We're having a mellow day today. This morning it's rainy (sweet!) and cozy. We all woke up just as a thunderstorm was rolling out of town, which was very exciting for Charlie! Oh my! He had to lick me to wake me up! And then when I took him outside he was so! Excited! The sky! Was making noise! And maybe he could jump and catch the noise! Because jumping is fun! Really it is! Jumping for thunder! Aren't dogs supposed to hate thunderstorms? I'm not complaining, mind you, but I found the whole thing hilarious and weird. Oh, Charlie. You're a loveable cuss, I swear.
I have more knitting to share! It feels so good to be inspired again, and to take the time to make things. I finished Jacob's Hat of Smooshy Warmth:
To recap: this is a lined hat, fully reversible, and each side is knit in doubled Koigu. It's pretty much the squishiest hat on Earth. It doesn't do the bucket-ish brim thing on Jacob - the fit is more snug, like a classic beanie. He's worn it nearly every day since I completed it, which of course makes me so happy! My mom wants one now, too, so I'll be making another one at some point. (Mom - measure your head for me, okay?)
I also made some baby socks! Screw making regular socks, it's baby socks for me from here on out. (Just kidding, but seriously, these things were so fun to make and they are freaking adorable.)
I mean come ON! Little wee socks! I'm easily amused.
I also recently photographed some knit projects that had never been blogged or Raveled for my 365 project. It was fun to bring out these older projects - things I've worn over the years - and remember as many details as I could. I've added them all to Ravelry now, but here is my parade of ancient FOs - you can click on the project titles for a link to Ravelry with more details:
My new favorite photo spot is in my backyard, against the wall of my house... can you tell?
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Simple, quick, sweet, soft. It's all about the yarn, here - Pagewood Farm Alyeska. I have another hank in a different color and I'm going to do the exact same thing. I'll write up the pattern and have it test-knit and then make it available, too.
I've been missing my blog a bit, lately. :) I want to pop in here more. Twitter and Flickr are fun, of course, but I do like using this space, too.
Also, my dog is still cute! Yes, still:
10 1/2 months old now, still a puppy, but we're getting inklings of "dog" now - more mellowness, better listening. Still a snugglebunny. :) He's the best.
This is my first Spring out of Southern CA in over a decade, and... there is not a real Spring in Southern CA, I don't think. I'm so appreciative of every little bit of green on the trees, the new grass... I'm ready for it to really warm up... because I guess I want to complain about how hot it is? I dunno. But I have seeds to plant! I'm determined to grow food
Yay, Spring!
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Not fast enough, clearly. I've finished the outer hat so I'd be done if it was a normal hat (and if, you know, I could find a tapestry needle and close up the top and weave in the ends). A lined hat, however, needs a liner - so line it I must! I expect it to be very warm and cozy when all is said and done, though. Hopefully I'll finish it in the next few days... I would love to bump up my paltry 2008 FO's list!
I've been enjoying a very relaxing vacation this Christmas. My mom and brother Michael drove out to stay here with us (my brother Brian, sadly, stayed back in the Bay Area, but hopefully will be able to come out next time!). We've had a lot of fun... and eaten a lot (no really, a LOT) of food:
In other news, Charlie is still cute, especially when he's wet and sort of pitiful:
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Uh, yeah. Snow! Funny how the onset of my first winter out of Los Angeles in a decade (and my first snow since I was a child - I am SUCH a California girl!) would give me the urge to bust out some wool, eh? I know I have lots of WIPs on the needles, but first things first - Jacob needs a hat. He has morning walk duty with Charlie, and for the past couple of weeks, it's been in the 20's when he goes out for a walk, with no indication that any warming is going to happen for a few months. He needs wool! Wool at a tight gauge, with no air holes!
Inspired by the lined hat that Jess made Casey, I'm knitting Jacob a lined beanie (long enough to cover his ears) out of doubled-up Koigu. It should be warm, somewhat wind-proof, and decidedly smooshy. Chocolate brown on the outside, piney green on the inside. Definitely long enough to cover his ears. Simple and quick!
Despite the cold, we've been hiking and enjoying the miles of trails so close to our house. Charlie loves them too (we wanted an outdoorsy, active dog and we sure got one! Oh, we can't wait to take him camping next summer!):
Gotta love being able to walk right from our house to a park with views like this:
So, Charlie got into the holiday spirit of overindulgence too, I guess. Our new nickname for him is "trash gut."
The humans at my house indulged in normal Thanksgiving food - it was all so yummy! There was extra cuteness here, thanks to our niece, Komari. She's just too cute for words - look at her sweet face after "winning" the wishbone!
Here's hoping your holiday (or your weekend, if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving!) was a wonderful one!
