blueberry braid.

there was a time in my life when i knew very little about baking... and cooking. i used to bring instant muffins to potlucks and sometimes have a can of corn for dinner. in my mid twenties i was a young, single teacher in a remote village of 250 people.... waaaay up river in rural northwest alaska. my principal and dear friend was this amazing cook. she could make anything from scratch and i was always so impressed and in awe of her baking and cooking skills. for morning staff meetings or inservice days she would sometimes bake for the staff. this blueberry braid was a highlight of mine. it was soooooo good. man oh man.. with a cup of black coffee and this sweet treat i was able to handle any staff meeting coming my way. a couple years ago i asked her for the recipe. my first attempt was an epic failure....so i let a couple years pass and pulled it out again the other day. sweet success! the recipe is a bit time intensive and there are like 107 steps to it... but oh sooo worth it! 

needless to say... i've come a long way from those 'just add water' muffins!

serpentine.

my husband has been talking this place up since the day i met him. he's been going to this hot springs ever since he was 5. i finally experienced serpentine...... and it did not disappoint. a breathtaking experience,  almost surreal. too good for words really... i'll just show you.

summer stitching.

i'm slightly embarrassed to admit that my summer project was a bit lofty and perhaps not very realistic. i started it back in may and had high hopes of finishing it by the end of this summer. HA! this qiviut scarf at introduction looked like this:

and nearly 3 months later it only looks like this:

i actually thought i'd be able to knit, much less LACE knit, while sitting on an airplane or driving to the end of the road or while relaxing in the cabin with three little lovelies... silly me.. between enjoying one of the best summers ever...at camp with 24 hours of sunshine...and having a 9/10 month old, i didn't do much sitting and knitting! so this my friends... is my three months worth of lace knitting on this scarf!!


i did however spend a few rainy days and late nights relaxing to some stitches much less complex... some mindless knitting that i could drop and pick up at a moment's notice without much thought.  i ended up making these:

 

 

 

caribou button bracelets

 

warmest mittens

i LOVED making these mittens. my first pair ever and the pattern was simple and perfect for a beginner. i've casted on for pair number two as fall is just around the corner!

note to self: do not try to lace knit in the summer when you have three lovlies that are 5 and under and you are living at camp.

first buckets full.

 it's time!!

 

i'm one happy gal!