Sock Smitten

I'm not a big sock knitter, but I am crazy about these Turkish Bed Socks! Here's one fresh off the needles (I have no pride otherwise I would have blocked this before showing it). While DH and the pup are fast asleep (still), I am here in the quiet of my living room taking pictures of my foot.
It's not a great picture...the background is wrong, color wrong, etc. But DH could come out of the bedroom at any minute and see me photographing my foot. For some reason that embarrasses me so I'm not going to belabor this picture-taking thing; I'm posting them as is.

Turkish Bed Socks

A visit from Lisa Limber, Schaefer Yarns' rep, is always inspiring. Yesterday, she introduced me to this Turkish Bed Socks pattern from Churchmouse Yarns, a wonderful knitting shop on Bainbridge Island, WA. I lightened Lisa's cash & carry load of hand-dyed Heather & Nicole by 30+ skeins. They are in a heavenly heap on the coffee table in our knitting circle at the Grove. Of course, I had to drop everything and start a bed sock right away and I am loving it! It works up on a #3, which is small, yes, but also standard for socks. The construction of this pattern is amazing. I can't even begin to tell you how clever it is. Since you knit small sections at a time, the project moves along quickly. It's not often that I get up and start knitting before the coffee is even done. Well, I did this morning...that's how fun this pattern is! There is plenty of time to knit a pair for one of your loved ones for the holidays. Oh, and 1 skein of Heather knits two pairs! We're open today until 6:00 and, of course, we'll be open on Black Friday. Come in soon for the best color selection!

An Illuminating Afternoon!

Richard Lederer was an absolute delight. He is a word Cirque de Soleil artist. And he doesn't just talk, he broadcasts! Right there. In person. And up close. There was a wonderful turnout especially considering that his competition was The Game. The room was filled, questions flowed and Richard charmed us with Presidential Trivia (his icebreaker), excerpts and off-the-cuff stories from and about his Cat Lovers and Dog Lovers books. Dozens of books were purchased for holiday gifts and he patiently signed them all. He did go above and beyond and left some signed copies behind. So if you would like to surprise a cat or dog lover with an autographed copy, c'mon in!

Richard Lederer TODAY at the Grove!

Today from 3-5pm at the Grove, Richard Lederer will be speaking about his two most recent books: A Treasury for Dog Lovers and A Treasury for Cat Lovers. I am a Huge Fan of his! For years, listening to him on A Way with Words on NPR was one of my favorite weekend rituals. So, if you're not busy this afternoon, come share the Awe with me and meet the man with that beloved inimitable voice and quick wit! If you want to be assured of a seat, arrive early! Hope to see you there.

Habu Beauty

This crinkly scarf is knit from a silk Habu yarn that also comes in purples and hot pinks. Since novelty yarns hit the road a couple of years ago, "soft" and "variegated" seems to have replaced them. This yarn is full of texture and color and it's also soft...a wonderful combination. The scarf pictured here was knit by a beginning knitter who added (okay, I did them for her in a moment of weakness!) some of Mad Designs' beads to the edges. It almost brings it to the level of jewelry.

Knit Misti For Me

Now I don't want to pressure anyone, but Thanksgiving is Thursday and you know where that leaves us...weeks away from Christmas! Let the inevitable shopping begin! There is plenty of time to knit someone special an alpaca scarf from Misti Alpaca. Also known as poor man's cashmere, this yarn would pass any blindfold test for cashmere...it is that soft and that luscious. Two skeins make up a beautiful men's scarf.

Here's one in the charcoal grey fisherman's rib. Ahhh. Let it snow! Well, at least get cold!

Lost Photo Op but Torrie's FLS Makes Up for It!

The Golden Hanger Awards were a BLAST! Our Jeffrey stole the show as predicted. I whipped out my Canon automatic in the lobby before the festivities got underway and discovered that I had left the MEMORY CARD in the printer at work! Man, you can imagine how I felt about that. R-r-r-r.

So no photos today from the show, but here is Torrie who is making an amazing fashion statement in her February Lady Sweater knit out of Sweater by Spud & Chloe. I wish you could see the stitch definition in the lace pattern and what an awesome job she did. The most impressive thing (aside from her masterful workmanship) is how well this sweater fits her. Sizing is so important and she has got that down flat. Sort of inspiring, isn't it? Also, look at her choice of color .... perfect for a redhead, no?

The Golden Hanger Awards

Tonight at the Town & Country Resort, Fashion Careers College hosts the Golden Hanger Awards, featuring student designer collections, with all proceeds benefiting Make-A-Wish Foundation. This year, Jeffrey of Junc Boutique (a Grove neighbor) will be showing his collection. We've seen bits and pieces of it from conception to construction and we are all so excited. I've mentioned before how talented he is, and tonight is a launching pad for him. Our own judi patuti taught him to sew last year. I'm pretty sure he completes his FCC program in December. And who knows where he will be next year.

Val Hebert will be among the fashion vendors at the show displaying her felted creations which include a beautiful array of earrings, scarves and perhaps some of her popular handbags made from repurposed sweaters. I taught Val to knit 6 years ago and she has had a love affair with fibers ever since. She is an amazing artist and it is always wonderful to see her newest creations. So we are all looking forward to an exciting evening. Hoping to get some good pictures to share with you all.

Day of the Dead

As sure as dawn follows the night, The Day of the Dead follows Halloween. And here we are, the morning after. I looked up rituals for Day of the Dead ceremonies because I was rather curious about its origins. Growing up back east, we celebrated All Soul's Day but I had never heard of Day of the Dead until I moved to California. Okay, I just read that one of the Aztec rituals of honoring ancestors on this day is to make a sugar skull resembling a relative, write their name on it and eat it. Geeze, even if I had a skull made out of chocolate and nonpareils with jelly bean teeth and raspberry drizzle, I couldn't eat it if it had my dad's name on it. I really couldn't. I guess that's what you call a cultural difference.