Acadia Treks

[This post was delayed because of technical difficulties which, alas, were not entirely overcome. So one treks on.]

At the end of August, the planets (including Pluto and Xena) unexpectedly lined up, giving DH and me an unexpected chance to scamper off to Maine. The Trek-along coconut candy socks, #126, trekked along too.

When it rained, everyone (socks included) just pulled on rain gear and kept on trekking. This is one of the cairns on the south face of Cadillac Mountain, which is a good hike rain or shine. Visibility was about 50 feet (15 m), which made for an introspective trek.



Heavy surf at Schoodic Point precluded a seaside rock scramble – this was the wave action at low tide. That square rock nub in the center of the photo is a nice place for a picnic on calm days.



Instead, the socks perched safely on an interpretive sign explaining the distinctive geology of the peninsula. The socks felt an instant affinity for the candy-striped pink granite and black basalt. The rain made the normally nondescript lichens plump up and turn improbable shades of parrot green. Hm... Schoodic Point... could be a yarn colorway.

   

Eventually the sun came out and we trekked to one of our favorite beauty spots, the second summit of Acadia Mountain. This is the view looking south over Somes Sound toward the Cranberry Islands: to the left are the summer mansions of Northeast Harbor; to the right is the national park; in my hat are some components of a happy summer trek: sock, water bottle, and salt lakrids from Pansar (whose rebel Baudelaire is smoking, er, but at least salty licorice is excellent on a warm weather hike).



Acadia Mountain is a moderate to strenuous sampler of the varied terrain in the park. Progress can be slow, not least because the trail winds through wild blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) patches with their tiny, seedy, yet irresistable fruit. Not only is it OK to eat the blueberries in a national park, there are helpful signs with suggestive place names. There are mountain cranberries (also Vaccinium spp.), too, which to my taste are too tart for trailside snacking.

   

The hike was an opportunity to field test two other warm weather hiking snacks, Clif Shot Bloks and fruit jellies ("made from real fruits") from Harbor Candy. About the best that can be said for Shot Bloks is they're nicer than the usual roughage and goo that passes as pocket food. Fruit jellies, on the other hand, not only are compact, non-melting, and can withstand a certain amount of battering, they're also very tasty.

By the end of Labor Day weekend, my tally for the Trek-along stood at 2.4 pair: one pair in Trekking #129 for Pam, one pair in #100 for Katherine, and a pair in progress in #126 for me. Many thanks to Margene and Norma for organizing this excellent summer sock- and hike-along.

Now it's on to Twisted Knitters and Socktoberfest!

Trekking Backwards

The coconut candy Trekking sock was sailing along – tra-la-la – I gave it a "forethought" heel because I like the characteristic bullseye pattern and don't mind grafting. Then, trouble. On try-on, the leg fit well and the heel fit well, but the overall fit was not comfortable – the reason why some socks have gussets. There was only one thing to do.

Using a tapestry needle threaded with crochet cotton, I added a lifeline at the point where the sock leg divides for the heel and the instep (the instep stitches were already on a lifeline)...



... carefully unpicked the just-grafted heel...



... and frogged it. (The leg looks so... incomplete without a heel.)



The lifeline not only prevented frogging from going beyond the selected round, it also made picking up stitches for the heel flap much easier.

The #126 colorway of Trekking seems to have less sproing than other colorways and the knit fabric seems unusually dense and strong. I think this will be a hard-wearing pair of socks. The extra ease in the new flap-and-gusset heel makes for a much better fit.



As a bonus, what would have been a brown bullseye ring around the heel turned into a nifty brown patch at the heel turn.

Unplanned, happy serendipity! Tra-la-la-ing has resumed.

