Happy Birthday Grandma Clara!

Today was Grandma Clara's 86th birthday. She received birthday cards and phone calls from friends and her two younger sisters, who live in Oklahoma, earlier this month. We celebrated with a family outing today to Friday Market in Palmer.





There were many interesting crafts and artwork for sale, along with perennials, herb plants and fresh produce. In fact, we came home with some beautiful yellow squash to saute' with scallions and serve with fresh salmon for dinner tomorrow.



After the Friday Market, we headed to Evangelo's in Wasilla for a late lunch/early dinner. We came home and there was a message on the phone from two of Grandma Clara's nieces in Oklahoma singing "Happy Birthday" to her. I think it tickled her pink that they remembered. We let dinner settle for a while and then continued the celebration with (from scratch thank you very much!) Chocolate Truffle Cake and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and opened presents.





She had specifically asked for a new clock to set on top of her television as her last mantle clock (that the man and I got her for Christmas when we were very first married) bit the dust several weeks ago. I found this one at a local craft co-op and knew it was right up her alley!



She also is very specific about the types of jammies she likes to wear and I was lucky enough to find 2 new pairs of the exact brand, style, and size in cheerful colors she will enjoy...and they were ON SALE! Whoot! There was also a craft bag with a zillion pockets, that was a JoAnn's find, and we filled it with candy, craft magazines and other supplies for the greeting cards she creates. DD gave her a nifty new jigsaw puzzle with hidden pictures in the puzzle. Grandma Clara always has a puzzle going on a card table in the living room and this one should be an entertaining challenge. She also gave her a wonderful honeydew scented candle. Grandma Clara keeps a couple of those candle warmers going in her room all the time and this will be a nice new fragrance change. Thoughtful girl, DD also picked out a nice pot of bicolor mums for a cheerful accent! All told, the outing, gifties and (from scratch people!) cake and ice cream were a hit. I think the little Grandma Clara enjoyed her birthday, and we enjoyed helping her celebrate it! Happy Birthday sweetie...we love you!

The Enemy of Good...is Better

The Montego Bay Scarf is fini! As you can see, I embellished it somewhat after finishing. The embellishments are inexpensive circles of seashell dyed in colors complementing the "Mahogany" colorway.



"Montego Bay", by Amy R. Singer, Interweave Knits Summer 2007.
Handmaiden SeaSilk: Mahogany Colorway-1 skein
Started 7/14/07...completed 7/22/07 (just worked on it a few hours here and there in the evenings mostly!)

The pattern was a total no-brainer....honest, if you meant to start the row with the K4 instead of K3 or vice versa....it doesn't show up....no one cares....sure..if you want to get all nit-picky you can lay the laciness out and follow the YOs until "aha" there's an error...but who'd do something like that? This is a fabulously wonderful summery accessory in that wonderful drapey soft easy to work with Handmaiden Sea Silk. Needles: Started out with Brittany Birches in size 8, but ended up using antique yellow plastic (celluloid?) needles of unknown origin....the tips are long and slender and pointy like Bryspuns and they ended up working better with the "drag" of the fiber. Now I know why I collect old needles...you just never know when you'll find the perfect match! Anyway...I think I'll be using the SeaSilk again. It just feels wonderful.




The scarf blocked out to 83"x 8 1/2". A gorgeous accessory and the colorway will go with all sorts of browns, burgundies, wines, rusts, and deep golds. I'm loving it.....and....I'm keeping it!

I need some WEEKEND please!

