Wednesday, September 23, 2009

International Day Of Peace at USD

Hi,
I had a great day yesterday at the International Day pf Peace event at USD
Doug and Dan at the SGI exhibit.






Oops, sorry about the flopped photo of me.

It was a lovely, peaceful day and we had a really great time. I wish I had a pic of the white peace dove release (54 of them), but it was over too fast for my laffable camera skills.

After the booth take-down was over we went to the campus cafeteria for a late lunch.  I was surprised at how good the food was, and inexpensive.  A steak plate with a nicely done, cooked to order rare steak and freshly cooked veggies and salad for under $6.  I could have had potatoes, but I declined them.  My memories of college cafeterias from my time in school are not so great, hehe.  You go, USD!

Here is another finished pair of socks for another "bigfoot" in the family, Kevin, size 14 foot. Toe up, 2 on 1 circ, plain vanilla stockinette stitch with 1x1 ribbing at the cuffs.  The yarn is Colinette's Welsh-spun Jitterbug, with a few little additions of Kroy leftovers.  For a Size 14 foot  you need to add a little yarn to make the tops high enough.




Slowly but surely I am filling the "presents" drawer.

Right now I am mostly knitting on the Shaker yarn.  It is just so cool to  knit with yarn actually made by real Shakers!  It is coming out very wooly and warm.

Dan is taking me out to dinner tonight, so I'd better go quick and take him up on his offer!

See ya next time,
Julie



Monday, September 21, 2009

Fall socks

Hello,

Hot today.

Well, I finally went to Border Leather in Chula Vista yesterday.  http://www.borderleather.com/ In case you are wondering about the name, the husband does leather goods and the wife does yarn.  Wow!  Does she have a lot of lovely yarn. Good prices, too.  I bought a skein of black sock yarn to finish off the socks for the big foot brother in law, size 15 shoe, so that the tops can be long, as he prefers.  The standard 100 gram ball doesn't do it for him, more like 150 grams.   I'll have to go back for more yarn later.  I'll post pix when the big foots are finished. 

Speaking of socks, I finished the fall socks for my father-in-law.



I'm sure he'll like them. The legs are in Coin stitch, which is fun to do.  It's not as stretchy as normal ribbing, so the very tops have to be in the usual ribbing.  But I like the effect. Kind of peek-a-boo with the black frame and the variegated peeking thru.

I went to Orange County today to help my daughter with my grandson.  Those two work some impossible hours.  She was working at 4 am and he was working at 5 am, and the grandson needed to meet a school bus at 8 am.  So, gramma and grampa to the rescue.  This was the first day of the school bus, and he was so happy to be taking the bus.  He just loves the bus with the other kids.  Happy, Happy Nathan.  Crazy hours and long drive by the time we got home.

Tomorrow I will be working a booth at the International Day of Peace at USD.  http://www.sandiego.edu/peacestudies/news/events_calendar/  Good cause, but I will be totally pooped when it's over.

Love,
Julie

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Happy New Year!

Hello,
Tonight we went to see my in-law's for Jewish New Year.  It was a lovely dinner.  My little niece was cute as ever and the hit of the party.

I'm knitting on a scarf from some lovely blue and green wool that my sister sent me for my birthday.  She went to Maine this summer for a golf vacation at Poland Springs, www.polandspringresort.com.  While she was in Maine, she went to Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village and visited the Shaker exhibits and gift shop. http://www.shaker.lib.me.us/museum.html  She sent me the wool form the Shakers.  It is very simple two-ply wool, very Shaker-like in its style, full of lanolin on my hands and a little sheepy-smelling.   It's nice to knit is in a simple stitch on plain wooden dowels.  I feel very simple and Shaker-like myself tonight.   I should be singing one of their working songs as I knit.



It's been very hot in California lately.   This is Dan, cooling off in Daphne's, an air-conditioned Greek restaurant, with an iced tea yet.   So, are you too hot to smile, Dude?




These are the plantings in front of the restaurant.  I like the rust and purple grasses with the golden tufts.




My sister got the Smartcar this summer.  It's really fun.



Tata for now, I'm off to knit on my Shaker wool.
Julie