happy christmas

gram christmas wreath

this year was the year to replace grams wreath. i also decided to try my hand at quilting. my fairly easy project came from amy butler's in stitches book that i have been “eye-ing” (the bad pun will be explained) for a while.

i have always been a fan of marimekko and now at crate and barrel stores you can purchase their fabric. not only can you purchase the fabric but you can now buy a make-your-own fabric wall art kit. i did not go that far- as of yet but i did dip into a selection of multi color cottons which at the time i had bought with the idea that i will surely find a use for. lucky for me it was not too long before i realized i needed to get my gifts in the post and i poured over my books in search of an idea. in comes the beautiful quilted eye mask; great for a holiday hang over or flight to visit your friend who somehow ended up in texas.

dedicated young follower of fashion…

project~

one preschool back pack (which will be the envy of all little preschool mates in the class)

shopping list:

magnetic snap
shoe string?
fabric
lining
d rings or ?
muslin
batting
iron on stabilizer
cord (or ribbon)

for my nephew, who sports his mittens one with a boat and the other with an anchor. i am going to make this without a pattern but i have a good idea of what it will look like. my only real set back is the mechanics of the back pack. it may not make it to him for santa’s delivery but maybe the tooth fairy could help me out….

ahh yes it is

i quote my brother:

"so, the red sox won the world series, in a sweep, no less. the patriots are poised to win the super bowl - who can beat them, really? the boston celtics are off to a good start. and the new england revolution are playing sunday in the mls cup. is it good to be a new england fan, or what?"

K

this is true- after almost one century- we get our game on...
- still and always very much a new englander at heart

my new book store find in the midst of those lucky austonians…

great finds in this store…

a store which may make you stop and think of how each of us can change the world…

and besides~ what other city in this lonestar state could have a bookstore which carries ‘bush’ toilet paper and still claim to be the largest book store in texas?

welcome little ms fiona

congrats to our friends who are enjoying their second baby girl!

make your own lanyard

a card crafty friend of mine at work came up with this wonderful idea for the grand opening of the new hotel on our property. she took the invitation and carried the theme through to our name badges which we hung on beaded lanyards in the colors of the new hotel. each lanyard was different and made by each of us with the beads she bought.

i am sending mine off to a friend.

home sweet home

farmer dad is back. i love the idea that he comes when his garden is in season. my favorites are his pomegranates. we have youthful trees from his best varietals in our yard. we have a few years before they mature to produce but we now have his to enjoy…

tonight during his visit we enjoyed a selection of cheese and apple.

cheese selection to include:

belgium chevagne

isle of mull aged cheddar

doux de montagne

austin hopelessly blue goat's milk cheese

boy? girl?

meet “sweetie pie”

and meet “pumpkin”

you cant go wrong with these.

i have to admit i have been thinking of this project for some time now. i love the idea of iron on vinyl. wipe clean and clear~ perfect for a bib. i also like the idea of having made-for-project seam binding. as i am a november baby i had to choose the pumpkin.

this is our house

as my husband sees it~

but to me it is one big happy closet. i do not think i finish half of the projects i start. this bed was bought in an antique shop many years ago by my father for me. we were on a driving trip and happened to stop in a small town and there it was. its restoration has been rewarding but for me i have taken a back seat to the project while every visit my father makes, it gets closer to completion.

he is coming for a visit soon and i hope by putting this in writing that i manage to get the bed finished and set up in his bedroom.

if not~ i am sure i have a closet to store it for the next time....

you know it is fall when....

yes the yummy beer hits to shelves of your favorite supermarket. my favorite supermarket is whole foods flagship store in austin. we are so in love with this place that we often spend our weekend free time taking the 60 mile drive north just to buy groceries. don’t get me wrong- it is much more than just a grocery store~ it is a shopping experience. full of plenty of sample cooking stations, knowledgeable staff, multiple restaurants in different themes which seem to just sit in the open style market-type areas and so many products it could easily take a shopper a good three hours to walk the store. (not to mention you can walk around sipping a glass of wine or enjoying a seasonal beer) this is a place we always take visitors and when you are there you get the feeling that this is a tourist attraction to many people.

even better there just happens to be in the same town the be-all & end-all of fabric stores. now i have to put my christmas thinking cap on.

thank you craftorama. i love my new fabrics.

