Well, I passed the ability test with the Dean and my soon-to-be boss has been given the go ahead to re-write a job description for me and my lack of a Masters Degree so that HR can make me fully official soon.

I will be moving to Anchorage and will be the new Residence Coordinator of West Hall and the Templewood apartments.

Wow.  Jut writing that makes me shiver with excitement and nervousness and all the unknown.  I know that its going to be a great adventure and just a good all around experience…once I get over all the nerves and excitements!  Now I have to make plans for packing and moving and getting there and having a home there for 10 months.  Tasha is moving again…surprise, surprise   Hopefully Mum has left space for me to move again in her address book!

Whew!  At least all of those stress’ of the last week are over…and then life always brings you new ones   Such is life and since none of them have killed me yet, I must assume that I am stronger for them!

The interview went well but no, I havent heard anything yet about the job.  Now I have to decide if I want it if they offer it to me.  I was quite overwhelmed at first with Anchorage.  I mean, there are stores(!) and roads(!!) and more than one restaurant(!!!) and even a Taco Bell!!!!  The apartment is really nice and there is a dog park right across the street where Sisu can run.  The city bus stops right outside what might be my apartment complex so I should not need a car at all.  That would be a great thing, mainly because after 10 months, I would need to get rid of it already so I could come back to Pelican sans auto.  I had a good time with my possible future staff members and we all relaxed together and got on well during the interview.  It was fantastic of them to come in on their first day of vacation!  All in all, it was a good time and I felt very relaxed but I need to decide if I really want to leave Pelican for this position.  Do I really want this job and all the stress’ that it entails?  Do I want to move away from Jamie and Pelican for 4 months and 10 months, respectively?  What will happen with my dyeing business?

Speaking of the dyeing…I got a call yesterday from Nancy, the owner of Skeins Fine Yarns and she said that she was not only happy with the yarns I sent her but she already sold 4!  She got the box at 10am.  Not too shabby for my first day being in stock!  If you are someone who bought any of my handpaints, I would LOVE to hear from you!  Leave a comment, send me an email, anything!  Just tell me what you bought and how you like it   I would love the feedback and I hope that you are a happy knitter with my colourways.

Its pretty ironic that I am titling this post “Nerves” when one of the things that is giving me tummy flutters is my final exam on the Nervous system.  I have taken 2 previous exams and have done just fine on them so why I am so jittery about this one, I really dont know.

Ok.  Yes I do.

Not only do I have this test to take today but I am going to hear about a job that might take me away from Pelican and up to Anchorage for a year.  It is such a great opportunity but boy, does it bring up huge questions, concerns, feelings and also makes me want to bring up my breakfast.  It would be such a huge thing that I cant even go into it all here and I dont want to until I know if I have the job or not because I dont want to jinx it…or maybe I do and I dont really want the job at all and want to stay in safe, little Pelican and continue working for the Seaplanes.  Nope, dont wanna do that but I just am nervous and nothing has happened yet!  The deal is, they offered the job to a guy who has a girlfriend who really doesnt like Anchorage (has been there a year) and she wants to go back to California.  So she says, take the job and stay but I am going back to Cali. and I would like it if you came with me.  So he asked for an extension in the decision time and it is up today.  He has to make a decision by today.

Monday.

The same day as my Nervous system final.

And Lab practical.

And the day I want to be able to ship out 36 skeins of handpainted yarn that I dyed, dried and reskeined this weekend.  But I cant send them until I have tags and they are in the mail.  I will fill you in on THAT brand of insanity after my test.  Pictures too, I promise.

And the day before my future in-laws are coming back to town with their pets.

And the day that I am moving from the house that I have lived in to a large boat in order to circumvent any dog socialisation issues.

And the day that I am supposed to adopt a dog from J’s Dad.  A Karelian, just like Sisu who needs a new home and a lot of love and attention.

And the day I am supposed to get more yarn blanks in the mail. To start dyeing.  Because I have at least 24 more skeins to do for this original order. (Yay!)

Can you tell why I am nervous and excited and have so much on my mind that I want to burst and cry and cheer and sleep and generally explode?

No, I didnt spell “dyeing” wrong, thats the one I meant to write. I

I’ve been busy the past 4 days with a project that I love and I hope I can do for a long(ish) time because I really enjoyed doing it…Dyeing yarns.

