alpaca

I started this one May 11th and finished today.
I love the yarn, oh so soft and cozy,
and the simple lace pattern.
I liked knitting the yoke on circular needles
so there was less finish sewing needed.
A really nice pattern!
As usual with Rebecca patterns
there is much left for interpretation in the instructions,
but that helps to keep those neurons firing.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

I have been working on this felt decoration for a few weeks

and finally finished it this morning!

These are new kirigami and other paper decorations that
my daughter and I made recently.
Oh the fun you can have with paper and scissors!

Ho Ho Ho!

These felt hearts are filled with dark chocolate kisses.
They're for my co-workers.
I need to make eight more tonight.

make

Here is a holiday decoration project that is in progress.
The pattern is from a Japanese book so I am guessing at the instructions.
Each year I like to make a new addition to our festive displays.

I made these stars years ago and place them in a bowl this time of the year.
This lovely bowl was made by my daughter.

I bought a big bunch of Julkarva at Julfest last weekend in Poulsbo. Today I divided it up and tied it onto lots of trees throughout the garden for the critters to enjoy.

My beloved holly is incorporated into the elaborate holiday displays at The Bloedel Reserve.

I just started to pull out the decorations today.
My favorite thing to decorate is the sweater tree.
I'm working on a Japanese felt pattern as a holiday decoration.
More on that later.
I've also been working on Tord Boontje inspired paper decorations.

I absolutely love everything that Tord creates!

Snow before Thanksgiving!

What is up with this?!

I dug up my dahlia tubers on Sunday just in time!
They are safe and sound in the garage
through this arctic blast.
3" inches of the white stuff so far
and it is still coming down.
I feel sorry for the deciduous trees
that haven't given up their leaves yet,
since they are sorely weighted down
with all of the snow.
My Gunnera is out there awaiting
the temperatures dipping down into the teens,
without any protection.
After years of fretting about protecting them through the winters,
I have decided that they are on their own from now on.
If they can't make it then they don't belong in my garden.
Sometimes you just can't do everything you'd like any longer.
I'm just reaching a point in my life that simplicity has a nice ring.
That especially holds true when thinking about the enormous task
each year of planting, staking, labeling, training, watering, digging up, washing, labeling again and storing the vast dahlia collection.
Each year I ask myself, "how much longer can I keep doing this?"
But I keep doing it.
They are so pretty throughout the summer.
What great cut flowers!
But really!
The work is tremendous!

Okay, I better go check for the mail before it is completely dark outside.
Happy Snow Day y'all!

Finished!

This fits perfectly! Yeay!
Pattern: "Cinnamon" by Kim Hargreaves.
Kind of a weird yarn:
Collezione S. Charles Filati d' Italia "Sahara"
44% Viscose, 20% Linen, 36% Bamboo.
It’s somewhat tweedy.
I’m happy with this one.
I need to re-seam one of the side seams at the bottom since I noticed in the photo that the ribbing doesn’t line up.
Yikes! How did that happen?
I was so excited to get this finished I guess I rushed the last seam.

That’s dahlia “Keith H” in the background.

So Close

I spent the entire day in one spot knitting today. I am so close to finishing a sweater and whenever that happens I go into a ridiculous knitting trance that lasts for a crazy amount of time. The treat today, while in the trance, was tuning in to the Metropolitan Opera's presentation of Puccini's La Rondine on PBS while knitting. This opera has one of my absolute favorite songs ever: Chi il Bel Sogno. There just isn't a more beautiful song! It simply transports you to another place of expansive fields of red poppies and summer heat, even though that is not the locale of the scene in the opera. Okay, time to get back to the knitting. Only seven more rows, of 237 stitches each row, to go and then sewing up the seams. So close to being done with this one. Then on to the next one.

Mushroom Walk

These are some of the most beautiful of the wide array of mushrooms
that I saw today on a walk through The Bloedel Reserve.
I wouldn't dare taste any of them.
The motto of mushroomers is
"When in doubt
Throw it out!"
What a beautiful day today!
Just a delight at this time of the year
to be treated to full sun!
Cheers!

wowahlias

Asahi Choji

Asahi Choji

Mary Eveline

La Bomba

Aren't my girls pretty?

Cornus kousa fruit

words of the week

Here are the words of the week after reading the Sunday New York Times:
schadenfreude
truculent

And the quote of the week is by Cisco Morris when describing a lovely new variety of Panicum (an ornamental grass):
..."so stunning that even squirrels cry when they see it!"

Worksheet

I donated my time to illustrate this worksheet for children who visit the Bloedel Reserve, a beautiful public garden. I hope they like it.