Yes, there is knitting content...not much granted...but some.
On the baby front it still seems to be raining babies. July is ALWAYS a busy month, maybe it has something to do with advent of winter, first snow making folks feel all snuggly cozy like...whatever. Was the "Midwife du Jour" at hospital Tuesday day (I usually don't work day shifts on purpose but that's the way the schedule came out). Seven...seven deliveries in 12 hours..stayed over another hour and a half to finish the paperwork. Talk about roller skates. It just felt like I was finishing in one room and being called to the next. "Hello, nice to meet you, Lisa W at your cervix"....sheesh! Full clinic yesterday with 2 new admits to the treatment program so another super busy day. I'm supposed to be inducing one of my moms who is now 41 and a half weeks but all the labor beds are full...we'll check back at noon...and then reschedule to tomorrow if she doesn't kick in on her own. She's had 2 days of misoprostil ripening so we'll see...I'm not a big fan of pitocin inductions without ripening...just increases the c/section rate...unless you've already had a section...then there are other ways to get things going...honest...you really don't want to know.

We've had beautiful sunny skies and 70+ degrees the past few days. The garden is in full bloom. I've never really chronicled the bloom progression so this is my garden diary as well as knitting diary these days.
First lily bloomed yesterday. The orange ones. There are lots of other colors interspersed throughout the garden, everything from yellow to ivory to magenta to wine to bicolor stargazers. We'll have lilies through September.



I couldn't remember when the Eidelweiss was supposed to bloom. Glad to see it back...always makes me think of that song from "The Sound of Music". I love how the silvery tones provide contrast in the front borders and seem to really accent the white of the Shasta Daisies and white Columbine.



And one of my personal favorites is in great shape. I love Delphiniums. It's always a crap shoot as to whether the rains will make them too top heavy and snap their fragile stalks before they fully bloom. I have every shade of blue to purple planted in a 6ft by 3ft swathe outside the dining room window to enjoy from the inside as well.



See, knitting content as promised! The Sea Silk scarf is coming along nicely, even if I don't have much time to work on it. Such a great marriage of fiber and pattern in my opinion. The drape is incredible! Can't wait to get it finished and blocked. This will be a great gift scarf!



And here's just the cutest picture of DD's BFF and her mini, Danny, cooling off during the HeatWave on Tuesday.



Lastly, here's DD and friend from Barrel Racing last night. Hey Benne, Freckles wants to know if Belle likes to ride too!



Hopefully a Finished Object next post. Til then, have a great knitterly day.

Sorting Hat Says....

The sorting hat says that I belong in Ravenclaw!

<

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose intelligence is surest."

Ravenclaw students tend to be clever, witty, intelligent, and knowledgeable.
Notable residents include Cho Chang and Padma Patil (objects of Harry and Ron's affections), and Luna Lovegood (daughter of The Quibbler magazine's editor).

Take the most scientific Harry Potter
Quiz ever created.

Get Sorted Now!

Oooooohhhh...

Yarn: Handmaiden SeaSilk (70% silk, 30% Seacell)....color: Mahogany
Pattern: Montego Bay Scarf by Amy R. Singer, Interweave Knits Summer 2007
"Fishnet Lace", easy peasy! Super soft in the hands, easy to knit on Brittany size 8s.
Started: 7/14/07

Friday the 13th

Not much knitting lately. Not much gardening lately (as you can see by all the weeds in the photos!). Not much of nothing lately except catching babies. And they are just coming in one at a time...a little labor here...a little labor there.......Six in all since Sunday.....Three of them my very own private moms...the others were from on-call. But I am off today (unless my last July momma goes into active labor today...she was due on 7/9....and I'll induce her Monday if she's not delivered by then). But I just don't work on Friday the 13th. Ever. Not in the past 6 years anyway. I'm not superstitious or anything really, but shared a really awful experience with another midwife on a Friday the 13th several years way back and I just don't tempt the fates that way. So it's great to sit here at keyboard, drink some tea, kick back in my jammies on this cool and rainy Friday morning, and try to figure out something clever, newsy, or mundanely intelligent to write about. Let's go to the garden to contemplate this. (And just to rub in the Alaskan-ess of the pics...these were all taken 7/12/07 at approx 11pm...except the barrel racing photos...those were at 9:30pm :))



