this is the life . . .

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

there is sun everywhere here, even on my plate!
the citrus fruit is just coming into ripeness here at kim’s house and we’ve all been gorging on tangerines, oranges, and grapefruit sweet enough to peel an eat in sections. i don’t know how i’m going to tear myself away to fly home tomorrow . . .

sorry for the long delay since my last post; i’ve been collecting material like crazy but i’ve also been on the move like crazy, with hardly a moment to sit at the computer. i didn’t mean to leave you hanging, i swear . . .

last time i posted, we were getting ready to spend the next day at the beach and that’s just what we did. it’s a little chillier here than we usually see, but still a lot warmer than at home (where it is now like, 11 degrees—brrr). the ocean is absolutely spectacular this time—huge crashing waves and stunning light.

we headed for pt loma national monument on thursday morning, one of our favorite spots. we brought sandwiches to eat up at the lighthouse while keeping an eye out for whale sitings.

we didn’t see many signs of the whales that day, as we have on past january visits. that’s ok—we brought our knitting too, to pass the time while basking in the sun and looking for spouts of water offshore.

kim is knitting up her very favorite gridiron socks in super cash sock from studio june, in the most appropriate of colorways—tide pool.

and once we realized that we weren’t going to see any whales any time soon, that’s just where we headed—to the tidepools.

like i said, the waves were huge that day, drawing lots of surfers; kim and i tried to take pictures that would somehow relate to you just how exciting it was on the water, but you know how that goes

it’s not really possible to get the same feeling with the camera, unless you can get close up (which i wasn’t about to attempt). this is my favorite of the lot . . .

so i settled for photographing the stuff on hand, closer to where i was on shore. there are all sorts of fabulous textures and lansdscapes in the sand and rocks at the tidepools, in addition to hosts of interesting objects that wash up on shore.

this is my favorite thing that i found—i little scarp of shell or rock with these extremely delicate tendrils of petrified whatsit trailing up and off. i’m not sure which direction they’d be growing in their natural orientation, but i like the way they mimic seaweed.

i also like this rock-and-weed combo, with its bright lavender coloring, so unexpected. i took way more photos of beach minutiae, but i’ll spare you—you can see many more tide pool photos in older posts.

after a stop at mootime creamery, where david indulged in two scoops of his favorite double dark, we trailed home to cook dinner for the boys—i made indian curry that night and we all chowed down happily before settling in for an evening of TV and knitting.

friday was another gorgeous day—kim and i had plans for a girl’s get-together so we left david sitting by the pool, busy with . . . . what???

yep, that’s his new knitting project. he’s working with a kinda cool-textured cashmere/wool yarn that i spun a few years back, nice and tweedy and irregular, but light as a feather.

he wanted something with a different texture form the garter stitch scarf he knit a couple of years ago and thought that stockinette might be a good way to ratchet things up a notch. this required him to learn to purl and to keep track of a garter border, which is a bit challenging, but he’s doing fine.

we’ll show you more later . . he’s actually got some decent length on it now.

anyway, we left him there because we had a date with jocelyn and our friend nan (of the beautiful test knits) to meet in la jolla for lunch and a little shopping, before i headed up to long beach to the trade show.

look beckie, kim found a jacket to go with the pendant you gave her for christmas. perfect, right?? we also stopped in at our favorite jewelry shop, where we each managed to find something perfect to wear out the door,. this was nan’s first time shopping with us, but she proved to be quite a champ at it, hee-hee.

after an exhausting hour of trying on pretty, shiny things, we were quite ready for lunch, despite the early hour.

i got jocelyn to let me take a photo of her spectacular bel air shirt, knit up in malabrigo sock, which she test knit back in the early fall. doesn’t it look amazing on her? it’s even better in person, trust me.

unfortunately, our afternoon had to end on the early side, because i was heading up to long beach to attend the trade show (TNNA) for the weekend. nan and her husband john were kind enough to give me a lift, as they live not far from there.

you know you’re in designer land when you see something like this . . .

i got to the hotel in the late afternoon—cookie and rosemary were already ensconced. we went out for an early dinner so we could have more time to lounge around, talking an knitting afterward.

i finished up my eliza mitts and worked some more on the LOVe shawlette while we talked. they turned out well, i think and we’ll do some modeled photos later today with kim.

saturday we hit the show floor bright and early for a long day of looking at yarn, talking to colleagues, and shopping for future projects (more about that in a future post). that’s rosemary, getting some yarn love at the pico accuardi booth, where deb made sure we did not go away without samples of their beautiful new yarn bases.

i have lots to show you of my own, too, but i have to save it for another day . . .

photography on the show floor is not really allowed, but i couldn’t resist this adorable shot of our friends erica and susie at kollage yarns—no wonder it’s such a nice company, just look at them!

