Baker's Dozen in Ensenada

First of all, this blog is not dead. How about we say it was on summer vacation? Not that life has slowed down, but we can hope for more frequent posts.
We were invited to spend the weekend in Ensenada, sharing a house in Las Gaviotas with some friends. There were 13 of us, so our group was dubbed the "Baker's Dozen".
We got to the house early Friday afternoon, Dan and I immediately claimed a bedroom on the 2nd floor with an ocean view. While waiting for everyone to arrive, we enjoyed the sunset from the 3rd floor patio:
We enjoyed dinner in Puerto Nuevo (lobster, of course) and on Saturday visited wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe. Having visited Napa and Sonoma, I was really surprised at how low-key everything was. The first place we visited, Tres Mujeres, we all barely fit into the small cellar that stores the wines. The bottles didn't even have labels, but if you bought a bottle the lady there signed it for you.
Our next stop was Monte Xanic, which we arrived at after several miles of bumpy dirt road. This winery has lots of potential, plenty of land and a shaded picnic area next to a small lake. We bought wines here, Grenache and Chenin Blanc. They make some very nice Cabernet Sauvignon as well.
Next we hit Next we hit L.A. Cetto, a place I've decided to call the V. Sattui of the Valle de Guadalupe. This place was busy, and just like V. Sattui you can buy snacks to go with the wine and enjoy it right outside in their picnic area. We didn't stay very long as we had one more stop to make right around the corner, a cute little place called Dona Lupe that sells all kinds of jams and honey. After that, it was back to our rental house for a great steak dinner. It was a wonderful weekend, thank you Rafa for putting it together!

What a day!

Today was such a whirlwind that even when I think back on it I still get tired! Now that the memo's officially out, I'm happy to report here that I now have a job as a Youth Services Librarian! There was a Personnel "glitch" that delayed the announcement, but now that word's out it seems that everything is happening at once.

First of all, I was amazed at the amount of congratulatory emails I received. It's nice to know that people remember who I am!

Then, I met with my new boss. Things are a bit crazy right now, the location I'll be working at just closed for painting and recarpeting. The scheduled reopening date is in early June, and I do hope that will be the case, because I've booked Sparkles the Clown as my first Summer Reading Program Performer on June 18.
My poor boss, she's having a problem with her foot and can't move well, so hopefully she'll be able to use this down time to get better.
So, I spent most of the morning trying to book SRP events. I was mildly successful and hope to have everything done by next week. Speaking of next week, I start training this coming Tuesday. That means my last day at my current location is Monday. I think I'm going to need moving boxes...

Hopefully another fine weekend

Wow, nearly a month since my last post! I'm sorry I've neglected my blog, but sometimes there's just way too much stuff going on. This semester is the hardest one I've had yet. The material is great though, and I like both of my professors. I do need to get caught up on the readings, which hopefully will happen as soon as I submit my context paper.
I've been knitting though, nearly every night (which would account for the reading to pile up). A FO to share:

Easy Ripple Baby Blanket
Yarn: Joann Sensations Rainbow Classic

Some people call this color "clown barf", but while I was knitting it I was reminded of snow-cones. That's why I'm calling this Vivian's Raspado Baby Blanket. My niece Vivian is expected to make her debut in a couple of months, but the baby shower is tomorrow. We're driving up to Oxnard for it, and then we have dinner reservations at
Cafe Firenze in Moorpark! For those of you who've never watched Top Chef, the chef at this restaurant very nearly made it into the finals this past season. The food looks amazing, I can't wait.

A fine weekend!

Some people like to head out of town when there's a long weekend. I do too, but sometimes you just want to stay at home and veg. That's what we did this weekend, sorta. We're not fuddy-duddies, you know.

On Friday night we celebrated our friend Em's birthday. She wanted to go to Min Sok Chon, site of my husband's birthday bash last September. Because of the rain, everyone was running late, so hubby and I killed time at O'Brien's, which was nice because it was Alesmith night. I finally got a chance to sample My Bloody Valentine (perfect for the holiday), plus they also had Speedway Stout on tap. As an added bonus, they also had Alaskan Smoked Porter on tap, which I'd been hearing great things about. Definitely smoky, and the owner's wife has made some cheese with it. Too bad we weren't heading home any time soon, or I would have definitely bought some.
Dinner was fun, I've become a fan of yogurt soju. Sounds gross, but tastes good. I had almost a whole carafe to myself.
Wouldn't you know, after dinner we ended up back at O'Brien's! Unfortunately they had sold out of the beer cheese. I had another pint of My Bloody Valentine and tried a mead called Viking Blod. Not my thing.

Saturday we slept in, then I went out to get some stuff for the special Valentine's Day dinner we planned. We don't go out for Valentine's Day, as far as I'm concerned it's one of the worst times to go out to dinner. So, we do it ourselves. We decided on surf and turf, shrimp scampi and ribeye steak, plus Chocolate Stout Cake for dessert.

We made a yummy Bordelaise sauce with mushrooms for the steak. The cake looks awful, but it tasted amazing.

I spent most of Sunday doing homework. I'm actually ahead of schedule in one of my classes!

Today was a nice day, just cleaning out my shows on the DVR and knitting while it stormed outside. I'm ready to take on the week!

2 FOs!

I can say with absolute certainty that I have never had two FOs this close to each other...