Received a wedding invite the other day. From a sweet younger cousin....who moved to Alaska about 5 years ago...about 3 hours away from me on the road system. Do you think I've seen or heard from this woman in the past 5 years? One several day visit after a fight with the boyfriend (not the same guy she's marrying), one voice message on the phone, one Christmas card. 5 years. I'm the closest relly for 3000 miles! The wedding will be on a Riverboat in Laughlin, Nevada. I'm debating whether or not to go. It would be a fun little trip and there are direct flights to LostWages from here and Laughlin is only about an hour away from there. And it would be good to see her mom (one of my childhood fav aunties) and most of the other motley crew of rellies that would show up. But...the small petty part of me says "why bother". She did attend my wedding some 18 years ago...she was just a gangly teen of 14 then and came with her parents.....I should go really...it's such an internal conflict sometimes when dealing with family who think you no longer exist when you leave the fold....yet even though they're pretty wacko...I still long for that sense of family we all had when I was a kid...advice from the peanut gallery is welcome! Sometimes the answers come from just taking a different perspective on things.



The Bobble-Less Show Off Skirt is now 14" long....10" of dropped stitch lace and the rest just twisted rib on 100+ fewer stitches so I'm hoping it speeds up now. Only about 15" left to go or so. Love the drape of the fabric it's making. Still photographs like a pile of brown string so far so no pics today. Here, enjoy a pansy instead.



Work news...I'll be leaving my treatment program position behind within the next couple of months and transfering over to the Women's Health Clinic within the Primary Care Center. It will be a nice change of pace to be "off" at the end of a clinic or hospital scheduled shift. Two 8 hr clinic days a week...one 12 hr hospital day shift...one 12 hr hospital night shift each week. And I'll get to focus on an interesting research project with one of my fav OBs too. After 7 years of essentially 24/7 call it was time for a change...especially now that the grrrrrrrrllll is so active with horse competitions and all.

Speaking of the girl. See my Girl. See her Go. Go Girl Go! GO GO GO!




Yeehaw! My lil' champion. She's such a tough little redneck goat-roper!

The man is planning another 3 week sojourn soon. I'll be taking 2-3 weeks off during that time too as I transition between positions. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get that skirt finished up by then. Let's enjoy just a few more of the Maltese Crosses from the garden to kill time.


As always, you can click on the pics for supersized details!

Awright awright...but that's all I've got folks....knitting content, and maybe some yarn porn next week...till then as always, have a great knitterly week!

TGIF

DD and one of her boys in the local small town 4th of July parade. A little rainy, but good times nonetheless!



