Back from Gilwell and onward to Iceland

Yesterday I returned from Gilwell (Wood Badge).  The weather was amazing!  I headed up to Stearns Scout Camp on Thursday afternoon.  My birthday was on Thursday, so Wednesday evening Jim and I went out to supper and then to Cold Stone Creamery for dessert and then bought a cake to share with Ben on Sunday.

Besides the nice weather on Saturday and Sunday (with just a bit of rain on Thursday and Friday) the course was a success!  The participants had a good time, finished writing their tickets, presented their projects and camped.  It was a pleasure to visit some of the patrol in their campsites for lunch and supper.  Sharing delicious food with old friends and new friends is always special.  The leaves are beginning to turn and there is just enough of a nip in the autumn air to wear a jacket.

As with any event such as Wood Badge, logistics and facilities have their challenges.  The participants are not aware of the near kitchen disasters of  putting meals out on time, blown fuses, large coffee pots that don't perk, and having to drive to another kitchen to use the large convection oven!  We Quartermasters managed just fine and worked together as a team to feed the hungry staff, participants, and guests.  Never a dull moment in the kitchen/s!

Looking from the front of Landes Training Center at the beautiful sunset

Colors from the sunset gave a pinkish cast to the wood.  Below the Wood
Badge sign is the course number.  Our motto is "Envision Scouting Service."

My new hiking boots were very comfortable through the long weekend!

The patrols entertained everyone at the campfire.

I started Oats (the cowl) when I drove over to Heritage Lodge to
use the convection oven for baking the brownies.

My bears visited the Bear Patrol's table every day--this was Saturday.  Smoky and Woody Bear were the last ones to visit on Sunday.

Home again.  Tired bears, laundry to do, and projects to finish...

I managed to knit a bit on Oats, an easy cowl from Tin Can Knits.  It is one of eight free patterns for new knitters.  The patterns from The Simple Collection posted thus far (they are being released over a six-month period) are simple and stylish.  I am making the short cowl.  Working on the Pine Bough Cowl has me not wanting to do another large cowl!  Also, there was enough time for me to work on the project for Spin-Off Magazine for the Spring 2014 issue.  My goal is to complete the project this week.  When I return from Iceland I can edit my article and send everything off to Interweave Press in Colorado.

The Oats cowl is coming along nicely.  I made the ribbed border just a little bigger than 1.5-inches, and need to have the piece 8.5-inches wide before adding more ribbing.

Later this week is the beginning of an adventure to Iceland.  I am going on a Stitchtopia knitting tour through Arena Travel and Rowan.  I cannot wait to see more of this lovely country than just as a stopover.  Time to charge the camera and get some knitting together!

Busy hands

My hands have been very busy lately.  Over the weekend I chopped pounds and pounds of vegetables, fruit, and bread for Wood Badge weekend one.  We had nice weather until Sunday.  The heat index ended up at 105 degrees, which made cooking in the small kitchen difficult.  We Quartermasters managed and everyone was well-fed three meals a day for the long weekend.

Pat practices her lines to welcome participants to the dining hall.

Carl washed more dishes than anyone I have known, made sure the
coffee was brewed first thing in the morning, and the snacks were ready.

This is twenty pounds of red potatoes ready for German potato salad.

Being a Quartermaster is hard work, but there is a time for silliness and fun.  

Since coming home, I have been busy knitting samples for the shop event on Thursday.  The latest project is Circlet, which is an adorable little crown.  It is sized for babies to adults and a quick project to make.  I used the leftover yarn from some booties.  Humpty looks dapper and until I take it to work, he can wear it.  An adult size is currently in progress.

The laundry is finished and Busy Bee will be back in the kitchen again and I will be teaching new classes in September.

Pat had chef's hats and aprons made for us.  We picked our nicknames.  

Wrapping up summer

Even though summer has not ended, I am getting ready for autumn.  The next couple of weeks will be very busy, as Wood Badge is approaching and the Quartermasters will be cooking up some good food and entertainment for the participants.
My schedule is in the works for September through March and now I can look forward to April through August 2014.  For now I am working on shop samples.  The big project is the Pine Bough Cowl, which will be a 72-inch loop of stranded goodness in Kenzie by Hikoo.  The yarn is beautiful and even though the color palette is limited, the colors available are gorgeous. The original combo of blue and kiwi is perfect for the sample.

