Projects

I'm obsessed with knitting. I was a huge fan before, but now I am definitely obsessed. I think it was all that time off.

I've finally finished my Noro Taiyo yarn project. I tried several different patterns for this stuff,but nothing seemed to work. I finally found a pattern in the One-Skein Wonders book. It was the Jamaica Pouch, originally made with 100% cotton. I think it was the cotton in the yarn that made me unhappy with all the other patterns I tried. Anyway, I'm very pleased with this, but don't think I'll try the yarn for anything else. Here it is lying flat. I will need to line it to give it some shape.




I've also started the sweater with the yarn I got at Artfibers. I LOVE this yarn! It is so soft and has great colors.

Yarn News

Saturday was all about yarn, great food and great music. I went nuts at Art Fibers, of course. I bought yarn for two sweaters, plus the patterns.

This is for a lacy 3/4 sleeve top

and this is for a long sleeved V neck sweater with raglan sleeves.



I was measured for each and the patterns were changed for knitting in the round! They are the best.

I came home to the yarn buying spree I did on line last week. I went Noro crazy!

I've got enough to open my own store, I think.

I had plenty of time (2 plane flights and 4 bus rides) to finish the brooklyn tweed scarf and I like it! I think it's one I'm going to keep.

We had dinner at Absinthe Brasserie & Bar -- it was delicious! Of course, I had to have an absinthe. It tasted like alcoholic Good and Plenty candy -- yum! Then off to the concert, which was blissful. What a conductor! Can't wait until next year, although I will miss Esa-Pekka. We are so lucky to have such amazing musical directors -- and both sooooo cute!

My Easter Weekend

Happy Easter to all!

The trip up to my sisters' could not have been better. I finally met most of her office mates (still haven't met the boss). We went to brunch at the Links at Bodega Harbor where she works and met the Easter bunny! The brunch was phenomenal.

starting with champagne,

then fish,

then eggs florentine, bacon and French toast.


And, of course, salads and dessert! Yum.
We took a long walk in the park afterwards. The complex is right on the beach and is too beautiful. I told her how many friends of mine envy her.

Art Fibers, here I come!

Rosalie has KINDLY and GRACIOUSLY offered to take me to Art Fibers before the concert today. She is the best sister and person in the whole world. I love her.

Tuesday

I had a hard time getting started today, but I got rather a lot accomplished. I finally got to the bank to deposit some checks (the Criminal Court of LA County paid me $19.76 for jury duty!!), got gasoline and got a massage. On the way home, I must have hit something on the freeway because, when I got out of the car, I heard the scary hissing sound that comes from a punctured tire!! I called AAA (or, as my friend's mom calls them "the three A's) and my donut spare is on. I have to get up early(!) to get to the tire store when it opens, because I'm getting my hair cut at 11.

Things are stacking up to get done,because I leave Thursday for a lovely weekend in Northern CA to visit my sister. She actually got tickets for Gustavo Dudamel conducting. He will be the new conductor at the LA Phil in 2010 and he is adorable! Young and from Venezuela! You can't get tickets for any concert of his here in LA for love or money, so I'm pretty excited.


How cute is he?

I've also cajoled her into taking me to Art Fibers on Saturday, but as I just checked on their website, they will be closed every weekend through April 6!!! It's a
plot, I tell you, a plot!! Maybe I can figure out a way to go on Friday while she's at work? She lives in Sonoma County, so I'd have to take a bus or something. Hmmmm.

Ellen was kind enough to take the stack of baby hats I made to Stitches from the Heart. She even took photos of them, so here they are:






Some are really tiny, but she assures me they will fit the preemies.

More about Monday

I went to the Coffee Bean in Montrose to meet with the East Side Knitters. Coffee, danish and knitting with good friends. That's the life. Madge, Patty, Annette and Melise were there. They encouraged me to continue with my scarf I'm making from the skein of Noro Taiyo yarn I got when last I met up with them, and comforted me on my wild web yarn buying frenzy.

I met Alyson for lunch. She was downtown LA for jury duty and I took the train from Pasadena. It took longer than I thought it would, so she didn't have much time left when I finally arrived. So we went to the Starbucks outside the courthouse and sat by the fountain. It was terrific. (She ended up not being chosen, so she joins me in being jury duty free for a year.)

So, Starbucks and the Coffee Bean in one day!! I'm glad tonight is Pilates.

Monday

The wind about blew my house away last night. I found the trash cans in the driveway and stuff strewn all over the back yard this morning.

This past weekend I finally got all the photos back into my Ravelry stash and even added some more. I have a long way to go to organize them all, but I've been doing a little at a time. Having TCM on the TV with all those old movies helps. Yesterday I took pictures while watching "All About Eve". What a flick....

Bella actually cuddled a bit with me the past couple of morning. She stayed in the cat tree while I was bustling about with the photos and seemed pretty calm. There is hope!



Presently my Flickr account is mostly yarn, but I'm not deleting any of them!!!

Don't hate me because I'm organized

The Salvation Army took away my old bookshelves and filing cabinet and left me with a lot more space in the craft room! I took the opportunity to organize -- and I had a LOT to organize. The bookshelves were in the way to put things away properly (at least that's what I told myself) and, with them out, I could get to everything! I put away most of the yarn and straightened the books. The biggest job was dividing all the patterns I've torn out of magazines and printed from the web and putting them in binders. Wow.


I ended up with 11(!) binders -- not all full, I'll say in my defense.

I put away most of the run away skeins of yarn and, although some drawers are quite full, some are fairly empty. Whoo Hoo!




I know they all look full.

I even got the knitting books in some order (and off the floor!).


I even cleaned up the desk top. You can actually see the computer now.

I'm on a roll.

Photos!

To start off, the snoozy Bella in her cat tree.



Next, my swirly Odessa Hat.



My "Fake Fair Isle" Hat.



My first attempt at 2 at a time socks.



A sun hat for Keitha. This is my jury duty creation.
I finally got a willing hat model.

See what happens when I don't work?

The Jury Duty Tale

I got the summons in the mail on Monday, Feb 25, to start calling in for the following Monday, March 3. I finally got called in for Wednesday, the 5th. I brought my crochet hook and a hat project for something to do while sitting there. The guy sitting next to me looked at my project and said,
"I thought you weren't supposed to bring knitting needles in here."
I said,
"Do you feel threatened?"
I explained the difference between crochet hooks and knitting needles and , of course, he said,
"My mother used to do that."

I finished the hat and started on a scarf when I was called for a panel. I was an hour close to a clean get away, but there you are. The judge talked v e r y s l o w l y and after an hour interviewing 6 people, he told us all to come back tomorrow.

Thursday morning I took the train to downtown -- what a pleasure!-- and sat in Juror #4 seat in the jury box. I had said barely two words during the whole process; the judge and the attorneys never asked me a single question. Then, just before lunch, the defense attorney decided she didn't like the way I looked and dismissed me! Whoohoo!!

The train I took home passed right by Abuelita's Knitting Store in South Pasadena and I just happened to have the scarf I made for Knit for the Cure, so I stopped by. They were nicely complimentary about the scarf and gave me 20% off anything in the store! I showed admirable restraint and bought 1 skein of very expensive yarn -- Schaeffer's Helena in a gorgeous shade of orange -- and a skein of Brown Sheep Worsted in a lovely array of reds and pinks.

I am now trying to get over this horrible cold that, I guess, everyone has had. I have laryngitis today, but I hope that will pass quickly!

Pictures to follow...