Heading towards the finish line on the KPS wrap cardi...just a half sleeve and some i-cord ties, a good blocking and then we're done! So am I now turning to finish the oldest UFO? naaaahh...it's still hanging out in the living room just like it was a week ago. But I did...ahem...begin another new project. Yes that's right...the startitis virus has lingered. But it wasn't really my fault. See, I was cruisin around blogland all innocent like and happened to stumble on the Wry Punster's June 23rd blog entry....(pssst...here's the website...i can't make my links work right lately and I'm not in the mood to figure it out!...http://wrypunster.typepad.com/my_weblog/) so anyways...check out the entry. Yep. It's a skirt. A SKIRT....A KNITTED SKIRT? On anyone older than 30, some folks would think it was just obscene, a big waste of time..etc..etc..etc. However. I DO have the pattern in the book Knit Style. AND it looks SO much better on Wry Punster's blog than it does in the book. AND I happened to have some Silk City Spagetti (100% mercerized cotton ribbon...very thin..dk wt...in crocodile if you ask) purchased as a big assed cone of yarn...(DH said...wow..that looks like a weapon or something...that's a LOT of yarn)....over 2lbs.....from the beloved Elann.com in June 05. Anyways....the pattern is called the SHOW OFF and has an edging of BOBBLE LACE. Bobbles...heh? Well, I said to myself as I sat in the truck for 2 hours waiting for the parade, something new to try.(DH ALWAYS likes to go early to get a good spot...and you know they close the parade road off an hour before it starts.....whatever...a nice latte', good yarn and pattern, I'm good to go for a couple hours) The pattern also had a couple of new techniques I've never tried, like....long-tailed cast-on.....now how fun is that to cast-on 343 stitches with? kind of fun I must say! Nice pretty, sturdy edging. I like it! Then the Bobble Lace pattern...first bobbles aren't until row 5 so I cruised along until then (cruise is relative....343 stitches per row and all). On row 5 I got ALL excited....and made my first, second, third and fourth bobbles. Then I re-evaluated. Bobbles suck. Seriously. ....you are turning back and forth on 5 stinkin little stitches.....and then it just looks like a little....well...like a little turd hanging there. (Might be due to the brown yarn..but anyway)....and each one of them took like 10 minutes to do....hmmmm....approx 40something bobbles per bobble row times 8 bobble rows times ten minutes each.....you do the math. Needless to say, I didn't want to spend the next two years of knitting time knitting turd bobbles. So I DECIDED to keep going with the "lace" and just omit all the bobbles. If I need something there for "oomph" or weight to make the skirt bottom flip all sexy like, I can sew some pretty beads at each bobbly interval right? So now, it's just almost comfort knitting! Oh sure there are twisty stitches and all, but I really love the way the string is knitting up and the fabric it's making (pre dropping stitches to create the lacy goodness of course) and I am supremely confident that this will be a wardrobe staple when complete. No pics yet folks....it just photographs like a boring brown blob (minus the little bobble turds) right now...but soon...sooon! Seriously....go look at Elspeths (Wry Punster)! You'll see why I was inspired. I'm at hospital all weekend so will catch up with you on Monday! Have a great knitterly week!

Really, I DO Knit!

See....something NEW!


I'm supposed to be finishing a project for the KOW (Knitting Olympic Warmups)...but I have until really next weekend to do it (17 days and all) ....and like Cate said..it should really only take a couple of hours...so in typical fashion, I've ignored the LUNA for Juna..oh well...2 more repeats and she's done...and in typical fashion started something totally new. It's mashed potatoes for cryin' out loud! I needed comfort knitting, easy cozy gentle semi-mindless comfort knitting. And yes, I must confess, it was a semi-impulse, semi-self-indulgent, post-all-night L&D purchase...knowing full well I'd be up the rest of the day for DDs horse show (..in which she blue-ribboned several events, including jumping...people don't get it that she's an amazing young horsewoman who is as comfortable in hunter jumper as she is at barrel racing) After signing paperwork and figuring out which horses she'd be running, I headed to Fantastic Fibers, my favorite LYS in "The Valley", and my closest LYS come to think of it. Knowing I only had 30 minutes or so to find something...and it was only about 55 degrees, cool, overcast....i grabbed up the KPS Neck-Down Wrap Cardigan #263 pattern (about halfway down the page in this link) and several skeins of Cascade Quatro in Kauai. My KPOptions were in the truck and I quickly had gauge on sz 8s. The picture above shows where I am a week and a half later. I love the fit and the feel of the fabric. I changed over to shorter Addi sz 8s for the sleeve at first, then switched to sz 8 Clover Doublepoints.
Do you see the difference in gauge... (AS USUAL....CLICK ON PHOTO FOR SUPER LARGE DETAILS)

luckily I wasn't too far into it before I caught it. Just goes to show you, gauge changes between types of needles.... I'll move up to sz 9 doublepoints and see how that goes tomorrow.

For those of you wondering how we are getting along on our almost 24hrs of daylight.....
Here's the ubiquitous garden update photo....July 2, 2007, 10:45pm...yes..pm. We love our summer midnight sun...oh yeah!


And this picture is for you Joan! Here's my mountain in the summer...you can barely see the top through the low cloud. Yep, July 2, 2007, 10:45pm.

WOW...whadda week...

In some very very good ways. Lots of very very good ways in fact. But there will be changes and new challenges on the work front over the next several months. Let me just share some of the pics the man brought back from his early June trip to Nuiqsut. Truly...this is how I feel right now.



