Grandiose Ideas

This month I spoke at the Pittsburgh Ruby Brigade meeting.  I was nervous at first getting up there in front of a couple dozen people and giving a presentation but all in all I think it went well.

I reverse engineered the pattern for these warm ear warmers from one that was knit probably back in the 1980’s. They’re typically worn over the berets worn by Post members heading out on Snow Trails adventures in lieu of a larger wool hat but they’re equally functional worn simply as a headband. I’m told Mrs. Wildman, the wife of the late Mr. Wildman, former Canoe Trails leader, would crank out these practical ear warmers during Post meetings.

The two strands of yarn held together make these ear warmers super warm and durable, and the slipped stitches along with the pattern increases and decreases create a sort of cup that envelopes the ear instead of sitting right against it.

Size
23″ circumference unstretched

Materials

Notes
Hold two strands of yarn together throughout.

k1, p1 rib:
Right side: sl1, *k1, p1*, repeat between * until two stitches remain, k2.
Wrong side: sl1, *p1, k1*, repeat between * until two stitches remain, p2.

cdd:
centered double decrease. sl2 tog, K1, pass the slipped stitches over (together)

m1f:
make one front, or make one left. From the front, lift loop between stitches with left needle, knit into back of loop.

Ear Warmers
With two strands of yarn held together, cast on 11 stitches.
Work k1, p1 rib pattern for two inches, ending with right side row.

Begin increases:
You will be increasing two stitches every wrong side row to produce the ear cover.
On wrong side: sl1, p1, knit into the back and front of next stitch, m1f, *p1, k1*, repeat between * until last two stitches, p2.
On right side: sl1, *k1, p1*, repeat between * until last two stitches, k2.
Repeat previous two rows five more times until there are 23 stitches on the needle.

Work k1, p1 rib pattern 7 times, ending with right side row.

Begin decreases:
You will be decreasing two stitches every wrong side row.
On wrong side, sl1, p1, move the working yarn to the back and cdd, *p1, k1*, repeat between * until last two stitches, p2.
On right side: sl1, *k1, p1*, repeat between * until last two stitches, k2.
Repeat previous two rows five more times until there are 11 stitches on the needle.

Work k1, p1 rib pattern for 7 inches. This is where you could increase or decrease the length to fit a larger or smaller head.

Repeat increases and decreases to form second ear cover.

Work k1, p1 rib pattern for 2 inches.

Bind off, sew back seam together.

Tags: headband, knit, Snow Trails

When I was in my teens and early twenties, I was fortunate enough to participate in Canoe Trails, an outfit dedicated to teaching skills and traditional ways of a time that has long since passed – the time of the Canadian Voyageur. Candidates trained over the course of a few months on weekends, learning skills such as chopping wood, fire building, tent-raising, outdoor cooking, map and compass reading, general survival tactics, and of course, canoeing, in order to participate in a week-long adventure up north. I enjoyed many summer trips to the Canadian wilderness with this group and loved them. Somehow though, I never made it on any of the winter camping trips, aka Snow Trails, because I was always busy with basketball and/or school, but mostly because I was a wimp and afraid of the sub-zero temperatures common on such trips.

I must be feeling a need to return back to my roots, because lately I’ve really felt an incredible desire to be involved with Canoe Trails again. I finally got up the courage to do so at the end of the fall, unfortunately leaving little time for canoeing, but just enough time to try out winter camping. A few weeks ago, the initial planning meeting was held and we went over the necessary equipment needed to not freeze to death during a January weekend spent entirely outdoors in the mountains in Pennsylvania. It’s a lot of equipment and it’s taking me a while to find/acquire all that I’ll need to stay happy for that weekend. With each item I acquire, the more excited I get. I think of the logs that will be split with my hand axe and how my legs will not be cold in the German military-issue wool pants I ordered from an Army/Navy surplus store. I imagine what it will be like carrying all of my personal items in my pack that hasn’t seen the light of day in years and how many times I’ll fall over walking on snowshoes. I feel like I am going crazy but I can’t wait to split wood, prepare food over a fire, sleep outside in the snow, and catch up on a lot of years of missed adventures.

I think the upcoming weekend is going to be an eye-opening experience. It’s going to be a time for me to get back to understanding myself and how I work, push my limits, and remember what it’s like to be out in the world without a computer or a phone.

The trip is scheduled for the second weekend in January and I look forward to talking about it when I get back.

Tags: Camping, Canoe Trails, Snow Trails

I have thought about making homemade laundry detergent for a long time since reading The Complete Tightwad Gazette. My sister renewed my interest a couple months ago when she suggested making her own so I decided to go for it. Here’s the video and I’ll be sure to post a review on how it works once I’ve tried it.

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube DirektHomemade Laundry Detergent

Tags: detergent, frugal, homemade, laundry





Yep. I’ll be there! Loved it last year and looking forward to it this year as well. Hosted by EdgeCase, it’s a conference that presents Ruby and Ruby on Rails as a solution for the enterprise. Held in Columbus, OH, it’s relatively close to home for me, which makes it convenient, and the lineup of speakers is great. See the erubycon site for more information, and better yet, register while you’re there. Early registration ends Monday and is $250, but even at the full price of $299 it’s still well worth attending.

Tags: columbus, edgecase, enterprise, erubycon, Rails, Ruby