Last year while fishing I kept taking pictures, trying to catch the beauty of SE Alaska and thinking to myself, “Wow, that would make really pretty yarn colours.” Seriously, that is how much fiber I have on the brain. Anyway, I kept a list and recently decided to take the plunge and buy some dye and blanks and dip my fingers into the dye pots. I painted one of each of my colourways and here they are to show off along with names   ETA: All of the “The …” names are fishing boats in the community.  The Nightingale is mine and J’s and J is out fishing right now on The Alitak!

Clockwise: Top R: Puffin, The Pegge, Brown Bear, The Alitak, Tasha’s X-tra Tuffs, Coho

Clockwise: Top centre: Icy Point, Bald Eagle, Dixon Can, Otter, Inside Passage, King Salmon

L: Waterfalls, R: Glaciers

L to R: Lemesuier Island, The Gold Dust, Survival Suit, Humpies, The Nightingale, The Oceanaire, The Dutch Master

All are more beautiful than the pictures and I would be hard pressed to name the “best” one but I have to say, when I showed BrightonWoman “Puffin” she mentioned a Puffin poem and I, in all my dorkyness, perfected over the roughly 22 years that I have had this poem memorized, said:

There Once Was a Puffin

Oh, there once was a Puffin
Just the shape of a muffin,
And he lived on an island
In the bright blue sea!

He ate little fishes,
That were most delicious,
And he had them for supper
And he had them for tea.

But this poor little Puffin,
He couldn’t play nothin’,
For he hadn’t anybody
To play with at all.

So he sat on his island,
And he cried for awhile, and
He felt very lonely,
And he felt very small.

Then along came the fishes,
And they said, “If you wishes,
You can have us for playmates,
Instead of for tea!”

So they now play together,
In all sorts of weather,
And the Puffin eats pancakes,
Like you and like me.

by Florence Page Jaques

I memorized it in 1st grade for a talent show and forgot some of it then in stage fright and excitement and have always had it since. Thanks Mums.

What do I plan to do with all these yarns? Well, sell them for starters They are DK, Fingering and Feltable worsteds and I already have a special order for sock yarn in King Salmon and Otter from a newbie sock knitter in town and I have 2 local stores who are willing to try and see if they sell (me thinks that the cruise shippers might really enjoy) and 1 not so local store who has also expressed interest AND I have feelers out for one other option.

Iffn you want a skein or two for yourself, let me know…I can dye what you want in the way you want!

There have been many different ways that I love living in Pelican but this one has to be right up there are the top benefit.  So much can be harvested from the earth and as long as we are careful, there can be continual harvests for many years. Sundays have been my day off and lucky for me, most of them have been beautiful and perfect for Sisu and I to go out to the flats and practice harvesting

Nori drying in the sun and Sea Lettuce and Nori still in the rinsing sea water

bladderwrack drying in the sun

Clams! The clam, sans shell. Aww, shucks!

My little clammer

Tasha and Sisu

There are more pictures up in my flickr site of the clam shucking, and the seaweed gathering.

Yes, there is still knitting in my world…always is there knitting!  Granted, now there is also a lot of spinning but that is another post.  Just lately, I have been having fun with baby booties and samples of yarn.  They knit up quite fast and they look good once they are all finished.

Baby Booties (no, not for me and mine!)

And finally for this post, my most recent Stranded Hat!  Stranded Hat C, modeled on Marsali (SH-C08-215)

More to come soon…spinning fun!

From BrightonWoman: “I love that song ‘exactly’ at some point I’ll have to take the time to listen to it, but I like those lines ‘I am exactly where I need to be, i need to be exactly where I am” It reminds me of Ecclesiastes and the time for every purpose under heaven… I think too many people get caught up in the past or the future and forget to be in the present, or to live in the now for the now.”

Yes.  Just like that plus the idea that the path to real happiness is within you and only you and is specifically FOR you.  That I can be wonderfully and completely happy with my very rural, slow paced, not hugely important in the grand scheme of this world lifestyle but still be incredibly connected, one of the fastest moving/on a schedule and very important person here in Pelican because, lets face it, if I wasn’t doing it now, there would be no regular travel into or out of here nor would there be 9/10 of the freight or any of the mail.  Not that no one else could step in and do it, but right now, I’m it.  And granted, its not a full time job but my knitting, spinning, helping elders and taking other part time jobs make my world very busy and I just will keep getting busier as the days get longer and longer. (On the side, did you know that it is light enough to see clearly at 5am and then the sun goes behind the mountains at about 7:45 and its dark at 8:30…already!  I forgot how fast this happens in the spring!)