FO #1 - The Amanda Hat
Pattern: Amanda Hat from Sleepy Eyes Knitting
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Indigo

I absolutely love this hat. Not only is it the first hat I have made for myself, it's also the first item I've knitted with Malabrigo, and yes, I now get the love. Isn't the lace pattern so pretty?
I've worn this hat every day since Thursday on account of a weather forecast consisting of 3 major storms. Here in San Diego that means rain, nothing more unless you live above 3500 feet or so. My hat replaced the need to carry an umbrella.
Did I mention that I love this hat?


FO #2 - Gossamer Stars Scarf
Pattern: Gossamer Stars Scarf by Kat Coyle, published in Interweave Knits, Summer 2008
Yarn: Elann Soie Bambou in Arles Teal

I began this scarf last May but set it aside after a couple of months to work on other things. I learned about provisional cast-ons with this pattern, although I can't seem to find the original tutorial I used, which I think involved a crochet hook but doesn't have you knit into the bumps on the back of a chain of stitches. Anyway, I was sorely tempted to gift the scarf without blocking, but in retrospect I'm glad I blocked. Boy does silk stretch!

Please excuse my poor blocking technique. The top picture shows the scarf on my ironing board, which is what, about 10 inches wide?
I folded the scarf in half to block it (read somewhere that that was acceptable). Then I began pinning, using the striped towel I'd bought especially to try and keep a straight line, after blocking the scarf measured a whopping 15" wide!

I gifted it earlier today, it was a complete surprise for my friend, who kept using the word "gorgeous". She's a very particular woman, that compliment really means a lot!

WIP Wednesday - 2 out, 1 in!

I'm happy to report that the Gossamer Stars Scarf is finally off the needles; it just needs weaving in of the ends and blocking, which hopefully I'll get to this weekend.

The Amanda Hat is also finished; for a pattern that looks complex it's a very quick knit. I don't have a good picture of it yet though. We're supposed to be getting some rain in the next day or two so maybe I'll get some use out of it.

My new WIP is the February Sock for the Thrifty Knitters Sock Club on Ravelry. I think this is the perfect group for a wannabe sock knitter like myself; I figure in a few months either I'll have several pairs of handknit socks, or my sock yarn will be traded for something else. I'm knitting (Black)hearted, which is a top-down sock with several options for each part of the sock. So far, I've chosen to do a picot edge and some ribbing. I'm working my way through the heart chart right now, and I'm planning to do an Eye of Partridge heel.

Book Report: Size 14 is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot

After taking a class on Readers' Advisory last semester, I thought I'd try my hand at writing book reviews. (It will also motivate me to read more, since I have a huge to-be-read list.)

Size 14 is Not Fat Either
by Meg Cabot

Cabot, of Princess Diaries fame, is also the author of a series of Chick-Lit Mysteries featuring Heather Wells, one of the most delightful characters I've come across in recent history. Heather is a former child-star-turned Assistant Residence Hall Director of a college in New York City. In this book, the sequel to Size 12 is Not Fat, Heather is trying to figure out who killed a cheerleader and put her head in a pot.
Not that these books are grisly. Like I said, I call these books "Chick-Lit Mystery"; all the fluff you like in chick lit books but with the added element of a whodunit.

WIP Wednesday-the first of many I hope!

In an effort to get myself to make continuous progress on my WIPs, I'm reinstating WIP Wednesday. We'll see how it goes.
At the top, the blue is the beginnings of the
Amanda Hat. I mentioned I'd joined a KAL for this hat? Well, apparently I'm a year late to the party. However, it's already on the needles and it appears it will be a quick knit, so I might as well finish it. It also gives me a chance to show off the neat project tote I got for Christmas.
The insanely colored mess to the right of that will become a blanket for a new niece, she's expected in about 5 months. I'm calling it Victoria's Raspado Blanket on account of the yarn reminding me of all the colors you see in snowcones.
The dark teal will hopefully become a FO by the weekend, that's the Gossamer Stars Scarf I've been working on since last May.

New blog name!

I've changed the name of my blog. I'm still a newbie knitter, but I think the new title better reflects what I would like to blather on about...

My plan of attack for 2009

Despite my only having one FO for this year, I've got a huge list of items I'd like to accomplish. It's still January, so I'm still allowed that feeling of "yeah! I can do it! No problem!" that will disappear in a panic come October.

But I have a plan. A pretty good one, If I do say so myself. (It's the sticking to it that's hard.)

My plan is to have 3 WIPs going on, strategically placed so that one is (theoretically) always near at hand. One in the living room (currently the Gossamer Stars Scarf that I started last summer); one in the bedroom (baby blanket for my sister-in-law); and one portable project that will be kept in my bag (currently a second Endpaper Mitt, but will soon change to Baby Socks because I'm trying to knit one pair of socks a month.)

I also joined the "Do the Amanda" KAL, I've been meaning to knit this hat with some yummy Malabrigo I got in a swap last summer. It will be the first hat I've knit for myself!

OMG, an update!

It's taken 21 days for me to post my first entry of the year. I do have some things to report though, the most important being the brand new look of my blog! I think the small typeface was what irritated me the most about the old look; it made the pics look way out of proportion. I spent quite a bit of time on the redesign, adding a Twitter feed and a tag cloud (I don't care what some people think, I happen to like tag clouds and find them useful.) I still have to add in my Goodreads feed; it somehow got lost.
Anyways, I hope this will motivate me to update more.
My first FO of the year is a hat, no surprise here:
Pattern: Dizzy by Berroco
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Strawberry Smoothie

My friend Kim turned 30 the first week in January. She's a tiny thing who knows how to fly helicopters and can drink most guys under the table. She likes microbrews, Hello Kitty and the color pink. So for her birthday, we got her 2 bottles from one of her favorite breweries and I made her the hat.