Saturday Musings

The Fair Isle Vest is too demanding to work on while doing anything else. I work on it mostly on weekends, first sitting at the table by the kitchen and now on the sunporch. Every weekend I try to complete one of the OXO bands and one peerie band. I bought the kit for the vest while attending one of Meg Swansen's Knitting Camps quite a few years ago. It just never seemed the right time to work on it. Two balls of the oatmeal shetland wool are AWOL, the apparent victims of a Shetland wool binge, so I ordered two from Meg at Schoolhouse Press. The slight difference in color doesn't bother me with all that is going on in the vest. I also purchased the DVD of Meg knitting the vest since my knitting videos seem to have walked away since our move to this house. This DVD was filmed on Washington Island in Door County, one of our favorite places, so it is very enjoyable. As Meg suggested I used a provisional cast on (crochet chain) in order to knit the corrugated ribbing later. That will enable me to adjust the length of the vest for my tall husband. He will look very handsome in the vest!

Another tip I learned from the DVD is to weave a circular needle through the bottom of the vest to make a "nest" for the balls of wool while knitting. Great idea! This also keeps the bottom of the vest from curling upwards as I knit.

While enjoying the challenge of an intense project I needed something to do while watching the British television series that we are currently enjoying on Netflix. We are big fans of Netflix because we can get all sorts of BBC productions. Some of our recent viewings are Hamish Macbeth (I call it the Andy of Mayberry of Scotland) and Inspector Lynley. Tonight we're going to watch a P.D. James mystery. I completed two little bootie sets with scraps of sock yarn. The first pair (all green) seemed a bit small so on the second pair, I lengthed the instep just a bit. They are adorable if I must say so myself and the atypical colors make them even more appealing. Both are knit with Knit Picks Essential. The only seam is up the back from heel to top of cuff. The pattern, Oh! Baby Baby Booties by Judy Nemish was free on Ravelry and knitlist.com.

My Friend Buster

My brother like the scarf I made for his birthday.

The little dog, Buster, is quite the cuddler. He is small, a Papillon/Chihuahua mix. Awwww.

Buster also gets into his share of mischief. While we went out to dinner he managed to go from a chair to a table to reach into Mom's tote bag on the high counter, specifically placed there where he couldn't reach it--or so we thought. He opened a package of party napkins and artfully displayed them on the floor. He also got into a purse within the tote and removed an envelope containing several hundred dollars in cash. He chewed the envelope, but not the cash. Smart puppy! Doesn't he look proud of his accomplishment? How could anyone be upset?

This dog does not belong to my brother. He's my brother's dogs best friend. But my brother's dog is camera shy.

In this last photo Buster is snuggled up to my legs, perfectly relaxed. Too bad I couldn't take him home.

The Kim Vo Experience

Saturday morning we met Mom and Dad at our favorite breakfast spot, Urth Caffe, on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. Although I am a tea drinker most of the time, I do love their lattes especially when they come with pretty designs in the froth! The elephant was one we hadn't seen before. Eggs come with a green salad lightly dressed with oil and vinegar, fresh salsa, and whole grain bread. We enjoyed a table outdoors as the temperature was already warm enough to sit comfortably outside. It got up to 82 degrees later that day.

The Urth Caffe is within easy walking distance of my brother's cute blue bungalow. The landscaping in the front includes an eclectic mixture of rosemary bushes, roses, and birds of paradise. It is so charming. Does curb appeal get any better than this?
After shopping at Trader Joe's (Please pray for one in Peoria in my lifetime) Mom and I had our hair done at the Kim Vo Salon at The Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills. Our stylist, Peter Van de Velde, is well known in Hollywood. He's been featured in makeover shows, magazine articles, and does hair for celebrities so we figured he would be good enough for us Midwesterners. I pretty much gave Peter free rein except that I need a no fuss "do" which means no straightening of the hair. Mom's hair is easy also. After the makeover we got a few mug shots in my brother's back garden to show to our home stylists. Let's see if they can keep the style going. We had a great time and we both love our new styles!

California Bound!

Last Friday on the way to the airport I snapped a photo of my dad wearing the Ribbed Cap I made for his birthday in September. Isn't he the fashion maven? I like the jauntiness of the way he wears it. I think he will start a new trend. You read it here!

As we were waiting for the limo to the airport Mom saw that I was wearing a blue lace shawl from "way back". All I remember from making it is that the designer was Linda Carlson, pattern in Knitting World, and the border is called Oak Leaf and Acorn. The shawl draws compliments wherever I go. Anyway, not to be outdone, Mom whipped out a simple shawl in a royal blue cotton/maybe silk blend I had made for her years ago. Honestly, I don't remember it at all! Here she is stepping out in the street at LAX looking for my brother's car. Doesn't she look great? A lady at the airport said she thought the shawl probably had come from an expensive boutique.