Categories: {Trek-along}

Brooklyn Trek

Lured by the exceptionally fine weekend weather and the prospect of witnessing botanical history (exclamation point!), I trekked over to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to see Baby in bloom. Baby is a titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum), an endangered rainforest species with one of the largest flowers on earth (technically an inflorescence), also one of the stinkiest. She's such a diva that she had the BBG Conservatory all to herself (the bonsai that usually live there had to clear out for her) and the line to see her extended all the way from the Conservatory to the lily ponds. That gave me the opportunity to cast on a sock in Trekking #126, the Brach's coconut candy colorway, and knit a bit. It's wonderful how starting a sock makes a line go faster.

It turned out Baby was in decline. She was stinky Thursday night and Friday morning – the security guard likened the stench to a garbage dumpster in summer – but not whiffy at all when I saw her on Saturday. Her tall spadix and frilly spathe were notable for their great size, striking color, and graceful shape (the calla lily is a relative), yet were showing subtle but unmistakeable signs of imminent collapse. And cut into her backside was a hatch, held in place with Scotch tape, which BBG staff used to gain access to her true flowers, to hand-pollinate them. (Click on photos to view larger or check out Baby cam for live images.)

   

Oh well. While waiting in line, I got a good look at the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) in the lily ponds. I'm a lotus-eater, and was interested to see the broad leaves and developing seed pods au naturel. Amazing to relate, the structure of the seed pods is very like that of the tasty tuber.

   

I had gone to see Baby on an empty stomach, an unnecessary precaution, so after some light refreshment at the cafe, I trekked over to the rose garden to do a bit of research for Rose of England. At the entrance was this pensive rose girl, with an armload of unfading bronze roses and a sundial. All the greenery in the photo is some kind of rose – it must be splendid beyond words at peak bloom.



The sock posed on her sundial, which bears the legend, Perennis Amor, love everlasting. The gnomen is a butterfly, symbol of the psyche and of eternal life. Poor rose girl, she must be in mourning for her soulmate (if there's a memorial plaque, I didn't see it).



(Even allowing for Daylight Savings Time, the sundial did not show the correct time.)

I also rambled around the neighborhood outside the garden; perforce, access to the parking lot was closed by the Panama parade, so I had to park some distance away. It's great there are so many signs of neighborhood vitality, including these unexpected angels (the brick wall must have been a challenge to paint).



Back roundabout Exit 151, the Brooklyn trek continued: my stuff from Brooklyn Handspun arrived. Some is a gift for a secret pal and won't be pictured for the moment; I got some Soft Spun fingering in colorway Seafoam (a "Subtle Solid") for myself. Doncha just love the logo?



It's lovely: beautifully ombré-d, as pet-able as Claudia Handpaint, and it comes in a generous 500+ yard (457+ m) skein. I do appreciate long yardage! It's so skin-friendly that I'm going to use it to make a thermal top ("long underwear" sounds a tad off-putting, no?) to wear under my cycling togs. Or to wear at home this winter – I'm planning on keeping the thermostat below 65° F (18° C).

I'm very pleased to have the yarn – Brooklyn Handspun always sells out quickly! And not only are the goods very, very good, but also Marie responded to all inquiries promptly. (Be sure to check out her exciting nascent plan for a knitters' retreat in the Catskills.)

And that was my weekend trek through a little corner of Brooklyn, U.S.A.

Categories: {Trek-along}

Sockapaloooza Angels Away

The houseguests have come and gone. Here's some eye candy while I set the house to rights.

Last week, Pam's Sockapaloooza angel socks went on their last trek with me – to the post office to jump in the mail. I neglected to take a side-by-side photo of the finished anklets, but here's a photo showing the front of the leg and top of the foot on one sock and the back of the leg and sole of the foot on the other, which shows off the self-striping yarn in lace pattern and plain stockinette stitch.



While some Trekking colorways are an endless surprise, this one (#129) had reasonably regular repeats, so the socks are close (but not exactly identical) twins. And like the Queen of the Jungle Stripe socks, this pair has mirror-image symmetry, because handknitters can.



As an additional refinement, they have star toes, a logical finish for the stitch pattern, #6 in Knitting Lace by Susanna E. Lewis. The toes are also mirror images, natch.