I enjoyed my day off yesterday by gathering seaweeds and then drying them (and will post pictures later today) and Sisu ran like a wild thing on the flats while I did.  She is so funny and is my little clam digger.  She gets squirted by a clam or a worm and then goes crazy digging for them.  She has yet to get one and normally just likes to dig but the squirt gives her a place to do it!

My knitting world is blooming with fantastic yarns…that I spun!  I plied my yarns the other day and then dyed with food colouring and they look just beautiful.  There will be pictures of those soon too   The plied yarn is a worsted weight and I am so proud of myself for how even and well spun that it is.  Yes, I am proudly tooting my own horn!  I’m also getting ready to make a foray into dyeing on a larger scale and have quite a few blanks and pots of dye coming in and will gladly tell  you all about it once things are moving the way I want them to.  I dont want to jinx anything but I have some good ideas and if they come out half as well as I can see them in my head, they will be great.

Music has always been an important part of my life.  Most popular songs dont really speak to me but just recently, I have been getting hit over the soul with songs that have come from my favourite medium: Podcasts.  Brenda Dayne of Cast On has given me Exactly by Amy Steinberg (You can listen by clicking “listen”…duh)

Exactly:

i am exactly where i need to be
i need to be exactly where i am
i am a blessing manifest
i can undress the moment
naked time unwinds beneath my mind
and from within i find the kind of beauty
only i can find
i am exactly where i need to be
i need to be exactly where i am
i am surrendering so willingly
to be the perfect me inside this now
and truly how else could it be
destiny she blesses me
when i try to fight or run
i only wind up back at square one
when i think i know what’s best for me
fate she takes me back
to exactly where i need to be
i am exactly where i need to be
i need to be exactly where i am
i am divinely timed and shining brightly
yes i believe that there’s a purpose just for me
yes i believe that we are light
and we shine infinitely
i am exactly where i need to be
i need to be exactly where i am
i am not aimlessly existing see
i am in perfect harmony with universal energy
and i am truly free when i accept my own divinity
look at me look at me closely
what exactly do you see
if you are paying attention you will now begin ascension of the mind
why, because if you look at me just right you will see a kiss
for it took a kiss to make this breath exist
the intersection of my mother’s and father’s lips
to touch twist and perfect what came next to produce me
look at me and you will see the breeze
the breeze it took to shake the leaves to make
my mother’s hair move, my father dare touch it and say
please may i have a kiss
yes the breeze made me exist
and if you want to get even deeper into this
when you look at me you will see a cloud
the cloud it took to form the storm to shake the leaves to
inspire the liplock – yes a raindrop will pop up out these words
you heard me right
if you look at me close enough you will see a dark stormy night
and what is night without it’s polar opposite of sunlight
so if you watch the way my hands sway
you’ll see the light of day
and everyday is a testament to the sediment of the earth’s core
it’s ever spinning enormous force so if you look at me just right
you will see a spark of the source
but the most fascinating thing about this, and it’s true
is that if you look at me close enough, you see you
it’s only what you perceive how you believe the space between
you and me
that creates reality
so when i sing you can feel it
when i cry you can heal it
when i speak words you can be the words i speak by singing with me
peace love free
peace love free
peace love free
and when i am alone and full of fear
i just remember the rising sun always appears
everyday miracles that i see
well they take me back to exactly where i need to be

Yes, I know its a long set of lyrics but it is so wonderful and speaking to me.

The other is Ingrid Michaelson with “The Way I Am”

The Way I Am

If you were falling, then I would catch you.
You need a light, I’d find a match.

Cuz I love the way you say good morning.
And you take me the way I am.

If you are chilly, here take my sweater.
Your head is aching, I’ll make it better.

Cuz I love the way you call me baby.
And you take me the way I am.

I’d buy you Rogaine if you start losing all your hair.
Sew on patches to all you tear.

Cuz I love you more than I could ever promise.
And you take me the way I am.
You take me the way I am.
You take me the way I am.

You all probably heard it on an Old Navy sweater commercial this fall, but I heard it back in June on a Cast On episode and downloaded it right then because I loved it just that much.  I made J listen to it over and over and even he likes it   Its just sweet and perfect, especially the sweater part!  The YouTube video there with her song is a bit, um, interesting, but it does capture the mood and feeling of the song.

What do you listen to while knitting or general crafting?  I often have “Finding Nemo” on in the background, even though I can recite the whole thing.  “The Emperors New Groove” and “10 Things I Hate About You”  are often on for the same reason.

When you are not looking for it, you can find joy in just the oddest of places.  Things that make you just laugh out loud because of the randomness and general funny placement of things or a statement.