rat snake for leigh- no spider

ok leigh- i will not put our spider friend up for viewing pleasure. especially becasuse it was me who had to call for help taking her (and her nest of babies) out of commission.

i am happy to share our juvenile rat snake. with hope she will just move on to a new home and leave our yard~ i chose not to disturb her. well, other than a picture while she had a nap in the day's sun.

a face only a mother could love

pretending it is fall once again

i have to admit that i miss the chilly evenings that the fall brings with it on the east coast. but still i remind myself that i am lucky to enjoy hot weather almost year around.

i remind myself that with the fall~ soon will come winter and the snow. the larger part of this weekend was spent in the garden preparing for the cooler weather we have here in san antonio.

most bushes were trimmed back, flowering pants were cut back, the roses were pruned, leaves raked, windows cleaned, and our new yard-mates let them selves be known. a fairly large (huge to me) tarantula- and a young texas rat snake.

acl 2007

yeah~ i clap my hands and say yeah. take a look at the video here.

upon arrival and it was not until 20 minutes later i was forced to admit that jeans and tee were not the attire for 95-100degree outdoor fest.

not twisting my arm i found a dress with my name on it that carried me through the next 7 hours of fest food, beer, arctic monkeys, cyhsy, and arcade fire.

could there be a better way to spend a saturday?

arcade fire- imagine a colorful screen of floating bibles and light- complete with pipe organ accompanied by 10-11 musicians. bad acl for putting muse up against af at the same time to compete for sound. but what a wonderful experience.

also check out the video clips of arctic monkeys & bloc party from the show at: http://www.austin360.com

wrap top all wrapped up

it is nice to have completed a project. it feels good. i am making this top again for fiona- i do like the name fiona. i knit the first pattern for size 6-12 months and will do the same for the next one. it has a lot of roomy adjustability that limits the use of most baby clothes that last only a few short months before they become too small.

to give me a break between doing the same pattern back to back i am working on putting the shawl together. a few frustrating starts with this pattern. as i have worked the first 8 rows (after many, many attempts). it is starting to show its lace pattern. it is not really what i expected and it could be my substitute in yarn but i am pretty sure i have the patience to get through it. blocking the finished pieces seems like it will be the most difficult part.- but if i get that far i am home free.

free balls of rowan cotton rope to a good home…(well- to any home)

i have found my replacement “organic cotton” by blue sky alpaca. this is not my first blue sky alpaca yarn. i have been fortunate to be a part of a county fair in watertown, ma which had raw alpaca yarn, alpacas (babies too), herding dog demonstrations, sheep & alpaca sheering, food booths and plenty of environmentally friendly booths.

most of all, on that day my memory is of baby gavin and his strength to pull through. gavin had his first day of school today- and for him i will take a yarn which reminds me of his happy to see anthony smile-

if at first your don’t succeed.................try, try, again

day not to knit.

working on a baby sweater which for the first time ever- i have run out of yarn based on the patterns requirements, not only is this an inconvenience, it presents a problem that if you cant get the same yarn with the same dye lot- it is a waste of time to continue.

my yarn shop closed today- i work on my new “rowan free gift” which arrived at my door stop last week.

rowan now includes two patterns and the yarn to complete one of them with your yearly subscription.

problem one: yarn provided not yarn suggested for pattern.

yarn provided was cotton rope. not sure who would choose to knit with this yarn- but after 5 attempts to get past row 4 of the pattern. i choose not to continue.

i am not meant to knit with this yarn- i stop and decided to move on and if i want to use the pattern this yarn will not be a part of the equation.

new mag & all things knitting

rowans new magazine is out. full of wonderful patterns for the cold fall and winter nights… not so here in san antonio but wonderful just the same. a nice addition to the rowan yarn collection featured in this book is cocoon. they colors cover all the shades that i crave.. muted greys, cream, browns and greens.

how wonderful would it be to knit these socks! they are on my want but not practical list. my favorite practical pattern is this sweater.

ahhh but i am knee deep into two baby projects that need to be finished. i honestly forgot how much i enjoy holding the needles and working my way through a pattern. i get the feeling that the weather will turn fall soon. i hope this year we have the opportunity to see the fall leaves in hill country~ but at least the drive is an excuse to knit on the road.

