7 rows

Since school started on Jan. 20, I have knitted about 7 rows. Luckily, this included finishing up a hat, so I do have one FO floating around my apartment, unphotographed and ublocked.

In the absence of knitting pictures, here are some nostalgic shots of Kristina and my old stomping ground, Davis.

Seeing the sights...

In the Mission District, home of Imagiknit

The oh so Golden Gate

Grace Cathedral
Sunrise over San Francsico

Tote Bags? Knitting? Cats!

Great tote bag challenge bags completed: 0
Knitting FO's: 0
Cute chunky monkey cat pictures: 2



Her head looks shockingly small compared to tummy size, but so lovable!

Happy Friday.

Weekend Sights

The Nor Cal coast on a blustery November Sunday...

Pink Pillow

I grabbed the first packet of fabric of the top of my Great Tote Bag Challenge pile, and found it was cut and pinned for a 3 paneled pillow. So, I give you the Great Tote Bag/Pillow Challenge product number one: The Pink Pillow. I do not think this is going to be a holiday gift (thus defeating the purpose of the challenge), but I figured it couldn't hurt to finish it, since I cut and pinned it months ago.

All three panels of The Pink Pillow were fat quarters purchased at the Quilted Angel. I over stuffed the pillow as much as I could while allowing enough give to stitch up the last bit by hand. I discovered I HATE hand stitching! I did such a sloppy, rushed, hurried job last night I pulled it back out and forced myself to re-stitch the last 1.5 inches with some semblance of neatness.

I love the little pink and brown berries as the bottom of the above picture. They remind me of the holidays, festive and warm. Sorry about the dark pictures, there is no more evening light for photographing the crafts!
Random Picture of the Day: Inside a cave at Kirby Cove

Happy Friday!

Among the things I love

Among the things I love is architecture. This could be because I am a MASSIVE art history nerd. Digression: a couple years ago, I was reading the Yarn Harlot and she said "Am I the only one that thought Art History would pay off?" I totally lost laughing it because, yes, I too thought it would pay off. While it has not paid off in a professional sense, it has enriched my appreciation for everything from walking down my own street to travel to museum going. I love all kinds of art, and architecture is no exception. I think there is something wonderful about beauty in such a functional object.

Buildings define so much of our lives, its truly amazing when they can embrace both functionality and beauty, bringing pleasure to mundane aspects of life. Being inside a spectacular building can be an almost overwhelmingly awesome experience-- Notre Dame comes to mind in this sense.

The following are no Notre Dame, but buildings or elements of buildings that struck me as interesting and aesthetically pleasing. To make something we HAVE to use on a daily basis pleasing and pretty I think is one of the greatest gifts of art. Everyone can use more beauty in their day to day lives!

An Italian restaurant in Vancouver, BC:


The steps of Parliament, Victoria, BC:


Frank Gehry's building for the Experience Music Project, Seattle, WA:


Public library, Seattle, WA:

Its scarf season

And I forgot my scarf this morning on my way to get my OM on. Very chilly round the neck! Makes me want to immediately cast on a new scarf wardrobe, and perhaps this cowl.

Last night I knit a few inches on my current simple, stress free project: Knee Warmers. Requested by N to warm his knees on foggy morning bike rides to work, I am basically knitting a K2P1 rib for 12 inches of tube for a knee. I chose the 2x1 rib, and cast on for 3 inches less than the circumference of the knee/leg/thigh its intended to warm. Hopefully this will be tight and stretchy, avoiding the slouchy Richard Simmons look of 80s leg warmers. I do believe we are aiming for something a bit more masculine :)

I am about 80% through with the first warmer, having cast on this Sunday.

Here are some late summer-early fall pictures to distract from a lack of crafting pics!

Civic Center, San Francisco:



Monkshood, British Columbia:


Bivalve and purty sand, Kirby Cove beach, San Francisco:


rosa out.

The Fog Repeller

As mentioned I was working on Jared Flood's Turn a Square pattern, very generously posted as a free download on Ravelry. Before downloading, beware...very satisfying and addicting pattern.



The Fog Repeller
Pattern: Turn a Square by Jared Flood
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease (grey) and Noro Silk Garden color 84
Needles: 4.5mm bamboo dpns



Let me tell you, this is just a lovely little knit. Its simplicity is gorgeous and makes the raglan style decreased stand out as the main attraction. The raglan style decreases make the stripes on the crown square, which I love the look of. Pictured below before blocking, the raglan decreases are a bit puffy/stiff. The hat is going to block tonight, hopefully! I have read much about raglan, but this was my first try. I have to say, its fun, easy, and almost makes me want to start a some sort of knitted leviathan/simple raglan top down sweater (we all have different definitions of intimidation!)




Some close ups of the yarn. I am not a huge Noro fan in FOs, and this was my first time working with it in a project. I have to say I loved it! Its incredibly soft, and the colors are subtle, and beautiful. I think the colors are extra gorgeous isolated into the grey. The grey makes them look extra spectacular, and takes the edge off the sometimes overwhelming effect of all-Noro FOs.



I really enjoyed this pattern. It is perfect Olympic knitting, as it does not require much fussing, and the decreases are intuitive. I made only one mod, and knitted them on dpns not circs, owing to only having long circs and a strong aversion to magic loop.


This is an instant gratification project, it only took a couple hours to complete. This is coming from a super slow knitter. I consider myself a bit of a knitting manatee or sea turtle, while Kristina is an agile, speedy dolphin or swordfish... or something fast and sea dwelling.


This knit was so fast and fun (and I had left over yarn) that I promptly cast on and finished a second one for a friend's birthday. And then I cast on another one (more leftover yarn!) for a third friend...its an addicting pattern!



Picture of the day of China Beach, Sea Cliff, Baker Beach, and in the very back, the Presidio. It looks so summery! In sad news, my 6:12am wake up is getting darker by the day, and thus harder to drag out of bed.

Color Inspiration

I always thought of red and green as Christmas colors, but this gorgeous foliage in Golden Gate park is changing my mind. I love the huge green leaves, contrasted with the small, red kangaroo feet in the background.