Now that we are in Costa Rica for the winter and the engine room thermometer measures 100 degrees it seems impossible that only during my last rotation (when the boat was in Alaska) I was thinking about what to layer under my coveralls to stay warm, but I really was, and my solution was a pair of armwarmers in a random rib inspired by the geological formations of the Endicott Arm in Southeast Alaska.

With a little bit of shaping for the forearm and the simplest of holes for the thumb they are lovely and simple to knit. When I wrote up the pattern I realized how little yarn the three accent colors actually required and so I decided to make up a few kits. And once I decided to make kits, I got a little carried away, but in a good way.

I talked Sam into drawing a crossed pipe wrench and set of knitting needles, which I then turned into a block print.

And on a lazy Sunday morning printed flour-sack muslin bags.

And once there were bags, there had to be stitch markers. So I got in touch with Wendy at Blue Dog Workshop (a fellow Mainer) who has made lovely stitch markers for me in the past, to see if she might have any charms that fit the emerging theme. She had the perfect charm in mind, and was happy to pair it with a light blue bead the color of glacier ice. (I wish I had taken a better photo of just the stitch marker before I left - I could not be more pleased).

All in all, I had a lovely time putting the kits together and am really pleased with the results.

In addition to working with my Romney > Cotswold fingering weight yarn for the kits, I also got to dye this year’s worsted spun DK weight Bluefaced Leicester from Two Sisters Farm in Woolwich, Maine (I feel like I earlier mis-identified the farm as being in Waldoboro, which is one town over).

The yarn is lovely and lustrous and soft and also the perfect weight for knitting Kate Davie’s Epistrophy, which has been on my “to knit” list ever since Yokes was released. I will admit that I dyed the Aspen and Tongas color ways with my Epistrophy in mind.

Sadly, I had to return to the boat before I gathered my courage to cut the steek, but it is almost finished, and I really enjoyed the pattern and am very happy with how it is turning out.

The remaining BFL (that I didn't hoard for myself) is currently listed for sale here.

I will be on the boat in the sweltering heat until mid-January, dreaming of colder climes and knitting.

The sunsets are lovely here though.

Flamenco Anchorage, waiting to head into the Panama Canal, Caribbean bound.