure what I could add to what is already out there, if I wrote about the places we visited. I thought about just writing about why we chose the different forms of transport when travelling between cities, in the hopes it would be of use to someone but I wasn't sure that would be of much interest to most people. In the end I've decided to just do what I have always done for this blog - write about my crafting and whatever else interests me.

And if anyone had wanted to take the time to find my exact address during this absence, they would have been disappointed to find that there were people living in it.

 

What a Hike

We were away last week, and usually I’d be writing about vacation knitting. I might do that at a later date but today I want to tell you about a hike we did that was pretty amazing. For two reasons; 1. that I actually did it and 2. what was waiting at the end of the hike.

We have been staying in Tucson near one of the national parks. When looking at hiking options, we read many references to a cave; usually that the hiker hadn’t found it, also on one hike we bumped into some people who said they were now going to look for the cave and when I asked they said it was special because it had ancient paintings in it. (As an aside this family, parents and adult child, had recently moved from Minnesota because they didn’t want to do winter anymore. Totally in agreement with that.)

DH did some (re)searching and found a blog post that gave detailed instruction with photos as to how to find this cave as the trail was not marked on any of the plentiful maps throughout the park.

Off we went on our little adventure. We were able to find the trail which was an off shoot of the main trail and was well laid out but not signposted. After going up and around a hill we came to a wash, looked up and saw the cave opening. At this point I might have said something like I’m not going up there. Also at this part of the hike the trail was less marked out but still easy to follow.

What we’re aiming for.

 

 

The last part was a bit of a scrabble, but I made it. This is the view looking out from the cave. I definitely didn’t allow myself to think I have to get back down again. 

 

 

The entrance to the cave was wide and flat so it was easy to stand or sit and look at the paintings. It is amazing that they have not been defaced and nobody has added their own art or carving. My husband is sitting down in this picture so you can get an idea of the size of the cave. 

 

 

 

I’m really glad we did this and I decided to just go for it and not think about it.

A Series of Photos Culminating in a Shawl

I could say I had no plans to make this pattern but that would be stupid because it was only released at the very end of July this year. Really what happened is that it was discussed at knitting group as it is a design by a friend - who has now moved. And as I had an upcoming vacation and I hadn't planned my knitting this seemed perfect plus I knew which two yarns in my stash I would use.

Looking at my blog posts from last year, I have not mentioned these yarns - how remiss - they were purchased at the Vista Fiber Arts Fiesta. (As of the time of writing I hope to be able to attend this year's Fiesta.)

Anyway, these are the two yarns I chose.



The dyer is Squirrel Stash, who, sadly, is no longer dying. I bought four skeins of yarn (and a stitch marker) at the Fiesta and this was the only booth where I bought two skeins. Unfortunately it meant another vendor missed out as I was limiting myself to four skeins.



When I chose these skeins I chose them individually, in fact I had a hard time just choosing two, but as I was paying for them someone mentioned how well they went together. This must have stuck in the back of my mind as at no time since purchase have I considered them for socks.

I think you will agree they work well together in this pattern. Unfortunately, for my "out" numbers I cannot record balls out as the pattern does not use full skeins of yarn. I used 85 grams of the blue and 65 grams of the cream. I contemplated making the last section longer to use more of the blue and maybe if I had been at home I would have done. This was a perfect vacation knit as I started and finished it while I was away and just had to block it when I got home. As you will see from the photos that was not so easy.

Vacation Knitting

Yes another vacation. This time a trip to the other side of the country with my husband. As I still have plenty of WIPs I decided to take one of those - a complicated looking but not hard sock that I cast on in April for that month's challenge. While away I finished the first sock and started the second one.

I did start a new project. It is a long flight from California to Washington D.C. and I took a new knitting project. I don't know when I last knitted on an airplane; I have always been worried about knitting needles being taken. Yes, I know my crochet hooks were taken in Mexico but that leaves one loose loop, knitting needles being taken would result in many loose loops. Anyway it was one flight within the continental US and I'd heard that knitting needles were acceptable. I needed a new hat for charity so I cast one on just before we left and worked on it on the outward flight.

There's always a bonus on vacation if I can check out a yarn shop and I was happy to do that this trip as I met up with a very good friend who had moved to Virginia a year ago. She had told me that the yarn shops now local to her had a very different selection to the ones local to us so we spent a day together, yarn shopping and chatting.

We went to Fibre Space in Alexandria Virginia and I saw yarn that I had heard about but never seen in person. I was actually quite restrained and did not buy just because. Luckily for my wallet there was some lovely yarn in thicker weights which I knew would not be suitable for my current climate. The yarns I remember seeing were, Hedgehog Fibers but not sock weight; Neighborhood Fiber Company, I was drawn to a red but they only had it in worsted weight; Miss Babs, very hard to make a choice; Hazel Knits, yummy sock yarn. There was other yarn but these are the ones I remember probably because I either bought some or seriously thought about it.

