happy birthday to me

1. Temple Lanterns, 2. Happy Birthday To Me, 3. lanterns, 4. Img_0876, 5. Buon compleanno a me!!!, 6. color+color, red and yellow, 7. Many lanterns, 8. guinea dots, 9. Sky Lanterns Festival in Pingsi, 2007/3/3 pm 18:19:51

Ours is a house of pestilence. Even this birthday week. Boo. Though I wish I might be 25, or still look 25, I'm not, but it is the date! For my birthday I got a gocco printer and I am excited, only very blurry with the flu and all the directions being in Japanese. Know any good gocco sites? Do share.

Color Surprise

There you are, knitting happily away, imagining you're the most clever girl ever. Those colors, simply brilliant, truly gifted you allow yourself to think. You open a book, why there they are! Serendipity!

Still working away, days later. A quick glance at your socks. Oh dear. Hmmmm. why there they are again....only they've been there all the time......

and that disappointment was before all the undoing!

A Little Song For YOU

I can't resist this song. I found it by way of the always delightful Mama Urchin. Who can resist knitted puppets as hosts? And those of you who knew Miss Mink back in the day will surely understand the relevance of the song!

I wish a happy day to the grand ones!
and A Happy Valentine's Day for all,
may you enjoy lots of Chocolate
.....it's medicinal you'll recall!

Cassoulet-Off IV

Still in Recovery!
Read Petula's wrap-up here.
The 4 time winner, tells all here.

Oh No!

Oh dear. Don't tell me she's at it again...taking pictures while driving.

I just wanted to show you where some of my color choices come from.

See those oak leaves?

How about how red the twigs are?

Also notice the dark green, nearly black that matches the fir trees.

Agreed the pictures are a little out of focus. What can I say? I was late for work.

The yarn? Jamieson and Smith, 2 ply jumper weight of course...can't have too much of it. And they're having a sale ! Live nearby and need a fix quick, no patience for overseas shipping? Happily Unique One is having a sale too!

Countdown

The weekend...ah the weekend.... it started blissfully like this



But soon, all was moved, shifted and cleared to make way for this

Which is all very well and fine, in fact the result is beautiful smooth walls. And we all worked together harmoniously....for the most part. I'll admit there was some muttering and growling about "chaos" (who me?)...just because our only real indoor party of the year



is Saturday, and I had imagined a weekend of leisurely cleaning and organizing.....!....prepping and planning. With maybe... a little knitting.

So,if you're in the neighborhood, please join us beans or no beans, furniture or no furniture!

The Olive Plan

What started out as a Valentine for my beloved, has progressed to something bigger and better for the whole beloved world. Miss Em-En from I Like Lemons, has created the best project of the new year using my knitted olive pattern. In her words:

I intend to knit at least one olive every week this year. Why olives? Well, olive trees/branches/fruit symbolize peace, prosperity and love ("olive you"). By the end of the year I should have a jar full goodness. Ok, ok. So I also need to use up some yarn, but with each olive I knit I'll be reminded of the things I wish for myself and the people I care about.
..and..
I think some black olives will be knit to represent naughty and mischievous wishes. The giant olives will be for the most important and biggest wishes.

What a wonderful, thought provoking idea. Visit her blog to see the giant olive she's developed and the chubby jar she intends to collect the peace olives in; there are even more olives on her flickr page, where she reveals:

While knitting the black one this week, I was trying to think of a particular person, but ended up craving olive and mushroom pizza instead.

If I can find the right shade of reddish-purple yarn, I might try to make some kalamatas too. :)

Oh happy day! I love it when things like this happen. For me, there is no greater gift, than the validation of one's own work by someone who has given it wings, to take off in a new direction. Oh happy blogesphere!

Winter White Sunday

It has been a lovely week of winter white, taking pictures and looking at everyone else's. Thanks for being a great hostess Shari.

Winter White Saturday

Glorious Saturday. Home Sweet Home.

Winter White Friday

pretty pretty bowls, by one of my oldest dearest friends Kristin, you must visit her studio and see her lovely wares. When she's not making treasured objects she's paddling the world, all the way around Labrador once, with close encounters with polar bears, fast swimmers, those bears.





I have been tagged or rather nominated by the ever creative Gudrun, of Shetland Trader. Gudrun, daughter of a knitting designer, is a talented inventive knitwear designer herself. Her work and blog never fail to inspire me. Thank You, Tak så Myket, Mérci!
The rules are as follows:
Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times."
Petula
KriKri
Megan
Amber
Jenny
Alison
Santos
Shula
Julia
Jen

Too hard to choose, but here are ten of my first-reads, still favorites and happily friends and new friends! there are so many others, it'll be a miracle if I've gotten the links right as it is.

Winter White Thursday

The winter white of a yarn shop dear to my heart.
Unique One, Camden, Maine.
Been there 30 years, at least.
Sweet curvy building, once a plumbing or hardware store, the peg-board is still on the walls.
Nicest yarn ladies ever.
Ever.
No really.
Loads of Shetland wool too.
Visit, I'll join you.
Beth, the owner has a knitting cruise on a schooner in the summer, and offers knitting weekends in March. I'm teaching a tam-design class this winter.








Some little birdies told me the Interweave Knits Spring Preview is up. I am delighted with the picture of my Peasant Blouse. I'm always a little fearful of the first look...but no worries this time. My inspiration was the traditional peasant blouse which required little cutting and no waste of precious cloth. The excellent book Cut My Cote by Dorothy K. Burnham includes a great example, as well as other traditional garments in which a key element of design, is the width of the loom used to weave the cloth.

And "hello" to all the Winter White visitors, thanks for visiting!

PS:The Interweave link is broken now...if any one knows how to find it again, please tell!