So when I went to start collecting highlight photos for 2023, I ended up with 418. Way too much for one post! So my year will be broken up into two posts: one a mostly indoor and knitting life post and the other will be the outdoorsy adventure life. The last year or so (maybe even since COVID), I have really been working on balance and making time for all the things that bring me joy.
Today you get my knitting and crafty projects, along with other non-outdoorsy activities and tomorrow will be the scenic stuff. I have decided to leave out some things like weekly pictures of my middle schoolers in cooking club but I think you can imagine what those look like. Just know they gave me much happiness this year.
And obviously it will be hard to write about non-hiking things without mentioning the hiking things because they are often intertwined but it will just give you some foreshadowing of tomorrow’s post. And if you are a knitter, I tried to include links to everything (mostly in the photos) that I made if you want to look up patterns and yarns.
Enjoy, it is still a long one!
January
Back in November while having a Wenatchee getaway weekend with my friend Elizabeth, she noticed a fluffy fleece blanket in a shop. She really wanted to buy it for herself but didn’t want to have to have a conversation with her husband about where it fit in the budget. So after we both headed home, I stopped by JoAnn Fabrics and picked up some fabric I thought came pretty close to the blanket she liked and I winged making her a replica. It didn’t turn out too bad and she loved receiving it.
I read some books in the rainforest…
On my way back home from said rainforest, I stopped by to visit my dad and stepmom in Port Townsend. I didn’t know then, but it would be my last visit to see them there. No, they are both still alive and well. But they made the decision to up and move permanently to New Mexico a few months later, so no more Port Townsend pitstops.
While I was there, they were in the process of downsizing (saying they were thinking about being snowbirds) so they asked if I wanted some family heirlooms. I said sure and was gifted the mammoth family bible and letters from my ancestors, including ones my grandmother wrote to my grandfather when they were courting.
I don’t know exactly what I am going to do with them but they are interesting to look at and imagine life in the early part of the last century. You know your grandparents one way, but it is another thing to hear them “talk” as young adults.
My best friend from high school, Diane, and I went to see Cinderella at the Village Theatre in Everett, WA. We bought season tickets and conveniently, the theatre is literally down the street from my house. Having a regular time to get together has brought us both a lot of joy this year, especially because she is not “outdoorsy”.
I also made my very first pair of socks. They were in worsted weight so they are thick but it meant they knit up more quickly than a fingerweight yarn. I love them and they are now my car camping socks for staying warm when temps are low. Called the Resolution Socks, it was a fitting way to start the new year.
February
I finished quite a few knitting projects in February around my outdoor adventures, like two shawls and some beanies. The shawls take advantage of slipped stitches to create the mosaic colorwork. This is my preferred method for colorwork now.
The hat was my own design after trying to use a pattern that said it worked for Aran weight yarn but it really didn’t. And I decided after knitting it that it needed a pom pom so I drove up to Wild Fibers in Mount Vernon to find just the right one.
We went into Seattle for Valentine’s Day and had dinner at one of my favorite gluten free restaurants. This would be the last time we ate at Capitol Cider as they are now called Astir and have a more modern aesthetic. A little on the pricey side, the food has always been delicious and 100% gluten free and it looks like that will continue.
I finished the month with a drive over to Wenatchee for a brunch breakfast put on by my favorite new BBQ business, Burch Mountain BBQ. Justin and Valerie put a lot of love into their food, including sourcing well raised meats. They enjoy coming up with yummy sides and I love supporting them. Mostly doing pop-ups and catering, a local Mexican restaurant let them use their space for brunch on a Sunday and it was nice to be able to do a sit down meal with the hubs.
March
For a quickie anniversary getaway, we drove down to Seattle and hopped on the ferry to Vashon Island. Our main goal was to finally visit cideries we had heard of in the last year, we were able to sample ciders at Dragon’s Head and Nashi Orchards.
We didn’t time lunch very well but did find a little hole-in-wall place with salads before everything was closed for the day.
As for knitting, I finished a few headwear items with some fun yarn I had purchased during the holidays. The headband was for my mom and was an opportunity to try double knitting which wasn’t that hard. Basically, you get a double sided item after just knitting once. I also made my second cabled pom pom hat, it is from from Samba Knits and knit with yarn from Blue Sky Fibers. I just love that tweed!
Oh, and I may have knit another Sophie Shawl. They are addicting.
