Seashells

Yesterday, we took Scout to run free at the beach in Del Mar where she first experienced the ocean as a puppy. While David and Scout played ball at the ocean's edge, I walked barefoot and automatically began looking for seashells, which is something I have done all my life. I saw three perfectly shaped sand dollars that were still alive. To a shell seeker, sand dollars are quite a find. The one pictured here is probably 20 years old. I found it in Del Mar when I first arrived in San Diego. Then, I realized that most of the shells pictured here, I have had my whole life. That means some of them could be over 40 years old! My father's beautiful hand picked some of these. They are from Cape Cod, Misquamicut Beach, Kittery, Old Saybrook, and a secluded beach on the Sea of Cortez. How amazing that every time I've moved (and I've moved a fair amount!), I have always brought them with me. They are my jewels, each one reminding me of where I have come from and where I have been.

Haute Handbags

It is with great pride that the Grove is selling the most recent issue of Haute Handbags because Val Hebert's incredible needle felted handbags made out of recycled wool are featured in it! When we opened the doors to the Grove in 2003, Val was the very first customer I taught to knit. She has become a friend over the years and I have watched her growth as an artist with amazement. Her sense of color and design is extraordinary, her workmanship...well, I don't think it can be duplicated, and her artistry...she has got it all going on!
So come on in to the Grove and support Val and other local artisans (the bags on the cover are done by a woman in Coronado)! Buy the Mag! Also, check out more of Val's art on her newly-designed website at www.ValsArtStudio.com!

Material World

Yesterday, at the Textile Show in L.A., I came face to face with this sticker on the door of a bathroom stall!



It delighted me!

As did this room full of aisles and aisles of silks. What a color and texture fix that was!

And the color forecasters reminded us of this all-important principle...



especially the part about collaboration & emotional connection.

Out of the Box

This past weekend, we had our annual knitting retreat in Julian. Just five of us who have grown close over the years knitting our memories. We chose this project to work on...Out of the Box Sweater using hand-painted South American cotton from Punta Yarns. Yum!!!

We did not get as far as we had expected because there were distractions.

One cuter than the next!
And there were plenty of reminders that Thanksgiving is not too far away.

Can you tell these photos were taken from inside our airconditioned lodge! As my husband always says...I got the indoor model. Yes, that would be me. Now, back to my knitting!

Crystal Blue Persuasion

I know I date myself by that title but it seems so appropriate for these stitch markers. I am crazy about them and have made many for my friends and even a set for Louisa Harding when she visited the Grove in January. I can still see her clapping her hands and squealing with her British accent "I love my stitch mahkers". She went so far as to say they would appear in her next book. We shall see!


I make mine with decorative sterling silver head pins and Swarovski crystals, and I wire wrap them. Marcia has come up with an even easier way using silver cable and crimp beads instead of head pins. Hers are pictured above. Either way, they are stunning. We figure it costs about $1.97 a piece to make them. Not bad when they are pretty enough to wear as earrings! And we have all the materials at the Grove. If time allows, I'd be happy to show you how to make them. Hmmm. Maybe I'll do a class for them in October. Any interest?

Fall Abundance

For a yarn shop owner, there is no better time of year than the Fall when the new yarns start arriving. The shelves are full, color selections complete, and the visual appeal of it all is almost too much for one who has The Passion. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture the saturated colors of this new South American Hand Painted Cotton from Punta Yarns. They are spectacular and the yarn, rare. Rare because it is a bulky cotton. It's damn near impossible to find a nice bulky cotton. Cotton is a heavy fiber. Much more so than wool. It it's not spun correctly creating a light loft it's, well, heavy. Heavy's not so nice in a cotton. It's sort of like wearing the weight of a wet blanket. But This Stuff! Oh my, it's light as a feather, spun so it doesn't look like it will pill or mat. I'd have to say, this is the most exciting yarn to hit the market in a long time. We've also ordered the wool, which comes in colors as rich as Manos, but the hand is much softer. They are to ship October 15th from upstate New York. And I will be waiting in the window for them to arrive!

Catalina Island

I was going to post a "Gone Fishin'" sign on the door of the Grove before I left, but Melody and Anne were kind enough to work for me. Three days on an island. Just me and my Sis from Maryland sitting side by side in beach chairs. Sorting out our lives. Reflecting where we've come from and where we're going. Swimming when it gets too hot. Eating when we're hungry. Drinking whether we're thirsty or not! Heaven on earth! And now, after that nourishment, I'm ready for the Fall and hunkering down to some serious knitting on glorious new yarns...like the amazing bulky South American Hand Painted Cotton from Punta Yarns. Oh my, wait 'til you see this stuff!