Thai one on

Hello,
It's late Sunday night in San Diego, I'm ok and the weather was lovely all day.   I'm listening to Ottmar Liebert play "Summer of Joy" on Sky.

I enjoyed a Buddhist study meeting this afternoon. This is the material we discussed if you are interested.  http://sgi-usa.org/studyandpubs/study/2010_intro_exam_study_guide/index.php

I finished some beautiful socks, dark green with cream and multi color work, but I can't show them until I give them, as the recipient reads this blog.

This evening we went to Amarin Thai again.  Wow, are they great cooks!  We had the Tom Kha soup (creamy and flavorful), the beef salad (wonderful rare beef), chicken satay (moist and tender), Mambo Mambo Chicken curry with rice (wow! best flavor curry ever, my fav), beef pad thai (Dare loves this, but I like more egg and other adornments), garlic pepper shrimp (crunchy and garlic-ey, on a bed of sauteed shredded cabbage, more garlic than you can imagine, Dan's fav).  There was plenty left over for Dare's lunch tomorrow.  Next time maybe we'll try the tiger beef.

For a little quickie place in a Mira Mesa strip mall, the food is amazing.  The servers are nice girls, helpful and and attentive.  Good attitudes all around.  Prices excellent for the level of quality of the food.  I'd go again in a heartbeat. They play this interesting modern Bassa Nova music, very sexy sound.  Like this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ASIN/B000JJS4GE?tag=riaaradar-20 

'Way cool.

Lilo is meowing at me.  She wants to go to bed.  Ok, Lilo.  I'm coming soon.

'Night all,
Julie

Hot tamale!

Hello, Everyone,

Well, it's hot tonight.  I feel fine, just hot.   It's a little after midnight, Wednesday morning actually, and the temp is over 80 in my house.  Humid, which is uncommon for us in San Diego.  Sticky.   Summer is finally here in force.  The pink "naked lady" lilies are blooming in the yard.  A big bunch of them on the dining room table are making the house smell good.

I had Vietnamese spring rolls for dinner at my friend Nhien's house.  I went there for a Buddhist meeting, but she asked me to join them for dinner first.   Wow!  Her home-made dipping sauce is way so much better than what they serve in restaurants!!!   I never knew what it was really supposed to taste like before!!!  Awesomne!   Hers is full of little super hot peppers and generally super yummy. 

 I'm listening to Sahbeesation, which I have not done in years.  Very interesting. . 

Boy, did I have a big benefit today.  Last week Heather and I took Nate swimming.  She was putting sun screen on my back and she noticed a couple of colorful spots and remarked that it would be wise to show them to a dermatologist.  I thought, "With no health insurance, how am I going to pay for that?"  So I'm chanting under my breath and thinking about this, but no answer was obvious.  We stopped at Sammy's for Pizza, and there, sitting in the parking lot was a "doc in an RV" from Aveena, with a dermatologist inside doing one exam after another.  Community service from Aveena.   I signed up and got the next to last appointment.  He did not like a spot on my shoulder. He thought it looked like another basal cell carcinoma, as in cancer.  And close to the other one I had removed in January which is not good if that means it spread from one spot to another.. The words  "spread" and "cancer" do not belong in the same sentence.   So on Monday I called Dr K and asked for an appointment.  He squeezed me in today before his normal start of day to do a quick biopsy. . (Wasn't that nice of him?)   He did not agree that the spot was anything much, certainly not cancer, nothing to worry about and did not do any biopsy.  No cancer!  Then he did not charge me for the visit.. (Now that was really nice of him!!!)  Thank you, Dr. K, you rock.    Dan took me to Bread and Cie to celebrate, best coffee and pastry in town. (See: http://breadandciecatering.com/default.aspx ) Dan really is a big sweetheart.  He rocks, too, you know. 

I finished a pair of socks.  For my size 14 big foot nephew. 

These are "cheaters" as the tops that show when worn are plain black, while the feet are brightly colored.  The colorway is the German flag.   Into the Christmas drawer, with you!

