Dear tenacious reader,
Why are you still here? I haven't posted in almost two months. Go knit something. I do however have something of an explanation. These past four months have been the funnest happiest months I've had in awhile and instead of worrying about writing it all down and taking all the right photos and sharing them in a meaningful format I went out and had a blast. There you have it. I'm heading to the Bahamas to work on another boat in January and I may or may not post from there (let's be honest I probably won't) but since I am home right now with very little to do other than panic about Christmas knitting I will likely do something of an update. We'll see.
At any rate Happy Christmahannukwanzika to everyone and may all your recipients receive completed gifts, I know mine won't.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
A Photo Essay
Someones Christmas present!
My birthday present to myself. Those who know me will note the green and orange qualities of my skateboard.
I made the trek while in San Francisco and it was totally worth it. I would live here if I could.
The Privateer Lynx braced sharp around, sailing close to the wind.
View of the deck of the Star of India from the Main Royal yard (that's the highest place you can climb to on the boat).
Battle Sail in San Diego Harbor with the Californian and the HMS Surprise (the boat from Master and Commander).
There are a few more photos in no particular order on my flickr account, Christineolea, for them as are interested.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Paving the Road
Every time we come into port I have every intention of posting and they my laziness wins. As it is I am four ports later than the last time I posted and no update.
It's late and I'm tired so this is going to be quick.
I had a day off in San Francisco/Sausalito so I headed over to Artfibers and marveled at the glory of their yarn. I got some fabulous red mohair/silk laceweight. I do love laceweight. I also took up the skateboard.
After Sausalito we headed down the coast to Moss Landing. Nothing much happening in Moss Landing except the sea lions we docked next to that never shut up. Ever.
Next was Morro Bay. Morro Bay was great, very friendly people, nice town, good general vibe. I bought myself a skateboard for my birthday. It's orange and I love it. Knitting has been slow, I'm not really feeling the socks I'm making right now and I'm waiting on some yarn that I ordered and age ago to keep working on My Brother's Sweater. The plan is to start some different socks I like more and set the current ones aside for the time being.
After Morro Bay was Long Beach and Catalina. Nothing too exciting, we had a day off on Catalina, which was lovely. I did some hiking, some snoozing, some knitting and some eating of ice cream. You can't ask for much more on a day off.
Now I find myself in San Diego where it has not completely burned to the ground. The sailing has been pretty good and today the HMS Surprise (the boat from Master and Commander) came out to play, pretty pretty boat. The knitting is still at something of a standstill and I'm starting to panic because Christmas is coming ever faster and some of my family have rather large feet.
Soon (ha) I'll even have pictures of all my adventures to share. As it is right now you'll have to do with half-assed exposition.
It's late and I'm tired so this is going to be quick.
I had a day off in San Francisco/Sausalito so I headed over to Artfibers and marveled at the glory of their yarn. I got some fabulous red mohair/silk laceweight. I do love laceweight. I also took up the skateboard.
After Sausalito we headed down the coast to Moss Landing. Nothing much happening in Moss Landing except the sea lions we docked next to that never shut up. Ever.
Next was Morro Bay. Morro Bay was great, very friendly people, nice town, good general vibe. I bought myself a skateboard for my birthday. It's orange and I love it. Knitting has been slow, I'm not really feeling the socks I'm making right now and I'm waiting on some yarn that I ordered and age ago to keep working on My Brother's Sweater. The plan is to start some different socks I like more and set the current ones aside for the time being.
After Morro Bay was Long Beach and Catalina. Nothing too exciting, we had a day off on Catalina, which was lovely. I did some hiking, some snoozing, some knitting and some eating of ice cream. You can't ask for much more on a day off.
Now I find myself in San Diego where it has not completely burned to the ground. The sailing has been pretty good and today the HMS Surprise (the boat from Master and Commander) came out to play, pretty pretty boat. The knitting is still at something of a standstill and I'm starting to panic because Christmas is coming ever faster and some of my family have rather large feet.
Soon (ha) I'll even have pictures of all my adventures to share. As it is right now you'll have to do with half-assed exposition.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Whales
This is a long one folks, it's been awhile since I've been in touch with the outside world and there is a lot to report.
