Back from the High Country

It was our annual, early season trek to the high country last week. Every time I go, I learn something.  This time I learned never, ever forget the long johns.  Ever.  It was almost as good as the time I forgot my coats and outer wear.  No, better.

It would have been cold with them, but it was almost unbearable without.  At least for knitting. That there was one evening Mr. Needles felt it was almost too cold to fish says something.  (I'm not sure if it was just the cold though.  Seems to me that was the same evening as the Stanley Cup final.  The radio came in scratchy and hollow, but it came in.  Very Foster Hewitt)  

But yes, there were days, where, even in the van with an occasional boost from the furnace, and the engine heater, it was quite simply too cold to knit.  My hands ached and became frozen stumps.  

It was pretty though.  The clouds clung in the mountain valleys and kissed the ridges.  It rained in the valley every single day and most mornings brought a hint of fresh snow on the higher elevations to the west.  But for Friday.  Friday dawned sunny and utterly superb.  It was of course time to go home.   

With the cold, I didn't get quite as much knitting done as I hoped.  It is a basic EZ Adult Surprise Jacket, with a hood and possibly pockets.   Right now taking a break from a marathon of knitting on the hood.  I have 4 inches of hood left and a bit of button band and the veriest smallest bit of weaving ends in and finishing them off.  

I had to get the sleeves sewn this morning so I tried it on and I think it could replace the Leisl as the nicest sweater I have knit yet.  Nice big sleeves to accommodate the many layers of camping. Good length, good fit across the chest, with luck, a good hood.    

I'm going to be very close to short of purple.  I'm making most of the hood out of the multi colour.   My plan is to finish off the fronts with a set of purple ridges, then a couple ridges of the multi, where in the buttonholes shall reside, and then finally to wind up with purple again.       

I have to say, this is a really nice knit.  I might do it again if another yarn and sweater are behaving so badly as the first go round with this yarn did.  The Adult Surprise Jacket, saver of good yarns from bad patterns.