WOW! I WON SOMETHING!!!

I am very touched to have had my blog nominated by someone who has such a fabulous blog with the most beautiful patterns, she really is the accessorie Queen. (She would have been the first on my list). Please be sure to check out her blog Smariek I promise you won't be disappointed.

I would like to nominate the following blogs:

stitchesofviolet - She is a master knitter who generously shares the results of her tests swatches that she has purchased and gives an informed opinion of that yarn's performance. Her designs are elegant and the quality of her knitting is superb. Isn't it wonderful when someone cares enough to give you the benefit of their experience. She also has delightful photos on her blog that I love to see, visiting her blog can make you feel like your on vacation.

riihivilla - Her blog will astound you with her knowledge of plants, she gives details about her dye experiences, its like attending a private class, her blog is bilingual and English is one of the languages she posts in.

gilraensknits The prettiest yarns are matched to the perfect sock pattern (an accomplishment in and of itself) this is what her blog excels in. She also documents her blog with a very clear photo of the yarn prior to the sock being knitted, teasing us with their beauty.

Criminyjickets This guy has a wonderful sense of humor and warmth that flows thru his blog. His knitted projects are quite varied, he is an experienced knitter that isn't afraid to experiment. To top that now this incredible gentleman is spinning!

I had to add 2 other blogs that I find inspiring not only on a craft level, but these bloggers are so supportive fellow bloggers, their comments are so warm and heartfelt and their beautiful photos delight my heart.

woolwindings The photography alone with bring you back over and over again. When I visit her blog I feel like I'm on a treasure hunt, what will she show me next?

Ambermoggie I love her photos of the UK (wish I could be there right now). Her colorful projects, lush photos, the poetry she inserts in the perfect places lets you drift off in your imagination to places of wonder.

Nominees here are the award rules:

1. Please put the award on your blog

2. Add a Link to the person who awarded you.

3. You must nominate at least 4 Fellow bloggers for this award.

4. Add links to the recipients

5. Leave a comment so the recipients know that they have received this award.

Stop & Think Sometimes

My brain should have said this to me!
Mindless knitting - Garter Stitch scarf - so you would think. So I merrily caston while watching a movie and failed to note the number of stitches I had done and believe it or not I still did not notice as I was knitting how wide the scarf was. I was about 3/4 of the way thru when I finally realized it was too wide and would look almost like a shawl, (not a good thing for a guy). So I frogged it and now it is just right. The photo doesn't do this marvelous yarn justice, it is one of Schafer's yarn and was a joy to work with. Its very soft and supple - you would never guess it was wool.

Greenleaf Street in Whittier is chock full of charming details that are comforting to me. Its nice to see that everything has not been homogenized and painted the infamous beige. I will definitely go back for daytime photos of various buildings as I love the little details. This street encourages you to slow down, and look around you. A nice street to walk and shop (see photos below)

I searched the street for the lovely flowers that I usually notice, the heat wave we've been having has tired out most of them, these were still lovely (the protection of the mighty Ficus may have helped some.)

I really enjoy going to the Sweet Shop, their displays show the care the owner has for her shop, just little touches that make a difference (at least to me). Their truffles are so smooth and creamy and they tenderly place them in a box for you with such care.

There were several barrels of candy - all eye catching in there own way, the color contrast between the bright and more pastel shades was surprisingly pleasing don't you think?

I loved the way these candy boxes photographed - reminds me a little of a Warhol.

Ahhh The Sweet Life

Vanilla Marshmallows - food is especially difficult to photograph as my three Standard Poodles can reach almost everything that I can (and sometimes more) - so I firmly shut the bedroom door and photographed them on the bed. They were so soft and squishy - pillows of sweetness.

Kidsilk Haze - the queen of lace yarns, isn't this an incredible color? I found a cowl in a lace pattern and I am working up the courage to delve into it. (I LOVE RED).

Beauty in a bundle - this is Malabrigo's colorway Garnet which is a soft red. Both of the Malabrigo's will be made into cowls, currently I am considering the Crofter's Cowl. - If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

The color on this yarn is a little richer than the photo shows, it was very camera shy and refused to be photographed by my camera. It is Malabrigo's Stonechat (rich reds, greens and browns).

I found a delicious simple recipe for slow roasted tomatoes http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/slow-roasted-tomatoes/ my photos aren't that great, but the taste is sublime, The tomatoes were of the heirloom variety and I used some of my favorite extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany to secure these little gems.

I have always adored still lives (this one is by the Dutch Master Willem Kalf). The painting's rich details draw you in, It is so enticing that it makes you want to reach out and grab the golden pitcher and pour yourself a glass of wine.

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a still life at the coffee house, it is rich in details as the photos below illustrate. This place is so comfortable it feels like a home away from home, where one can linger for hours, either reading quietly to oneself or chatting with a dear friend while knitting on my latest project.

I was comfortably seated in the library section of the coffee house - really cozy.

Orange you glad you checked my blog?

I found a dishcloth that I really liked On Criminy Jickets blog, I liked the pattern so much and the cotton yarn was actually decent to knit with (Ok so it's not cashmere or merino, but not bad to knit with, this cotton is actually pretty comfortable on the hand). I knitted this up with Sugar N Cream's Hot Orange and Sage Green, I am hoping that it washes well.
Do you remember lazy summer days, sitting on a porch and sipping a cold soda from a bottle. Well this was the soda from my childhood (on the rare occaisions that my Mother allowed us to have soda). There is something about drinking soda from a glass bottle, the flavor is crisper, cleaner, the fragrance somehow bolder. Soda's from a plastic bottle just seem to be missing something.