Then there was our transit. This transit, from Ilwaco, WA to San Francisco, CA is the longest we will be taking this season. We left Monday midday and arrived Thursday night. What a great transit. First we waited out some weather in Ilwaco then made our way across the bar. The Columbia River Bar is one of the most infamous bar crossings in the world so of course all kinds of precautions were taken. I gotta say though that the hype far outshone the actual thing. It was a little rocky but not too bad and we made it out without any incident.
The first couple days of our transit were wet. We were still experiencing the seas left behind by the weather we waited out. There was some rain but mostly there was just a lot of spray. This boat has the wettest foredeck of any boat I've been on so far. The bow cuts through the waves like a knife through hot butter, unfortunately this means a lot of spray and splash come up over the deck. This boat also has the leakiest fo'c'sle of any boat I've been on so far. Take five wet sailors, add wet foul weather gear, steep for two days in leaky fo'c'sle dousing with more water as needed. Luckily the last couple days were fabulous. The sun came out, the seas calmed down and my foulies actually dried. I even managed to sit on deck in the sunshine on my offwatch and knit for awhile.
_
The last day of the transit was the best by far. During my watch JP and went aloft to unfurl the square topsail, this is an easy job that makes for good skylarking. When we arrived at the crosstrees we were awarded the view of a veritable minefield of whale spouts. They were everywhere. As it happens the Lynx breaks for whales so we slowed down to have a look and were rewarded in spades. Whales spouting, whales breaching, whale flukes, saw so many whales it almost got old. Almost. Then the dolphins came. If there is any animal I would like to come back as it is a dolphin, they seem to just have fun all the time. Then there were the sea lions. We found ourselves in the middle of a fabulous party and everyone was having a blast.
Due to my fabulous photography skills all I really have are pictures of where whales used to be but take my word for it, there were lots and they were within 100 yards or so. So cool.
The last couple days we've been doing daysails in the San Francisco Bay. Good wind, good sailing and the Blue Angels are in town for Fleet Week so that is fun too. Nothing quite like a good sail with the Blue Angels and other interesting planes flying all around.
Oh, and I finished my Love Lace socks. I am wearing them right now in fact. I don't have all the details in front of me, but they are the latest installment of the Rockin Sock Club, the best club in the world. Here they are off the coast of California.
My energy wanes and my bunk is calling my name. Hopefully I'll be able to update sooner next time so my post won't be so epic, we'll have to wait and see.
When I last left you we were having a day off in Portland. That was good times, saw some family, saw some friends, general merriment all around. Soon though, it was time for us to leave Portland. In order to do this we had to go under I-5. In order for our 96 feet to fit under I-5 they have to raise the bridge. That's right folks I have officially stopped traffic on Interstate 5, twice (coming and going). If that's not something to tick off the list of things to do in my life I don't know what is.
On our way back out the rolling Columbia we docked at a dock that is literally in the middle of nowhere. Some yacht club built this dock on the Columbia for their members, but others can use it if no one is there. Pretty funny to dock on a dock completely unconnected with land.
We passed the Please Please Me. You read it right.
Then there was our transit. This transit, from Ilwaco, WA to San Francisco, CA is the longest we will be taking this season. We left Monday midday and arrived Thursday night. What a great transit. First we waited out some weather in Ilwaco then made our way across the bar. The Columbia River Bar is one of the most infamous bar crossings in the world so of course all kinds of precautions were taken. I gotta say though that the hype far outshone the actual thing. It was a little rocky but not too bad and we made it out without any incident.
The first couple days of our transit were wet. We were still experiencing the seas left behind by the weather we waited out. There was some rain but mostly there was just a lot of spray. This boat has the wettest foredeck of any boat I've been on so far. The bow cuts through the waves like a knife through hot butter, unfortunately this means a lot of spray and splash come up over the deck. This boat also has the leakiest fo'c'sle of any boat I've been on so far. Take five wet sailors, add wet foul weather gear, steep for two days in leaky fo'c'sle dousing with more water as needed. Luckily the last couple days were fabulous. The sun came out, the seas calmed down and my foulies actually dried. I even managed to sit on deck in the sunshine on my offwatch and knit for awhile.
_
While transiting we break into a watch system, this means that someone is driving the boat 24 hours a day and we all take it in turns. I was on the 12-4 watch which means I stood watch in the middle of the day and the middle of the night. This also means that I worked 8 out of every 24 hours. Needless to say I got a lot of sleep, did a lot of knitting and read a lot. I love transits.