The blanket is made from several sealskins or walrus skins stitched together. Several people encircle and hold the blanket, stretching it taut in unison to the call or chant of a leader.



Jumpers prepare themselves.....



and try to go as high as they can......this custom is said to have originated as a method for spotting prey far away across the sea ice..........it's now used mostly as entertainment and in celebrations for luck or success in the subsistence whale hunts...



the object of the jumper is to continue jumping higher and higher as long as you can without losing your balance. When you do, it's someone else's turn.

Remember..excitement and fear have the exact same chemical response in your body......

Garden Update 6-24-07

Ya see what almost 24 hours of daylight and a week of 70 degree temps does for a garden up here!

The Mountain Bluet (centaurea montana) will need to be divided this year...it's taking over! The Columbineis blooming in various colorways and dancing like fairy blossoms above most everything else...Shasta Daisies are just starting to bloom...as are the Foget-Me-Nots and Shooting Stars....

Bets, this one makes me think of you. It's the first Maltese Cross of the season.


It's cooler and rainy today (thank goodness) and the man is finally home again...(I honestly don't know how single parents maintain their sanity!) .....I'll have some neat pics from the village to share later this week....I'm going to work on some knitting now......

Hey! You...Get Offa My Yarn! (to the Rolling Stones tune.......) Tucker..you bad dog!


ADDENDUM:

I had to cut my season's first batch of rhubarb from the backyard patch. A neighbor gave me 2 plants about 3 years ago and they've multiplied so much. I love these colors...hey..Jayne...howzabout "Fresh Rhubarb" colorway...in a worsted....hmmmmmm......i'm thinking special order....hmmmmm....like i need more yarn! And there's still lots and lots more that hasn't ripened yet.....



And in case you're wondering exactly how much rhubarb this is....here's the hand for perspective....Rhubarb-Raspberry Pie anyone?

Oldest UFO-Knitting Olymics Warmup

My oldest UFO has a good story attached to it...which may be why it still sits as a UFO...I might lose the "meaningfulness" of the piece. This UFO was my first attempt at cables (which I love)...it was also my first attempt at knitting with a "cotton" yarn (i.e...not nice soft stretchy wool)...and my first attempt at seaming.......and the subject of my very first post/question in a knitting chatsite (Elann about 3 years ago!



You may notice and admire the sweet little cable detailing at the V-neck, sleeve edges, and "mudflap" bottom edge...so stylish n'est ce pas?


This pattern from FCEK, Nov 04, in "Sausalito" by Plymouth was so easy-peasy, yet trying to seam with the Sausalito sucked like a big monkey!



The seams looked very "homemade", not even, not nice or flat or anything. (It may have had SOMETHING to do with the experience level at the time) anyway...I posted a cry for help on the chatsite and received lots and lots of good information. Shoot, that sweet lil Bets suggested dragging out the sewing machine and stitching it up that way! Which, by the way, I thought was anathema to a knitted garment. So naive.

But first I had to "unstitch" all the seams I'd started with. In doing so.....i must have started unraveling a ball-change end instead of a "seaming length" end......because........

THIS HAPPENED......(ARRRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!)


And at the time, I didn't have the skill set (Kitchener/grafting) to make it better. So I popped the whole darn thing into a plastic container, extra balls of yarn and all. And there it sat under my desk....for the past 3 years or so........Until Miss Libby..coughcough...otherwise known as Miss SausageFingers these days, came up with the KO warmups idea...so now I have officially 17 days to finish this bad boy. And since I still really like it....and I'm back down to the size I was when I started knitting it....I'm thinking it's very very doable and will be a nice little wearable top this fall! Thanks for the nudge SausageFingers! My goal is to be finished with this by next weekend! Happy knitting :)

5...count em'...5....in less than 12 hours!

