Alcatraz...

I had the best birthday trip to Alcatraz...

Welcome to Alcatraz...

Leaving the dock, we could see Coit Tower and the Trans-America building.

The weather was amazing. It was clear and in upper 60's all day. Amazing weather for February. We had tickets for 11:30 but managed to get on the 11am boat.

Getting ready to dock on the island...

This is the oldest building on the island, it was built in during the Civil War as an outpost.

The views from the entire island were amazing.

Another view of the oldest building...

The weathering on the buildings were so pretty and the light was so soft.

This was the social hall used by the guards and their families.

There was an amazing amount of flowers and trees on the island.

The prisoners used to tend the gardens here.

You could see the Bay Bridge from all over the island.

The light was so beautiful all over the prison.

Alcatraz has one of the oldest light houses on the west coast.

The views of the city were stunning.

Just amazing.

There were gulls and other birds everywhere.

The golden gate.

Of course Roheline made the trip too. That sweater goes everywhere.

Hubbs with the Golden Gate in the background.

After lunch we went down Pier 39 to see the sea lions.

I loved the baby one cuddled up with the mommy. Too cute.

Since the sun was starting to go down, it was time to head away from the wharf and on to see SF Harley for Hubbs and to ImaginKnit for me. I got a skein of Malibrigo sock yarn (pictures and post to follow) for my birthday from ImaginKnit. It was a great trip and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was a great day. Best birthday in a looooong time!

Kings Win!! Kings Win!!!

I mentioned to Hubbs a while back that we should try to see a Sacramento Kings game at home before the Maloofs move the Kings to another city. So Thursday night we got tickets to see the Kings play the Milwaukee Bucks. I've been to see major league baseball but never basketball.

We had pretty decent seats behind the hoop. After seeing the game, I think next time we should try to get tickets from the side. I spent a lot of time trying to see but the back board was in the way.
They had a very nice opening with the national anthem. And during the game they had dancing girls and break dancers.

Of course I wore a hand knit, Roheline. It was the sweater that I knit last year for Stitches West and the sweater I wear most of the time.

Jimmer Frebette, I guess he's a big deal. They had all kinds of shirts that said, "Got Jimmer?" He was a good player and made lots of baskets. The game was really exciting even if I didn't really know what was going on most of the game. I'm pretty sure I asked Hubbs a thousand questions. But the game was fast paced and fun.

In the last period the game was really exciting becuase it was so close. There were lots of fouls and we finally pulled it out in the end for a win. The crowed was going crazy and everyone was on their feet. Right at the buzzer the Bucks shot a 3 pointer which would have tied up the game but it bounced off the rim. Everyone was screaming and hollaring. It was a great game and a very fun way to spend the evening. I defenitaly want to see another one.

KniCroBlo Week, Day 4: Where are they now?

That's a good question, where are they now? I have no idea. Once I give my knits away, I really don't give it a second thought. I have made handmade gifts for my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law every year for the last few years and I don't think I’ve ever seen either of them wearing or using the items that I’ve made them. Ok, that’s not entirely true. My mother-in-law loves an Asian inspired quilted table runner that I made her a few years ago after they went to China. She always has it either on her dinning room table or in her family room on a side table.

But my sister-in-law, I’ve never seen her use anything I’ve made for her. Granted, we’ve never been invited to her house so I don’t know what’s going on there but I’ve knitted her scarves and shawls and never seen her using them. I guess I’m of the school of thought that I got pleasure out of making the item so if she never uses them, that’s on her. The funny thing is that last year I decided not to put so much pressure on myself and fore go the hand made Christmas gifts last year and she’s the only one that pointed out that she didn’t get anything hand made. Weird, I thought she didn’t like getting handmade.

I’ve only made one thing for Hubbs. I knit him a pair of socks over a year ago and have been told that they slide down inside his work boots so he doesn’t like to wear them. This I can understand and I don’t take offense to. Personally I love handmade socks. They fit better and wick away sweat better then any socks I can buy but I get where Hubbs is coming from.

