Tiptoe thru the Tulips

I have some sock knitting mojo going on lately which is really fun for me.

I really challenging myself with sock patterns by Cookie A this year. They are so well written and beautiful when knit up. She is also a featured designer with SKA this month so I'm challenging myself with another one so I'll have to scour my resources.

Meanwhile I finished her Tulips socks which is really nice pattern. Cookie A must have close to 100 sock patterns and each one I complete, that's my favorite. It is just a way to keep going. I can't just stop at one...

The yarn that came with the pattern is a pretty lilac/lavender color but as many people noted there is no nylon in this yarn (100% wool) so durability is a concern. So I will save that for another project and used another club yarn for the Tulips.

The yarn is Enchanted Knoll Farm in Genmaicha. It relates to the green tea (matcha) sugar cookies that was featured that particular month. Lately, we've been obsessed with a green tea salt we had at Gen, a fantastic Korean BBQ restaurant. It really gives grilled meat a great flavor so we hunted down the green tea powder and add it to some sea salt. Luckily, we live in a community where major Asian companies are located so we have lots of Asian markets/restaurants.

My socks look like green tea but much more vibrant, almost electric. :)

Such a pretty green.

Great design.

This was a fun knit and definitely will knit again but so many more Cookies to knit. :)

San Gabriel mountains

I posted this way back in November, and today I got some film back from that time. Note: that is a definite drawback to film. Also this is using the Minolta Hi-matic that was discovered in my MIL' s things when she passed. It is very nice to open that envelope  and see what is inside!

I do enjoy the rangefinder but I have fallen in love with the Canon A-1 (to be posted later). The Hi-matic is limited in what it can do plus the battery drainage is another issue. The pictures here are okay for the most part and I scanned what I liked the best.



There's this nice dreamy quality to my first pic and the Los Angeles haze/smog also helps. :) I just noticed that there is a couple of dust flecks in the far left middle. I'll have to see if that's something I can clean off.



Here the light is totally different and I'm slightly off on the scan.

I really love the blue sky.



radio towers

Pretty amazing for a 40 year old camera. I'm more amazed that the photos are level. When I shoot digital, I'm usually tilted in one direction or another that I have to correct. :)

Hoist the Cup

Here is a better photo of my knitted Stanley Cup next to the miniature replica Cup. :) Pretty good rendition, if I do say so myself.


I'm working on more NHL playoff type knits so stay tuned for future posts.

Today I'm busy cooking up enough to feed us for the week since playoff start tonight and I have to have my priorities straight. Feeding the kids needs to be quick and simple so making BBQ pork and chile verde should do the trick.

That Time of Year again

I ramble enough about hockey on this blog and finally playoffs begin on Tuesday.

I'm not on the cutting edge of anything so I discover a knitted Stanley Cup pattern on Ravelry almost a year after the Kings won the Stanley Cup. Hmmm, I rummaged in my massive yarn closet and found some aran weight gray wool that I recycled from a wool sweater I got at a thrift shop. Yep, lots of 100% wool (man sweater XL) for only $8. Woot!

Anyway, the pattern was straightforward and simple plus I was on a mission to finish it. I managed this in a few hours before the last regular season home game, knit on it while in the car to the game and after the game blocked it to this shape. Much better with blocking because it was sort of blobby and curled up. The bowl at the top turned out nicely with a plastic acorn shaping that. The middle portion has a toilet roll tube with some polyfill for extra support and the bottom is shaped over a upside down candle (enclosed in metal holder).
Ha, I got that candle for our  wedding almost 16 years ago and now I get to use it. :)

I have to pat myself on the back for this item because I love it (almost as much as my light the lamp goal light). :) And I really really love that goal light.

I'll post better pics of this later since the above was taken while still damp and blocking. It measures about 7 inches tall and 3 inches wide. If the Kings make it to the finals this year I'm bringing this with me to the games. I can easily stuff this into my bag and it weighs nothing at all.

More playoff knits later....

Because It's The Cup

The shortened regular hockey season ends tomorrow and playoffs begin. That familiar gnawing in my stomach is coming back. I do have to say that the lockout didn't affect the season all that much. It just heightened the knowledge that each win/loss could be a major factor.

The Kings are in so they just have to play like last year and see how far they can get. The other teams are just as hungry so it won't be easy at all.






Here is an interesting comparison of why hockey players are tough with baseball examples.

Just the other night, one of the Kings players Jeff Carter had a couple teeth knocked out and didn't miss a shift. That's toughness. :)

Day at Bowers Museum

Angee

Angee Socks: complete!

Lorna Laces Shepherd sock in Poppy.