It's been a wicked busy week back in babyland....had clinic Monday afternoon and a group Monday evening...clinic and admin time Tuesday & Wednesday...taught my Nursing class at the University (got guest speakers to come in from the methodone clinic...love guest speakers...makes my job a piece of cake...but need to prepare their first exam for next week now!) then clocked in at noon one day for a big poobah meeting and ended up not clocking out until after 10:30 the following morning.. (yep...count em up...that would be 22 1/2 straight hours!) and yes...everyone... midwives and doctors and nurses have to punch in and out where we work...but i digress...

Hospital was an EXTREMELY busy overnight last go round.....had lots and lots of labor check walk-ins (no labor for you..go home!)...two transports in from outlying villages...and FIVE...count them FIVE laboring moms who all delivered. And NOT ONE of them had an epidural...even the two first time moms! They were outstanding...brave, strong, beautiful young women! So proud of them I was...especially the teenager! She was scared to death but she really toughed it out! And afterwards, they were so proud of themselves...so filled with that sense of "womanpower" that ..."ohmygodicantbelieveijustdidthisandnowmybaby'shere" sort of grand madness and wonder that can happen with birth...in all circumstances..it's really all about having a good and satisfactory birth experience for YOU..I'm all for pain management, meds, epidurals, cesarean..whatever it takes to have a healthy mom/baby/family... ... but non-epiduralized first time moms, especially tend to get the midwife mojo going......

My night was spent walking, rubbing, breathing, dancing, moving bellies around, coaching, cajoling, soothing, charting, breathing, walking, flipping moms back and forth like pancakes, breathing, coaching, scolding baby daddies, breathing, dancing, charting......I think I finally had a cup of coffee and an instant noodle soup at 5am....needless to say..

5 babies..3 of them between 6:30a and 7:30a.......all healthy moms and babies.....i get such a rush from what i do. it makes me smile when i write this.

After leaving hospital, I had to go back to clinic for a bit for a pre-JCAHO walk through inspection and a going away brunch for our overnight tech who retired after 11 years of the 11p-7a shift! I'll miss Myra......I could always count on her to call me in the middle of the night if my residential moms or babies needed anything! .......She's moving to rural Louisiana to stay with her daughter......it's going to be a culture shock for everyone involved I think....Good Luck Myra...Watch out for the alligators!

Upon arrival home, I realized I left my knitting bag.....and my current reading material (The Hummingbird's Daughter) in the hospital breakroom. I didn't touch either of them all night and totally spaced it after being so busy. Oh well....I "think" there might be plenty more yarn and needles etc here at home.

The man is off on another sojourn...this time a documentary for Greek TV on the impact of oil development on the indigenous people of Alaska. He's all over the state...starting in Barrow and now in Nuiqusut. They will be filming in several more communities over the next couple of weeks. And he ran off again with MY CAMERA. I had planned to get him one of his own for father's day this weekend, but since he won't be home...i think I'll just get it and keep it for my very own self :)

Hoping to catch up on some zzzzzsss over the weekend.....and none of my "private" patients are due for at least 3 weeks so hopefully will get a bit of gardening and knitting done ...oh yeah...and laundry and housecleaning......before Monday rolls around again.

Here's the garden update...pics taken on 6/10 when I ret'd from SF! Can you see how much it's grown since 6/2?
The man enjoying the sun June 10.


The creeping phlox is beginning to bloom.


The Lady's Mantle wasn't even up when I left....


Bleeding Hearts...there are no words...i enjoy them so...


Take care; and have a great, knitterly weekend! And to those taking time off....aaahhh...bliss..enjoy yourselves!