Last night I came up with a new way to do juzu beads.  I crocheted them.  Interesting.

More flexible than strung ones, nice to use.  I hope they last.

And now one in progress so you can see how it's done.

. 
Neat, huh?

Lilo and I are trying our best to keep cool.  She's sprawled on the floor in front of the fan.   You keep cool, too, ok?  I can't believe we were complaining about the cool, foogy summer we had  ... bring it back, please!

Ta-ta,
Julie

Dare's socks

Hello Everyone,
It's late. Warm, foggy summer Sunday night in San Diego.  I'm listening to an Argentine radio station that plays gaucho music.  Country western to the Argentines.   I slept earlier and then got up, so I guess my sleep is in 2 pieces today, LOL.  I'm ok, just a little stiff after tripping and falling flat on my face Saturday night.  Thank heavens I did not break anything, or otherwise seriously injure myself.  I stepped on a piece of paper, that slid on the carpet and  slipped out from under me.  Careful, paper is slippery and loose papers on the floor are dangerous.  

I finished Dare's belated birthday slipper socks, but then we did not end up having dinner together in the evening after all.  Oh Well, I'm sure we will get together soon.  BTW, for you sock knitters...  The trick to "no-holes" at the corners of the short row heels is to pick up 2 stitches  at each corner when done with the short-row heel and resuming rounds.  One is in the bottom of the gap between the two needles, and the other is on the side of the fabric held by the left hand needle.  It almost looks like an extra row on that side, so pick up a stitch in it.  I hope I am explaining that clearly.  Then the extra stitches are decreased like mini gussets.  I also increase a couple stitches on each side of the heel in the last row before the  heel starts.   This makes the heel deeper and it fits Dare better.  I do not do it for everyone.  The extra stitches are also decreased in the mini-gussets. 

Lilo is happy, I shared my roast chicken with her at dinner.  She opened one eye to say "Hi" to all her fans and then went back to her nap. She lost hr collar again, sigh.  Have to get her yet another one. 

Good night,
Julie

Mockingbirds singing in the night

Hello,
It's a mellow, cool night after a bright and sunny Sunday in San Diego.  Now I'm at home knitting and  listening to Seal 4.   I'm feeling a bit better, the head cold is almost totally gone.   Tomorrow I hope be be 100%.  Heavenly...

The mocking birds are singing in the night, really belting it out.  It sounds like a vocal contest of some kind.  Interesting.   One is on the house next to me and the other is across the street.  They sing a series of sounds over and over, copy each other, then switch to a new tune and do a new series, and keep the sequence up for a long time.

I had dinner at Pho Cadao.  Nothing like a big hot bowl of soup for my cold.  I love the "tendon" part.  I must have been Vietnamese in a past life.  I really love Vietnamese food.  For an appetizer we had the beef spring rolls, yum.  Pho Cadao does a good job with the soup and the wait staff is nice.  Freshly squeezed OJ for my cold, too.  Then wash it all down with some Jasmine tea.  Yum.

Dan had the flame grilled chicken, it was good, too.  They pound out a chicken breast, marinate it and then grill it over charcoal. 

I talked on the phone to Nate.  We'll see him next weekend, if all goes as planned.   Happy little guy.  Talks so fast I can't understand a word, LOL.  Love is another word for grandchildren.

I'm knitting on a pair of socks for Heather in magenta and a white lace Fichu.  I trade off so that the size 2 sock needles are not so hard on my hands.

The Lace panel starts on top of the foot, then swings back at the ankle to go up each side. Eye of partridge heel flap.   German heart heel with the heart in light pink.     These will be thigh high by the time they are done, with a ruffle at the top and a fancy ribbon garter with beaded ends to draw them up tight at the top.  Should be very pretty.  Coming along nicely.

The yarn was knit once before so the texture looks a bit rough right now.  The size was too big the first time.  The pattern called for 5's and did not specify a gauge!  So, now I'm doing them over on size 2 needles.  Well, now they're the right size and the rough texture caused by the kinked yarn will smooth out the first time I wash them and block them out.   Since the size is unusual, I might have to make a custom sock blocker from a wire coat hanger.  We'll see when the time comes.  Notice the markers to keep me straight on the lace panels.  It's the only way I can both get it right and keep my speed up.