Hand knits for my family is a totally different story. Being that my Grandmother and my mother are avid knitters themselves, they know how much work goes into a hand knit item. My older sister doesn’t knit but she does quilt by hand so she also understands what goes into a handmade item. They love wearing handmade items and my older sister always points out to me when she’s wearing a pair of socks that I’ve made for her. She’s too funny, actually they all are. If they get a compliment on an item that I’ve made, they’re sure to tell the person that I’ve made it for them. But the best compliment I’ve ever received from my grandmother was a couple of years ago, she gave all the other grandkids hand knit sweaters…except me. She told me that I knit better then her (so not true) and that she’s not knitting for me anymore since I out knit her, so I got a pattern and some yarn. Lol Best compliment ever. The woman’s been knitting for something like 50 years and there is no way that I’m a better knitter, faster maybe but not better.

As for the things that I make for myself, some are folded and put away, others are in a pile on my dresser. Right now I’m wearing my Lovely Leaf Lace Scarf. Roheline, My Girl Friday and Buttercream Jacket are the ones in the pile. Honey Cowl is hanging on the coat hook right inside my bedroom door and my sock drawer is full of nothing but hand knit socks. I love my hand knits. I feel odd getting dressed without at least one hand knit item. I love them and I love getting compliments on them. There is no sense of accomplishment that measures up to getting a compliment on a sweater that I made from nothing but a pile of string with two sticks.

KniCroBlo Week, Day One: A Tale of Two Yarns

I think a more accurate title for this post would be A Tale of One Yarn in Two Colors. In August of last year I was looking for a fairly inexpensive yarn to do the Buttercream Jacket from Interweave Knits Summer 2010 Issue. Per my normal way of doing things I researched all my options and decided instead of going to my local yarn shop, that I go to Joann's Fabrics to see if they had anything that was going to fit the bill. Remembering "cheap" and "lots of yardage" were my key words.

So armed with my 40% off coupon and a vague notion of a color I hit the store. I found a couple different options but only Lions Brand Fisherman's Wool meet the criteria. So after going through the 4 or 5 different colors they carried I settled on Heather Brown.

When I got the stuff home, I wound it into center pull cakes. And in winding it to those cakes I realized that this stuff was stiff and scratchy. But I didn't give up on it. I faithfully knitted those enormous cakes into my Buttercream Jacket (more like Coffee with Cream due to the color).

And I loved my Buttercream Jacket...except that it was scratchy. I mean itchy. I mean so itchy that I scratched until I broke blood vessels under my skin. Sooo not good but I wore that jacket anyway. It took months before it broke in enough that I didn't look like I had fleas every time I wore it. Once it broke in I could wear it with a short sleeve shirt and not itch...much.

So in February of this year, I was, once again, looking for some yarn that could get my hands on quickly. This time I was looking for something to make Roheline from Twist Collective Winter 2010. Criteria was the same as before, cheap and plenty of yardage. Again a trip to Joanns was in order. I attempted to avoid the Fisherman's Wool like the plague but I kept being drawn back to it for the Oatmeal colorway. Finally I picked up a skein of the stuff and discovered that unlike the Heather Brown, the Oatmeal was soft (not super soft but decent) and it didn't seem like it would be itchy like the Heather Brown was either. Generally once I have a bad experience with a yarn or find that I just don't like it, I don't give it a second chance. But coming from a place of yes (also a place of being cheap), I decided to give it a second chance.

But this time, I ended up with a very comfortable and easy to wear sweater that I really like. The wool is beautiful and warm. It's only itchy within reason, I mean it is wool after all.

Roheline...

Pattern: Roheline by Suvi Simola

Yarn: Fisherman's Wool By Lion Brand Yarn (2.25 skeins)

Needles: 6 US

Started: 02/02/2011

Finished: 02/16/2011

Mods: Made sleeves 3/4 inches longer then pattern calls for before reattaching to work yoke.

This was a very easy to follow pattern and an easy knit. I really enjoyed it.

I got Roheline done in time for Stitches and let me tell you, this sweater was such a hit. People were grabbing my arm and stopping me as we walked around the market place to ask me about it. It's such a great feeling as a knitter to have your work noticed especially when you're surrounded by other knitters.

I'll get better pictures but here she is the night before I leave...so happy I finished it in time.

The highlight of going to Stitches for me was meet Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting podcast and blog fame. I love her so much, I was so excited. My mom made fun of me saying that it looked like I was meeting George Clooney or something! I was so excited. And she is so sweet.