San Francisco Trip: Part 2

So......where was I? Oh yes, yes, the trip! I forgot to mention that before heading off to the Fishereman's Wharf area for "Irish Coffee".....we ate a lovely lunch at a place called "Metropol". Metropol is a great little sandwich/soup/salad place that makes beautiful and tasty food! I had a salad of roasted beets, pears, and blue cheese. Deeeeeelicious :)

The next day was Day 1 of my conference, but I was able to squeak out a teensy bit early and meet up with Marie and the Divine Miss M! Marie is as sweet, kind and funny as they come.......and Miss M.....well, what can you say about the world's cutest 2 year old? I think I will rename her to "Miss Chattybritches". Her favorite word was "No" (of course!). After Marie oohed and aaahhed over the previous day's Artfibers purchases and the KPO needles.....we headed off....BACK to ARTFIBERS to enable yet another unsuspecting knitster...hehehehehehehe! Marie was so excited! She flitted from silk to silk, cones to swatches, back and forth....oh yeah...she was definately like a kid in a candy store! So cute to watch. Miss M and I hung out and played the "colors game" (by which she was able to name all the colors of all the yarn in the store). We then carefully emptied and refilled the wicker baskets with bags of scarf kits and bags of swatch patches (and didn't those swatch patches just cry to come home with me for a yummy cozy afghan!) Miss M really liked the "big dolls"..i.e. mannequins! Especially the "big flying doll" hanging from the ceiling wearing the knitted 2 piece bathing suit! Miss M is my new buddy! (And so of course is her mom) I wish we could have hung around longer, but schedules had to be maintained!



Next stop, Theater 39 at Pier 39 for a delightful production of MENOPAUSE, THE MUSICAL, a hilarious and totally "right on target" look at the good/bad/and ugly side of womankind! Barbara, Bonnie (a CNM colleague of mine) and I laughed SO hard we nearly wet our pants! At the end, we all ended up on stage in the chorus line! Too much fun.



We then ate dinner at a place rated as having "The Best Clam Chowder on the Pier"......hmmmm....per Barbara...it was "not bad"! Riding home, Bonnie and I played "guess the pathology" on the strange parade of obviously ill or injured individuals getting on the public transport system. It was a Twilight Zone moment or two there for sure! It was also interesting (for me) to see how very many publicly homeless individuals there were curling up for the night in the doorways and on the seating benches in front of the buildings. What a frightening way of life.



Barbara did some personal shopping (I heard through another source that she returned to Artfibers...yet again...yes..that would be visit #3 for her) while I was in conference Friday...then we at dinner at a wonderful restaurant called THE E&O TRADING COMPANY which was just absolutely amazingly wonderful food! We had a broad selection of their appetizers. My favorite was the Portabello Mushroom satay. Definately a recipe I will try to recreate here at home! Yum!

On Saturday, my conference ended at noon....and Barbara & I had maps in hand to tour the other TWO yarny destinations of San Francisco proper. First stop....ATELIER in the lower Pacific Heights neighborhood. It was a lovely shop, made even more appealling by the friendly service and local color. While we were there a very lovely, very elderly italian couple came in to exchange yarn the woman had purchased a few days earlier. She spoke very little English and her ?husband explained that she needed a heavier weight yarn...but not cotton....to make a dress for their first great-great granddaughter! They were so dressed up and so cute.....you could just imagine them in their Pacific Heights home overlooking the bay...playing Tony Bennett songs and reminiscing about their Beach Blanket Bingo days.....(OK...I read too much and watched too much old TV...but allow me my license please...) Anyway, both Barbara and I ended up purchasing lovely shawl pins there...mine in abalone...hers...pewter intertwined gingko leaves! Quite lovely....but not the "different selection" of yarns that would necessitate fiber investment! Then off to coffee and further map recon!

We learned quickly that the busline right in front of the coffeeshop would zip us straight down the road to the Castro District to IMAGIKNITS....last yarnstore on our list! Now....i dunno about Barbara...but I wasn't expecting to be impressed....I mean...after all...it wasn't Artfibers...right? But the walk through the colorful neighborhood with colorful homes and shops with colorful names.....and fabulously colorful (and very attractive) locals...was great fun....and we quickly and easily found ImagiKnits.



It was far...far...far...more exciting and wonderful than I'd expected. Truly! The friendly, helpful, knowledgable owner said that she'd worked very hard to have something for everyone...and it showed! OH MY GOD! It was YARN OVERLOAD!!!!!! The staff was easily identified by their black ImagiKnits aprons....and they were all SOOOO helful and so much fun!



