450 miles North

A couple of weeks ago, Jon and I drove up to Denver to see my mom, my aunt and grandparents. It was a very quick trip, but it went really well. There's not much to tell - we didn't really leave the house while we were there (for just over a day), but I do have pictures.

My mom had a small surprise birthday party!

Views from the car near Colorado Springs

Look! Snow in May!

Near PuebloAnd the view into the backseat. :)

So many babies! (and hats!)

This is the year of babies, apparently. A couple of years ago, I was secretly astonished that some of my knitting friends had so many baby-producing friends. It seemed that every time I saw them, they had new booties or tiny hats or sweaters on their knitting needles. It didn't seem possible to know that many people who were having babies all at the same time! Boy, was I wrong!

Just off the top of my head, I can count 10 babies that have been born (or will be born very soon) since last July. Now I haven't knit for all of them, because not all were very close to me, but there has been an inordinate amount of baby knitting in the last year. Here are the three hats I made in the last few months:

Baby of coworker #1: Hat is my own design, knit in my favorite baby yarn: Bernat Cottontots Ombres

Baby of coworker #2: Hat is my own design, knit in TLC acrylic. Baby of Jon's sister: This hat is the fishbowl baby hat from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders, which is one of my new favorite knitting books. It is knit in Lamb's Pride Superwash Worsted by Brown Sheep. I refuse to knit baby things in yarns that cannot be machine-washed. I also knit this hat for myself. The pattern is Odessa from Grumperina. I bought the yarn at the Taos Wool Festival last October. It is Solana by Brooks Farm, from which I would literally buy their entire stock if I could. :) The yarn is positively yummy, and I can't wait for it to be cold so I can wear it again.
Obligatory close-up

My first full-size sweater - finished

The reason the blog has been silent on knitting recently is because there has been much knitting and less blogging. My mom has wanted a navy blue v-neck cardigan for a while, but she hasn't been able to find one in stores, so she asked me to make one. She chose the Vanilla Spice pattern from knitty, and I chose to knit it in Swish Superwash from Knitpicks. I started in late January or early February. It was long and slow, but the pattern was enjoyable to knit - there are NO seams whatsoever!

Here is the sweater before the sleeves and buttons.

My beautiful mom with her new sweater on! The back of the sweater - riveting, I know. Detail of the buttons and the pocket. It really blocked well, and fit her perfectly. Yay! Soon I will start a hoodie for Jon. We'll see how realistic that is. ha ha.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to my (not so) baby brother, Zarek, for graduating from LeTourneau University! He graduated on May 3, 2008, so this is a bit late, but when am I not late? I am still happy for him!! I got to go to the graduation and see where he went to college, and hang out with the parents for a while. I was so happy to go to east Texas and see all the flowers and big green trees and water, and be free of my allergies for two days! Woohoo!


Do we look like siblings? After receiving his diploma (or paper in a nice folder)The "philosopher" - he clearly received his burst of knowledge and wisdom as he walked across the stage. I love you and I am proud of you, Zarek!!! p.s. Lucky Hickenlooper also sends his warmest wishes and most sincere congratulations!

Hypermiling

I drive a 1997 Ford Ranger. This is basically what it looks like.

The EPA estimates that it gets 16mpg in town and 22 on the highway. THIS IS JUST NOT SO, MY FRIENDS! I get more around 15-17 average, although I used to be able to get 21 on the highway. Before most people started freaking out about their gas mileage and the high price of fueling their cars, and how we are basically "just giving our money to terrorists", I was already concerned. Why was I concerned? 3 reasons:

1. My money not going to fun things like gelato or clothes or movies or shoes or yummy vegetables.

2. We probably did hit peak oil this year. That is a subject for another time. It's running out, people.

3. Climate change. I literally feel bad every time I drive because I know that I am willingly spewing little molecules of carbon dioxide into the air.

Until a week ago, I didn't know there was anything I could really do about it, except covet my future blue Prius, all to no avail.

Then I heard the word HYPERMILING. I was intrigued. This is what I have found out: You can actually increase your mpgs by changing your driving style. Praise Jesus, I say!

I am still learning, but I have tried it for a week, and it is working. I am in MPG bliss! Here's the basic idea (from hypermiling.com and others)

1. Be aware of your mpgs at all times.

2. Keep your tires filled up.

3. Drive slower or drive the speed limit - I took a pledge on the Sierra Club website.

4. Slow down slower, and accelerate slower. Braking and starting fast uses more gas.

5. Coast when you are getting to a stop light or sign.

6. Don't follow so closely.

If you would like more information, I have compiled some links here:

-Good stories, testimonials and detailed instructions

-More instructions, rationale and bumper stickers to let others know

-Track your gas mileage

-forums, groups and information.

Let me know if you try it. I would love to hear how it's working for anyone else out there. I am excited to see how far I can push my mpgs.

Obama in 30 seconds

I realize this is the first time I have blogged about my politics, and to those who are offended, you can just skip this post. If you have a few free minutes, please go check out these fun videos at "Obama in 30 seconds". It is a user-generated site with thousands of 30-second submitted commercials for Barack Obama. Don't worry - you don't have to go through all of them. The winner and finalists are on the main page. Just look at those. I especially like "They said he was unprepared", and "It could happen to you". Which ones do you like? I would love to hear your opinions!

Walking into Spring

Long-time blog readers will remember my obsession with cherry blossoms and the beginning of spring from at least one rather enthusiastic post on the subject from last year. This year was no different, except for the quite obvious delay in blogging about it. To celebrate, Lucky and I took a walk early one evening in March and brought along the camera to document the joy.

Some things remain the same regardless of the season. ie. Lucky pulls.

The first daffodilsCherry blossomsMore cherry blossomsEven more cherry blossoms.

The obsession is well-documented. At the end of spring break, I took Lucky up to the Jemez Mountains for a hike. The ground was slushy and there were small patches of snow. Lucky found and reveled in every one. Here he is, eating snow. Here he is, trying to make snow dog angels. Cute li'l guy, isn't he? :)

Inaugural Snowshoeing Adventure

After Jon gave me snowshoes for Valentine's Day, I was eager to use them. The very next weekend, I met my good friend, Dena, in Santa Fe for a great day of non-stop talking, snowshoeing, shopping and eating. It was a beautiful day, and the dogs (Lucky and his best and oldest friend, Bear) thought it was heaven on earth. In case you didn't know, Lucky is a "snow dog".

Here I am, sitting on a picnic table - this just shows the level of the packed snow.

A beautiful view of the valley from the trailhead. Lucky "owns" - or at least, he thinks he does. Dena and Lucky - Her own dog, Bear, is off somewhere, actually getting excercise. Lucky, on the other hand, just came to get his picture taken. Lucky and his mommy - awwww, so cute. The golden aspens, bright blue New Mexico sky, and pure white snow - what a beautiful color combination. Bear is always on the run, which would explain why he is much lighter and faster than Lucky. Note to Lucky: get off your butt, dog! All in all, an excellent day - sky, snow, dogs, a good friend, and new toys.