I ended up with one skein of Hazel Knits socks which will become a Christmas pair of socks for hubby.




And two skeins of Miss Babs 3 ply which will become a shawl but no idea of pattern yet.




I also came away with a ball of Juniper Moon Farm Findley that my friend gave me. She had purchased it on the first San Diego yarn crawl because she was branching out from her usual colours but realized this was not her thing but was totally mine. This will go very nicely with the yarn left over from the cardigan I finished recently. If only I could find the pattern I came across on Ravelry recently.

Successful Vacation Knitting

The last time I wrote about knitting while on vacation it was a tale of wow about unsuccessful projects and I was mindful of this as I set off for a trip to visit family. I needed an easy pattern suitable for working while chatting I also thought if I limited the yarn I took, I would have to make it work, also if the worse came to worst I could buy yarn and needles.

I had seen a mystery knit along on Ravelry for a shawl knit out of DK weight yarn. I have some nice DK weight yarn that I had no idea what to make so this was the opportunity. I wound one skein before I went and took needle tips in two sizes but still living dangerously no swatching before hand. I did take a skein of sock yarn and needles just in case.

I am pleased to report that this time the knitting was a success. Not only do I like the pattern but yarn has been used up. I have used two full skeins in the same colour and started the third skein in a different colour. The day before I was due to come home, I got to the border. As it is a sideways knit border I decided to wait until I got home before starting. the problem is that now I have two shawls waiting for sideways borders to be added; although not hard, they are not social knitting. The skein of sock yarn was not needed.

This is the shawl after two clues.



A little bit of souvenir shopping went on. Before I left I ordered some yarn from West Yorkshire Spinners and it was waiting for me. It is their Signature 4-ply in their Country Birds series and I chose Kingfisher. This will self-stripe and I am going to be patient and wait for the challenge before starting this yarn.



I also took a crochet project for the flights and started a Tulips Hat.

My WIPs are creeping up and I want to cast on a pair of socks or two for April's challenge. Nevermind that I'm not even at the heel on the first sock for March's challenge. Although I did finish one of the cardigans before I went away, it needs to be blocked and sleeves sewn in before it is a finished object. And having completed that I will work on the other cardigan that is on the needles.

But they are all projects I am enjoying working on.

Vacation Knitting

We went away for just over two weeks at the beginning of December and I made sure I had a good supply of yarns and patterns with me. But this trip was a total disaster for producing anything I liked.

The flights would be long so I thought that making a scarf was a good idea as scarves can be quite tedious to make. I also chose crochet as I would not be happy losing knitting needles. Having made the Tulips Hat for charity, I decided to make the Tulips Scarf. I had a good supply of Red Soft in my stash and made sure I had a collection of crochet hooks in various parts of my luggage in case any were taken from me especially on the return flight from another country. (Although I was never once asked about them.)

The first problem arose on the long flight. The cabin lights were dimmed for the entire flight and the overhead lights shone on my husband's seat and not mine. I was working with dark blue yarn and soon gave up. A missed opportunity but I should have been sleeping anyway. Then when I looked at it in the light of day, I did not like the edges of the scarf as they were uneven. I need to take a better look at it to see if it can be improved or if it is a design "feature".



In down time on our vacation I cast on a shawl, I thought this would be a quick knit and it would be nice to have a finished item and not add to my WIPs. The pattern I had chosen was Spytacular by Meaghan Schmaltz she of the hat at the end of this post. I have seen this design IRL in two different colourways so knew I liked it, it wouldn't require much concentration but it wouldn't be boring. I also had a skein of sock yarn, purchased at The Vista Fiber Arts Fiesta in October this year, which I thought would be perfect. In fact when I purchased it I had decided I wanted to make a shawl and not socks.

The first problem was with the knitting needles. I was using needles from my interchangeable set and one had a groove at the join of the wooden needle and the metal end and the yarn kept on getting caught. I am not sure if that played into my decision that I didn't like my project. So I didn't actually pull it apart, I just stopped working on it. There isn't a problem with the pattern nor the yarn; I just think they do not work together. The yarn will be better in a stocking stitch pattern to show off the colour - and yes it is likely to become socks.



And, of course, looking at this photo I wonder why I don't like it.

Not to worry I still had other yarn and patterns. So I cast on a sock. I used Oink Pigments in the colour Goldfish Bowl. I had looked at projects on Ravelry and this colour stripes, so I looked at self-striping patterns, inspired by the Ravelry's group theme of self-striping for the December challenge. I chose Borracha Socks. There are three things wrong with this sock that I know make me not want to continue. 1. The yarn does not stripe enough to show off the pattern; 2. I do not like the way the pattern changes the shape of the foot - see on the right side of the photo; 3. I'm convinced the sock will be too big. I have already chosen another pattern for this yarn which will fit a future SKA challenge.