on sunday, david drove up to meet me for a day of walking the show and meeting friends. we had an impromptu, but much needed lunch break with the ravelry posse

as well as miriam, ysolda, and janel, who finally arrived on saturday afternoon.
we got a LOT of business done at this show; i’m excited. i’m still processing everything we saw and thought and talked about over the weekend, but one thing is for sure, we have some exciting new ideas for the coming year.

i slept in a little bit yesterday morning, then went for a brisk walk with kim, followed by breakfast and knitting for a little while. my LOVe shawlette was almost done by the time i got back here the other night—just a little left to knit yesterday

we went out for a while in the morning to visit a cooking school and store in pacific beach, plus make a stop at kim’s bread bakery of choice

(haha, i love that picture, i just HAD to slip it in)

here it is, right side up



charlie’s best bread
, where we stocked up on baked goods for the week (mostly healthy, i promise, haha)

after that, it was home to meet up with the kids after school and catch up on their day. i finished up my LOVe shalwette and put it on to soak before dinner, so i could block it afterward.

here’s a pretty crappy picture of it stretched on the blocking wires under indoor, nighttime lights. we’re going to get modeled shots this afternoon out at the olive farm; i can’t WAIT. i’m completely thrilled that we’ll go home with a california photo shoot under our belts (what we REALLY need is to move out here, but that’s another story . . .)

i have SO much more to tell you, but lots to sort out before i do, so i’m going to hold all that stuff back til i get home. hopefully, i’ll have another quick post before i go to put up while we fly back tomorrow.

right now though, it’s off for a morning walk with kim (our last one, boo HOO). i’m not even going to proofread this now, but i’ll leave you with someone else’s knitting to gaze upon . . .

47 thoughts on “this is the life . . .

  1. Sounds like such a fun time…the ocean shots are great. BTW, love the shawl Rosemary is wearing. Any idea what the pattern might be?

  2. What a trip–California looks pretty nice to us Easterners at this time of year! The shaw is beautiful–and David–what can I say–is just a remarkable guy. Thanks for sharing.

  3. Way to go David! I’m impressed….you can join our knitting group anytime…..As usual the pictures you’ve taken Anne of the ocean make one want to hop the plane and leave Ohio for awhile!!!!

  4. You CAN’T move to CA. What we do without you? Beautiful shawlette pattern! Awesome work David!

  5. There’s just too much good stuff in here to comment on it all! Some fabulous skies there. I love being by the sea. You’re in for a treat when you’re in Cornwall this year. There are some absoutely amazing beaches around. We were there last May and are going back again this May too!

  6. Go David! You’ll need something warm to wear when you get back to Ohio. Hard to tell if you’re a picker or a thrower…

    Yes, California dreamin’ – how can they stand such gorgeous weather all the time?

  7. Oh, gosh – what a great trip! Thank you so much for sharing the beautiful ocean, the beautiful knits, the wonderful food and the great company. How nice for you to be able to get away – even if it was a “working trip”. It’s going to be a good year. David – we’re expecting pictures of the scarf ~~~~~ 😉 ~~~~~

  8. I was in San Diego last week and we saw dolphins moving north along the coast outside the wave line from Torrey Pines State Preserve. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Wish I was still there.

  9. I loved the first picture. My husband is from CA, and every winter he goes on a citrus eating binge, while it is all on sale. He’ll by pounds and pounds, segment it all up into citrus salads, eat 6 oranges with breakfast, make limoncello, and so on. It’s ridiculous. But I understood better when I was out there, and saw how big a part of the season it is there.

  10. Thanks. No sun here in Lansing, Michigan today. No flood or blizzard, either.

    You always tell a good story, or several braided into one. Just the thing today! Thanks.

  11. And don’t forget the sushi! Great to see you… I actually did a photoshoot at that exact grassy tile spot! Guess our designer minds think alike : )!

  12. So sorry I didn’t run into you on the TNNA floor. As a first-timer, it was overwhelming, so I was a little shell-shocked at its scale.

    Great to see David back on the needles.

  13. Thanks for sharing the sun and fun. I can only imagine how citrus taste fresh off the tree.

    You have a true renaissance man! I wish my brother had allowed me to teach one of my nephews to knit.

  14. What a wonderful post! Enjoy the weather and travel back safely. Hopefully, you won’t go home via Atlanta where it’s still a mess here.
    Wondering what scarf/shawlette you might have on in the first picture of you and Kim knitting?
    Love the Eliza Mitts and can’t wait to see the photo shoot of the LOVe shawl.
    And David, you are just the best! Looking forward to seeing the finished scarf.

  15. Wow, David’s knitting is great! Love to see a man with knitting needles in his hands.

    Anne, your trip sounds and looks wonderful. Love the new shawlette and can’t wait to see the photo shoot.

    Kim is as beautiful as ever.