She asked if I wanted to say something on the podcast and I chickened out and said no. But now I'm totally kicking myself. I should have done it. She was so sweet. Highlight of the show.

I picked up a copy of her Shawl Collard Cowl pattern. I've been coveting it for a long time and was thrilled that I could buy it directly from her. Mom picked up a copy of the Adult Spring Garden Tee pattern. I'm going to have to borrow it from her because I love that one too.

I picked up a single skein (I should have bought more) of The Sanguine Gryphon Little Traveller in Kalmar colorway to knit my Gram a pair of socks for Mothers Day. My sister gave me a sock pattern book for Christmas and Gram had pointed out a couple of patterns that she would like to have made for her...I can take a hint.

The only thing I really wanted to buy was some fancy stitch markers while we were at the market place and I found these pink ones. They're from Miss Purl...very inexpensive and very cute. I was prepared to pay up to $20 for some nice markers but including the adorable bunny box..only $12! A steal. I should have bought more then one set. I might have to go to her Etsy shop and order an additional set.

I had a great time and I can't wait to go again. Actually I have to admit that I'm disappointed in myself. I didn't buy barely anything. I think I was too reserved in my spending...oh well now I have money for next year! lol

We're off to Stitches today! So excited! I did finish my Roheline in time (barely) so I will get pictures of it as soon as I can. Let's just say that I had to take all the buttons off of it and put them back on again. About 75% of them ended up being too low for the button holes. That's never happened to me before and I had to pull them all off and replace them. I guess I shouldn't watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and sew on buttons. I think it turned my brain to mush. But I got it done and just in time too.

We'll be leaving my mom's house in the Napa Valley shortly and hope to be in Santa Clara in time for the Market Place to open this morning. Fingers crossed that it doesn't pour rain today like the forecast has been calling for. Either way, I can't wait! I'm so excited!

Hope your Friday is awesome too!

Finally! The slow boat from Knit Picks arrived!

My replacement size 4 interchangables arrived! I thought they were never going to get here and I was really starting to get antsy. Roheline is almost done and I was really starting to need these needles. I'm working on the yoke for Roheline now and am hoping to have it finished before my mom and I go to Stitches West at the end of this week.

And if I finish Roheline in time for Stitches, I'm going to need to have a project to take with me while I'm at my moms. Even if I don't get to knit at all while I'm gone, not having something to work on in case I have a few minuets stresses me out. But that won't be a problem now since I'll have Larch with me.

I'm pretty excited about getting to go to Stitches this year. This is the third year in a row that my mom and I have tried to go. Two years ago we had plans to go but ended up not going because I was broke and my mom really had to get out to a yarn shop in Grass Valley because they had ordered some yarn for my grandmother and my mom needed to pick it up for her. Last year we had planned to go, bought tickets to the marketplace in advance and we were both really looking forward to it, but then my Great Aunt passed away and we had to leave for Alabama the same week that Stitches was being held so we missed it. I was hoping that I might get to swing into Stitches South when Hubbs and I drove from Atlanta back to California but we just didn't have the time. This is the year for Stitches West. I have the time off from work and unless there's an emergency, we will be there and I can't wait.

Hubbs and I took the day on Saturday and went out to the Sierras. I've been begging for the last few years to go to Bassi Falls. Hubbs has always said that we should go in the spring time when the river is really running but I mentioned show shoeing last week and we decided to try Bassi Falls.

It's about a five mile round trip...uphill going in. I thought I was going to die.

But we made it and the falls are beautiful. Pictures truly don't do it justice.

The water was roaring and the sun was shining, warm enough to not need jackets. I didn't even use a sweatshirt.

The water is so amazing...clear as glass. It cut ripples and swirls in the granite.

I kept searching each pool of water for a large chunk of gold. I only need one...

It looked like something that you'd find created for you at Disney Land, but this was nature at it's finest.

After we explored a bit, I got a chance to work a few stitches on Roheline.

I packed it 2.5 miles in just for the chance that I would get to knit in one of the most beautiful places in the world and it was pretty much all ours. We only saw one other couple all day.

Self portrait by Hubbs.

Thank goodness for self timers on cameras!

It was a great way to spend a Saturday. I still want to go back again in the spring time.