At this stage I was pretty disgusted with myself for not committing to anything. Although I had another skein of sock yarn and a pattern as well as internet, so access to a multitude of patterns, I gave up on the idea of working on anything.

Critter Contact - Again

We left Nelson early in the morning, stopped at Safeways for muffins and Starbucks and continued to our next destination - which shall remain nameless for the time being. But I do rate businesses on how well they handle problems so this particular hotel may not stay nameless for long.

It was a very nice hotel with good facilities that, I expect, is relying on its location to attract business and is not concerned about the unfortunate experience of one visitor.

It was a dark and stormy night. Isn't that how all tales start? It was night and it was dark outside. It was about 10 o'clock and we were all sitting on the beds reading. When I saw this thing and I made I've seen a thing noise. I saw a bat - in our bedroom. My happiness meter dropped. Before any of you say what's the fuss it was only a bat; you need to know that the bats in Alberta carry rabies hence my concern and this bat was flying around our bedroom.

So I did what all people in the right mind would do - hid in the bathroom. And the spousal unit did what all calm, collected people do - caught the thing.

His first thought was shoo it out the window but the window had a screen on it - it obviously hadn't come in that way. His second thought was to shoo it into the corridor but that would have moved (literally) the problem onto other people. So he picked up the recycling bin, waited for the bat to tire and rest and then he trapped it against the ceiling. I had offered advice on my way to hiding - don't let it bite you!

So there's my husband standing with his arm in the air holding a bin against the ceiling with a bat inside and I was on the phone summoning help (not a time to take a picture) except no help on the other end just the infernal 'please hold'. I ran down to reception, explained the situation and that we needed someone to our room pretty quickly. Actually someone did arrive quite fast. Two women from housekeeping. One older who knew what to do. She sent the young one to get some cardboard which the spousal unit slid between the recycling bin and the ceiling and then handed the precariously sealed unit to the older woman.

Now I don't blame the hotel for there being a bat in the room. Although I do wonder how it got in there. We were in the middle of the third floor and the window had a screen and there wasn't a fireplace. But, I would have thought they might have checked on us to see if everything was OK. Not a word. When I checked out a couple of days later, I expressed surprise that nobody had checked that everything was now OK.

So when I got home and saw a couple of e-mails from the hotel I felt a little glow of happiness, but they were just requests to complete a survey. I sent a wonderful missive to the name on the survey but no response as yet. I'll give it another week as Canada Post is not the most reliable but then this hotel will be outed.

Saturday Sky

This is a photo taken on 28 July, the first day of our holiday. We were in Nelson, B.C.

It is the smoke from a forest fire. A helicopter had been flying regularly but not constantly with something in its bucket to put on the fire. It must have been some sort of fire retardant, maybe water but they were not dragging the lake as the helicopter was flying the length of the lake to land after each trip.

The smoke was a lot more red when we first went so I don't know if the change meant that the fire had been reduced but it would have made a better photo.

The next morning when we checked out of our hotel, there was a group of fire fighters leaving. They must have been working on that fire.

Home Again

I haven't posted for a while as I have been on vacation. I didn't know what, if any, Internet access I would have so I decided not to write at all while I was away. Turns out that apart from one place everywhere we stayed had free WiFi.

Before I start writing about the highs (and one little low) of the trip, I'd better mention knitting. I usually take easy projects on vacation, then I can do other things and still knit and I have learned to take more knitting than I think I'll need. One of the projects to vacation with me this year was a simple shawl. The yarn was Goldilocks by Fleece Artist which I had bought at a sale specifically for this trip. The label even includes a pattern although you don't really need a printed pattern for a simple triangular shawl.

This is what the yarn looked like after I had wound it.



I didn't wind it until the morning before we left and after winding I started to wonder what it would look like on the size needle suggested. This colourway and yarn begged for something light not dense. So a googling I went. The first shawl to come up had a lace pattern which I liked but vacation knitting is supposed to be simple, right, no referring to patterns or charts. The other pictures that came up just seemed too dense for me. But I managed to find a pattern for a triangular shawl in a lace book I had out from the library. 6 rows of knitting and 4 rows of an easy remembered pattern.

I started the shawl about halfway through the vacation but after a couple of days I started having doubts. Would I like this shawl, would I be able to give it away, should it be square, circular. I obviously wasn't happy with it and I ended up not knitting for a few days. Then on a hike I came up with a solution; turn it into a stole. I could leave the end pointed so I wouldn't have to unpick too much and I could continue the pattern and hope I guessed correctly when to start the other point so I didn't run out of yarn.

But when I returned to my project and looked at the shawl to work out how wide I would want the stole, I realised I liked the shawl as it was and carried on knitting.

Of course vacation is over and back to reality so the shawl will have to wait until the next break.