Lilo came by to be admired a bit and then headed out to gopher hunt.  This morning she and Dan found the gopher she "misplaced" in the living room yesterday.  She ate all but the head and then Dan threw the head outside.  Thank you, Dan. Better him than me!  At least we do not have any stinky "missing  gopher" mysteries to deal with! 

Goodnight,
Julie

gold medal socks

Hello,

It's a cool February evening, with a rainstorm expected later tonight.  I threw my back out, so I'm barely moving.  It hurts some.  It made me sleepy earlier, so I slept then, and now I'm awake at 3 am.  Oh, well.

I've been watching the Olympics and I have been knitting my way through.  I finished another pair of socks for my father-in-law, size 11 shoe, so normal size.  (The "big foots" are on the other side of the family.)


He is celebrating finally coming home from the rehab place today, all better, thank you very much.  To celebrate I knit him a pair of nice, soft socks on size 2 needles, Berroco Comfort DK.  I love using that stuff for socks, so soft.  Balbriggan heel, my new fav heel.  I just cast on for a new pair of toe ups and I'm trying to make a matching Balbriggan toe by using the same concept for the toe.  I'll let you know how they turn out.  Cast on 5, pick up the underside of the cast on, increase 4 EOR (one each side and 2 in the middle).  It should make a short, blunt toe.

Last weekend I attended some Buddhist meetings, commemorating Women's Month.   At one the the meetings the women featured an article by Kaneko Ijkeda that was in the World Tribune a few weeks ago, Jan 15.  It is really great.  I keep reading it again and finding more "meat" in it.  I tried to post it here, but experienced technical difficulties.  Oh, well.

Lilo sez good night. me too.
Julie

• Location: at home in San Diego
  
• Mood: sore
• Music:Andre Rieu, Live at Albert hall

No cancer! Hat was right on

No cancer! Hat was right on

• Feb. 17th, 2010 at 1:02 AM

Hi,
I went to see the Derm and have the stitches removed.  The labs are clean.  Cancer all gone!  Happy dance! He said it is not the kind to come back.  I knit a blue watch cap for my doctor.  A little something for his convertible.  Must have been the right thing to do, as he loved it.  I do not have health insurance and he gave me the  "student rate",  telling me I surely must be a student of something.  Good Doc!

I finished my German socks.  Notice the toe.  Lately when I do toe up, which is most of my socks, I increase one stitch each "corner" too much, go an inch even, then decrease to the desired size and carry on down the foot.  This makes a little extra wiggle room in the toe.  I like them that way, but they look a bit funny off the foot.  You can't tell by looking on the foot.



The tops are shorter than usual as these are for me and that's how I like 'em.  Upside down Balbriggan heel.  First tiem for me and I'd do it again.  No turning, justa bunch of decreases.  Directions in Nancy Bush's Folk Socks.  There's a funny story there.  Some years ago, when I got that book I was avidly reading it as soon as I got it out of the Amazon box.  My Daughter came in a said,  "Well, Mother,  it's about time you are reading something again.  Since you got all sock crazy, all you want to do anymore is knit socks."  I held the book up so that she could read the title.  "Oh, no, not a book about knitting socks.  You're too much."  I laughed. 

Nathan was here for the weekend.  We had a great time.  We went with Dare to Pat and Oscar's.  All Nate's favorite stuff, bread sticks, pizza, pasta, salad, BBQ chicken and lots of  extra parm on top.  Very Nathan.



Six year old heaven.  The adults had a good time too.  Different kind of Valentine's Day.

I'm listening to Jazz 88.3, Herbie's latest release, way cool.  Current tune is originally from Nirvana, I kid you not.  I'll have to put the CD on my wish list.

So it's off to bed with me, Lilo sez Goodnight!,
Julie

• Location: at home in San Diego
• Mood: tired
• Music:Jazz, Herbie covering Nirvana

Coming back, Happy New Year

Hello, Happy New Year!