It was great fun to knit up these anklets for Pam – plus they had a few excellent Trek-along adventures (see July 5, June 20, and June 14). I hope they prove a good fit and she gets lots of enjoyment wearing them!

Categories: {Sockapaloooza} {Trek-along}

Glorious 4th Trek

Yesterday I decorated the bikes...



... and peddled off to ride with BikeMontclair in the Montclair Fourth of July parade. Kindly notice we support Keep Kids Alive Drive 25.



Pam's and Katherine's Trekking socks came along for the ride (see them perched on my saddle), but I didn't attempt any extreme knitting or spindling, as taking pix while riding one-handed was quite enough of a challenge. I was by no means the only one-handed rider in the group: some came prepared for any weather and others were forever blowing bubbles.

   

Nor was BikeMontclair the only human-powered vehicle unit. The Wheelmen (and women) did graceful trick riding on their antique-style bicycles. The two guys on the left were visiting from Germany (notice the flag on the handlebars). Michael is wearing a modern version what was probably the first bicycle helmet; similarly, his bike is antique in style, but made of modern high tech materials.



There also was a unit of Trikke cambering scooters. One makes them go by swiveling the handlebars. It's a terrific upper body workout and yet some people with bad backs find they can tolerate a Trikke better than a bicycle.



There was a skateboard unit, too, but they went by 'way too fast for a photo.

The parade included the usual assortment of national and local pols, both reds and blues. Here's Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Bill Pascrell (face obscured by waving hand), both up for re-election. (Also, in the background, a LYS!)



The socks wanted to pose with them, but they were marching rather than pressing the flesh, so there was no opportunity. Besides, Officer John was watching. Guess why he's smiling like that.

There were peace marchers and military units, bands and floats, beauty queens and activists. Among my faves were the Toni's Kitchen food pantry unit, whose human-powered vehicles were shopping carts...



... the Terry's Serendipity Café spoken word unit (how can one not like a poetry marching unit?)...



... the Mexican dance unit, which kept shouting, "¡BRIO!" (yes, it was hot and they were hot, too)...



... and the Montclair Art Museum unit.



There were a bunch of commercial floats, too, including the Applegate Farm ice cream float (teehee), beloved of all cyclists. Oral history claims the old farmhouse (Exit 151) was a station on the Underground Railroad.



The predicted heavy thundershowers didn't rain on the parade, they held off until the afternoon barbecues, then cleared up in time for fireworks. Roundabout Exit 151 it was a glorious 4th.

Categories: {Sockapaloooza} {Trek-along}

Sockapaloooza Preantepenultimate

A bit of erudition, courtesy of Tola Faery commenting on Alison's post: the ultimate is the end, the penultimate is almost the end, the antepenultimate is before almost the end, and the preantepenultimate is before that.

The key in such a thicket of wordswordswords is, of course, to know where one is. When it comes to Sockapaloooza, Pam's angel socks, worked in Trekking #129, are almost finished. Here they are in their penultimate glory.



I need to weave in a few ends, give 'em a bath, and find some goodies to keep them company before sending them on their way. I have a couple deadlines this week, so will finish and mail them next week.

Meanwhile, Katherine reports that her Sockapaloooza socks, beaded rib with beads, are lost in space (!). That is something up with which I will not put (!!!), so I'm knitting her a replacement pair, currently in the preantepenultimate stage.



Although it's 10 degrees F cooler today (85 F or 29 C), it's still too hot roundabout Exit 151 to fuss. This is your basic spiral rib athletic sock that, like MacBeth, has gotten beady ambition (see the beads?). It's worked in Trekking #100. Toiling and boiling to follow.

Categories: Sockapaloooza Trek-along

Side Trek

For the Trek-along, I'm taking a little side trek instead of starting with #126 (Brach's coconut candy) as planned. It just so happens that I've got some Trekking #129 (self-patterning grays, white, mint, and pink) lying around, empty dpns, a Sockapalooozer in need of a sock angel [hi, Pam!], and a hankering to test the Queen of the Jungle Stripe pattern in other yarns. Sweet synchronicity!

