This is Adam - an action shot from my own bike (at considerable risk to life and limb!).
Anyway, it was a good place to visit with the boys. They were especially interested in the role the Hornet played in the Apollo missions.
Here they are walking in the footprints of Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. We managed a tour of the flight deck, the hangar deck and some of the lower deck. There is a lot more restored since we last visited, but the best part is still the docents, who are largely veterans, many having served on the Hornet itself. They have the stories that really make a visit come to life.
After the Hornet we headed off the Naval base and towards Washington Park. We got on our bikes and headed off along Shoreline drive. There is a bike trail all along the beach.
There was a slight drizzle during the ride - but in this photo you can see Nigel and the boys on the bike trail, and in the distance, wreathed in mist, San Francisco.
Im going to knit the body in this red: Cascade 220 paints in colour 9926, and the sleeves and collar in Cascade 220 in grey (8400) which is left-over from my Loppem cardigan. This colour is apparently very hard to photograph as it's really not pink or purple at all - but a deep red.
I've already modified the pattern and am knitting a 2 x 2 rib in the body colour rather than a contrast folded hem. I've knitted more since I took this photo and am at the underarm decreases already. Hopefuly it will be a quick knit and he can have it before ski season, as requested.
Here they are with their swag...before the usual candy-for-lego exchange!
I obtained a 2nd edition of the Norah Gaughan Vol 3 book, without the errors that apparently plague the 1st edition. I found the pattern easy enough and quick to knit. I used Cascade 220 from my stash, just over 3 skeins I think. The buttons are pewter globe buttons from Green Planet Yarns in Cambell. I didn't make any modifications to the pattern, although I did knit it 4" longer than specified from hem to sleeves. I have 6.5 repeats of the cable pattern. If I were knitting this again I might also make the purl rows on the hem into a larger hem of garter stitch. The back of the top rolled like mad and I had to steam the living daylights out of it to get it to lay flat. The sleeves didnt seem to have the same problem.
...and then for the task of seaming and knitting the edging. I have chosen an olive green colour as the edge as I thought that would best tone with the mixture of blues, greens, and browns, as well as the more brightly coloured squares.
The yarn is Jojoland melody, and the hat took 1.5 balls. I knitted it on 3.25mm needles. The only modification to the pattern was to knit only 9 of the 10 short-row sections on the cap, and actually it would fit me better if I had knitted only 8 of them.
I am pretty sure I will actually wear this hat: the colours, and I think the style suit me. I am wearing it quite far back on my head in these photos but it also pulls down over the ears and the bandeau is warm over the ears.... ideal for skiing.
I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this; it was quick but an interesting knit and I'm pleased with the outcome. Please do not tell me that I look like Ena Sharples ...she wore a hairnet!
The location was lovely, the campground is actually on sandy dunes behind the beach, so is sheltered from most of the wind, but close enough so we could hear the waves crashing on the shore.
Altho it rained on Saturday morning, by the time we got to the site it had cleared and the weather stayed fine for the rest of the weekend.
These are the access passes: green if you want to go outside, and brown to stay in the house. You will notice these have a nominal value of $100...and he is obviously anticipating a large demand...there are about 20 of these.
I forsee a career in the civil service for my boy!
I have 16 squares done out of 24 required. I have 4 balls of Kureyon left and I think I will also make some patched out of the scraps from the other squares. It's nice mindless knitting, but with the short-row pattern being enough to keep my attention. I can do a square an evening, so progress is pretty quick...but I dont want to finish this just yet so will be starting another project shorly.
Finishing
Weave in ends.
Use cast-on thread from ears to secure to hat at sides. I sewed the ears with a slight fold so that the top of the ear was slightly forward of the bottom of the ear to create a floppy appearance.
May the Force be with you.
If anyone knits one of these I would be interested to hear about it!
Details: The pattern is Klaralund from the Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton Book Number 2. The pattern comes with an errata which I found rather confusing because although there are additional sizes, they are replacements for the original sizes rather than additions. I actually knitted a combination of the 41" and 42" sizes. The pattern is really straightforward and easily lends itself to modifications.
The yarn is Silk Garden in colour 268 and used a tad over 11 balls (rather than the 12 called for in the pattern). I seamed with sock yarn as the Silk Garden is rather breakable. I spit spliced the joins so no ends to weave in.
A resounding thumbs-up for this sweater.
The trail is shady and was pretty cool, we didnt see much wildlife, but given the noise the boys make that is probably not surprising! There was not much other traffic on the trail.
The whole area was logged until the mid-1970s and there is a lot of evidence of logging.
On the way back we stopped at one of the view points off Skyline:
A large part of the area off the West side of Skyline Blvd is Open Space preserve, and various state parks.