Sorry I've been away so long.  The holidays were a busy time for me.  I'm a Buddhist who was raised Christian.  Dan's what I lovingly call a BU-Jew.  Relatives of every possible combination.   So we just celebrate ALL  the holidays.  Even Hindu New Year with an Indian  friend, Kesh, some years.  Now that I think of it, not since his wife passed away.  Now that's sad.  This year I'll have to make a point to look him up.

Result of all this holiday foolishness?  About a hundred hand knit gifts.  And a bout with bronchitis that did not help.  But I'm back now. 

This year I'm pruning the gift list and starting earlier.  I already have 6 put away in the "magic drawer".  Sigh, I say this every year.   I never learn, do I?

Last night I finished a fun pair of slippers from yarn I got from my garage-sale-loving friend, Nhien.  The ball band of one of the balls was dated 1961. Great, intense colors.   These are very purple, darkly luminous psychadelic purple, even though they photographed more blue.  The pattern is from the same era as the yarn, very retro.



I also recently (since New Years)  finished a keyhole scarf with a ruffled edge.



And a pair of bright orange socks in a small women's size, with fufu  yarn along the top edge to trim the cuff.  In my mind, I have my friends classified by the size of their feet, LOL.  There are several who might fit these small socks.  Hmmm, I wonder who likes orange, I mean really likes 'em really orange. And has small feet.



And a Sutra case for an English language Sutra.  I like the floral lining.  The outside looks like Mexican tooled leather, but it's a suede-like fabric.



And another Sutra case sized for a Japanese language Sutra, much smaller.  This one has a piece of Guatamalan fabric from my friend Kim's mother (who is Guatamalan) in it.  The lining is the same pink and black floral that wraps around to the front flap: outside shot.



and inside shot. This one has an added extra inside pocket.  My Nam Myoho Renge Kyo card for scale.   I only had the one small piece of the great Guatamalan fabric, so I had to build up from there.



I have been reading Poetry in Stitches by Solveig Hisdal and now put colors together I never would have before, like rust and pink. The olde time fiber artists from Norway had a very different color aesthetic.   I'm beginning to like it.    I hope they would approve.

Tonight it was pouring cats and dogs, (winter in San Diego) so we decided we needed comfort food.  We're both getting over colds.  We went to the Souplantation in Point Loma.  Hot soup and salad and muffins, perfect for a cold rainy night... 

Keep warm and dry, where ever you are.

Lilo, busy reading the mail, looks up to say goodnight!



Ta Ta,
Julie

• Location:home
• Mood: full
• Music:Gardens of the world

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

• Location:home
• Mood: happy
• Music:Carlos Santana, Supernatural

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

• Mood: tired
• Music:Jerry Lee Lewis, Live

finished objects

Hello!    Happy Mothers' Day tomorrow morning!

It's warm and breezy.

I heard a lecture by Mr. Kasahara today.  Wow!  He was great.  I feel very fortunate to have attended.

I finished the beautiful red Tango Shawlette for my mother-in-law, who loves to go a-tangoing.  She and my father-in-law are great dancers.  (I have 2 left feet.) They have been going once a week to tango and they love it.
So I made this great red lace shawlette with gold beads in the edging for her to use for dancing.  I'm going to give it to her tomorrow morning at brunch.  Here it is modeled by that tangoing kitty, Lilo.  (As she runs back and forth on the bed with the shawl draped around her, very tango-esque.)

     

And by me.


Closeup.  Can you tell I'm pleased with how it turned out?



I also finished a pair of socks today.  Lots of work for short socks.  The half-wool, half-bamboo yarn is very fine and the gauge was 9 st/in.  I'm used to more casual socks at maybe 6 or 7 st/in, so this was very fine for me.   I'm not sure I would use that yarn again.  Here they are modeled again by the ever-obliging Lilo.



Tata and have a lovely Mothers' Day!

Julie

• Location:home
• Mood:accomplished
• Music:Nestor Torres: Dances, Prayers, and Meditations