A Dark Dive on a Rainy Day

I'm a very poor sport about rain.  Yes, I know we need it desperately.  I just wish it didn't happen during the day. Yesterday, it was cozy though snuggled in bed with 10 good books and my dog Purl at my feet but I was restless. Ya know, I just want to put a flannel shirt on and comfy old jeans and sit in a dark dive bar in the afternoon.  Is that weird of me?  Whatever.  So we went to Filippe's in Little Italy where it is always dark inside and kitchy Chianti bottles hang from the ceiling with names handwritten on their straw jackets. Oh the table clothes are red and white check and the walls are panelled circa 1958.  They serve full carafes of cheap Chianti for under $12.  We call it grape juice since it doesn't pack much of a punch or taste like much.  And my dear husband, indulged me.  We ate anti pasta and meatball sandwiches with melted provolone on sub rolls. And it was the perfect thing to do.  I came home heartened and sat and knitted for hours thinking...the rain isn't that bad after all.

Blue Sky Worsted Cotton is back!

Blue Sky Worsted Cotton is an organic worsted weight cotton that is softer than baby cheeks.  It's machine washable and the color palette is outstanding!  We're starting to beef up our supply since this yarn makes the best summer binkies.  We have a free garter stitch pattern with an eyelet border for beginning knitters who want to knit their first baby blanket.  You can do it!!!!

House of Belonging

As I was cleaning off my desk this morning, I came across this beloved poem by David Whyte, perhaps my all time favorite.  I am so fond of it that years ago, I printed it on this Pillow of Sei Shonagon, that I knit in Eurofax.  These words also appear on the header in my blog.  Perhaps I've shared it with you before but it is worth repeating.  The pillow still sits on an antique rocking chair in my living room.  And it's one of the things I'd grab if I had to vacate my house quickly taking only my favorite things with me. It puts everything in perspective.  

House of Belonging

by David Whyte

I woke this morning in the gold light

turning this way and that

thinking for one moment

it was a day like any other.

But the veil had gone from my darkened heart.

I thought it must have been the quiet candlelight

that filled my room.

It must have been the first easy rhythm

with which I breathed myself to sleep.

It must have been the prayer I said

speaking to the otherness of the night.

And I thought this is the good day 

you could meet your love.  

This is the black day someone close to you could die.

This is the day you realize how easily

the thread is broken between this world

and the next 

and I found myself sitting up

in the quiet pathway of the night.

The tawny close grained cedar

burning around me like fire

and all the angels of this housely heaven

ascending through the first roof of light

this sun has made.

This is the bright home in which I live.

This is where I ask my friend to come.

This is where I want to love all the things it

has taken me so long to learn to love.

This is the temple of my adult aloneness

and I belong to that aloneness

as I belong to my life.

The Underappreciated Garter Stitch

I'm not afraid to say it.  I love garter stitch.  Yep, that simple 'knit every row" stitch where we all start out.  We all know it's virtues...it lays flat (versus stockinette), it's reversible, and so easy you can knit it in the dark.  This picture is a photo of Berroco's Mixer which is a fusion of different fibers.  Some are like thin silk ribbons, some are like cotton string....so fun! And the pattern is Thelma, an over sized tee with drop shoulders.  Easy, easy, easy.  A perfect knit for the Spring.  Knitting is rather slow with this highly textured yarn but an absolute pleasure.  It causes me to slow down and really enjoy the steady rhythm of it all. If you're up for a drapey, shimmery (but not too) knit, check out Thelma.  Looks like this design would flatter all body types.

Jenome Sewing Machine Missing from the Grove

We don't know whether it was during the busy Spring Walkabout or when but Judipatuti's Janome sewing machine that she teaches students to sew with has gone missing. It hurts, ya know?  The foot pedal and electric chord were not with the machine so whoever took it won't even be able to use it.  While I doubt whoever took it reads my blog (!) I can't help but put out a plea for it's return.  We want it back.  No questions asked.

Cherry Blossoms in Paris

Paris in Spring

Oh can you imagine the sweet fragrance of this evening in Paris? This photo brought back a a lovely memory for me. My sister lived in D.C. for many years and during my Spring visits, we would drive through Kenwood, a stately old neighborhood with brick houses and grand lawns. The cherry trees lining the streets formed a canopy.  When a slight breeze caught the blossoms, it snowed pink flowers.  The lawns and streets were blanketed in these fragile blossoms and it was absolutely magical. Although I have never seen the cherry blossoms in Paris, there is always tomorrow.

Haggens Has Arrived in North Park!

Overall, living in the 'hood is awesome but we have been a little deprived in the grocery store department. Sprouts has been "meh" lately with the fruit and veggie spoil rate pretty darn high.  So DH and I have been searching for convenient nearby solutions.  (God, I hope this isn't too boring!  When I start writing about recipes, shoot me.).  A customer told me that Food Bowl (right by our house) is a good place for fresh produce. WHAT?!# Alrighty, then.  So we tried it this weekend and actually had the pleasant surprise of being able to identify what we were eating with our eyes closed. Imagine that!

And then today we were driving down University and noticed that the old Albertson is now a Haggens.  Huh? So we pulled over and I went in to check out the goods. I am excited to report that it is beautiful. Really! Lots of organic veggies and fruits and a big selection.  I love bitter salad makings and they actually have radicchio (not easy to find).  And aisles and aisles of stuff.  They carry Bread & Cie and Sallie Rose breads (my personal favorite is the Chiabatta).  A darn good cheese selection.  Prepared foods that were actually tempting.  So run, don't walk if you're tired of the Von's shuffle and if Sprouts has let you down.  Here's to the neighborhood moving on up!