]]>So, here's what I'm thinking of doing for Thanksgiving dinner:
turkey, of course (gonna brine it the Alton Brown way)
dressing (Cynthia is doing this - yay!)
homemade Mac and Cheese
mashed potatoes
creamed spinach
maple/tarragon sweet potatoes (recipe from my mom - yummy)
broccoli salad (recipe from my aunt Shari)
cranberry chutney (also my mom's recipe and SO good)
buttermilk biscuits
desserts:
chess pie (recipe from me! it's linked here on my blog in the sidebar)
chocolate cake (by Cynthia - her chocolate cake is ridiculously good)
I'm nuts so I will probably add something else to the menu at the last minute (besides little appetizer things to much on during the day). I've been eyeing the whiskey-glazed carrots at Pioneer Woman Cooks... oh what the heck, I'll make those too... we'll have all the ingredients here anyway.
Charlie will get a braided bully stick, upon which he will feast until he decides we want to steal it and goes and buries it in our couch. That's how he rolls.
So, Marnie, these are for you!
Quick video I took this morning - some of his commands:
Keepin' it real:
Look! Knitting! (Snuck that in there, eh?)
I'm online all the time on Ravelry (of course), Flickr, and now Twitter, but here is a quick, photo-heavy bloggy recap of life since July 4!
1. I got new glasses! That was a big deal because I've swapped out the same frames since I was in college. I like 'em.
2. Jacob and I moved to New Mexico. Yup! It's beautiful here! We moved for Jacob's career, and it has been a great choice for us. It's been a big adjustment, but we're finding our way and our very happy here. The sky here is magical - beautiful clouds, and hot air balloons! Gotta love that. There is a national monument within walking distance from our house - that's where I took the first picture below. The balloon picture I took in my backyard.
3. I got a puppy for my birthday! His name is Charlie, he's a German shepherd that we adopted from our local shelter, and I just could not possibly love him any more. He's the best! We adopted him when he was 4 1/2 months old, and he's just about 6 months old now. The best, I tell ya, the best!
4. Jess and Casey came out for the Taos Wool Festival, and a visit. It was great fun to have houseguests, and Taos was just lovely.
5. Two weeks later, I went to Boston to meet up with them - I took a little piece of New Mexico with me!
I took the trip for a little thing called the New York Sheep and Wool festival, AKA Rhinebeck. Holy crap. It was my first Rhinebeck, and it was amazing. I'm pretty sure that the fact that Ravelry threw a party at the Elks Lodge for 650+ people there (!!!) made my first Rhinebeck experience a little nuttier than most, but wow, what a great festival. Meeting so many wonderful Ravelers was an amazing experience!
We had Bobcakes at the party!
Jess and I found the Elk at the Lodge. It was dead.
6. Moving to a swing state has some serious advantages - when Barack Obama (our President-elect!!) came to Albuquerque, I was lucky enough to score a press pass for his rally, thanks to the Official ABQ Welcoming Commitee (AKA the fabulous Scout):
I stood super close to our next President!
it was a night I will never forget. (Thank you Scout!!)
7. I've kept up with the 365 Days project on Flickr - I've really enjoyed it and am so glad that this crazy year has been documented! My daily pictures have become rather dog-heavy. It happens.
8. I have officially crossed over to crazy dog-lady land. Here, enjoy a video of my puppy, the first time he played frisbee!
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I'm knitting up the amazing Malabrigo Sock Yarn. My word - it is soft. It shows the stitch pattern so perfectly; this minty aqua colorway has the most subtle variegation. An easy, memorized, pretty little knit. It's far too hot to think about wearing wool socks, but these will be snuggly once the weather changes.
Today I am taking it easy; Jess busted me working earlier and reminded me to take the day off (which cracked me up). It's Hitchcock day on Turner Classic Movies (I love that they play them without commercials), so I just watched Vertigo for the millionth time. I love that movie - the soundtrack, the amazing shots all around San Francisco and the peninsula (makes me homesick!), the creepy mystery plot. On last year's Labor Day trip, we took long, beautiful walks through lots of the neighborhoods pictured in Vertigo - that was such a golden weekend.
Right now, I have to buckle down and make the incredibly pressing decision of what time I need to start marinating the BBQ beer chicken and when to bake the brownies. Happy July 4th!
Obviously Julia is in the "glowing" stage of her pregnancy. She looks amazing.
Making baby clothes is always fun just because everything is small and cute; making baby clothes for loved ones is an absolute joy. I made the Baby Sweater on Two Needles, from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac (February). The yarn is MadelineTosh Sock; super vibrant and electric color. After washing, it became silky-soft and drapey. I already had the tiny little vintage silver buttons. I worked stockinette stitch instead of lace for a more unisex sweater, and shortened the sleeves by about an inch (it's Los Angeles!) before working the garter border. I know that I will make this sweater again... probably first in my size using Pam's February Lady Sweater pattern, which I loooooooooove very very much with deep loving feelings. Ahem. (Ravelry project page)
More prezzies! (And Miss Marnie, who was much better than I about taking pictures of the whole shebang - I took my memory card out of my camera, for some reason, and I had no space!)