And my second pair of socks, this time some shorties which are my favorite style to wear.
April
In April, I completed my very first sweater. Called the Warm-Up Sweater, it didn’t turn out exactly like I wanted it to but it was definitely a learning experience. Gotta love those German short rows which I think I redid like 5 times. I love it just for being my first and it is super warm and cozy.
The Sophie Shawl I made last year had some of the yarn from the sweater, I think they look pretty well together.
I also made a Saturday Shrug with some bright colored yarn I won from a knit along on Instagram. It is like a really roomy cowl you can pull down over your shoulders and it is perfect over t-shirts when it is just a bit chilly.
I baked some bread with recipes from the blog as I was heading out on a road trip for spring break. They still continue to be my favorites!
My hammock needed some repairs as the whoopie slings were well worn so I finally got around to replacing them with ones I purchased from Dutchware.
May
I made my new favorite fish topping, rhubarb chutney. Seriously, if you haven’t tried rhubarb like this you need to.
I swapped out my handle bar tape for something brighter. This was the second time I had done this myself and YouTube makes a mighty fine teacher.
May brought my son’ birthday 26th and we had a nice dinner out. It is probably bad that I can’t remember where but he picked and it was at the mall somewhere.
I took another ferry over to Bainbridge Island this time for a yarny weekend. A local and very popular shop, The Lamb and Kid, was hosting some social media fiber creators like Adela from Lola Bean Yarn and Gaye from GGMade It so I took it as a chance to visit the store. Even Fatimah from Disturbing The Fleece drove down from Vancouver, Canada. I don’t think I need to visit the shop again but it was definitely some luscious yarn. And be warned, there are some really skilled enablers that work and shop there.
Hey, it is all marked for specific projects. Really.
And as proof, two of them I have already completed:
May was also the month for the Puget Sound LYS Tour and I could write a whole other post on just that weekend. It was super fun to visit all 20 shops participating from Bellingham to Burien, from Issaquah to Port Townsend and pick up free patterns and stickers. LYS stands for “local yarn store” in case you are not a knitter or crocheter.
A few coworkers joined me for a one day (it took about four days) and they loved it so much they are ready to take off from work this next year to go with me. I am still deciding if it will be in my budget…
If you finished the tour with stickers from all 20 shops, the last shop you visited would have a “2023 Finisher” sticker for you and some other kind of goodie. My last shop was in Stanwood at Stilly River Yarns and this was my prize, hand made by the shop owner’s dad. How cool is that?
While doing my normal camping at the river for Memorial Day, I finished another shawl. This was a fun one skein design with a woven appearance using slipped stitches:
And I dehydrated some bananas:
June
Due to Alaska changing our flights, we ended up with an extra 10 hours in Vegas before we could pick up our rental car. This meant a day exploring near Fremont. I can’t say I am in a hurry to do that again but we did find some surprisingly great tacos in a little shipping container mall nearby.
In June I did something nutty like went to the Stranger Things Experience in Seattle with my son. Yes, I love that show. And yes, I love my son. I didn’t know anyone else who might want to go with me and when he agreed so it was a done deal. Not sure it was worth what I paid for admission but spending time with my son was priceless.
June also saw more finished objects, like a travel shawl and two more pairs of shortie socks.
Near the end of June when school got out, I had an opportunity to stop by a gluten free bakery in Spokane on the way to Glacier National Park. I had heard of Cole’s several years before but not had a reason to visit. It was much larger than I imagined and they had a hearty menu.
I also learned that if you accidentally lock your bike onto your bike rack and send your keys home with your husband, there could be someone named Dale at Cabela’s with bolt cutter’s who will help you out from the predicament so you don’t have to hunt a locksmith down on a Sunday. Thankfully, it was my cheap one. Cabela’s won’t have a new bike lock for you, though, that you will have to go get at Fred Meyer’s where you will buy a combination lock rather than a keyed one.
July
A highlight of my summer was seeing that Glacier National Park had an artist-in-residence AND she was a knitter! Virginia of Lake Salt Knit makes these stunning designs from her experiences in nature and they are one-of-a-kind. But you can buy some of the patterns on Ravelry!
On our way home, we had a walk through Thompson Falls on the Fourth of July. Most things were closed in town save for the coffee shop but it was interesting to read the signs in the windows that highlighted small town life.