I came home with just a bit of Malabrigo 50/50 merino wool/silk in a (6 bags only) one of a kind colorway that totally appealled to my "elitist" streak. I don't remember what Barbara got.....I was totally wrapped up in my own private yarny heaven! If I lived in SF....I think I'd be hanging out a lot in ImagiKnits :)



But then it was time to head back to the hotel as Barbara had a plane to catch. We rode an "antique" cable car back to Union Square and said our "au revoirs"!



I headed back to the hotel room. I was POOPED! I did have a date to meetup with the fabulously talented and elegant RACHEL to hear THE WHORESHOES and THE DEVIL MAKES THREE at THE GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL.....and I honestly waffled for about an hour as to whether or not I should bail and give this old girl's bod a rest.....but then I said to myself..."Self...you don't go out to play like this very often...and you can sleep when you get home....Now put yer big girl panties on and get OUT and play!"...So I did! I took a cab as advised by the hotel staff as the GAMH is in a part of town known as The Tenderloin....and conveniently located right next door to a live sex show performed by "the most beautiful girls in San Francisco"...I dunno...I didn't go in to check it out. Upon arrival at the GAMH, I tried to call Rachel but just got her cellphone voicemail. Due to the music level pouring out on the street, I figured she couldn't hear her phone, so I wrapped my SUNRAY a little bit more firmly for courage (akin to "girding my loins") and purchased my ticket, got my wrist stamped....and headed to the bar for a little more liquid form of courage. The adorable barkeep poured me a stout in large heavy glass and I proceeded to survey the territory for a familiar face! Hey, there she was up in the balcony! And she looked EXACTLY like her photos in her blog. I headed up to the balcony tables and introduced myself! GULP! Now...I have to say...that Rachel is as glamorous and beautiful and friendly and witty and articulate and and and and....as she is in her blog...absolutely what you see is what you get with her...no sense of duplicity or other weirdness....she quickly offered me up a chair, and began to introduce me around to her sister and other friends. As I was shaking hands with one person, she then says..."and you already know my friend Kira"....and I turned to find...KIRA from Artfibers....who I'd obviously spent quite a bit of time with recently! She said "I knew from how Rachel described you...knitblogger, midwife, Alaska...that it would be you coming tonight"! HOW FUN! I must say that these folks made me feel right at home! And the MUSIC! Holy Cow! I was totally wonderfully delightedly TWANGED by the time I left (well past midnight). The concert was OUTSTANDING! I danced and clapped my hands so much they were numb. Almost good ole hoedown music....but with a more tongue in cheek approach! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....a good time was had by all! At one point though....when looking down over the balcony and trying to figure out why there was so much smoke puffing up through the air.....and seeing some big ole fatties flaring up and being passed around......I had a momentary time warp....(ooohmygodi'mamomandagrownupprofessionalwomanforgodssakewhatamidoinghere)....but I was having such a good time that I quickly got over myself! And I got to meet the Whoreshoes in person and shake hands with them and talk a bit with the talented and tangy Lala (banjo picker extraordinaire!) It was a perfect cap to an already EXCELLENT trip. I'm so glad I went! Rachel, Lala, Kira, Rachel2, Jodi....you are awesome! mmmmmwwwwwaaaahhh! And hey, if you didn't check out Rachel's blog...GO THERE....and see the beautiful stole she knit and wore to the concert! She's just so GLAMOROUS!! And Fun! Thanks so much for the great time ladies!



(Me & the World Famous Rachel!)

The next (or should I say later that same) morning....was an EARLY check in at the airport....and another uneventful plane ride (for those that know me...nope...didn't get sick at all...coming OR going...which is a small miracle in and of itself...maybe i've outgrown it? ) back home to a SURPRISE....CLEAN HOUSE....and happy cheerful family welcoming me home! Like I said...It was Great to GO....and now it's Great to be Home........and I'm already planning my next trip in October! Look out Virginia :)