I LOVE my Wood Cookstove!!!

   
A couple of years ago, after we got home from the trapline, and I had been cooking on the wood cookstove at the cabin, I realized we could make it work at home too.  Our kitchen had been moved from one side of our main living area to the other, and the wood heater stove was now in the kitchen area. (Part of the renos).
I started looking on Craigslist for  a wood cookstove and eventually found what I was looking for.  I had been on wood stove websites advertising this particular stove and had been impressed, but was not in any shape to be spending the $2600+ for one!
I lucked out and found one for sale 2nd hand at a great price...here is what I bought!  Only I got it for $800!!  It had only been used for one winter as the people selling it had found it too much for their little house.
Hubby and a friend went off to pick it up, which was a 12 hour round trip, so I was very grateful they were willing to get it for me.  It arrived safe and sound, but needed a good cleaning as it had been stored in a shed outside, without the ash box even having been emptied.

Our first hurdle was getting it into the house.  We had double front doors at the time, so it was easy to fit through the door, but getting it to the door was a biggy!  Hubby devised a way though!  Using an atv winch and several 2x4s, he anchored the winch in our bedroom doorway, directly across from the front doors.  He backed the truck up to the front stairs, placed several 2x10s as a ramp from the box to the porch (8 steps up), and then we carefully, slowly, holding our breath-ly winched it out of the truck box and up to the porch.  It worked!!! Yay!!!  After that it was easy to lift it up the last step into the house and onto a rug.  We then used the rug to drag it into the kitchen area.

Since installing it I have enjoyed listening to the kettle bubbling away on it all winter, baked cinnamon buns on Christmas morning, kept dinner warm when hubby worked late,  and even tried to keep 3 baby pack rats alive in the warming oven after we had trapped their mom.  But, most of all I love the warmth!!!  Right now, I am listening to the fire snapping and crackling behind me and being very satisfied with life in general!  It is such a good feeling knowing that no matter what the weather outside, I can cook for and keep my family warm, even when the power fails...which it does...often.  The kids love it when that happens!  But, that's another blog!

Hooded Scarf in the works!

Over the summer, while cooking for the tree planters, my 2nd eldest daughter, Jordan, and I each began to knit hooded scarves.  One of our planters, a sweet French Canadian girl named Kate, showed up on the chilly mornings wrapped in a beautiful thick scarf.  Sometimes she would have it up over her head as well.  Both Jordan and I commented on it to each other, and then asked her where she had found such a lovely item.  She showed it to us and we were hooked!  It was a scarf with a hood attached in the middle, and wrapped so cozily around the neck and shoulders.  We began our web search for one like it to make ourselves.  We found many patterns on knitting and crocheting websites that were called hooded scarves or something like that, but it took some time before we found the one we wanted.  The website we eventually found it on is called Ravelry . It is a free site for crocheters and knitters where you can find tons of patterns from other sites.  Once you join you have a place to save your favorite patterns, contribute, join groups and discussions....lots of stuff.  It's a whole community!  You can search for patterns and get piles of responses to choose from!

Anyhoo...I picked up some lovely yarn in Smithers to get started on mine, and not having a whole lotta time, didn't get very far with it. With winter now upon us, I would like to be wearing my hooded scarf, but, alas, it is not done!  So, I am motivated to get it completed by Christmas and then get on with other projects.  I have 3 hours each week where I sit and watch Alley and Zac at their karate classes, plus, a few hours in front of the tv.  I figure I can get it done in there somewhere.  It's a very easy pattern, so not a lot of following of instructions.  I'm thrilled with the way the yarn is looking in the scarf, and can't wait to wear it!  Here are some photos of my project thus far!