Words

In an article in the Sunday New York Times about Victoria Beckham's burgeoning fashion empire three words were new to me. I love looking up new words. Revealing my ignorance the words of the week are:

Argot
Alacrity
and Suplicant

I also loved a quote by Victoria, "it's exhausting being fabulous"! Can't you just see her saying that?

new dress

Here's a dress that I made recently from IKEA fabric.
When I finished initially it was huge,
so I had to rip out the zipper and then take in several inches
along the center back.
Now it fits perfectly due to the expert pinning of my handy assistant.
Thank you sweetie pie.
Happy summer dress.
Just in time for the heat!

Race Day

Yesterday I thought that I would skip it. I wasn't sure last night. This morning I woke up and looked at the start time on the race notice and decided, well, I paid for it, I signed up for it, but what really made me go for it was a note that mentioned that the first 600 participants receive a race medal. That little token sucked me in. I thought that would be a nice addition to last year's medal on my gym key ring. My hesitation to race today was based on the fact that I hadn't run since Monday. I have been running all year long and it is getting harder to force myself to go to the gym after work now. But I had been training up until recently to get faster, and so I just didn't want all that time in the gym to go for not if I didn't race today. I didn't have great expectations since I thought that I would get winded easily, since I had not run since Monday.

The nice thing about today's race is that they provide a trainer to give a stretch workout before the race. So I warmed up at the workout and then ran around for the next twenty minutes to get loose. Then race time came and I positioned myself near the front of the line, since at the 4th of July run I got bogged down by all the kids and strollers in front of me at the start of the race. The horn sounded and the race was off.

I started passing teenagers and young kids which gave me a sense that maybe I could do well today. Then half way through the race a woman ran right next to me with white hair. I looked at her bib and she was in my same age division. So I pushed it harder. I made some headway in front of her and then she gained on me, then I pushed ahead and then she again surged. I really pushed it in the last 400 meters seeing the finish line ahead but about 10 feet from the finish line she surged ahead of me. I thought to myself that I had tried to stay ahead of her for this race and I wasn't going to let her beat me at the end so I dialed it up for the last 5 feet and beat her at the line by .5 of a second.

I came in first for my age division for the second year in a row for this race. My time was quite a bit faster than last year only because that other woman was neck and neck with me. She pushed me to really give it everything I had. It felt good to come in first after putting it all out there. I would have been so disappointed if I had come up short at the finish line. But it turned out in my favor and I'm glad that I decided to participate today after all. The blue ribbon went up on the wall in my sewing room with the rest of my race ribbons when I got home.

At my age it feels good to accomplish a physical goal, when I have never considered myself to be athletic in the least. Maybe just maybe my genes contributed slightly to make my daughter the state track star that she is. This is the fifth race I have entered in a row where I have come in first in my age division. Time to dance a little jig for this old lady.

Hot!

When it's hot my daughter and I like to paint with mendhi.
There are cooling properties to mendhi as soon as it is applied to your skin.
What a wonderful sensation!
No wonder it is used in some of the hottest countries in the world.
Cheers to summer!

kitty gingivitis

Fascinated by Words

Whenever I come across new words I am intrigued and usually write down the word to try to remember it. Most of my new words come from reading The New Yorker magazine. I think I might start listing my new words here and show how ignorant I am of the English language.

The word of the moment is pinioned.

Boléro

Here's my latest knitting project
completed today from

Naoko Shimoda's Standard Knit 下田直子のかんたんニット
It's a Japanese pattern, but charted, so it was easy to follow.
I love the simplicity of the pattern.
I ripped apart a vest that I made over 28 years ago
and recycled the yarn into something more contemporary.
I knit until I ran out of yarn so the neckline
is a bit larger than the specified pattern.
I love it.
The alpaca mohair yarn is so soft, like bunny fur.

cocoon

this week's illustration friday submission:

her exquisitely crafted cocoon

of twigs, moss, mud and grasses
could not protect her delicate eggs
from the ravages of a marauding raccoon.
...
this is what i found in our garden
this morning.
i had watched mama build her nest
for days,
eventually laying her clutch
and keeping them warm for two weeks,
until this.
my heart goes out to you dear mama.

Hermes

I love this website ... Hermes

Not only can you see the finest technique employed by master seamstresses sewing rolled edges of silk scarves, and glove makers creating their guanti, but there are games, crafts and endless inspiration for crafters.

furry

This was a stash busting project.
I had 5 skeins of Rowan Big Wool Tuft
and I knit until I ran out of yarn.
The pattern is "Kay's Tess D’Urbervilles Shawl"
but meant for a much finer gauge yarn.
I used size US 19 needles,
which if you haven't seen them before are enormous.

tawashi

i have been making tawashi lately.
they're dish washing scrubbies.
later i'll post others that i've made.
there are lots of Japanese crochet books dedicated to making tawashi.
Here's an example of one of the books.
You can thumb through the pages of the book at Tezukuritown
(one of my favorite sources for Japanese patterns).
this tawashi is stuffed with nylon tulle.
i also used the cording handle from a store's shopping bag.
these little projects are fun since they are finished quickly
and can make nice little gifts.
i used Daiso antibacterial acrylic yarn.

watercolor

Here's a watercolor that I painted a few weeks ago.
I'm so fortunate to get together with a great group of friends that like to paint.
This one isn't finished.
The vase floats right now and needs to settle in on some sort of surface.
Isn't springtime great?!
All I want to do is paint flowers all day long.