The cowl will be on the needles for a bit--right now it seems endless.  for instant gratification I whipped up a hat from Berroco called Fane.  It is a free pattern and worked in Boboli Lace, which is really sport weight yarn.  Despite the fine yarn and small needles, I had this finished in a couple of evenings.  This is a perfect small project for a new knitter--knit flat, seamed, stockinette stitch/garter stitch pattern, and ribbing.  Practice those new skills!

13.08.13  Wood Badge is on my mind today.  The QM staff got together over the weekend to begin preparing and organizing some of the things we can do ahead of the course.  Work weekend is approaching and will be a busy time for us to get the kitchen set up.  I am looking forward to course--the clock is ticking down!  We met the participants the end of July at orientation.  The staff development and team-building started in January seems like yesterday.  

Speaking of Wood Badge and being of the Bear Patrol--One of the participants is a Scout friend and talented beading artist.  I ordered a bear necklace and Iona had it ready for me the end of the Round Table year in June.  It is a special piece and one I treasure.

A little bit of Wood Badge bling

I have been busy getting ready for course.  I made some bling for the patrol flags, staff, my patrol, and other Bears (I am part of the Bear Patrol).  I could not find a stamp, so I made one.  Fortunately there were materials in my art supplies!  I bought some wooden discs, lanyard clips, and leather cording.  I had plenty of beads and leather scraps left over from our days in Cub Scouting.  Copper and gold paint were in the paint bin, and showed up nicely on the wood and leather.  I could not find Jim's drill, so I used my hand drill to put holes in the pieces.  Stamping went much quicker!  A few beads added before tying on the lanyard clips and they were finished.  Now to add the course number and my initials to the ones for my patrol and the patrol flags.  I might have to make more for Philmont.

The stamp and one of the leather shapes with a gold bear.

I used copper and gold paint on the stamp.

The whitish pony beads glow in the dark.  

Sum-sum-summertime projects

On Tuesday, I took a rug hooking class taught by Paulette Wentzlaff of River Rock Wool.  This is something I wanted to do for years and it was fun.  We are working on a small project and it is amazing how the same project looks different when worked by a variety of students.  Now that I have the tools, the fiber stash may not end up as knitted projects!  The wool is soft and when I switched to the comfortable hook--I was really hooked!  I see sheepy projects in the future.

I just love doing this project.  The focus seems to be on graceful
lines rather than even loops!  It will be steam blocked, so I am
hopeful the imperfections will not be as noticeable.  It is fun to work!

This week is all about preparing for the Wood Badge course coming up.  I am practicing my presentations, thinking about what I have to pack, etc.  This will be my first time as a staffer.  Having been on staff for Grey Wolf last summer helps my level of confidence a bit.  Deep breaths!  I know it will be an intensely busy week, but I will be sure to take a small project along.

Woody Bear is giving me tips for being a good Troop Guide.

New classes are on the schedule for the summer and I am making progress on my projects.  Some slower than others, but progress nonetheless.

A cute baby cardigan--Concentric Stripes, easy and quick knitting.

Working my way through the rainbow of Kauni colors.

A little progress on Eala Bahn.

There are a couple (more) books in my library.  I found Vintage Modern Knits at Half Price Books.  I do not feel guilty, as I regularly sift through my library and clear out books.  It is difficult, but if there is not room on the shelf then something has to go.
Knit One Knit All was a book under my radar.  The patterns are by Elizabeth Zimmerman and all garter stitch.  I think the garter stitch hat is quite nice and the little cabled cardigan is perfect for  a fun topper.  Oh, there are plenty of other patterns.  If there are at least three patterns in a book that appeal to me I can justify the purchase.

A floppy hat and cabled cardigan are just two of the patterns
I want to knit in the future.

Second weekend, second KAL, and the first snow

Photos from camp: Patrol flags and staff hiking sticks outside Gilwell Hall, Big Agnes and the Gnomes, the Bear Patrol with our Patrol Guide (Phyllis in red) and our birdhouse, and a welcome home from Jim.