I noticed that the bears don’t have to work very hard in the state park nearby:
We also stopped back in Spokane in search of a tattoo shop that would take both of us on short notice. That didn’t happen but we did find a lovely tea bar to get out of the heat.
Later in July while driving over Washington Pass with a friend to a backpacking trip, my trusty car decided it had had enough of my mountain adventures and overheated and needed to be towed. Luckily, Sarah was in her car as we had planned to drop a car at a trailhead. Long story short, a storm came in and we decided to take shelter for the night in a hotel in Twisp. I don’t know why I hadn’t seen this stay tucked off the main street but if you ever want some luxury on the Cascade Loop, I would suggest the Twisp River Suites.
As for knitting, I worked on a couple of the patterns I scoped up during the LYS tour, like this Runabout Top from a shop in Carnation, WA.
I also made a hat with an interesting hatch stitch for my friend, Diane. Go Cougs!
And we had another play, this time it was Hello, Dolly. Yes, we both love musicals.
Our friends Chris and Maribel, who used to be in our small group at church but have moved to Chelan, had a quinceañera for their daughter in Snohomish. It had been awhile since I had been to one, I forgot who elaborate they can be.
I made my second sweater and I couldn’t be more happy with the colors. This would become my “Flock sweater”, similar to a “Rhinebeck sweater”, for you knitters out there.
My niece was going to be in a wedding and the dress she ordered didn’t quite fit. That is, it was too long. Aunt Shannon to the rescue with some easy hem modification!
My other niece, Claire, had a performance in the Cascade Youth Symphony with the theme being Indiana Jones. She plays the oboe and is now practicing for a trip to Europe in the summer of 2024. I had to ride my bike the 16 miles to Lynnwood to see her because I was now carless as the diagnosis was a blown head gasket and it was not worth it to replace the engine. Time for car shopping…
August
Still carless, I was racking up my bike miles quickly. I rode to Mountain View Farms in Snohomish to pick up some summer bounty.
Another quick knit for the Flock Fiber Festival, a Barbie inspired neckerchief.
Yes, I went to the Seattle fiber festival in Magnolia Park. I am going to keep the pictures to a minimum but let’s just say I got to meet some of my new Instagram knitting friends and I bought way to much fiber goodness. Again, all (almost) for planned projects or gifts for others.
Some day I will write a post about what I had to do to get that limited edition mug…
2023 saw the return of the community kitchen where I had been helping as a lead cook. It is a smaller production and we just cook for a local safe parking lot but it feels good to be back with my volunteering friends.
July was also my sister’s birthday so I made her a beanie based on Glacier National Park. Yes, most of it was with yarn from the fiber festival.
And if you were outdoors in Washington State this summer, you know the bee stings were really bad. I was stung on the way out from a backpacking trip in the Olympics, probably some kind of wasp. Luckily I had some ice packs in the car and I wasn’t allergic but my forehead and eye were swollen for about a week.
September
I bought my very first pair of Crocs because all the cool kids in middle school have them. Actually, it’s because I wanted shoes that would show off my fun socks I was knitting. It think they do the job. Now I hear I have to get some of those charms or “jibbitz” to put in the holes…
And here are some of the socks. They are winter themed but I am wearing them all the time.
Another LYS Tour pattern and yarn from Fiber Gallery in Seattle, I am so in love with this vest. I wear it with everything…
I found out there is something called Stitch and Pitch and talked two knitting coworkers into going. Basically it is a knit night at the Mariners with vendors, a free t-shirt and everyone in your section knits. We rode the bus and light rail down and I am proud to say I only bought two skeins of yarn.
In the middle of September, I finally found my new-to-me adventure car, a Honda Element. It was already set up for car camping, I only had to tweak a few things.
You wouldn’t know how roomy it is from the outside but it is a mini camper inside!
My first trip was over the mountains to Chelan for a BBQ popup and some hiking. It was nice to visit with Justin and Valerie for my birthday and enjoy a little more summer sunshine and warmth.
October
October saw the second shooting death this school year of a student that I knew. It is also the second memorial of a teenager that I ride past on my commute home. If you are thinking it is harder out there for our youth than it has been, you are right.
We drove our annual autumn Cascade Loop, this time arranging it so we could stop and visit Chris and Maribel at their new home in Manson (outside Chelan). They took us to a neighborhood concert at the local winery.