Take these for instance:  I was wearing these socks all day and then took them off to change for a workout with the full intention of putting them back on to go to SnB later that night.  I went to grab them after my shower and this is what they looked like. I swear, thats just how I tossed them off my legs and onto the bed!  I was in a rush to change and pulled them off and then never thought about them until after my shower I looked down at them and started laughing.  Sisu looked at me like I was crazy but really, they took me by surprise in such a good way.  BTW, they are “Arsenal” football (soccer) socks.  (And Yes, Janyne, they were yours   You have to come visit me to get them back!)

This was another: I have no earthly idea why there was or should have been a flipper at 1,500′ but there was!  J and I were just hiking along with Sisu and there it sat.  Both J and I laughed like crazy and Sisu gave it a sniff and a nose.  We left it there for others enjoyment but also because there was a moss already growing inside the foot portion.

What has made you laugh today?  Are you laughing today?  I really hope so, because I am.

I have always loved spring time.  The new grasses, flowers poking up from the cold ground, trees budding, all that fun spring-y type of stuff.  Not to mention that its warmer, there is less snow and, would you look at that!, there is SUNSHINE!  We only got Spring for 3 days here before we reverted to winter but I did see some very happy eagles basking in the sun.  Like this one While in Sitka, J found something that is fantastic and that I had been talking about wanting for a little while now.  Before I really got into the hat knitting she just seemed like a frivolity but seems more and more necessary as the hats go on.  Without further adiu, Meet Marsali!  She is an adventuress who often is looking for a way to warm her very cold ears but always wants to look stylish too!  So she wears Stranded Hats!  This season KFD has come out with some new designs and she is modeling the first two of the season:  A08-182 and

B08-188 Both are fantastic and I will be hard pressed to sell either.  Especially B08-188 because I just LOVE that white on the purple.  I chose the white (over my normal black contrasting colour) after BrightonWoman suggested it to me and chose 188 because it was looking so very dark in the ball.  It was the right choice and the hat is perfect to wear with just about everything and is long enough to wear with a pony-tail up and STILL be covering your ears.  I hate the creeping-hat syndrome and swear that none of my hats will have that problem!

Sisu has been so patient with all this hat knitting and picture taking but every once in a while she chimes in with a very expressive whine that says, “Can you drop the knitting?  I wanna play now, Mum!”  So we do and that red ball you can see is a favorite plaything just lately.  Play sessions and 3 miles of walkies a day keep my Sisu happy…me too, because I dont think that I could be happier.  I hope you are happy too.

First done, The Ribbi Cardi!!  I finished it on Saturday and I just plain love it.  I’ve worn it for the past 2 days   Though I dont have a zipper yet, the beautiful shawl pin works just perfectly for now.  I cannot tell you how much I love this sweater.  The only modifications that I made were in length of the fronts and back and on the sleeves.  I hate too short sweaters and sleeves so I made them both .5″ longer than called for.  This was perfect and I would do it again.  The pattern is fabulous, the yarn is great and the colours together everyone raves about.  I still cant believe that KnitPicks is discontinuing this shade of blue.  Really, its a crazy choice and unless the cost of the  blue would make the yarn price skyrocket, I dont understand the decision.  Hopefully they have a nice new light blue hidden in the eves because with the removal of this shade, all Wool of the Andes blues are now dark shades.  Either way, I stocked up and barring the slippers that I will now have to make for my sister (who was supposed to get a pair of clogs from the 1st 2 skeins of the blue) but since it is just about spring, I think maybe I can wait on those for a while.

In my joy of finishing the sweater and the shock of now really knowing that I have to get done 7 more hats by the beginning of May, I started and finished a new project.  This quilt.   I started and finished on Easter and I love it.  I needed a new blanket on my bed and we didnt have any blankets big enough.  Oddly enough, J and I have been sleeping using twin sized blankets, 1 each, and always complained to each other that we wanted 1 big one for the two of us.  So I called the quilt shop in Juneau and asked for a collection of fat quarters that I had seen while there a few weeks ago, some batting and backing.  It all came and I forced myself to wait until the sweater was done so Saturday night I was trying to decide what to do and then Sunday morning I cut into it.  I divided the quarters into quarters and set them up 3 wide with single blocks running lengthwise down the sides and centre.  I LOVE IT!  My only dislike is that I dont have measurement markings on the needle plate so I had to eyeball the whole thing and while 50% of the squares line up perfectly, 50% dont.    But the colours take your mind off all of those slightly off ones and its just lovely.  Warm too.