I'm glad we had our second course weekend camp out last weekend. We had our first snowfall last night. Speaking of the course (Wood Badge), it was an awesome experience! The patrol project presentations were very diverse and I think we all did our best. The projects will now go to the University of Scouting later this month. I won't be able to attend classes because we'll be on vacation in IRELAND!! I'm so excited. Jim and I went there years ago and fell in love with the country and it's people. We'll be renting a cottage for a week on the western side of the country for a long-awaited, much-needed holiday.

I decorated the house for Halloween. It's fun to have all the decorations out. I put some candles in the fireplace and lit them last night. It looked pretty. Herr Kurbis is in all his glory sitting with the Scarecrow in Ben's little red rocking chair by the hutch. He'll probably accompany me to class tomorrow.

The mystery KAL is going well. I don't really know why I'm making another bag, but it's nice to knit along with others and I'll have another knitting bag. I'd forgotten that I made felted pumpkins last year. They need leaves and curly-cues this year. The first Warm Woolies sweater is coming along. I want to use up all that yarn so I can get some serious sock knitting done for Christmas. I've had requests for bed socks.

I think it's a good day to wear St. Brigid for walkies today! It's cold! I wore my owl sweater to work and it was very comfy.

Knitting and tickets

It's been some time since I posted photos of my knitting! I'm now finished re-knitting the Amherst. The smaller size will fit better. I missed wearing the sweater over the summer! Knitting from the pieces saved time. I haven't picked up the Harry Potter sock yarn hat for some time. I found three more skeins of the brown Rowan yarn I used for the Fair Isle Collar Jacket, so now I have enough to make an easy pullover. The Lands' End yarn came in the mail for the Warm Woolies sweaters. I ended up with a cone of blue and a cone of black. The yarn reminds me of my least favorite yarn, Lion Brand Microspun, but it's for a good cause and good, warm sweaters for kids are always welcome!

The photo is of our patrol totem. It represents a bear, the course number C-08-09, Phyllis (our patrol guide), Stearns, Wood Badge, five members of our patrol (two in Boy Scouts and three in Cub Scouts), and our last names--SHWAC. John came up with the design and I tweaked it on the computer. I'm embellishing our flag right now and will post a photo when I'm finished. Wood Badge has kept me busy. My short articles are finished for the Gilwell Gazette, and sent to our Scribe. Our patrol totem is done and I tweaked the design on the computer and sent it to our Patrol Guide. I have my five ticket ideas and now I have to fill out the work sheets for each ticket with my vision/plan of action, who, what, when, where, why, how, and how verified. After the second weekend in October, I will have 18 months to complete all five tickets. Our patrol is meeting on Thursday to finalize our group project for presentation in October. We have less time between weekends because of Labor Day being late this year, and we live very far apart. Thankfully we have the idea in place and work well together! Eighteen months seems like a long time, but I know all too well how fast time flies! Tempus fugit...

Grrr...I'm a BEAR!

C-08-09 Bear Patrol
Mike, me, Naveen, John, and Gerald

Wow, what a wild ride over the last weekend! I spent last weekend up at the Scout camp for Wood Badge (BSA adult leadership training). It's a very intensive course for team-building and leadership training. Of course, I was extremely happy to be in the Bear patrol, as Jim is also a Bear! Our patrol's Patrol Guide is Phyllis (she's involved with Grey Wolf--the equivalent training program for Scouts). Our patrol consists of five--three of which are in Cub Scouts and two in Boy Scouts. The other photos are from the soda-pop rocket launch. Each patrol made their rocket and we had a launch on top of the hill. Ours is the very tall red one. It was general craziness and fun. The staff was dressed in costumes and music was playing, everyone had a great time with it.
My birthday was on Saturday. It was a lovely day, although a little warm. We rode our bikes with the Lifetime group to Stillwater. We loaded the bikes at Lifetime, drove a few miles from the town and rode in. We saw a group at one of our stops and it turned out to be John (from my patrol) with scouts and adults from his troop doing a trail clean up. It was great to see them out and about doing their good deed! We got to town early and the ice cream place wasn't open, so Jim rode ahead and found a great place called the Bikery. Wow, a bike shop/bakery! The coffee, cocoa, and scones were so good. If we had not been biking, I'd have tried a piece of that really good-looking chocolate cake!
Later Jim took me out to a late lunch and then we came home for cake. Ben called, which was an extra-special treat.