I knit a hat for my nephew, this one glows in the dark:
My friend Keashia and I went to play at the Taproot Theatre in Greenwood (a neighborhood of Seattle) and then had dinner at Razzi’s Pizzeria (lots of gluten free and vegan options). I hadn’t been in awhile and I had forgotten how much I like their food.
While we were in Greenwood, I dropped off donation hats I had been knitting all summer to the Fiber Gallery that will be sent to Knit The Rainbow. These make great car knitting and I also keep a project in my desk at work.
Elizabeth’s daughter had a wedding shower at the river where I usually camp for Memorial Day Weekend. More time figuring out logistics in my Element…
Back to Wenatchee, Justin at Burch Mountain had a customer appreciation dinner and tickets to the Wenatchee Wild hockey team!
November
I voted, of course.
I made some shortie socks in the middle school’s colors for when we have spirit days which is every Thursday plus some bonus days throughout the year. This is yarn from Laura at Always Be Kind Yarns, someone I got to meet in person at the Flock Festival as she is from Oregon. Proceeds from her yarn go to suicide prevention in honor of the daughter she lost a few years ago. These colors were her mom’s favorite.
The wedding I mentioned has a national park theme so, of course, I had to make the new couple some national park beanies like the one I made my sister. For these ones, I used kits you can buy of Nancy Bates website so it was easy peasy to knit them up quick.
The wedding was beautiful and it was fun to see all the people I hang out with at the river dressed up for the occasion.
A friend at work asked if some of us wanted to go to a Sip n Shop event in downtown and how could I say no when I live down the street? I am not a wine drinker but it was fun to hang out with my coworkers and visit shops downtown I had not been to before. My favorites were a bakery with the most delicious macarons and a “modern day” general store with possible stocking stuffers for next month!
And who couldn’t use some emotional support fries? I was looking for the black cat squishy on Amazon for a student dealing with anxiety when these popped up in the search and they just magically jumped in my cart. Much healthier than the the McDonald’s ones!
And last but not least, when I was googling “quirky” things to do in Joshua Tree a whole bunch of suggestions for the World Famous Crochet Museum came up. So I had to stop…
December
Ah, finally to December. We took a quick drive to Oregon to pick up our annual cider advent calendar from Crush Cider in Hood River and a side trip to Astoria had me doing a double take at these elk in the small town of Hammond. My initial thought was that they were a very realistic reindeer display!
December has been all about bike miles. I made a goal this year to ride more than last year so that comes to 2190 miles. At the beginning of the month I still had about 300 left to go! Yes, I was kicking myself for not riding more in the summer. So, I figured the only way to meet my goal was to set another goal to ride every day in December. What does this look like most days? Cruising the neighborhood at night in the rain looking at Christmas lights.
This fun pattern came out in November and I had tons of the yarn needed in my stash. So, one weekend I decided to knit a sweater in two days. Because it was so bulky I went with short sleeves so I can wear it over long sleeved wool shirts or a flannel. Yes, it is very warm.
I finished some Fall Frolic Socks I started in September, this was a fun kit from Always Be Kind yarn and these are perfect to wear with my boots.
It was my movie buff brother’s birthday and when we went to see Die Hard in the movie theatre I gave this movie reel beanie to him as a gift.
I bought my first yarn advent calendar this year and this beach bum themed yarn as perfect for me. It was a 15 day calendar and every day was a mini skein of yarn and a little something yarn related. Like most advent calendars, it was fun having something to look forward to and open every day. I don’t know if I will actively look to do it again this year because they are pricey but it was fun to do at least once. I like what Victoria on Victoria Knits did this year, her and a friend made each other calendars from stash and other goodies. You get the surprise but not so much the investment. I just need someone who wants to do it with me…
I just love this spruce and holiday lights yarn knit up together, even if I look like a Christmas Tree. Much better than an ugly Christmas sweater, I think. I used this pattern and knit each yarn up with mohair. I didn’t put this on Ravelry but the yarn was from this project I frogged.
And if you follow me on Instagram, you have met Belle Barbie who we rescued from a beach on the Oregon coast. I decided she needed an adventure outfit so I knit her one up…
And if you have been here for awhile, you know about the ornaments that my hubby makes out of the previous year’s tree that mark each family member’s year highlights. Mine naturally had to have my Element on one side. Tomorrow’s post will show you the other side…
Wow, that didn’t take long at all. JK. I hope that in 2024 I will be much better at getting these posts out monthly!
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