Emptyknitster

There was plenty of yarn leftover from my Blue Skies at the Mardi Gras socks to make another pair. These are for Chloe A LittleBit. AND I'm happy I have some bits left for the beginning of another sock Afghan…. Pattern: Vanilla with Fish Lips Kiss Heels Yarn: Cascade Heritage Sock and Manos Del Uruguay Alegria Colorway: Deep Ocean and Huarache Needle Size US Size 1

I’m not sure why this mitten pattern has two thumbs on each mitten. Perhaps when the palm gets wet the wearer can turn them around or maybe it’s because they will wear longer. At any rate I didn’t knit two thumbs per mitten! They should be very warm and were a very quick knit, only taking one snowy afternoon. Pattern: Men's two thumbed mittens Yarn: Reynolds Lopi Colorway: Light Denim Heather, Monet Tweed and Navy Needle Size: US Size 10 I hacked the pattern slightly to fit our kittysitter's hands. Keira was happy to receive the pair knowing there were some cold recess duties coming her way! Pattern: Men's two thumbed mittens Yarn: Reynolds Lopi Colorway: Light Denim Heather, Monet Tweed and Navy Needle Size: US Size 10

The bright colored yarn was a gift from The Chick. She bought it while on a trip to New Orleans and I’ve been “saving” it…but it’s the middle of the winter and everything is cold and dull and now’s the time to break into the stash! Ahhh! Everything’s just a bit sunnier! Pattern: My design with Fish Lips Kiss Heels Yarn:Cascade Heritage Sock and Manos del Uruguay Alegria Colorway: Deep Ocean and Hurarache Needle Size: US Size 1

While shopping at the Storkurinn yarn shop in Iceland I found Regia's Arne and Carlos yarn on sale.  Never one to turn down a bargain I picked up two skeins! It reminded me of the misty day we spent at the Blue Lagoon. Pattern: Vanilla with Fish Lips Kiss Heels Yarn:Schachenmayr Regia Design Line by Arne & Carlos 4-fadig Colorway: Island Needle Size: US Size 1

Our last day in Iceland we decided to go back into Old Reykjavik and do a little more exploring.  It's a sweet little part of town. Parking was a bit of a challenge at first, after asking a few people we finally were able to become law abiding tourists! Basically parking is sectioned off. Lampposts are marked as to what section you are parked in. Our car was parked in section P2. Then its necessary for you walk a block or two and find the box, similar to a mailbox, labeled P2 and use your credit card, plug in your car license number. this information is digitally recorded and you can park in section P2 the rest of the day. It isn't hard but we parked several different places before we worked this world problem out!  Kind of reminded me of some of the blockheads I used to work with!  Hallgrimskirkja Lutheran Church is in the center of Reykjavik. A statue of Leaf Erikson is in front of the church, a gift from the US. Here lies the only cat we saw in Iceland. ...

These socks reminded me a little of the sunrise earlier this morning, the first while in Iceland (11:am). There were many days we didn't see the sun. I thought they should be named after such a notable event! Pattern: Socks on a Plane by Laura Linneman Yarn: Cattail Knits Colorway: Mighty Munchkin Needle Size: US Size 1

Deciding we had just about exhausted the tourist spots in the Golden Circle and Southeast Iceland we headed for the Westfjords and North Iceland. It was beautiful, rugged and even less populated than other parts of Iceland. Weather in the Westfjords region was very windy, foggy and snowy. We decided to retrace our steps and travel eastward into Northern Iceland.  We had just traveled 6km under the bay from the mountains to the other side and stopped to take a photo. This is the first sunrise we saw on our stay in Iceland.  There are many farm small churches in Iceland. I am told they are used by the families during holidays and the cemeteries are for family.  We were lured into Hvammstangi by a sign for the wool factory shop and the seal museum. The Wool Factory had a open sign in the window but the door was locked and a phone number pasted on the front door! The seal museum was by the boat dock, not a seal insight, and the souvenir shop was bigger than the...

After our adventures AND misadventure of the day before we decided a soak in a thermal hot spring was in order. About an hour from Reykjavik is Secret Lagoon. Originally known as "Old Pool" it was Iceland's first public swimming pool created in 1891. Being an Icelandic lifegaurd is a tough job! There must be a bit of Boy Scout in them, "always be prepared"  Part of the directions to get to the Secret Lagoon are: Behind the green house, shhhh!  The old changing rooms are still standing along side the restored pool. This pool is alongside a small geyser which erupts every five to ten minutes is just feet from the pool. We took advantage of the low key day to stop and take photos of the Icelandic horses. These horses were brought over by the Vikings in the ninth and tenth century. They are stouter and have shorter legs. It is against the law to import horses into Iceland and so they have been pure bred for over 1,000 years. These horses have no natura...

Today's adventure began early in the morning and continued until sunset. It was necessary to leave our apartment at 6am because of  many hours of driving to our destination. We wanted to arrive at Skaftafell National Park an hour before our glacier hike began but arrived only about 15 minutes before the scheduled departure. Darkness, fog, snow, and icy roads really slowed us down. Five of those scheduled didn't show, making our group very small. In forty years this glacier has receded three quarters of a mile. Even with this loss of size it is very hard to convey the size of this glacier. Look carefully at the left bottom quarter of the photo above and you will see half a dozen hikers.   We hiked from the park headquarters to the base of the glacier, strapped on our crampons, and other gear and began climbing the glacier.  Ice caves form in the late fall and then begin to splinter and collapse in the late spring and summer. Guides are always on the lookou...

Hubby knew how much I wanted to visit a yarn shop and so when I woke up in our little studio apartment he already had a shop all scoped out. Soon we were on our way to Storkurinn in downtown Reykjavik.... Much of the yarn was something I could buy at my hometown yarn shop but I found buttons for my Lopi Icelandic sweater (soon to be knit),  Lopi yarn for mittens and a mitten book which will keep me busy! After our visit to the yarn shop, where Hubby was the best yarn husband and relaxed in a chair by the front door, we went to the Viking museum in old Reykjavik. The tenth century Viking longhouse was found in 2001 and is the oldest human made structure in Reykjavik. In the afternoon we drove thirty minutes outside of Reykjavik to the Raufarholshellir Lava Tube. This lava tunnel was formed over 5,000 years ago. It is 4,500 feet long and is the fourth longest in Iceland. It is privately owned and was closed 2016 due to vandalism and garbage accumulation in the tube. ...