it’s not working

Posted on Posted in book reviews/events, designing, projects

this not working stuff is really great—since leaving home, i have gotten so much knitting done that even i’m astounded and i’m the one who did it.

i got started right away as soon as i hit the airport on wednesday morning. my heart did a little flip-flop when we pulled up outside and i saw the line at the checkin counter—there’s never a line there, not one long enough to see from outside anyway. and we had checked the flight status just before leaving the house; what was up?

turns out the plane was broken and we were waiting for a part to arrive from pittsburgh . . . at 4:45 am. something told me that the parts department was probably closed at that hour and we’d be waiting a while.

sigh.

it wasn’t too bad though; just a two hour delay and we were on our way. meanwhile, i got through the heel of the sock while i waited in the line to rebook my connecting flight.

the weather all the way through the trip was pretty gloomy, so i was just happy we weren’t grounded by that; so much less predictable. fortunately there was a flight available that would still get me to SFO by mid afternoon. it could have been worse.

the landing was actually really beautiful because of all the clouds and rain. and there was cookie at the luggage pickup to greet me—that’s when the fun began.

i was famished by then (because of course this was the one time i traveled without a scrap of food in my bag), so we stopped off at the store for the makings of a cheese and fruit plate, then headed home, put on the fire, and pulled out our knitting and presents.

cookie gave me this book for my birthday; a little commemoration of the chalayan talk we went to in london last summer.

there was a second box too—knowing how much i love lavender, cookie found some lavender salt that i can experiment with in the kitchen. apparently, you cna use it like rosemary salt (which i’d also never heard of, but which i’m now going to make in the summer when my rosemary is prolific!).

and best of all was this

a pair of socks handknit by cookie!!!! in alice’s sokkusu sock yarn—YAY! i love these to death; my favorite color. cookie was knitting these while we were traveling last summer and i was coveting them so badly. i kept dropping hints about how well they matched the blümchen sweater i was knitting at the time, but to no avail (i thought, haha).

i gotta tell you, i was really, REALLY happy to get them as a gift.

i brought her some gifts too . . .

this project bag that david and i picked out together, which is hiding a secret project inside, so i won’t open it to show you the lining. there a secret gift included in the bag as well that we can’t show you, but it’s perfect for her—sorry to be a tease.

i also gave her some birch bark earrings from tooth and nail that i bought at the rust belt market when we were in detroit a couple of weeks ago. they are just her colors; black, brown, and cream.

we sat for a few hours, knitting and nibbling on cheese and fruit while we caught up on the news form each other. after a nap, we tried the wine bar down the street where i tasted a delicious flight of australian reds, the best of which came form the margaret river area, though i have to stop back in to be reminded of the name.

on thursday it was still gloomy in the morning and after a workout in the gym, we headed out to meet up with my cousin margaret and visit the building site of her new home. it was pretty wet, but fun—and i forgot to take any pictures.

it cleared up nicely after lunch, so we walked around palo alto for a while, before going home to get ready for knit night.

but first we ate sushi, haha.

once we got settled in at red rock for knitting, i pulled out a project i started on the plane that i’ve been meaning to make myself for s few years now

some very fine, very plain fingerless mitts to wear at my desk. i want something so lightweight i can barely feel them on my hands, which would still provide a light layer of warmth. my hands get cold just from being elevated, except in the hottest weather.

i’m knitting these in laceweight bamboo/bison yarn on size 2.25 mm needles. they’re going to take a while, but they make a great takealong project that tucks easily into my side bag, so that’s ok.

after red rock, we all came back to cookie’s place for an extension of knit night at home. with better light, i was able to work for a while on this last piece of david’s sweater and added a few more inches.

i don’t know if i’ll finish this before i go home, but i’ll try. i’ve actually been churning through a bunch of secret knitting projects on this trip and have completed two while starting a third and fourth already. some of these are for our club and one is a gift.

yesterday we got up early and went running in a really beautiful (and quite hilly) park with a friend. then we went into san francisco so i could get my hair cut at oso and miggs again and afterward, we headed for our favorite yarn shop in oakland

to visit kristine, adrienne, and michelle. ysolda was on hand as well, which made ofr a nice reunion party. we hung out all afternoon in the shop

knitting and chatting. kristine was in the throes of a vast reorganization in the aftermath of stitches west, plumping up the yarns on hand, moving things around, and freshening up the displays for spring.

the shop is very well stocked with all manner of goodies right now—including  a large shipment of madelinetosh that just arrived and some new farm yarns that have been mushroom dyed by adrienne.

i may have done a little shopping in the button baskets once again

and picked up a new-to-me bar of espresso chocolate (i love it for making frosting)

and then, to my combined horror and delight, i succumbed for the first time in years to a fabric purchase—i KNOW!

i just couldn’t help myself—i’ve been wanting a new apron for quite a while and this particular sushi print is too perfect for the project. i purchased a small amount of the red for pockets. i just need to get some black seam binding for the edges.

am i crazy? at least it was on sale, which i found out afterward.

so here it is saturday and the day is a wasting—i’m going to stop now so we can head outside for a walk and some breakfast (it’s still pretty early here).

i’ll be back in a couple of days with more sights and sounds from SF; see you then.