    Bundle up to come back to the cold.

  16. The ocean is my most favorite place to be….I love that you get to visit with Kim and the ocean all at the same time! Hi Kim…..waving at you!!

    How fun that David is continuing with his knitting!!! w00t!

  17. Fun to see the photo of the sea cave. Back in my wilder days, I kayaked through that cave and was nearly smashed to death on some rocks.

    What a beautiful trip.

  18. That is so great that David is knitting. I tried for years to get my husband to learn, but I ultimately gave up.

    What is that gorgeous shawl Rosemary is wearing?

  19. I am glad you had a great time here in CA. I can’t wait to see what David is knitting this time. I wish John would learn how to knit. I can see him knitting since he is so so so patient with things.

    Your shawl looks really pretty and I want to see the model pictures.

  20. Way to go David! I’ve been wondering when we’d see another project after that great scarf made for Anne.

    I envy your lovely weather–it’s 25 and SNOWING in Chicagoland. I hope you don’t have any travel issues. The TNNA show sounds like great fun and very inspirational. Looking forward to the photo shoot and some more warm weather photos.

    Safe travels!

  21. Enjoy that beautiful landscape and weather… we are going to get bombarded back east tonight! I just cast on for the Inky Dinky Jacket! and am sooooooo excited to get started. I chose Dream in Color Smooshy yarn. I know most everyone has a system that works for them when knitting lace… but how do you find it easiest to keep your place on lace patterns? Do you use highlighter tape? a magnetic board? I haven’t found my comfort zone yet.

  22. I’m going to show the pictures to my 11 year old son who really wants to learn to knit like his 8 year old sister, but is worried it’s a ‘girl’ thing! Thank you for sharing a lovely post.

  23. I think you should move out here, too!! 🙂 Love those shots of David knitting – he’s got it down, and that’s going to be a much-loved scarf, I can tell. I had a blast on Friday – why don’t we do that more often? 😉

  24. Just love your blog and thought I would share some info with you! The cool little wispy shell thing in your hand is actually a form of algae— coralline algae to be precise. While not technically a coral, they are still pretty amazing. A similar species is a crustose form is what made the lavender pattern on the rock in the other pic… I lived in Oregon and coastal AK for a long time, sure miss those sights! Thanks, as always, for sharing!

  25. Ah, the weather looks lovely! We are having a mixed sunny /patches of fog day kind of day. And cold, as usual.

    The photos are great, can’t wait to see more of your weekend at TNNA. Go David!

  26. What a wonderful trip. It looks blissful so glad you had a wonderful time. Just lovely to see such wonderful photos and happy people. thank you for sharing

  27. Wow – what a lovely post. All the beauty of the water, the tide pools, the whatsit and all of the knitting.
    I feel warm and fuzzy despite the 18 degree temp and snow outside.
    Thanks!

  28. Oh to be out there now as we await another blizzard! So much fun–knitting, friends and lovely sunshine! Can’t wait to see more pictures.

  29. Oh man, I am so jealous! What a beautiful couple of days, eh? We will all be soaking up your vicarious sunshine to tide us over through all this stormy weather out east.

  30. how might one obtain the details/pattern for the shawl that rosemary is wearing? so nice.

    and i would love to have a man in my life who enjoys knitting!

    be safe coming come….we are storming on this side of the country.

  31. I always enjoy your posts from Kim’s; it’s a vicarious vacation for the rest of us. That little treasure of a beach whatsit would translate well into jewelry.

    And I’ll echo others: what are those wonderful scarves you and Rosemary are wearing? I need to be wearing them, too!

  32. I always enjoy your posts from Kim’s; it’s a vicarious vacation for the rest of us. That little treasure of a beach whatsit would translate well into jewelry.

    And I’ll echo others: what are those wonderful scarves you and Rosemary are wearing? I need to be wearing them, too! (Discovered the answer to one shawl on her blog; but what’s yours?)

  33. I love sweet grapefruit…I’m going to have to chop up some lemons and limes when I get home and make something citrusy.

    TNNA looks super cool as always, and David – well, any man that can build *and* knit is just the guy to have around in case of the zombie apocalypse 🙂

  34. Sitting here with 8″ of snow and bitter cold temperatures, it was a delight to read through the posts and enjoy the pictures. Love those pictures of David! All my best to Kim!

  35. Would moving to warmer climate dampen your interest in knitting in wool? Of course if you move to the Bay Area you would need wool for those damp 40 degree (F) days.

  36. boy i’ll say. that is the life!! you all look like you’re having the best time! and the LOVe is FABULOUS
    have a blast and we’ll see you in frigid NYC next week.

  37. You have motivated me to go to Pt Loma and spend the day on Sunday! The picture of you sitting and knitting by the light house is just wonderful. Knitterly best wishes to David as he continues on his wrap!

Comments are closed.