The last day of the transit was the best by far. During my watch JP and went aloft to unfurl the square topsail, this is an easy job that makes for good skylarking. When we arrived at the crosstrees we were awarded the view of a veritable minefield of whale spouts. They were everywhere. As it happens the Lynx breaks for whales so we slowed down to have a look and were rewarded in spades. Whales spouting, whales breaching, whale flukes, saw so many whales it almost got old. Almost. Then the dolphins came. If there is any animal I would like to come back as it is a dolphin, they seem to just have fun all the time. Then there were the sea lions. We found ourselves in the middle of a fabulous party and everyone was having a blast.
Due to my fabulous photography skills all I really have are pictures of where whales used to be but take my word for it, there were lots and they were within 100 yards or so. So cool.
The last couple days we've been doing daysails in the San Francisco Bay. Good wind, good sailing and the Blue Angels are in town for Fleet Week so that is fun too. Nothing quite like a good sail with the Blue Angels and other interesting planes flying all around.
Oh, and I finished my Love Lace socks. I am wearing them right now in fact. I don't have all the details in front of me, but they are the latest installment of the Rockin Sock Club, the best club in the world. Here they are off the coast of California.
My energy wanes and my bunk is calling my name. Hopefully I'll be able to update sooner next time so my post won't be so epic, we'll have to wait and see.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
United At Last
In other news Penelope has finally recieved her sweater. She held off the other suitors just long enough and is happy to be reunited with her Odysseus, changed though he may be.
Pattern: Elizabeth's Percentage System. The lace insert is from Barbara G. Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns I don't remember what they are called and don't have the book to hand but they're in there.
Yarn: Koigu Premium Merino, 7 hanks.
Needles: size 3
Notes:
The neck might need a little work, Penelope is going to wear it for awhile and see what she thinks. It's a bit funny and doesn't sit quite right. To be honest the neck is where I deviated from Elizabeth Zimmerman and things went wrong. I told Penelope that I won't be able to do anything about it until Christmas anyway so she should just wear it and see if she wants it changed. If I'm lucky she'll come to love the wonky neck, even if she doesn't right now.
At any rate I'm pretty pleased with the results and the Koigu makes a wonderful fabric. The best part, however, is the 5 hanks of Koigu I have left that I'm keeping as my fee (that and Penelope isn't much of a knitter and doesn't want them anyway). What will I do with my five fabulous hanks of Koigu? I'll have to think about it.
I also want to say thanks to everyone for the comments on my knitty article. I also find felting by hand to be a great stress reliever and a good way to feel better about sitting around and knitting all the time.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Plan A: Don't Suck
Plan B: Stop sucking, stick to plan A.
So far on my contract we've mainly stuck to Plan A, no need to stop sucking, we haven't started. The internet on the other hand skipped straight to plan B and hasn't stopped sucking. Therefore I don't have any pictures. Just kidding, I now have pictures and have added them where appropriate along with more details now that I am properly rested.
After Ilwaco we headed up the river to St. Helens, near Scapoose home of Blue Moon Fiber Arts, my socks definitely felt at home. On an 1812 Privateer it is necessary to fire upon any and every port. We love us our carronades.
After hanging out in St. Helens for a few days we came further up the river to Portland for the Second Annual Pirate Festival. So awesome words can barely begin to describe it. An entire two days dedicated to talking and dressing like a pirate. Oh, and cannons. No pirate festival would be complete without cannons. The gunner even let me fire a couple off.
We were also sure to hang a Pirate from the yardarm to show everyone what would happen should they choose to mess with us.
No proper Pirate Festival is complete without a giant inflatable Kraken. Luckily this was a proper Pirate Festival.
As the Purser onboard the Lynx I am responsible for the ship's store. This entails setting up display items of what we sell and sitting in the main saloon chatting with people and taking money should they decide to purchase something. This also means that I have a lot of knitting time. So far I have finished Sock 1 of the Christmas socks, the first sock and half of the second sock of the most recent sock club installment. Before I got on the boat I spent a lot of time thinking about what knitting to bring but I was secretly worried in the back of my mind that I wouldn't have much time to knit. Then I found out that my job entails me sitting sometimes for hours on end and what better way to fill your time? As if working on boats wasn't enough fun, I get to knit while I work.