These carrots were very sweet and crunchy, they were very smooth in appearance compared to the carrots in the other stalls. I may end up succombing to the urge to straighten the vendor's produce prior to taking a photo.

Fall is definately on its way and these little mini pumpkins were quite charming, recalling the aroma of pumpkin pies baking in the oven

I spotted this lovely Orange daylily in a parking lot, there were lots of daylillies strewn throughout the lot, yet this one captured my attention.

Orange, Orange everywhere - ok now maybe it wasn't everywhere and maybe I had to be a little more observant than usual to see all these orange possibilities, still it was a pleasant diversion. I'm done with the color theme for now. So here is something beautiful that isn't orange. I spotted this bouquet at Costco and was amazed - it was SO romantic, I was tempted to pick it up, but it was the only one of this quality and I am a hopeful romantic, I could imagine some galant gentleman bringing this to his lady love.

Seeing Red

Red has brought itself to my attention this week, it caught my eye at every turn and brought to my recollection bits of red yarn that were lingering in my stash - too little to make anything of size, but too much to be tossed. I remember that the darling Kody May had several headbands and decided to try my hand at another of her marvelous creations. The first two headbands below are her "Anticonformity" . It's really difficult to take a photo of yourself to capture a decent picture of the headband so please see Kody May's blog for a much better photo . http://kodymayknits.blogspot.com/ (By the way she has the cutest hat patterns - so much talent!)

I also knitted the Maner hair accessory (it's not quite a headband) which also refused to photograph well, but it does look good on and is perfect for the cooler weather. (It's so rewarding to do these little quick knits, almost instant gratification.)

I also so red while walking thru a parking lot in the tree leaves and marveled at the beauty of nature.

I saw red while preparing this delicious Toasted Coconut Coffee. (a gift from Hawaii - what a generous friend)

Red was peeping out from every stall at the Farmers' Market this week In the Dragon Fruit

In the mixed berries

The little boxes of berries reminded of childhood games of tic tac toe.

Don't you think the berry pattern would make for a lovely quilt.

The red bell peppers with their vibrant color drew me to them, who would not love to cook with something so vital.

Finished At Last!

Freedom at last! I have finished knitting the Persephone scarf, it was very time consuming, but rewarding at the same time, a beautiful well written pattern was provided so kindly on Smariek's blog, if you have a moment you will be well rewarded by the variety and beauty of her patterns, her blog is entertaining as well. (what more could you ask for?) http://smariek.blogspot.com/ I don't know how she manages to get such good pictures, but here is my attempt at it. I still have to block it and then it will immediately shipped out to a friend.

I have rewarded myself by baking Cherry Scones this morning and topped them with Devon shire cream and Sour Cherry preserves, alas they were not exciting enough to merit a photo, but they were delicious fresh out of the oven and consumed with much joy!

Here is my attempt at the Waving Lace Socks featured on the cover of my Favorite Sock book. so far the pattern has been quite easy to follow. The yarn is from Lorna's Laces and I am using Size 1 needles. This yarn is becoming my favorite sock yarn as it is very easy to work with, I will have to see how it wears.

I was delighted to discover this yarn at Suzoo's, I had brought along my Favorite Sock book ( I am quite enthralled with it, there are so many patterns I want to try) and found the yarn that matches the Diagonal Cross Rib Socks, it will make a handsome pair of socks in the near future.

I found some wonderful yarns on sale at Suzoo's yesterday. The Nature Spun is a sport weight wool and should make some nice socks for my exceptional niece whom I am sure would appreciate warmer socks for winter. Any pattern suggestions would be appreciated.

I am still day dreaming about this yarn and wondering if they may make a nice pair of mitts or an incredible pair of winter socks, this wool is the softest dk weight washable wool.

Fruitful Saturday

I found quite by accident a new place to try for coffee, it is most conveniently located just down the street from my favorite yarn store and in the same shopping center as my favorite market. The name of this place is Panera Bread http://www.panerabread.com/ , it has the same feeling as a coffee house. On my next visit I plan on claiming one of these comfy chairs and to sit sipping my coffee, the lighting is decent and should lend itself to knitting. There is even covered outdoor seating to escape to if the place gets too noisy or crowded.

There were sooo many things to choose from, I'm not sure what I'll pick for my next visit, here are a couple of goodies that caught my eye.

Hutington Center is a wonderful outdoor shopping mall where you can comfortably stroll past some fun stores in a manicured setting (quite Orange County). There is outdoor dining at several places and it really never gets too cold or too hot to enjoy being here, it is only few miles for the ocean and keeps a temperate climate.

While at the mall I found these lovelies, they will make wonderful toppings for the scones I plan to bake tomorrow morning for breakfast.

I also discovered these books in the bookstore there (see I told you it was a fruitful day) the names alone captured my interest and shall be saved for a cool weather day, for reading at my favorite coffee house (next to the fireplace).

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this book, it is chock full of beautiful photos and if it is anything like the yarnstorm blog, then it will be delightful reading indeed! Well I have to get back to my knitting so that I will have something to share on that front shortly. Tomorrow I shall share photos of the yarn I bought today at Suzoo's as the lighting this afternoon is just too bright for photos.