For most of my life, vacation has been synonymous with "splurge." Vacation was always when we bought special things, got to eat out more often, and spend more money on experiences than we normally did.

But now that I'm on an extended working vacation, I'm having to rethink that definition. We're living in a 19-foot travel trailer for three months, and don't have much room for impulse buys. 

Quality, necessity, and small are the name of the game these days. When I went to the Pendleton Woolen Mills, quality and necessity meant it made sense to buy a couple of blankets. There have been a couple of yarn stores along the way that have had exactly what I needed, when I needed it. 

But sometimes, you find yourself in a new yarn store and don't really need or want to buy any yarn. That was the case last week when I found myself in Tangled Yarns. It was a lovely shop, but I've been hard at work on the Noro blanket and didn't need any more yarn.

What I did want, however, were these two shawl pins, made by a local artisan. I bought one warm color and one cool color, since I figured they would go with the majority of my shawls. Both are lovely, and don't take up too much space in the camper, which is a must.

A little splurge, yes, but a meaningful one. I've found that this trip has been the best teacher I've ever had in living more simply. It means that each purchase is more meaningful and more thought out than previous ones. Shopping for the sake of shopping can still be a fun experience, but it doesn't have to result in overspending.

I'm excited to wear these pins with my shawls, only I realized as I was buying them that I didn't bring a single scarf or shawl with me on our trip. What was I thinking?! I guess I'd better get knitting!
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xx,

​Pamela

The funny thing about camping all the time is that there are not so many showers and not a lot of wardrobe options for styling your handknits. Plus there's all that adventure, so getting around to photographing your FOs falls to the very bottom of the list.

But, at long last, here they are. This gray one lives in my camera bag and gets crammed on my head whenever it's a little chilly outside. Never been blocked, and probably won't be for at least the next couple of months. Delightfully cozy, and I'm tempted to make another one since I wasn't thrilled with how the original stitch pattern worked out.

Love, love, love how the colorwork on this one came out. After blocking, it was a bit on the big side, so we'll call it "slouchy." It's all that superwash wool, I'm betting. 

Ravelry project pages can be found here and here.

xx,

​Pamela

If you'll allow me to get on my soapbox for a minute, can we talk about women's clothing and pockets? Pockets are so functional, and yet, women's clothes rarely have them. Here's a short history of pockets, if you're interested.

What it boils down to is that women's clothing is often designed without pockets because people think women don't need them. In 1954, Christian Dior said, "Men have pockets to keep things in, women for decoration." 

While I still feel like that's an accurate description of fashion, I'd like for my pockets to be useful for keeping things in, thankyouverymuch. It's one reason why I love my Anna Vest, which passed straight from WIP to a garment that gets worn all the time without being documented as a finished object. 

Pockets take a little more work, and thought in pattern design. But functional pockets are so essential in my day-to-day life that I think long and hard every time I choose to make a sweater without them. And I'm so glad to see them popping up more and more in knitwear patterns, from Byway (above left) to Marylebone (above right). 

So, thanks to the lovely knitwear designers who are brilliantly incorporating pockets, and let's hear it for pocket equality!

xx,

​Pamela

Still just miles and miles of garter stitch around here, and I don't even have the decency to take real FO shots of my hats. But I did find an inspiring little garden attached to the Westport Winery, so I thought I'd pass it along.

Mike (DH) tends to think I frolick when I get behind the camera in an inspiring place, whether it's the ocean or a garden. This time, I have to say, he might be right. All of it was very pinterest-worthy, and it was fabulous to catch a few rays of sun after some foggy and rainy days.

There were huge mounts of lavender. The magenta in the middle is actually lavender, though it wasn't very fragrant. The regular lavender more than made up for it though, with its heavenly scent.

There were pathways lined with old lanterns...

And lots of art installations. This is the "Wave of Hope." Each ribbon tied to the fence has some message or prayer written on it, and they invited visitors to add their own.

And perhaps my favorite, a chandelier of old bottles hanging in a greenhouse. 

If you're more interested in our hiking and ocean adventures, be sure to check out my other website too! 

xx,

​Pamela

Still lots of garter stitch going on over here and not much interesting to report on the knitting front. But while in Manzanita, Oregon, I happened to come across a lovely little fiber arts show at the Hoffman Center. The show is going on through this weekend (August 12-14, 2016), so if you're in the area, definitely check it out!

There were bright and lovely quilts hanging from the front porch...

Mind-boggling masterpieces...

And even some handwoven and handknitted pieces! It's pretty safe to say that I'm in love with the little town of Manzanita, and the fiber arts show was just the cherry on top!

xx,

​Pamela