Home again

We caught the morning bus off the mountain and got home without incident in time for dinner. The weather was warm as we left so the snow would have been soft by midday and rain was predicted for the next week. A perfect time to leave.
We had more skiing this year than we have had for quite a few. Good thing I was fit and that Jo lasted the distance.

Perfect skiing

The very best day for skiing was Saturday when there were heaps of people waiting at the bottom of the mountain. But the lousy lift loaders ensured that the slopes were almost empty. We skied until the last lift of the day then had a lovely evening with our lodge mates. And I did another row or two.

Friday

The wind moved to the north, clouds rode high and the snow stayed crisp so we had a good day's skiing.

Friday is the day of change when new guests come to stay for a weekend or longer. We have new dinner partners and another bouncy family of children to learn to . . . love.

On my many lift trips (you spend 8 minutes on the chair lift for every 60 seconds of glory pious skiing down to the chair lift queue) I designed my next beanie which will have vertical stripes. I think you should be able to:

Start with a provisional number of stitches the depth of the hat

Work so that you make more rows at the brim edge than the crown, eg tip to edge, back to forehead, down to edge, back to 2 ins below the tip

Back to edge

Up to a stitch before the previous tip stitch.

To make a hat to match my silk/mohair/wool cowl, I should knit it in a slip stitch so that it is less stretchy and thicker.

I also decided to cut up Lucinda's arctic fox collar into strips to wrap my steering wheel.

And the fox pelt can be a coat's collar.

Such productive chair lift trips.

Rare Breeches

The forecast lingering southerly did not spoil our day. It was snowing gently at breakfast time and by the time we hit the slopes we were just in light cloud with a breeze. By the afternoon, the clouds had risen and the sun shone perfectly. I didn't need the cashmere pants under my ski pants for warmth.

But they were good for inspiration. Funny the things that float through your mind on a chair lift. 

The Guild is currently enamoured with rare breeds of sheep. There is a huge effort to get 10 rare fleeces to share with one hundred members (with another 50 on a waiting list.) We will get 100gms of each fleece. What to do with them has been hovering in the back of my mind until today, when I realised that I need rare breeches. The fleece samples will spin up to different qualities of yarn that will lend themselves to a pair of longjohns that will cling to my ankles, skim my calves, swathe my thighs, envelop my hips (especially the bit sitting on the cold chair lift) and cling to my waist to encircle my ribs securely. And weigh a kilogram or less. What a plan!

Less cold

It wasn't as cold today because the southerly wind had moderated and moved a little to the east. But, the cold still penetrated through parka, cashmere pullover, three layers of thermals to my too tender skin. Two pairs of woollen socks and two sets of mittens didn't keep my extremities warm either. When my elbows and knees felt cold it was time to come in.

More time for knitting.

Jo chatting to James and David (hogging the fire, as usual)

An old member arrived today's. I don't recognise him although he recognises me. His wife is the President.

Smokey mountain

A ferocious wind blew up from the south. It blew the rain away but made it feel like minus 15 degrees outside.

We skied for a couple of hours in the morning and the afternoon but when it got so cold that I was colder after skiing down the hill than when I was after sitting on the chair lift for

7 minutes, I decided it was time to quit.

Skiing 2016

Day 1: rain with a little snow mixed in kept us indoors all day.

I started my Kaffe Fasset sample, three rimes. Intarsia makes round holes in the knitting. I hope they block out!