I gave Julia the Mobile Menagerie sample (and the matching sleep sack) from Boho Baby Knits. It makes me happy to think of a little baby playing with it! And even if the little one isn't into it, at least it has another fan in the house.
Nounie thought it made a nice kitty bed. Such cuteness.
In lieu of secret pictures, I have a photo meme taken from my friend Nonnahs... simple questions. Here is how you play:
The Pictures:
The Questions:
The lovely Kristine from A Verb For Keeping Warm (if you haven't seen her fiber yet, and you are interested in yummy naturally dyed goodness made by a very nice person... please just click on that link right now and I'm sorry about your PayPal balance) tagged me with a meme, which is great, because I have been wanting to blog but feel like I have so much to say I don't even know where to begin, and now I can just begin with the questions! Excellent.
What was I doing 10 years ago?
I had just finished my third year at CalArts and was waiting tables at Spago Palo Alto for the summer. I got to take wine glasses, which was fun. Edit: Classes! I took wine classes! I have never taken a wine glass from a restaurant in my entire life!
What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
Blog entry (mine and also work), groceries, cook yummy dinner (salmon & veggies), watch a movie... um. That is it. It's Saturday and I am kicking it. Sunday will be busier.
Snacks I enjoy:
Kettle corn, chips and salsa and/or guacamole, almonds, peanuts, salt & vinegar potato chips, kumquats, Haribo gummi bears.
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Buy a lot of wheelchairs (and do so many other Good Things), buy a house, travel. Life is pretty sweet... I guess I do this stuff anyway. Except the buying a house (yet).
Places I have lived:
Jobs I have had:
Babysitter, waitress, nanny, teacher at after-school arts center, LYS manager/teacher, knitting/crochet designer, Director of Operations, Ravelry Person (woo hoo)!
I finished a project! A pair of socks. I have only blogged three finished items this year (two pairs of socks and a hat) and that had me a little bummed, thinking that was all I had actually knit. (That's just not like me.) Then I remembered the finished silk garden sweater, much loved but not yet photographed, and the unbloggable things large and small, and felt better. Makes me wonder what pre-blog projects I have just completely forgotten about. Sad. But! More pictures later, which is good!
I am six days into it - hope I can keep it up!
Good conversation, good food, really good hummus.
A lovely skyline. Perfect weather! (At least while I was there - I have no interest in Boston winters, I know I am a wuss and could not deal. Big ups to those who can.) Hotel rooms with beautiful views over a quiet, sunny harbor.
Yummy, flowing tapas and damn good drinks. Insanely delicious garlic shrimp.
Friends with interesting facts. That monument in the background? That's the monument of the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was actually fought on Breed's Hill. The monument was built on the actual location of the battle of Bunker Hill (meaning, it was built on Breed's Hill).
I will never, ever forget this fact because Jess, Casey, Kyle aka Frecklebrother, and Erica (Kyle's lovely fiancee) were all kind enough to share it with me several times... each. Now, every time I look at a picture I took with the Bunker Hill monument in the background, I smile.
Bob - a very good dog. He's a very friendly, snuggly little guy.
Paul Revere's house! There's not a straight line in the place. Creaky, crooked, and wooden, with lovely lilacs in bloom outside. I got busted trying to take a picture of an embroidered sampler. I wasn't using a flash, but I stupidly have my camera set to make amusing animal noises when turning on and focusing... and evidently such nonsense will get you busted in museums and historical houses where there are no pictures allowed.
Good luck statues! I had to rub John Harvard's foot when I found out that it is considered good luck to do so. Since it is a statue, and I have statue posing issues, I got a little funky with my pose and totally cramped up my hamstring. Nine years of ballet and now just striking a goofy pose with a statue means a cramped hamstring... I am not as spry as I used to be!
On the afternoon of my last day in Boston, Jess, Casey, and I met up with Kyle and Erica, and they gave me a fantastic tour - Kyle even printed out a map with aerial views of colonial Boston side-by-side with and Boston today, and the five of us rode around the city in a convertable. That day was perfectly sunny, crisp, beautiful. It was so great! I got to see everything from the site of the Boston Massacre (Kyle's commentary was particularly vivid here) to the Boston Commons, to these beautiful gardens where Kyle and Erica took their engagement photos, to the outside of the Cheers bar. I just sat back and soaked it all in and listened to all the facts and anecdotes. It was a perfect ending to my trip, and my experience in Boston - I loved it! At the end of my last day, we sat in one of Boston's many breweries (my kinda town) featuring a very nice beer menu (my kinda place). A perfect ending.
I felt very welcomed, I learned a lot about the city, and I had a blast. It was exciting to get some work done with Jess and Casey all together, too - focused around a coffee table, scribbling notes and brainstorming, making plans.
I'm grateful for so much right now, every day. Life and home and work and fun - very grateful.