Tomorrow is crew day off and I am lucky enough to have friends in town so I'll get to see them then we are heading back out the river stopping in St. Helens and Ilwaco again then down to San Francisco. By that time I should easily have my second Rocking Sock Club sock done ready to adorn my feet in the foggy San Francisco Bay.
So far on my contract we've mainly stuck to Plan A, no need to stop sucking, we haven't started. The internet on the other hand skipped straight to plan B and hasn't stopped sucking. Therefore I don't have any pictures. Just kidding, I now have pictures and have added them where appropriate along with more details now that I am properly rested.
After Ilwaco we headed up the river to St. Helens, near Scapoose home of Blue Moon Fiber Arts, my socks definitely felt at home. On an 1812 Privateer it is necessary to fire upon any and every port. We love us our carronades.
After hanging out in St. Helens for a few days we came further up the river to Portland for the Second Annual Pirate Festival. So awesome words can barely begin to describe it. An entire two days dedicated to talking and dressing like a pirate. Oh, and cannons. No pirate festival would be complete without cannons. The gunner even let me fire a couple off.
We were also sure to hang a Pirate from the yardarm to show everyone what would happen should they choose to mess with us.
No proper Pirate Festival is complete without a giant inflatable Kraken. Luckily this was a proper Pirate Festival.
As the Purser onboard the Lynx I am responsible for the ship's store. This entails setting up display items of what we sell and sitting in the main saloon chatting with people and taking money should they decide to purchase something. This also means that I have a lot of knitting time. So far I have finished Sock 1 of the Christmas socks, the first sock and half of the second sock of the most recent sock club installment. Before I got on the boat I spent a lot of time thinking about what knitting to bring but I was secretly worried in the back of my mind that I wouldn't have much time to knit. Then I found out that my job entails me sitting sometimes for hours on end and what better way to fill your time? As if working on boats wasn't enough fun, I get to knit while I work.
Tomorrow is crew day off and I am lucky enough to have friends in town so I'll get to see them then we are heading back out the river stopping in St. Helens and Ilwaco again then down to San Francisco. By that time I should easily have my second Rocking Sock Club sock done ready to adorn my feet in the foggy San Francisco Bay.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
I'm famous!
For those of you who don't know, I didn't until today so you're not alone, I'm famous! Well, sort of. I wrote an article for Knitty awhile back and it got printed. I'm so excited, I felt good about it but they actually liked it and printed it. I've already gotten emails from some people who have read it. This is like writing a paper in college but better.
I finished my first Love Lace anklet and I am still in love lace. I haven't started the second one because I've been busy starting my new job on the Privateer Lynx. I started Tuesday and this is the first chance I've had to get on the internet. Alas there is no picture of my new sock but it is all things lovely and wonderful in this world.
As I reenter the world of tallship sailing I find myself rediscovering unused muscles. I clamber about all day and at bedtime it is all I can do to clamber into my bunk. I also find myself in the unusual position of being the only girl on a boat full of boys. All the previous boats I've worked on have been predominantly women and now I am the sole outpost of the double X chromosome.
Thanks to those who have come because of my being famous and I hope you'll come again. Sadly as I have mentioned before I am working at a job that doesn't allow for constant internet access so posts will be even fewer and farther between, but hopefully laden with hair raising tales and lots of knitting.
I finished my first Love Lace anklet and I am still in love lace. I haven't started the second one because I've been busy starting my new job on the Privateer Lynx. I started Tuesday and this is the first chance I've had to get on the internet. Alas there is no picture of my new sock but it is all things lovely and wonderful in this world.
As I reenter the world of tallship sailing I find myself rediscovering unused muscles. I clamber about all day and at bedtime it is all I can do to clamber into my bunk. I also find myself in the unusual position of being the only girl on a boat full of boys. All the previous boats I've worked on have been predominantly women and now I am the sole outpost of the double X chromosome.
Thanks to those who have come because of my being famous and I hope you'll come again. Sadly as I have mentioned before I am working at a job that doesn't allow for constant internet access so posts will be even fewer and farther between, but hopefully laden with hair raising tales and lots of knitting.
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