a catch up ~ a giveaway!

once in a while, upon completion of a rather large and time consuming knitting project (this one), i feel a little lost. what to make now? this time it didn't take much thinking or searching...my sister had invited me on a (surprise) trip to alaska, and she would need a new scarf!

  

she loved it and wore it nearly everyday! well, if i were to tell the truth, she didn't have another scarf to wear, hee hee. but she did love it and was happily warm. so i was too.  :)

pattern: kidsilk haze stripe mitered square scarf by nancy kleiber

yarn: one ball of rowan kidsilk haze stripe (colors by kaffe fassett) in the color #201, to make a scarf seventy inches long and ten inches wide

joy: seeing your sister comfortable and cute, priceless

(my hat can be found on ravelry here and favorite cowl here)

soon as we were back home from alaska, my local knitting, quilting shop asked if i'd make some samples for their newly redecorated knitting room...

pattern: modular neck wrap from knit noro accessories book (found here)
yarn: noro silk garden, color # 84
i loved making this, it was like knitting a puzzle, triangle to point, pick up stitches and begin again



then roxanne, the lovely shop owner asked if i'd knit this kit...

the sequins don't show in the photo very well, but there were many of them. it was my first time to knit with
sequins, and with silk lace weight yarn. there was a hand dyed ball of bamboo silk in a heavier weight also. it was all very nice, but oh so slippery! i learned a thing while knitting with this material...

it tangles. oh my gosh, it tangles. as soon as i wound it into a ball on my swift, it dissolved into a silky puddle of knotted thread and sequins. hours later (and maybe a tear or two), i came up with a solution.

using an old spool, i wound the (unwilling) thread sequin mess onto it. i'm sorry to say an old book was harmed with this technique as i couldn't find a piece of wood to accommodate. a nail was hammered into the book, the spool slipped over the nail and happy happy joy joy, it worked. the shawl was then my friend again and completed in no time!

pattern: zephyr's shawl

designed by: lauren scarpo from country yarns in wallingford ct.

kit: version #2

color: tiffany

 here is the shop the samples are in! and also where i teach!

 the newly redone yarn room!

the modular neck wrap is at home here

 and the zephyr's shawl

the noro wall (love)

if you are planning a visit to carpinteria, you might like to make a trip to  roxanne's ~ a wish and a dream

i love this shop!

 this hat was made for matt. matt was here this week from nyc, he came with my daughter, for a visit. his first time to california. my girl said, momma, can we make matt a hat? which, although she knows how to knit, meant, can i make a hat for matt. with pleasure

matt's hat: 

pattern: basic beanies by paton (you will have to register to access the pattern)

wool: local alpaca

and now, a giveaway! i was recently asked by the nyc based ebook publisher, open roads media, if i would
like to review newly released knitting ebooks, yes! the books i chose were, knitting for baby, viva poncho and knitting 24/7

from liz at open road media:

At Open Road Media, we’re working around the movement that increasing numbers of knitters want to be able to read patterns and instructions on their ereaders, tablets, and smartphones—especially those who knit during their commutes or who carry their knitting projects with them, and don’t want to have to use knitting needles to hold their page in a print book while they’re knitting on the go. For those just learning to knit, having knitting ebooks on their gadget of choice helps them use their idle time to learn more about knitting!

i love all three of these new to me books, there is a wide selection of patterns, and there is something for everyone at every skill level. i'm excited to have these books of patterns on my ipad now, i'm imagining only how difficult it will be to choose which to make first. open roads media has generously offered one digital copy of knitting 24/7 to giveaway! if you would like a chance to win, please leave a comment letting me know. random number generator will help choose a name on october 1st. thank you for reading and good luck!

xxx lori

joining with yarn along again here

california love

'oh california i'm coming home

oh make me feel good rock 'n' roll band

i'm your biggest fan

california i'm coming home' ~ joni mitchell

watching and photographing my youngest child (visiting from her home in nyc this week), in the places she knows and loves, made my heart sing and swell. and seeing her introduce her boyfriend to the ocean, trails and town where she grew up was a delight, and a privilege. some of the things they did then...

a first california sunset 

 learning to standup paddleboard

 and learning to surf on the paddleboard!

almost!

 his sensitive instructor   ;)

 i stood on the beach and wished

 for dolphins to come

 and they did (this really happens!)

 poppa chuck showing the kids how it's done

that's my girl

seeing her sit there on her standup board was the same as seeing her....

 twenty years earlier, always my baby

 after surfing, surf dogs

we went to the santa barbara maritime museum

to see a friends lecture, it was about his lost art from the seventies. my girl said she wished she had grown up
then. good times.

 my girls, oldest and youngest, santa barbara harbor

hello!

 another day, another adventure, time to learn to surf!

 getting it!

yay!

 we visited the santa barbara mission

 friar thumper, friar jellybean and friar tubby

 friar jellybean caught friar thumper

 time for a snack at backyard bowls

and when your mum follows you everywhere with a camera, you might get annoyed or you may decide to
have a little fun...

  make lips!

  got it!   ;)

 we went to the pier

 and ate lobster tacos

hannah rose and matt. youth and enthusiasm, kindness and consideration. he intercepted the check one night at dinner, she brought home groceries. he cooked for us, they gave me flowers. they got a new tattoo, a souvenir of home. thank you for allowing us to share your beautiful space, we loved every moment, california loves you too, come home again soon. xxx momma.