Sock Summit 2011

It is just a few days ago that I was in Portland, having the time of my life. I arrived the day before classes started at 10:30 AM, took the MAX to the Red Lion Convention center, parked my bags and waited for my ride to the luncheon. Debby Accuardi is not only a dyer, she and her husband own Gino's Restaurant. For the first SS and again in 2011, she hosted a wonderful luncheon for SS attendees. As soon as I saw it mentioned on Ravelry, I jumped on the opportunity to go again. Chrissie Gardiner picked several excited ladies up at the lobby around noon and drove us across town to Gino's. Half of the group had enrolled in a dyeing workshop and were already there when we arrived. The food was wonderful! Debby's menu this time was all vegetarian.

There were wines, too! Not one, but two wonderful desserts were included with our meal...

Sock Summit 2011 was awesome. There were fantastic classes and events to be enjoyed...even a flashmob that you can find on utube, if you are truly brave.

My purchases were few, but mighty. Besides Signature Needles in three different sizes, I scored yarn from Hazel Knits.One last picture that I want to include in this post was snapped just before the flashmob swung into action. Three lovely ladies from the Skein Gang at Skein, in Pasadena, CA.

Sock Summit 2011

Portland Convention Center here I come (in 69 hours).


Ok people....I am packing for the trip to Mecca! The most important items are ready to go. That would be: 1) a Fascinator crafted by Janie Basil



2) the de rigueur tiara



and 3) Stitch markers packaged and ready to swap

For the Love of Socks

I have been working on a couple of projects...and thinking of adding another to the mix as soon as I finish the first Cubist Sock. Thus the lovely line on my finger. Only another knitter would recognize the dye residue deposited on my tensioning digit. The sacrifices we make for our craft! On the other hand, the sock is a delight to knit. Cookie is such an exquisite designer. Her charts (once I have them enlarged to the proper size for my old eyes) are fun, fun, fun!! For yarn, I am using the latest installment from Blue Moon. The colorway is Piney and the color will stabilize after a rinse or two. The finger will return to normal quickly. No fear- it is this knitter's badge of honor.

Give me Shelter!

I couldn't resist when Brooklyn Tweed posted about his yarn line, Shelter. It arrived this morning and it is lovely...don't you think? He has several new patterns that will probably be ordered up soon. My daughter has already approved one and suggested a colorway she would like.

The other exciting, knitterly event is Stitches West registration...which opened this AM. I almost missed the starting gate trying to figure out what 9AM Central Time translates to in Altadena, CA. Thanks to the trusty Mac I found out and grabbed all the classes I wanted.

End of Season

We harvested what appears to be the last few tomatoes from this year's sad little garden. It was totally neglected and we got what we deserved for our lack of attention.

They were quite tasty, I am happy to report!

I have another picture of the BSJ ... of the buttons that were sewn on last night. They are a good match, don't you think?

Baby Set

Things have been a blur since we arrived home. The first week back I worked the entire week (except Thursday) because the other teacher, Nancy, took a few days off. No rest for the wicked, I guess! Also, the secretary for the Youth Accountability Board is about to go on maternity leave and I hadn't made her baby gift. Yikes!! Once again the much loved BSJ to the rescue! Not only that...but the perfect skein of Jitterbug was found in my stash. You can locate the particulars about the yarn and hat on Ravelry, if you are interested.

More of the Baja Trip

In response to yesterday's posting, I received a lovely email from Margarita Carrillo de Salinas, Don Emiliano's Chef and owner. She is in Mexico City preparing to leave for an International food conference in Ireland. Margarita is a leading proponent of the Slow Food movement. Here are a few more shots taken at our two dinners with her...

An evening spent on her patio is a must if you visit San Jose del Cabo!

Back at the Hacienda del Mar there were many places to explore. We took several walks with cameras in hand. You never know what you might see there...

There is a story about the upside-down saint on the altar....

On the property, actually on the hotel side (Sheraton) there is a chapel with a lovely door and vaulted ceiling. Who knew they had wireless?

The plants are amazing!

The pools were lovely!

..and the beach

Oh yes, we'll be back here!

I promise to include more knitting related items in the future! This little fellow was propped up at the table next to us at breakfast one morning. He travels with a young couple from Boston. Wherever they are, they costume him appropriately ....

Back From Baja

We took two whole weeks off this summer! Yea!!!!

The first week was spent at our timeshare close to San Jose del Cabo and the second week was at the Hacienda del Mar, closer to Cabo San Lucas. When we were near San Jose, we took advantage of the Urbano (city bus) into town. The rides back were usually in a taxi because were were either coming back late from dinner or laden with purchases. Twice we went to our favorite restaurant in S.J., Don Emiliano's. If you are ever in the area, don't hesitate to stop in for dinner.

Perhaps the most unusual dish we tried was "Mexican Caviar". It is called Escamole and you might be surprised what the main ingredient is....

The Grand Mayan just outside of S.J. is a beautiful resort with an exceptional staff, well maintained rooms and pools. We have never been disappointed with their properties.

Our other timeshare, Hacienda del Mar, has stunning architecture, beautiful grounds with mature plants and the Pitahayas Restaurant, another favorite. The seating is open air, on a terrace overlooking the beach.

It is hard to see, but at the bottom of the evening beach picture, there are whale bones.

Since Greg and I usually split meals, were were able to enjoy some delightful dinners!

Perhaps you are wondering, did she do any knitting?? After all, this is a knitting blog....

I Won the Lottery

I joined a lottery exchange in a Ravelry group and I won!!! My prize was a beautiful skein of Malabrigo in Ravelry Red. It arrived in the mail today. What a thrill to open the package and see that incredible red color. Now, what to do with it? Any suggestions...I am open to almost anything.

Can You Guess?

Can you guess the name of well-known Pasadena restaurant from this hint??If you know me (and Pasadena) at all...you will probably guess correctly.

The knitting has been fast and furious. Nothing challenging so far this Summer since I have been working almost every day at Skein. Nancy better be enjoying her vacation! Payback is just around the corner... (insert evil laughter here)

Off the needles in the last little while are three simple projects you can find on my Ravelry project page, if interested in details.

The bird feeders are attracting all sorts of creatures. Yesterday, once again, the furry grey seed guzzler was observed at work...perhaps I will have to get a spinning feeder.

This morning, while attempting to snap that perfect project picture we saw...a really beautiful hummingbird. He came right over and hovered near us assessing our threat-level. It was obvious that he thought we were not going to bother him...so he hung around the feeder while I snapped away.

Happy 4th of July

Wishing everyone a wonderful 4th of July weekend...filled with fireworks and good times! With any luck I will have some fireworks photos to post next week.

We haven't attracted too many birds with our freshly filled feeders ...it seems that now we are in the business of feeding the neighborhood squirrels..

This well-fed fellow jumps on the feeder and calmly swings it until a quantity falls to the ground. Then he merrily munches away until he is sated. He doesn't seem to mind if we watch or take pictures. Perhaps we will have to invest in a feeder from this company..

On the knitting front, I have finished one Swing Set sock...from my Socks That Rock sock club. It is posted on my Ravelry project page. Also, buttons for the Iceland top arrived from Windsor Buttons. They are even more perfect than pictured on their website.They were worth the wait!