Another S'mores hat

Hello,
Today was cool and sunny and breezy.  I finally feel well.  Dan was in LA so I had a quiet girl's day out, chatting with my friend Flore.  Now it is evening and Dan is napping, so I still have the house to myself.  Nice. 

I also am finishing up a second hat from the last of the S'mores yarn.  I am experimenting with a stretchy bind off from Knitty.com.   It's called Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off, http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall09/FEATjssbo.php.  Ha-ha, funny how that copied from Knitty.  Anyway, the bound off edge is teal blue to bring out the light blue in the colorway.  And it is indeed very stretchy.  I might use it in the future for toe-up sock tops.

My daughter told me she is going on a cruise.  I'm so happy for her!  Sounds like so much fun.  Cruises are so cheap right now, it almost saves money to go.  Best of all, I'll watch Nate for her.  I'm just a besotted Gramma.

From Daisaku Ikeda: "Remember that "The voice does the Buddha's work."   Let's chant resounding daimoku, give a courageous and impassioned "lion's roar" and engage in dialogue that strikes a chord in the hearts of others.   Let's win with voices that resonate with such warmth and confidence."

and...Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda for Sunday, February 7, 2010.  "Your environment does not matter.  Everything starts with you. You must forge yourself through your own efforts.  I urge each of you to create something, start something and make a success of something.  That is the essence of human existence, the challenge of youth. Herein lies a wonderful way of life always aiming for the future."

Lilo is sleepy and she sez: G'night, All.  G'night, Lilo.
Julie

• Location:home in San Diego
• Mood: hopeful
• Music:Tchaikovsky piano concerto

Nate's Birthday sweater

Hi,
It's a cold breezy overcast day in San Diego.  The weatherman is predicting rain.  So I'm staying in and drinking lots of tea.  Also a slice of the yummy turtle pie I made (chocolate turtle jello pudding, oreo pie shell and a big heap of whipped cream on top).  Did I tell you what my daughter Amber said about whipped cream?  Since it is mostly air, it's fewer calories to put a blob of whipped cream on top of your coffee than it is to add milk to it.  She wants to write a diet book about food label reading called "Eat more whipped cream".   Since I have always been a fan of whipped cream (Schlag, Bitte! ) this is right up my alley.  I fear she is basing her calculations on a small blob of whipped cream, which is not how I squirt it on!  Oh, well... I don't use small amounts of milk either, so maybe it still applies. 

Here is the sweater I was working on in the Guild meeting, finished at last!

Size 7 circular needles, the black is Lion Brand Baby soft and the blue is Mexican wave  (long discontinued). About 4 st/in.   I had made myself a wimple from the Mexican Wave, but I was no longer wearing it. So ripped it and balled up the Mexican Wave to use for something else.  When I needed a second color for this stripey design, I pulled it out and tried it.  I love the effect of the gradually changing colors.  I so wish they had not discontinued Mexican Wave.  Nathan's birthday party is Saturday, so none too soon!



Does anyone know of another kid-friendly (i.e. washable) soft sport weight yarn with a long color change?

I stuffed Dan's newest warm and tweedy watch cap into the neck so you can see the line of the neck.  It's so hard to photograph black knitting.  So you get a 2-fer photo.  I make him lots of warm hats.  What can I say, bald men are sexy!

Today I received a recent encouragement from Daisaku Ikeda in an e-mail from my friend Julia.

February 5, 2010 
--TO MY FRIENDS--
The busier we are, the
 more we should begin with prayer.
Let's stop spinning our wheels
 and getting nowhere.
It's also crucial to get sleep.
Every day, let's take wise leadership!

I like this, less wheel spinning and more sleep!  I'm still fighting off the tail of the recent bronchitis relapse, so I really get the sleep part right now. 

I had wanted to attend the festive opening of the "Ghandi, King, Ikeda" exhibit at SDSU in the Library Addition, 1st floor, and Donor Hall, 1st floor, Love Library, but given my health constraints, I will see it sometime later this weekend. Check it out at http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsuniverse/news.aspx?s=71845  Someone said this is Aztec Center, but I am not so familiar with SDSU, so I will have to check it out when I get there.  State has surely grown over the years.

Lilo is outside chasing the cold wind gusts and being a cat of great winter mystery.  So, without any Lilo, bye for now.
Julie

• Location:home in San Diego
• Mood: mellow
• Music:none, listening to Dan Chant