The sock, thus far:



Initially I used a picot hem instead of 1x1 ribbing. But it became clear as the bold stripes emerged that that is not an effective cuff for the sock, so I added a lifeline, carefully unpicked the hem, frogged, picked up stitches, and knit a trusty 1x1 ribbing.

The trek, last Sunday, was the first Tri-Town Family Bike Day, a family-friendly traffic-free bicycle ride through Millburn (Exit 142), Maplewood (Exit 142), and South Orange (Exit 145). The day was perfect for a spin – sunny, cool, and a little windy. The route mainly hugged the Morris & Essex Line railroad tracks, which ensured a ride without hard climbs. I had a great time. There's a plan to extend the ride to Exit 151 [vbg].

Here's the sock perched on my bicycle saddle (weighted by my lock because it was windy) at the start, the Millburn Free Public Library. It's hard to get a good photo of the library building, so I opted for the book and media return boxes as a backdrop. To avoid ruffling suburban sensibilities, I was careful not to take pix of people, particularly children.

      

The township obligingly put up a banner across Main Street advertising the event. Millburn is also home to All About Yarn (sadly closed on Sunday).

In Maplewood, the rest stop was Memorial Park. The route through the village was obviously designed by a cyclist – just look at what was along the way (notice handlebars – not mine – in lower right corner).

   

Ride's end was the South Orange duck pond. There really is a south orange in South Orange. Also gaslights, which are always on to save the expense and trouble of lighting and dousing them.

      

When I asked a cop where to find the orange, he told me, but gave me a look that plainly said, "Lady, you're crazy." Could be. I spent the evening searching for the pattern repeat so the pair will be reasonably similar.



By the end of a happy day, Sock 2 was under way.

Categories: TrekKAL SPloooza

Summer Trekking

Back from the Post Office. Thanks to Anncie, I just had THE most amazing candy I have ever eaten, salt lakrids or Swedish salty licorice, in three varieties. She also sent a lovely postcard of Stockholm and a lollipop that was last seen in DH's vicinity.



In return, I'm sending her saltwater taffy, a New Jersey summer specialty that every Jersey Shore town claims to have invented (and some lovely NJ postcards). But I don't think anything can match salty licorice... not Warheads, not Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, not li hing mui. I cheerfully confess that little Swedish children must be much tougher than I am – the one with flames on the package brought tears to my eyes!

A pocketful of salty treats can be handy on a summer hike or bike ride for those who tend toward hyponatremia. DH carries packets of NaCl or KCl; I'll carry salt lakrids. Now that I'm well fortified, I've signed up for Trek Along With Me, a Trekking sock- and hike-along hosted by Norma and Margene. Here's the necessary.

   

For the sock-along, the choice was obvious. I'm going to knit colorway 126, which reminds me of Brach's Neapolitan coconut candies. I'm not much of a fan of self-patterning yarn or those candies (sorry, Margene), yet somehow find the yarn irresistable.

For the hike-along, I can't decide from among the many possibilities. Maybe something to highlight the topographic diversity of New Jersey: Appalachian ridges, highlands, piedmont, coastal plains. Or maybe something to show off NJ history: Washington's crossing, the Underground Railroad, Liberty State Park. There could be car-free jaunts to South Mountain Reservation, Gateway National Park, the Shore. Or maybe a day outing on the great trails: D&R Canal towpath, Lenape Trail, Long Path, the mighty Appalachian Trail, the proposed East Coast Greenway. Or maybe a shameless bicycle ride-and-tie to as many LYSs as possible in, say, a 30-mile circuit from my house (panniers required).

At least my hiking shoes, guide books, and hiking sandals are ready to go! If anyone has any suggestions or would like to trek along, do feel free to comment.

Categories: :Trek-along