Finished

Yarn: Simply Shetland, Colours of Scotland, Silk Lambswool
Color: Culzean #.036
Pattern from:

Hand-knitting: Spring/Summer (てあみニット)

by Nihon Vogue (日本ヴォーグ社)
I lengthened the sleeves.
At first the yoke was too tight using the specified hook size so I ripped the entire yoke and started over again with a hook 2 sizes larger and now it fits perfectly.
I'm happy with how it turned out.
While working on this sweater I was very frustrated with the yarn since it has lots of bits of scratchy plant materials spun into the yarn. But the worst part was that the first ball had dozens of breaks in the yarn so I have loads of ends to weave in.
I do like the scallopy edging.
This pattern is in Japanese so it was a fun puzzle to try to figure out how to make it.
It definitely flexed some brain muscles.

less toxic

Here's a website that I have come across called the Environmental Working Group where they have a healthy home checklist. I have become more proactive in the last few years to eliminate objects that I had regularly used in the past such as non-stick pans and plastic food containers which are some of the recommendations from the checklist.

Here's a great article along similar lines about eliminating endocrine disruptors by NYTimes columnist Nicolas Kristof. While I'm sure I'll be fine after my sonogram breast exam next month I am trying my best to eliminate unnecessary toxins in my home to make for healthier bodies around here.

Liberty Redo 2

I revised my Liberty of London skirt again. The first version can be seen here. I felt that the previous version was too dowdy and I likely wouldn't wear it. I love the latest version and will wear it often.

happy easter

copy

i copied an image of a painting from a magazine
that has been displayed above my studio table for many years.
all of a sudden i just had to paint it.
it's a view of coit tower
from russian hill in san francisco.
i wish i knew who the original artist
was so i could give credit
but i didn't keep that info with the little image.
do you know who the artist is? i'd really like to know.
i took the photo right after i finished painting
so the shine of wet paint makes it look unlike the original.
also the colors are much more vivid in real life.
i love oil paints!
this was fun.

Liberty Redo

I sliced up a Liberty of London for Target
girls dress and made it into a skirt.
That's a lot of Liberty fabric for $16.
I've gone a little crazy
over all the Liberty offerings at Target.
It's a dream come true for a rabid Liberty fan.

Valentino

I love this movie
Valentino: The Last Emperor
For anyone who has ever created their own clothing,
especially of one's own design,
you will appreciate peeking into the world
of a one of the finest designers ever.
I loved seeing the design process
and production of his iconic dresses.
Not to mention gorgeous chateau, gardens,
Puccini, Roma, Venezia,
and plenty of beautiful people.
It is a gem of a film.

now available

"Bice Light"
original oil painting
by Towhee
now available at my Etsy shop

cake

i followed the recipe exactly,
including using the correct pan size,
yet the batter cascaded all over the oven floor.
what a mess!
it was quite a job prying the layers
out of their pans once they had cooled
since they had mushroomed over the brim.
after some surgery the cake was salvaged.
recipe from Fanny at Chez Panisse.
Happy Birthday baby.

Hummer Check-in

I just visited Phoebe, the Channel Island Anna hummingbird, again to see how things were going for her and saw that she has laid a new clutch of eggs since the last time I checked in on her. Watch for a while if she's on the nest and eventually she will fly off for a bit and you'll be able to see her eggs. When she returns to the nest she rotates the eggs and repairs the nest. It's really a beautiful thing to witness so closely.

Have I ever endorsed a product on the spotted towhee before? Nope, yet GoodBelly has dramatically changed my belly health. As an IBS + gastritis sufferer I've been researching the benefits of probiotics and prebiotics lately. Up popped GoodBelly, hence a happy tummy ever since drinking it up. Friends that have used it have also sung its praises in loud choruses.
Thanks NextFoods for making such a sensational product.

In Love!

I am in love with this hummingbird nest cam! The chick has grown so much since I first started checking in on it a couple of weeks ago. I just love watching it! If you love birds too you'll have to take a look.

kitty loves sleeping on the mohair blanket in the sun.
life is good!

mohair from belgium.
no pattern.

noh8

i was really impressed that Cindy McCain
would step out in support of the noh8 campaign!
i agree with Cindy that anyone should be
free to marry whomever you chose
to love for the rest of your life.
i made this felt bag to hold my latest knitting project.
looks like closing arguments are underway in CA
at this moment in the noh8 case.
what will the outcome be?
will it open freedom for all nationwide?
or will things remain as is
until a new enlightenment period emerges in the future?

bag pattern from isbn 9784579111152.
sweater is a debbie bliss pattern.