in memory of khiva

khiva is the long time pet of my brother. she is remembered by all in the way she had chosen to treat each individual she encountered. truly she was and always will be ~my brother’s cat. through many stages of his life, she was always a part, meeting new people along the way, taking on new roommates and finally part of a loving marriage which includes a wonderful child and~ of course~ khiva.

on the rare occasion when my brother would leave on vacation along with his roommate, i would have the opportunity to cat-sit. she so missed my brothers attention she would take her front paws around my right leg and let me drag her to the door when i had to leave for work or class. however when he was around it was as if i did not exist.

my brother, his wife and their son had to say good-bye to khiva. i can honestly say they were as lucky to have her as she was equally lucky to be theirs. i am sorry for their loss~ she will be missed.

xoxo

the dedicated follower (of fashion)

a dear friend of mine hand makes a card that inspires me and cheers me u pto no end. what a wonderful card and so nice to be thought of.

thank you leigh.

& at the same time opal and percy are becoming friends at last. it is not only me, but anthony who has noticed that opal has started to feel at home with us. she is getting into our routine and now chooses to spend her lazy time cuddled up near one of us but even more special she has won percy over as it is his choice to be near her, everything he does in his little stubborn head is his choice J

happy birthday grandma

happy birthday grandma. and of course to top the big day off after a meal out on the town ~ we top it off with the best cake ever.

lucky for us~ grandma has her birthday just around the time that the hatch chile hits the market and dad makes the trip, car full of a years worth of hot roasted hatch chile in freezer chests that end up fitting not only in our freezer but requires the extra storage space of our neighbors garage freezer. this year we tried our local supermarkets hatch green chile brownie- for addicts like me it was bliss. sadly it did not go over well with most of my coworkers

chicago- on fire

"then there was the great chicago fire. i was there. the stories of how the fire began were wildly contradictory, but i was there. some people say the fire was started by a stampede of cows. some say it was just one cow. some tried to blame it all on someone they didn't like. one fella tried to blame it all on his own brother, just because his brother had stolen away his girlfriend and married her. the wedding took place in las vegas. it was a modest affair of about 150 guests, non-denominational (which really pissed off the parents of the bride, but hell, you can't please everybody). during the ceremony, some rotten little punks yelled "fire! fire!" and the whole place cleared out in no time. the maid of honor even broke her ankle in two places after being shoved down the altar by the always overly zealous justice of the peace. well, the ankle was pretty back and the maid of honor had to be shot, and exactly one week later the entire block burned to the ground. even the bricks burned.

but at least nobody tried to blame it on a cow. and the wedding went ahead as planned.

and some people actually believe that nero fiddled as rome burned, and that he really did look like a badly aging peter lorre. on sunday nights we'd all gather 'round the television set to watch the disney show, and i would always fall asleep from boredom. but i had a big old siamese cat named butch who'd always loved to play with my face moments after my head hit the pillow. so i'd awake startled, sometimes, crying, sometimes covered with blood and crying, staring into the idiot box. sometimes i'd see walt himself, sometimes mickey or goofy. but sometime i'd see a thousand bright blue caribou racing a dust storm to the finish line, neck and neck all the way like nature's own indy 500! flesh and blood against the elements! and i remember wondering to myself, "why are they racing?" then one fine day i understood why the race took place. it was because the hairs on those caribou necks were being tickled by the instinctual knowledge of a fire raging not too far away, and most certainly headed this way. humans often get the same feeling...like an oddly warm breeze malevolently fueled by the maddening flames behind it."

-kramer, nyc, july 1989

my trip to chicago…. a trip that made me think differently about many things brought on by my own warm breeze..

rain rain go away….

we have had enough rain to flood streets, rivers and take lives.

colleges, schools and business were closed. major highways were closed and many streets were flooded. over nine inches in less than 12 hours.

i re-found my happiness.

what a wonderful yarn. i now have chosen my pattern and have been invited to another baby shower.

i am so looking forward to finishing this project and sharing my results along the way... for both of them :)

Tension:	22 sts x 30 rows
Needle size:	4mm/8UK/6US
Meterage:	130m (142yds)/50g ball
Yarn weight:	DK
Composition:	57% extra fine merino, 33% microfibre, 10% cashmere

there was an old woman who lived in a shoe…

ok so it is not an old woman~ it is a toad

and it is not really a shoe.. it is a dr. marten.

none the less we have an old toad who lives in a doc martin. in the morning we wake him up and move him along….