 

31 thoughts on “it’s not working

  1. That looks like an awesome shop – probably a good thing it’s 3000miles away from me.

    Looks like a wonderful break from work.

  2. I hope you are enjoying your time in my neck of the woods, Anne! The weather is beautiful this weekend. I love Palo Alto. There are tons of yummy places to eat there. I hope you are having a good vacation/break from work. =)

  3. What a wonderful shop! I was just recently looking at that same fabric – too cute! It will make a great apron 🙂

    So glad you are getting lots of downtime and knitting!

  4. I’m loving all your knitting – doing and recieving! Have never tried lavendar salt- have you tried lavendar sugar? To die for! I think it would be awesome in/on sugar cookies! They sell it, and several other combos, at the Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Building in SF….just sayin’!!!

  5. Oh, Cali, how I miss thee. When I lived there (like a million years ago) I’m pretty sure that yarn shops were limited to little old ladies who sat and smoked cigs in the shop all day. In fact, I think I remember her name. I’m so envious of your travels (in a good way). Happy happy knitting!

  6. Sounds like you are having a great time which is wonderful. Gorgeous, knitting and yarn, and yes the sushi print is pretty special. You can never go wrong with Margaret River wines. Even people like me who know not much about wine know a Margert River wine will always be divine. so glad you are having a great time.

  7. I was really excited to see your lace weight fingerless mitts. Just what my sister and I need! I really hope you will write up the pattern and put it in your shop.

  8. Askinosie chocolate! The company is based in my hometown – they have awesome products! If I make it to Rhinebeck again this year, I can bring you some more. 🙂

  9. Looks like you are having so much fun. Margaret River is only 3 hours from my home & it’s a beautiful place to enjoy wine & lunches. Maybe one day, you will visit & I can be your guide.

  10. Looks to me as though you and Cookie are having a perfect staycation! You lucky dogs!!

  11. You’re right – those socks coordinate beautifully with Blümchen! And they both look like they coordinate with the project bag, as well (or is that simply a fluke of digital colors?).

    I like your buttons. Do you have specific garments in mind for these, or will the serve as the inspiration for new designs?

  12. So glad you and Cookie are having a great time. Yay for all the knitting too! Let me know if you’re still in town Tuesday evening and want to stop by knit nite in Redwood City…your 4 honeybadger sock campers would love to see you!

  13. Glad you are finding some time to knit for yourself! That lavender salt sounds interesting. I bet it would be yummy on top of some home made foccacia bread. You’re right, those socks match your Bumchen perfectly, and were destined to be yours! Fabric?! Is this the start of a new stash?!

  14. Love your post! But what I want to know is, where is that cute little project bag from?

  15. The Stanford Theater! I used to live in Palo Alto – how I miss it.

    Your socks and Blumchen seem color-coordinated with the lavender buds. I love the buttons with the gold dashes – have you something in mind for them? All the fab buttons I keep in stash never seem to suit anything I actually make; apparently I just own them to admire them.

  16. Looks like a great time! Love that knitting shop! And socks from the sock master! Doesn’t get any better!

  17. I started reading this and thought, hey, that airport story sounds familiar… and with good reason! Some friends of my parents dropped of friends of theirs at the airport on Wednesday for this plane which was delayed due to waiting on a part…small world!

    It sounds like you’re having a fun trip–and a productive one. Enjoy the rest of it!

  18. Those buttons! What a price for them, amazing. I have such a hard time finding buttons I like online, I feel like there’s some secret shop hiding somewhere that I haven’t found!

  19. Love the sweater and marching socks! But most of all I love that I was able to sign up for your class at Yarnover in April! Hooray!

  20. I love the cloud pictures from the plane. I think sitting above the clouds always looks so cool. You are getting miles of knitting finished I can’t wait to see all the FO’s.

  21. Always love your blog. This one makes me want to hop on a plane for San Francisco. I love to sew almost as much as I love to knit (knitting usually wins) so I’m looking forward to your apron. Enjoy!

  22. It sounds like you had a great trip. But the next time you are in the Oakland/Berekley area, you should go by Lacis, near the Ashby BART station. It is about 10 blocks from AVFKW, Lacis is a lace museum and it will fascinate you. They are now participating in a display of antique lace at the San Francisco airport. If you are going through that airport, you should take a look. Welcome to the Golden State!

  23. I used to live in Menlo Park and Redwood City. I am delighted to see the Stanford Theater is still there playing old movies. My husband and I saw some great movies there over the years. There is nothing quite like that wonderful pipe organ playing Smoke Gets in My Eyes at the end of Rebecca. Enjoy the Bay Area. It is a fun place to be. I hope you can get to 4th Street in Berkeley. I highly recommend Bette’s Ocean View Diner. Yummy!

  24. Sounds like a great trip!

    I love the Margaret River region wines. My sister lives 4-5 hours from there and I’ve been doing a few wine tasting trips in the area. The wines from Happ’s are probably my favourites. Impossible to get in Sweden though 🙁

  25. Anne, was the wine bar Bon Vivant, by chance? I’m a student at Stanford and was in and out of downtown Saturday afternoon as well– to think I could’ve had a celebrity sighting moment with you! haha

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